Halti Harness/Head Collar or Dogmatic

davidk11811

So I have 2 Springer Spaniels that love walks but they despise the leads, Ive tried a choke collar as it was recommended by my friend but I don't use it anymore as the dogs would rather choke and pull than be comfortable and walk slowly. So I was looking at a Halti dog harness but people say this just makes it more comfortable for them to pull and that the Halti head collar blocks the dog's eyes. I've heard great things about the dogmatic but the only differences I see between that and the Halti head collar is the price. Can someone tell me which is the superior as I don't want to be go for the Halti and realise it's useless and end up buying the dogmatic anyway. Thanks.

borderlinemeath

I have a halti for my setter and it stopped her pulling, but it does fit her properly. Friends of ours have one for their dog and it's a little bit too big and does cover his eyes if he starts to pull.

Another alternative I got was a body harness rather than a head collar and it works well for us, when the dog pulls it tightens on their body rather than their face. It looks a bit like this - but without the front leash. (and ours is more padded)

barbiegirl

I use the halti on both of mine and it's great, I tried the gentle leader and it was all over their faces. Once it's fitted properly it really doesn't ride up, of course except when they lie down in teh grass and try to rub it off, in which case one of ours looks like she has a hairband pulling her whole face back

davidk11811

So do you guys reckon I should get the Halti harness? Or should I get the head collar? Keep in mind these dogs completely ignored the choke chain so they sure like pulling!

Taceom

I got a Dogmatic headcollar for my dog and walking the dog while he was wearing it became an absolute nightmare. He hates it. He tries to push it off with his paws, he rolls on the ground and just refuses to walk when he is wearing it. Walking with him while he was wearing this collar became an very unpleasant experience for both of us. I bought it while he was still quite young so he has grown out of it now, but I wouldn't buy another.

RubyGirl

Taceom wrote: »

I got a Dogmatic headcollar for my dog and walking the dog while he was wearing it became an absolute nightmare. He hates it. He tries to push it off with his paws, he rolls on the ground and just refuses to walk when he is wearing it. Walking with him while he was wearing this collar became an very unpleasant experience for both of us. I bought it while he was still quite young so he has grown out of it now, but I wouldn't buy another.

And I woud recommend the Dogmatic, use it on my lab and find it great, just training my 6mt old lab on it now, she does try to push it off with her paw but she's doing well with it now, they know's it walk times when pull it out.

davidk11811

Thanks guys, think I'll get the Halti head collar. They're about 12 euro on eBay. Anyone know what size as for a Springer Spaniel? Sizes range from 0-5.

Knine

davidk11811 wrote: »

Thanks guys, think I'll get the Halti head collar. They're about 12 euro on eBay. Anyone know what size as for a Springer Spaniel? Sizes range from 0-5.

I would not bother with a halti. They tend to ride up in the eyes of the dog and can also chaf the dogs skin. Ive also seen dogs manage to escape from them.

The dogmatic is much better, more comfortable for the dog to wear and if you get the proper size, it will not ride up into the dogs eyes.

Taceom, most dogs will react that way regardless of the type of headcollar you use until they get used to it. Using the correct size he should not be able to roll on the ground when you are holding his lead as you would have much better control over him.

A trick to get the dog used to wearing a dogmatic is to put it on the dog every time you are going for a walk but at first do not attach it to the lead. Soon the dog associates it with a walk and looks forward to seeing it. Then you can start using the lead with it. They soon get used to it.

DBB

Personally, I wouldn't go near any of the headcollars unless it was absolutely necessary, say for an aggressive dog. I haven't yet met a dog who enjoyed wearing a headcollar of any design or brand name. They take a fair bit of acclimatisation, and many of them do ride up into the dog's eyes. There are also issues about the way the Halti Headcollar twists the dog's head around to one side, both from an orthopaedic point of view, and from a behavioural point of view, as they stop the dog from being able to express himself properly, and stop him from being able to view an approaching dog properly. I hate headcollars on dogs, and have never had to resort to using one.. but I've taught a lot of dogs to walk nicely on their lead!;)
The front-attachment harness, whether it's the Halti Harness, the Easy-Walk Harness, or the Sense-Ible Harness, is a FAR better job. There is no acclimatisation, you just put them on and off you go. They do not facilitate pulling (a normal back-attachment harness does, but the whole point of the front-attachment harness is that the point of attachment is at the front of the dog... it is hard to pull against something that's in front of you!)
www.friendsoffido.co.uk do a couple of the above brands at a reasonable price. A springer would take a medium harness.
I have found that the front-attachment harness, correctly fitted, stops pulling completely in about 60-70% of dogs. In the other 30-40%, it gives you far more control, enough to help you instigate a training program to teach them to walk on a loose leash.
On which point, it is really important that you do teach the dogs to walk nicely, as opposed to simply relying on gear that'll do the job. However, you should find that the front-attachment harness makes you feel that training to walk nicely on the lead is not a pipe dream with dogs who pull very hard!

suziwalsh

I would definately get a front connection harness depending on where you are living I can recommend the type and where to go to get one properly fitted and have a try.

