Hi Hugo is 10 month old and we have lovely loose lead walking for me when we are walking alone but as soon as someone else is with us (children and friends) he starts pulling like mad. .He also pulls when my dad or husband walk him ( once a week). Everyone is saying he needs a halti - is this the way forward? X
A Halti is a management tool and not a training aid. The way forward is through training, so go back to basics in those more exciting environments. I am guessing here that your dad and husband let him get away with pulling. Dogs will learn who they can do what with. If you never let Hugo pull, he'll learn that he never gets anywhere with you if he pulls. If they let him get away with it, he'll continue to do it. So get them on board with training, and they'll end up reaping the rewards, too.
Haiti is a brand name, altho commonly used to describe a head halter. Halti also make a front-fastening harness. We've used both. Our boy is very powerful and if there's a bitch on heat, we need control. We had a terrible experience with the head halter. Snowie hated it and tried to pull it off all the time. He'd also pull hard with it and I'm sure it harmed his neck. The front-fastening harness has been fantastic. We have complete control if necessary. It has its drawbacks - gets in the way of his front legs, can't be left on if he runs around freely. We only use on the occasion we need full control. There's an excellent article on the Lab site that compares and rates the various devices and brands.
My dog loved his Gentle Leader (the type of head collar we used) and as I have balance issues and delicate skin due to burns on my hands, it was really an invaluable tool, especially at the age your puppy is now. However, many dogs hate the things (you must introduce them in a slow and positive manner) and I respect that many here in the forum hate head collars as well. It really is a temporary tool and no substitute whatsoever for actual training. If you do decide to use a GL, the tool and the training go hand in hand. I had no negative effects from neck issues, but I can see how this could happen. You should have a really good understanding about what kind of power you have when using a GL as opposed to a flat buckle collar or traditional harness. If you have someone who may be used to yanking on a dog's leash to try to control them, they are NOT good candidates for using a GL until they understand that no yanking, "leash pops" or jerks should ever be used with a GL (or with any kind of leash attachment for that matter). Also the leash should be loose 99% of the time, not constantly ratcheting the dog's head sideways. Think of how people walk with a horse in a head collar - the lead draped loose under the horse's head. It's guidance and a tool for emergencies (your dog has a burst of jumping or lunging), not constant pressure or dragging along your pup. I've said this before when extolling the virtues of the GL here, but I made the mistake of using it WAY beyond when my dog actually needed it so if you do go down that road, beware of that trap. And to be honest, after reading viewpoints from others here whom I consider to be miles and miles ahead of me in experience, with a new puppy I will first try 100% positive training with no tools, then the front attachment harness (which seems more in favour here than the head collar) and only then the head collar. I'm learning from everyone here too and hope this "old dog" can learn some new tricks.
Just out of curiosity , as i feel this thread is relavent, What do we class as pulling on a lead? Generally rolo has a loose lead, although he walks slightly in front there is never any tension on the lead. is this okay?
Whether it's OK depends on what you want, not what we want "Loose lead walking" is just that - however long the lead is, the dog isn't putting tension on it. Some people have other rules, about crossing from side to side etc, but, for me, it's just that they're not pulling. They can sniff, they can wee, they can do what they want (within reason) as long as they're not pulling. Simples. That's a separate thing to walking to heel, which is far more formal. In general, the dog shouldn't be sniffing anything or stopping to go to the toilet. They should keep focus on you, ready to be given more cues. This doesn't mean they have to be staring up at you, obedience-style; just being aware that you're there, quick to change direction with you etc.
