Just wondering if you guys think its worth getting a Halti. I saw one in the pet shop today when i was getting my clicker. but i figure i wont need a halti if i'm clicker training.  We have a pup who is going to be VERY large when grown (leonberger) so we need to teach heel as quick as possible!

If you teach the heel well enough and your dog can do it with distractions then i don't see the need for one.
I always presumed they were a training aid anyway and it helped our girl learn to heel quickly.
But she is no good with distractions (mainly other dogs) and to be honest i don't trust her to not pull us into the road at any given opportunity. She wears one well and it gives me piece of mind cos a 10stone dog (and growing) who gets something into her head isn't to be argued with (unless she wears a halti of course ;) )

wow, what kind of dog is she? Ours can apparently get up to 60kg or more! not something that you could stop pulling!

If you think that your dog is ALWAYS going to be under control, NEVER throw itself under a car, chase a cat, react to a loose dog, and you are strong enough to hold it under ALL weather conditions including ice, snow, slippery mud etc then I am sure you will not need a halti in the great outdoors.

Do you mean that yes they are a good investment!??  I know that all dogs are unpredictable and even the most well trained ones will stray (just as horses do) but I also wanted to know how it works and if its something i would be putting on the dog for its whole life. if you see what i mean.

My dog is clicker trained and competes in various disciplines as well as being a PAT dog, however I do have a halti for when I think it is appropriate.  They are not training tools, more "management" tools to be taken out as and when required.  which in my case is at the beginning and end of walks where I may be "invaded" by out of control dogs!

Interesting to know.  I think i will definitely purchase one as puppy is so bouncy on the lead and loves to pull (although i've been trying to dissuade this by just stopping if s he pulls ahaed and not moving forawrd til she comes toward me). I'm hoping this will help make her realise that pulling gets her nowhere!

Ps, what is a PAT dog?

Hiya, a PAT dog is as dog that participates in Pets as Therapy and visits the old, sick, handicapped etc who are in situations where they may not have access to pets.

There are all sorts of headcollars, there is the dogmatic (the new improved version is actually sewn instead of being riveted AND is much cheaper, the halti, the gentle leader, the gentle controller and the pullstoppa to name but a few.  Some people/dogs prefer one to another.

HTH

I'm not an experienced or very good trainer ;) Our younger dog would pull like a train if she wanted to go somewhere - even pulled hubby over when she lunged at something in the dark once - (she's only 21kg). She can walk beautifully to heel off-lead indoors or at training classes or, if she isn't distracted, in the field. We started to use a Kumfi head-collar on her and the pulling stopped instantly. It may not be a permanent solution to her pulling - I need some training first :) - but it is MUCH safer for road walking etc

Daisy

Our girl is a great dane, she can actually walk well without one but i always have it with me and early morning walks it's not needed but if there's people about, dogs, trains, horses, children (think you get the message) i just slip it on.

my favorite after trying a wde variety is the "gentle controller", (not to be confused with the gentle leader)

There are other makes of dog halter.  My own prefernce is for the Gentle leader.  It has softer and wider webbing than the Halti, and an adjustable slide on the nose loop so when slack it is less likely to be chewd through by a dog that way inclined.

The dogalter I think is made to fit snugly all round with no loop, but the lead clips to a ring under the chin, this one works very well for some dogs too.

I would try on all three if you possibly can to find out which works best for you.

I use a Halti with my lab. She can walk like a star when there are no distractions but could (and has!) pulled me me over if there is something she really wants to get to. Just wanted to add that we first tried the Gentle leader but she really hated it, constantly pawed at it and pushed her face on the floor to get it off. I tried the Halti and she tolerates it! Wouldn't go as far as to say she likes it, but she doesn't try to get the halti off. I would love to not have to use it but it's better than being run over by a bus!

I would echo what most people have said.  We put off for ages getting a halti as Ella is/was a lunger and we thought it would be dangerous for her.  We gave in because my parents were looking after her for a weekend when she was in season and on lead all the time and they just couldn't hold her when she chose to pull.  We use two leads always when we use the halti, for her safety - one on the normal collar - and she walks just fine.  Having said that we only use the halti, like other people, when necessary as she is quite capable of walking nicely when there are no distractions.  I would certainly agree it is a good investment - spend a bit of time getting your pup used to it and you'll probably find it is really helpful (but no substitute for training of course!!)
Best wishes
Alex

I use a Halti on Dylan, and he's a changed dog :) Like the others, I only use it when we are going to be walking where there are too many distractions.  The one thing I would recommend is this - you can get a thing to attach the halti to the dog's normal collar (I'm sure there is a proper name for it but it escapes me).  I find it gives me that extra peace of mind that if Dylan wiggled his way out of the halti, then I still have him on the lead.

It can be easier to use one lead that is double ended with one clip attached to the halti and one clip attached to the collar. :)

I actually bought a little clip on thing that attaches to the halti then the normal collar so if she does slip out of it(only happened once) i still have her by the collar.

Interesting reading all your posts.  I think i will definitely try a halti. I think that thinner webbing is not cruel - as i use natural horsemanship headcollars on my horses and they are much lighter and the horses dont pull on them and if they dont pull, the halter is very soft and harmless, in fact its a million times better than those horrid thick webbing halters you get from saddlers/tack shops - dont know if any ofyou who have horses use natural headcollars.  It sounds like a great addition to a normal collar and lead.  We also have a special doggy safety seat belt type thing with a harness which is so useful in teh car.

Have a look at my post below "scary moment" - one reason why I would definitely recommend one!
Tracy

The halti i have has a padded nose band so it doesn't rub i think it was only a £1 more than normal halti's.

Would one of these be any good for me?  My puppy walks okay most of the time but when she gets frightened (there is a big building development at the bottom of my road and she doesn't 'do' big diggers I'm afraid!), so she tries to run all the way home.  This also happens if she needs a wee (hasn't figured out that she is allowed to go outside of our garden yet!), she realises she needs to get home fast and she just pulls - trying to run home with all her might.  I don't mind the pulling - she's only ickle, so its not to much to manage, and she won't be anything but a 'pet dog' so walking to heel isn't as necessary as it is for a lot of you, but I do worry about her hurting herself when she's pulling so hard in her desperation to run.  I was thinking she may need some kind of halter, would a halti do the same kind of job, and which would most of you think preferable for this kind of situation, a body halter or a headcollar?