At the moment we walk our bordauex pup in a figure of eight halti type of collar, but he is getting to strong for this, has anyone got any suggestions, cant hold him on a choke chain (dont really like them), we had an accident back in october where another dog was off the lead & ran toward my dogs & was very aggressive towards them, since then he's become a bit deffensive if something comes running towards him, he's only a year old but goin to be a big lad. Just wondered if anyone had heard of any good training collars for big dogs. Thanks.

I walk one of mine on head collar but not halti , its more like a horse head collar made by kumfi canine collars , northallerton ideal for big strong dogs  , there are quite a few others that i am sure people will recommend , as for collars the only ones i find any good are the half check collar  half webbing and part chain , they dont squeeze like choke chains  or rub the neck area .

Always use a gentle leader on mine.  good luck x

> Just wondered if anyone had heard of any good training collars for big dogs

The collar/harness you use is not going to make much difference without the right training from you, it should just be an aid to your training, not a replacement.

> & was very aggressive towards them, since then he's become a bit deffensive if something comes running towards him, he's only a year old but goin to be a big lad.

I think you need to get him into a good training class, it should also help with his socialisation. He will soon be much harder to handle as he enters the 'kevin' stage and gets even bigger & stronger, you need some solid training foundations down to build on.
I have found a halti to be a great training aid, in conjunction with a harness, but they are just that - aids, without training they would become useless.

yes we are going to training classes & is going fine, the figure of eight is like a head collar type of thing, & we do walk with some calm dogs but it's just the odd one or two that start him off, just wondered if anyone has experienced the same thing, he's also got a bit of a thing with ginger dogs (doesn't realise that he's one to!!), it's when he gets excited he just boings about thats when he gets tricky to hold, yes i know what you mean about the kevin stage,like i say he is fine with calm dogs just when something gets gobby with him, he just jumps about.

he is fine with calm dogs just when something gets gobby with him, he just jumps about.

That's the time when you use the training that you've done and tell him to sit quietly at your side. Trying to hold a big dog that's stronger than ourselves is impossible and becomes a liability. :)

> it's when he gets excited he just boings about thats when he gets tricky to hold

If he's exited in a playfull way, then getting him to sit calmly is the best bet, if he is exited in a defensive way it's best to move him away.
Buster (my Mastiff) would get playfully exited around some dogs so I would get him in a sit (using a treat as motivation & reward), to make this work you need to do it before your dogs gets exited, it may mean that to start with you are quite a distance away from the other dog, but as your dog learns what you want from him (a calm sit) you should be able to gradually work it closer & closer to the other dog. Timing is really important, if he looks like he will get exited you need to get his attenetion strait away, once he's prancing around like a manic rocking horse you'll have no chance!!
This is where I found a halti to be great, as I could steer his head away from the other dog to get his focus on me while he was in a sit. He's still not perfect under this sort of distraction, but I can walk past loose dogs that are playing now, when before I would have to stand still and make him sit, he still does silly wiggles and the occasional pull on the lead, but it's a minor inconvienience rather than a battle to stay on my feet !

My aussie is very strong and I have a job somtimes holding him but when I put a Dogmatic halti on he is completely different so calm.  They have a website called Dogmatic and they make the size to fit different breeds you can always ring them up and they are very helpful.  There are two type leather and padded webbing.  I got the padded webbing as my puppie's head is still growing and they are slightly cheaper.  If you are carefull trying it on and you are not happy with it providing they can sell it again they will give you your money back or change it.

hi used head collar on my boxer for a couple months until she stopped pulling now she usee a normal collar and walks to heel fine.

I have used the leather Dogmatic with super results but needs regular care if your dog like mine loves the water. Ideally a leather one needs to be removed befor going into water. When it arrives please treat it with a leather conditioner overnight in a plastic bag to soften it. I had tried cheaper variations (Halti and Canny collars) but found that they rode up into the dogs eyes. The Dogmatic does not do that.

Can I please ask, because I've never had a dog that I couldn't train to walk safely on a lead - if a dog can't be controlled when walking beside you, how do you control it when you remove its training aid and it goes for a swim?