Hi all,
Do any of you use headcollars on your dogs - thinking Halti, Canny Collar, Gentle Leader for example (are there others?).
Which do you prefer and are there any specific reasons why you choose that particular one.
Are there any breeds which they don't really work for?
Are there any which you wouldn't use?

Hope you don't mind me asking - am doing some research on dog training equipment so all and any thoughts would be very much appreciated. Also interested on a personal level...!

Thank you...

i have tried all of the above and none really did the trick , found one called a Kumfi canine head collar made by an ex police dog handler in northallerton , it is similar to a horse head collar , once fitted it is almost impossible to get off by the dog they are only about £10 made to measure , wouldnt use anything else for my breed now i found that a halti was the worst one for my breed , gentle leader wasnt too bad and i could never get the hang of the canni collar, hope this helps your research

I've been using a Gencon all in one collar, it's seems to work well for Labradors and comes in nice colours so less people think it's a muzzle!  I like the sound of the made to measure ones mentioned above though :-)

I use a canny collar with my youngster and love it.

He doesn't pull and walks really nicely on the lead but can get really excited around people and most people really don't seem too trilled by a surprise kiss from a 75kg Briard.

The canny collar fits like a normal collar with a nose band so you can slip the nose band bit on and off as needed, it is also as secure as a normal flat collar. I really like the fact that it des up from behind the head, I've never felt happy about the ones that do up under the muzzle.

Edited - sorry that didn't quite make sense. LOL

What i wanted to say was that I like the way the canny collar attaches to the lead behind the head. What I dislike is the way some head collars attach to the lead under the muzzle; I worry about a dogs hurting their necks if they pull against it.

Thanks to you both - that is very interesting actually. We use headcollars on both our dogs but to the uninitiated they do look like a muzzle and we often get asked if they are friendly...

I'm going to see what I can find on these two suggestions.

Any further thoughts on these are welcome!

Thanks - sorry, our replies crossed. Canny collars do look more secure that most, I have to say...

I use a very basic headcollar made by one of the champ dogs stands (Dajan), they are only about £4, and they work great. 

No buckles, the neck loop adjusts on a sliding system, and for added security I attach the hedcollar to my lead using a clip so that my lead trigger attaches to their half slip colalr and the haed collar is attched to the top of the leads trigger hook.

I have a gsd and have found the dogmatic to be the best for him. Yes can be mistaken for a muzzle
one of the things I like is that I dont need to undo it and can slip it on quickly and securely if the need arises.
I get so fingers and thumbs with most of the others particularly if I need to do things quickly.
Gentle leader and halti tend to ride up into his eyes and I dont like leaving the canny collar on when he is running free in the woods

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After taking advice on here I also bought a dogmatic and love it for my boy, it makes a huge difference.

Tried Halti's and they were rubbish in the fact that they rode up into the eyes of my dogs and also i never had great control of them.

Dogmatic, the leather ones are fantastic and wouldn't look elsewhere as i'm happy with these.

The Halti does ride up slightly on my American cocker, but then he's at the limit of how short a muzzle you can use it on, an English cocker for example would probably be ok. He doesn't like it much, so I tend to avoid places where I would have to use it - he doesn't seem to pull as hard these days anyway. It wouldn't work on my Cavaliers though, the snout is too short, let alone the really short nosed breeds!

Use a dogmatic on my Aussies it really works, won't use anything else and tried other previous.

Another fan of Dogmatics. At club we have tried most of the makes, and have to say that the Dogmatic seems to suit all breeds. Having said that, I am not a particular fan of the webbing ones as they don't seem to be accepted by the dogs as well, so we only use the leather of synthetic leather.

