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Head harness

3K views 7 replies 7 participants last post by  Holly 
#1 ·
Well, my dog Ellie has a really thick neck and a skinny head. LOL so she slips out of collars really easily. I've tried three or four harnesses, but they make her pull so badly, she coughs. That includes a "no-pull" harness.
She doesn't pull with regular collars...

Should I try a head harness? :ponder:
 
#2 ·
Head collars can be really aversive to dogs- I've used them with good results, but it takes a lot of time to desensitize the dog.
If she doesn't pull on a regular collar, why not try a martingale?
Like this one..
 
#4 ·
Our min pin had a small head, and I used a martingale for awhile (until just swapping to a regular harness which he couldn't get out of anyway). The martingale can still put a lot of strain on the dog's neck if they are a puller though. I agree it's probably the best alternative until Ellie is loose leash trained if she's slipping her harness. :)

I'm curious when you say "no-pull" if you're talking about a front-clipping harness? Because that could be an alternative if that's not what you're referring to. TBH, when I trained loose leash, what the dog was wearing didn't necessarily matter – the treats I had and distractions around us mattered more. :)
 
#5 ·
I love my halti's. I don't know how I did with out them. It does take some time to get the dogs used to them but well worth it. I can walk my two dogs one 70lbs and one 45lbs with one hand. It also ends the choking as the collar fits to the back of the head right below the ears. It has helped with the loose leash training because they lose the instinct to pull. You can get one made by top paw at petsmart for about 11 bucks it has a book with it follow the training hints it works great.
 
#6 ·
I also agree with the martingale.

Head collers can work but it takes a good amount of time to train a dog how to use one. It can also make some dogs reactive, I've even seen them pull more.
 
#7 ·
Thank you, everybody. I hadn't even thought of a martingale, being that Ellie had throat/coughing issues in the past. She might be tougher now, I don't know.

Seebrown, I had one of the types that restrict the dog's shoulders when it pulls. Sort of like a martingale version. Using a front-clipping harness is a good idea, thanks. That might stop Ellie from pulling me like a sled. :)
 
#8 ·
Late post, but I just started using a Gentle Leader on my 1 year old Golden and it is WONDERFUL. I guess the adjustment period is dog dependent, because she, for the most part, is fine with it on and was within a few days.

You could also try the training method of turning around and walking the other way when Ellie starts to pull. Didn't work for this dog (hence the gentle leader) but worked for my old dog.
 
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