Hi,
I'v recently bought a halti (size 1) for my cross terrier, to replace using a choke chain, as I have heard it can be harmful, the halti instructions say to leave the halti on for a few mins for her to get used to wearing it, BUT, she can easly get the nose band off... I have tried attaching her to the lead, as it says the nose band tightens when pulled, but when my dog pulls on the lead, she can easly get it off with hardly any struggle.
Can some one please help?

Luv Lea.
x

"the halti instructions say to leave the halti on for a few mins for her to get used to wearing it"!!! Yep, I know that's what the instructions say but in the dogs eyes they've got this nasty material across their face and the first thing they can think of is to get it off as quick as possible.
Don't allow your terrier to get it off, if he tries to get it off then tell him off. Use a loud "no", and maybe scruff him or give him a light smack.
All my dogs are trained to walk on a collar and lead, but if my niece wants to walk any of them they're put on a gencon (or figure of eight) which acts like a halti but doesn't rub into their eyes, and if they do get it off it acts as a slip lead so they can't actually free themselves and I think it's safer than a halti. Just gives you that extra bit of control.
Char123

I got my old dog used to wearing one by putting it on her for meals, and taking it off afterwards for a week or so. That way she learned that it meant 'good things'!
:)

ok... thanks 2 both of you!

Luv Lea.
x

Char123 are you mad???????? maybe scruff him or give a light smack, Lets make sure that by this method the dog will come to regard the Halti as something unpleasant instead of something nice shall we. :rolleyes:

Hi Lea, we have the same problem with our gentle leader which is very similar - enough play in the nose loop and he can scratch it off and tries whenever we stop walking. He has a nice long nose too - does your dog have a pointy nose or a flat one? Are the instructions in the book clear? If you can pull it off so can the dog. If you bought it at a pet supplier maybe they can help fit it? Dont smack the dog or she will lose respect for you.

Hi,
She has a nose similar to a westie.

Sadly, I can't take her into the pet supplier because its in our local center- "No dogs allowed".

Hi

I had the same problem with my halti, my gal is an 8 month old staff and I think she is kind of between sizes. I got a needle and thread and took the side bands in a bit, about 1 cm on each side and that did the trick. I can unpick it when she has grown into it. Hope this helps :)

Helen

Ladymojo... THX ALOT!... I'LL TRY THAT! :D

I sewed one of my haltis to alter it the same way :) Worked perfectly.
Lara x

Another alternative is to use two leads, so if she slips the Halti off, you have another lead already connected to her flat collar...

sounds like it is too big too me, i only use a size 2 for my sibes. i woukd try the next size down, think it is size 0.
kelly

Hi Kelly,
I was thinking about that, but reading on the box, the breeds size 0 fits, i think it'll be to small... I'll try needle and thread 1st, if that doesnt work, I'll swap its size.

Lea.
x

hi,
their sizing also says i need a size 3 for my sibes and it was far too big, even for my biggest boy who is a very very big sibe! :)
kelly

Hi Lea !

I have used a halti on Polly to stop her pulling and to keep her attention when I practised "heel". It worked very well for me. Polly is a lab/collie mix and my halti is size 2.

I got Polly used to it following the instructions supplied, also after reading up about it and talking to the trainers at school.
The dog has to be conditioned that the halti is something positive. At first put it on only for seconds and at the same time give the dog a treat. Already the association is positive. The next step is to keep the halti on while the dog has its meal. Then it should be put on while going for walks but the lead is still fastened to the collar only. This can take anything from a couple of days to a couple of weeks. Don't leave the halti on when the dog is out of sight. The next step is to fasten one end of the lead to the halti and one to the collar (you need a lead with a fastener at each end, or two leads), but guide the dog with the collar at first, slowly increasing the use on the halti. The lead is now used a bit like the reins on a horse. Some people go on to use the connection to the halti only and leave the collar, but I think this could be very irritating for the dog, and the collar/halti combination worked very well for me.
What is also important is that a normal lead and collar should be used, not a harness or a flexi lead. The halti shouldn't be tight over the dog's nose, she should be able to open her mouth fully when there is no pressure on the ring under the chin. The idea behind the halti is that the dog is corrected by pressure on the nose, as she would be by her superiors in the pack in the wild. But the pressure shouldn't be there all the time.
Polly was able to get her halti off by herself too (even tho she has a collie nose), that's why the dog shouldn't be left alone while wearing it - we were in a restaurant, Polly was under the table and by the time we'd finished our meal she'd chewed through it out of boredom. Sorry this answer is a bit long-winded - it's a bit difficult to explain in writing (especially with my strange english). Do you have a trainer who could show you the right method ?
Hope this helps a bit.
Carol Schaefer, Germany

Make sure too that the dog is never jerked on the halti, as if you are used to a check chain you may forget and do it; the halti should almost work by itself.