The best think about a harness rather than a head collar is the dog doesnt have to get used to it as much, for most dogs it takes quite a while for a head collar to be accepted and you need to be patient and use lots of positive reinforcement. You cannot just put on a head collar and see results straight away unfortunately.

If you are going for a halti I would say a size 2 would suit best.

If not I recommend the easy walk professional front connection harness by trixie, the halti harness with a double lead or just using the front connection or a sensible harness. All harnesses must fit dog correctly in order to see results

suziwalsh

DBB wrote: »

Personally, I wouldn't go near any of the headcollars unless it was absolutely necessary, say for an aggressive dog. I haven't yet met a dog who enjoyed wearing a headcollar of any design or brand name. They take a fair bit of acclimatisation, and many of them do ride up into the dog's eyes. There are also issues about the way the Halti Headcollar twists the dog's head around to one side, both from an orthopaedic point of view, and from a behavioural point of view, as they stop the dog from being able to express himself properly, and stop him from being able to view an approaching dog properly. I hate headcollars on dogs, and have never had to resort to using one.. but I've taught a lot of dogs to walk nicely on their lead!;)
The front-attachment harness, whether it's the Halti Harness, the Easy-Walk Harness, or the Sense-Ible Harness, is a FAR better job. There is no acclimatisation, you just put them on and off you go. They do not facilitate pulling (a normal back-attachment harness does, but the whole point of the front-attachment harness is that the point of attachment is at the front of the dog... it is hard to pull against something that's in front of you!)
www.friendsoffido.co.uk do a couple of the above brands at a reasonable price. A springer would take a medium harness.
I have found that the front-attachment harness, correctly fitted, stops pulling completely in about 60-70% of dogs. In the other 30-40%, it gives you far more control, enough to help you instigate a training program to teach them to walk on a loose leash.
On which point, it is really important that you do teach the dogs to walk nicely, as opposed to simply relying on gear that'll do the job. However, you should find that the front-attachment harness makes you feel that training to walk nicely on the lead is not a pipe dream with dogs who pull very hard!

THUMBS UP DBB...beat me to it with a better response

davidk11811

I've ordered the Halti head collar on eBay but the seller said I can return it if I have any problems so if it doesn't work after about a week I'll get the harness. Thanks for the help people, it can be so confusing to choose one with everyone's opinion being different and to DDB who said that no dog enjoys wearing any sort of head collar, my dogs HATE any lead/harness/collar, hence the pulling. When walking my dogs they are only on the lead for 2-3 mins until I get up to a safe area where I can let them off. I don't mind if the dogs don't enjoy the first few minutes of their walk since they have an hour where they can chase birds, sniff and swim etc. One of the reasons they pull is so they can get to said "safe" area ASAP

Keith in cork

davidk11811 wrote: »

I've ordered the Halti head collar on eBay but the seller said I can return it if I have any problems so if it doesn't work after about a week I'll get the harness. Thanks for the help people, it can be so confusing to choose one with everyone's opinion being different and to DDB who said that no dog enjoys wearing any sort of head collar, my dogs HATE any lead/harness/collar, hence the pulling. When walking my dogs they are only on the lead for 2-3 mins until I get up to a safe area where I can let them off. I don't mind if the dogs don't enjoy the first few minutes of their walk since they have an hour where they can chase birds, sniff and swim etc. One of the reasons they pull is so they can get to said "safe" area ASAP

Hi david,

I've just posted a thread on the very same issue. As the dog is not mine, nor will it ever come to live with me, i'd like if you could post some feedback. As he's not mine i'd like to choose wisely, i dont mind buying a set-up for him and putting the work in, but obviously no point in wasting money.

Tbh the halti looks a bit of a messy contraption for me. I'd prefer a front strap, simply because i don't like the idea of putting a head colar on a dog, correct fitting or not. I had a rottie, who was a complete pet to everyone. But the local garda were forever pulling me in and telling me to muzzle her. At which point i just loaded her into the car and took her to a quite place to walk.

How did your halti work? How do you like it? Did it work/take long to see results?

Once the dog gets used to the idea of walking, not pulling, can you go back to a normal collar/lead setup?

Thanks.
Keith.

Fence_

I've heard good things about the K9 bridle. Sort of a mix between a collar and a head halter, but works on lowering the head rather than pulling it to the side. Haven't seen it in use though.