Hi, can any of you guide me in the right direction to a good headcollar. My gsd walks to heel beautifully and is a joy to walk on his lead . The problem is when he spots a cat, which he usually does as we are in a residential area. If he sees the cat before i do he almost yanks my arm out of its socket and i literally have to hang on for dear life, when the cat has gone he carries on walking nicely. This is the only area that i lose control of him, he walks past all other distractions (people ,dogs,birds etc) without batting an eyelid. I have been quite reluctant to get a headcollar because i have put in so much effort teaching him to walk nicely but it seems that there is no distracting him when it comes to cats (apart from the 2 he lives with) and as he is a big boy (52kg) i feel i have no other option. The local pet shop said i should try a harness, which i did but this gave me no more control over him. Any advice would be appreciated and if any of you have overcome this problem with your dogs i would love to hear how you did it.

It is a good idea IMHO to consider the use of a head halter in certain circumstances, environments.  For example, in the current icy conditions I need to think about how likely it is for me to remain upright if 60+kgs of dogs decide to object to a rude dog, or spot a possible prey item.  Therefore whereas I may use a flat collar and lead 99% of the time, there are situations where I need to consider the safety of myself, my dogs and perhaps others.

This is when I get out my headcollar.

there are many varieties:

Halti
Gentle Leader
Gentle Controller
Pullstoppa
Leadtrain
Dogmatic
Canny Collar

to name but a few; each has its pros and cons both as a design and with regard to the individual dog.  Some swear by some models, others will have different opinions, you have to decide which suits your dog best; unfortunately this can often be the result of trial and error, quite an expensive trial and error as unlike horses where you can rent bits, there is, to my knowledge, no source where you can rent head collars to see which suits.

Perhaps this might be a business opportunity for an enterprising individual.

Thanks Tohme, that's a great help. I will start trying some on him today to find one that suits :-)

I tried all the brands with my GSD at great exspence but found the Dogmatic the best. This was the only one that did not ride up towards her eyes in use. All brands seemed ok untill they really pull. What a shame you have to resort to one it must have taken great effort to get her to walk nicely without one. My GSD has always hated her head collar but is necessary for me to be able to walk her. She hates having it put on and all the light in her eyes just goes out.I would advise using a double ended lead. One end on her flat collar and the other on the head collar, or two leads. I tried two leads but found this not easy. This way you are only using the head collar when necessary. Dogmatics can be bought in leather or cushioned material. The leather one needed treating to soften before use and needs regular cleaning and conditioning if used in wet weather or on the beach etc.

Luke  having hated and detested the gentle leader, Halti & Dogmatic (despite conditioning him for some time with the latter indoors when feeding, etc) in a triumph of hope over experience I have now purchased a canny collar. We tried it this morning and it was a nightmare! He just seems to hate having anything over his muzzle, and was pawing at it every few steps. When we eventually reached the park, I took it off and let him play, then put it on again when I was ready to go home - whereupon he was even worse - so I took it off and he actually walked home quite well on his normal flat collar...so do I persevere, perhaps trying again with having it on for meals etc...or just accept that head collars are not for him. Like you, Tohme, I'm very worried about walking him on icy mornings. :-(

Thanks Gaby, i was just looking at the dogmatic on the net and it did look a lot sturdier than some of the others. I must admit that i do feel a bit gutted about having to get one cos i spent about 10 months (he is now 16 months) putting in loads of effort to get him to walk nicely and now that the hard work (for both of us) has paid off and he is a joy to walk it seems a shame but hey, i spose it beats getting shoulder strain whenever he sees a cat ;-). Thanks for the advice about the double ended lead too.

Hi,

I also can't recommend the dogmatic highly enough.  I've had it a few weeks and it's the only one I tried that didn't ride into the eyes. I use it on my girl in situations where she may get a bit over excited or worried.  I wouldn't feel bad about having to use it, it isn't going to undo the hard work you've put in, infact if you use it just as an extension to his lead training, you may well find that after a while of using it you can teach him to keep more focused on you when there is a cat around, and not have to worry about shoulder ache in the meantime. :-)

Karen

One point to consider is that some headcollars come with quick release fastenings such as the halti and others are secured by means of a buckle which may influence your choice ie do you need to be able to do it up/undo it quickly and also if you have a short haired dog or a longhaired one, the buckles can be harder to manage in this case.

Hi,
I also cannot recommend the dogmatic enough!  As Tohme was saying, they come with different fittings.  I find that with my GSD and my BSD,  I don't have to undo the headcollar, I just slip it over the ears.  They seem to have the right head shape to do this!  Can't manage this with the Staffy though, his head is the wrong shape!! :D

Sarah.