Goldiemad, what is it that you find different about them?  I have only used the webbing ones as I thought the leather would be too high maintenance for trips to the beach etc

i wondered if the synthetic leather ones were softer ?
Sam assuming I have understood you correctly in prinicpal I agree not using a headcollar at all would be ideal so would being able to get my gsd to walk at heel in all cicumstances with no chance of him ignoring me !!. Sadly after three years of trying with the  help of apdt trainer and behaviourist I have concluded that I havent managed it and prefer the security of the headcollar to risking ending up on my nose (happened once in the road in front of on coming traffic) He can still be unpreditable with other dogs when with me . It gives me confidence so I remain unstressed. My other gsdgsd was exactly the same
Now my fcr from day one walked to heel as if she had been born there on a collar and lead.  I am very much of the opinion ideal world all dogs would walk nicely to heel on a collar and lead some will need that bit extra.
just my opinion I know you wern't having ago

Never used a head collar on my current breed until the last year or so when I had two youngsters only 19 months apart in age and my city reared dogs were spending more time in the country where even the older ones were fascinated enough by livestock to make walking five 20kg dogs no pleasure.

At first I only bought two for the youngster, but found ti was like having power steering and now have four of them on head collars. 

It means if anyone pulls it takes no effort to get them back in line, which is nicer for the non pulling dogs too..

Another Dogmatic fan here. I really struggled with my OH's mastiff (you can tell he trained him and not me!! All mine can walk on my lttle finger...his is a lunatic!!) and if I was on my own I had to walk him on hs own when it is so much easier in pairs. Bought a dogmatc and what a difference!! Not only can I walk him alongside my big boy but I damaged all the tendons in my hand and had an op that went wrong so the hand is fairly useless and I can even walk him in that hand with the dogmatic on....it actually makes walking him a pleasure not a chore!! It is like walking a toy breed not a giant monster!!!!!:-)

furriefriends...the OP asked 4 questions, which I answered :)

Thank you everyone for your replies. Sorry not to have read these earlier - we're having our house re-wired...
It's really interesting to read the opinions. Have heard elsewhere that Haltis have cause rubbing across the nose. We use a gentle leader and I feel much more in control of my two when we do but it does worry me that the only thing keeping it on their heads is a plastic clip...might have to try an alternative.

Thanks again...

No head collar should be the only point of attachment to the dog.  You should always have a lead to a safe collar too.

Sam, I understood your post! Short and sweet...!
I should mention that I don't use a headcollar to control the pulling - more to help me if one of them should decide to take a lunge at a squirrel or something (they don't but can't guarantee 100% that they wouldn't). No way could I hold them then!
You say that they don't suit your breed - is that physically?

Thanks!

I have used halti's and if I am walking 2 of my larger dogs then one (the strongest male) will be put on a halti more for safety as if something unexpected happened I know he wouldn't pull me.  My Akita and Rottie bitch just walk on their normal collars.

Yes I understood that just added some opinions. No hard feelings meant wasn't meant has a go at you or anyone sorry. Actually I agree with you just with I could do it with my current dog Lol Love hime to bits but he can be a pain at times !!

To stop the halti rubbing on the nose but a peice of sheepskin or similar round the part that over the nose, I also found that handy if wearing it before going into the ring as doesn't leave a mark across the nose.

I have had big dogs for many years now, GS`s actually. They can really pull on the lead when excited by a cat, some interesting distraction or other dogs. I have been pulled over a few times and so has my wife. Elbows and knees damaged.

We have had Halti`s, Gentle Leaders and a Canny collar, but none of them worked very well.  A partial success, but not satisfactory.

Our current Rottie has a really hard pull, they are powerful dogs. We discovered the Kumfi  Dogalter collar browsing the net, bought a Large size at £10 inc. postage, it came within a day and the personal service was friendly and efficient.

This Kumfi Dogalter is marvelous and I have had no problem at all since we got it. It is a superb design, very strong with an attaching loop for the lead so that it is fail-safe and fits to perfection. There is no problem in riding up round the eyes like many other collars do. I cannot see how any restrainer can possibly beat it in sheer functional design.

I am amazed at the control this collar has given me, with absolutely no or very little pull-back from a large dog with the muscle power of an Ox. The guy who designed this Kumfi Dogalter is a Genius.

Click this and check it out :-
http://www.kumfi.com/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=1&category_id=20&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=8

John Bull