Lindsay

Why can I never get my springers to walk nicely with these trainers, I have tried a halti and the gentle leader and it just leads to very distressed dogs panting and looking like they are being tortured.
Any suggestions.

Hi Barking Mad
I am currently training my GSD pup to walk on a halti, and we have the usual handstands, rolling on the grass verge, dragging her fact through bushes etc, zooming between your legs to try and drag it off! She's coming on though, so persevere. I would just like to say, as someone else has done ALWAYS have a normal lead attached to her collar as well, just to be on the safe side. I do this, and have a very very lightweight puppy lead attached to the halti, so that when its slack she can't feel any weight at all on her nose, and i only bring it into play when she needs to slow down, and I apply it very lightly with a happy command (mine is "with me").

Char123 - Am interested in your mention of a figure of 8 gencon, I've never heard of it, could you give some more info please - Thanks

Good luck
Katrina

I always recommend people to put a check chain on their dog with the halti. With both connected to the lead the slack in the check means it does not interfere with the halti but in the event of the dog getting the halti off (Which I’ve known happen) the check chain stops the dog being able to run off.

Regards, John

I totally agree with that, i used to use a halti on my collie... until she slipped it off and dashed out in front of a car! She was ok and i caught her ok but i got a right earfull from the driver. I have seen some people use a half check chain with a halti to prevent the dog getting free.

For those who don't like check chains the half check/combination collars will have the same back up effect.

Hi John

I got my Halti Link from The Company of Animals at Chertsey from their Train and Behave catalogue - mail order.

Thanks for the info Elaine. It's useful to be able to point the new people at the dog club in the right direction.

Best wishes, John

Hi Lea

There is something called a Halti link which clips onto the Halti and the ring on any standard dog collar. They come in 2 or 3 sizes which match the Halti sizes and the last one I bought (earlier this year) cost 99p. This should stop the halti coming off the dogs nose, but if it does the halti is still connected to the collar so your dog can't get free.

Thats interesting Elaine, I've never seen them! I'll have to keep my eye open for them. Thanks.

Best wishes, John

Double ended leads are also useful with headcollars and collars. I dont use a headcollar, but DID discover a gorgeous double ended lead at the Wag and Bone show. My other half bought it for me after several friends had also just bought one and we saw how nice it was. I believe it was from The Company of Animals stand. It's really soft on the hands and of course has D rings along the length so you can adjust the length of the lead.

Really really useful :)

Lindsay

I bought one of those a couple of years ago Lindsay, really soft leather, find it very useful as I can attach a 3rd lead to it easily when needed and as you say it's great when you have a head collar and just one dog.
I've had more problems with the haltis/gentle leaders breaking then them slipping off that's why I have now changed to the dogmatic leather variety.

Ingrid

We use a Dogmatic with Hudson , but we always have a double ended lead attached for security :)

I think the dogmatic is the best dogs cant get them off and they are safe, and stay in place not all over the face of the poor dog.

Where can I get info on the 'Dogmatic from it sounds iinteresting.

Dogmatic

:)

I have now found the info, but does anyone use one on a small springer, I dont know whether he will need a size 2 or 3, he is an 'M ' on the gentle leader.

Email them ....the people at Dogmatic are extremely helpful I paid for one and they sent me it but it didn't fit , so I sent it back and they sent me another ..3 times this happened until we managed to get the right sizing :)

In a calm situation, can your dog open and close its mouth freely?

Would the dogmatic be useful for a small terrier?

Yes he can open his mouth , easily.....email the people at Dogmatic or look at the website to see what breeds are covered so far :)

ok, thx