Hi,

I'm looking for some advice from bull terrier owners please regarding harnesses. We have used a harness on our staffie since he was about 5/6 months old which we purchased from a rescue centre. I took him to the vets today to be neutered and they have fitted him with a Halti. The vet nurse told me that harnesses were no good and encourage them to pull more - we had the harness to have more control over him.
He does pull on the lead but I am making progress with this (slowly) the main problem is when he is excited he can just pull me over. (i'm only 5'1!)

Can anyone tell me if they have used a halti on their bull terrier before or what their opinions are on harnesses?

Thanks,

Jill:)

Hi
I don't have a bull terrier but my friend does ,she advised me to use a halti as she had success with it .
She also tried a harness which she says was the worst mistake she ever made as Ruby (BT) just threw all her strength behind it and would pull for England !
She now only uses the halti now and again as Ruby walks ok .
hope this helps
I use a halti with Murph (dobe ) for exactly the reason you mentioned ,he is as strong as an ox and can ,and has, had me flat on my face but with the Halti he can't do that and I retain what dignity I have left :)
Liz :)

hi,
i dont have bull terriers but i think you would have better control over him with a halti rather than a harness. harnesses do give dogs more power to pull, they are pulling from the chest and can get more body weight and power behind them, thats why we put sled dogs in harnesses to race! my sibes are working dogs and i want them to pull, most of the time but when i do need them to walk nicely i will use haltis. i find it is the only way i can keep on my feet when i walk the 2 older ones out together! provided haltis are fitted right and used properly they can be a very useful training tool.
kelly

Hi Jill,

We don't have a bull terrier but a rather strong willed Golden Retriever pup. He pulled dreadfully on all leads and we now use a halti on him. He's still getting used to it but no longer pulls.
Ruth

Hi Jill,
we used a leather harness on my previous Staffy and found it great .
On a lead he would pull terribly and due to his strength I found it awkward to walk well with him . He was brilliant with the harness , he didnt pull and trotted along side realy well . I didnt have to worry about him half choking himself .
We have a Staffy pup now - what age should a harness be used from?

I always use harnesses for both, pups and adults. I find them great and so do the dogs ;).

Taylor

I suppose all dogs are different but mine was alot better on the harness . I was unsure if you should walk a pup on a harness- but we tried him on his lead today ( hes not been out yet) and he HATED it .
We are going to just put it on and let him walk around with it or maybe put it on when he has dinner so he associates it with "nice" things . Any suggestions - I feel really mean cos he is like a bucking bronco with it on . I know most dislike it at first but not that much :(
Lel

we have a labrador 6 months, I have tried check chains, and the halti, but the harness is the best for both me and the dog, we both enjoy our walks now. I think everyone will have different views on this, maybe it will be trial and error, just use what you are happy with, but most of all what your dog is happy with to
carol

Thanks for all your replies. I am willing to give the halti a go, we've tried it around the house and Saxon is not best pleased with it but I'll try it when he is allowed out for walks again tomorrow. (The vet advised us to confine him to the garden at the moment after his op.)
I have a feeling we will keep using the harness. I like it and I don't like the way the halti looks like a muzzle and I dont think Saxon likes the restriction around his mouth, but I will give it a go :)

Jill

Jill ..I use a halti type thing for Hudson...he is able to drink and eat chew sticks whilst wearing it so I dont think it restricts them too much. One thing I would point out is that I was advised to attach his lead to both the halti AND his collar as dogs have a nasty habit (at first) of trying to get the halti off. If they succeed and your lead isnt attached to something else as well , he could run off

Melody :)

I used a halti on my DDB for the first time yesterday,he tries to get the halti off when he's in the house but outside with all the interesting distractions it doesn't seem to bother him.He did walk nicely on the lead, but after 3 weeks without a walk due to injuring his leg he decided to pull like a train (ouch!!),the halti worked with him so now i can look foward to our walks again instead of sneaking around in the dark,LOL!!!
I attached the lead to the halti and his collar as Melody suggested.