What is a Head Halter?
A head halter is a kind of collar meant to humanely restrain dogs who tend to pull their owners when they go for a walk. The collar has a strap that goes around your dog’s nose and another strap that goes around his neck, just behind his ears. The leash fastens under his chin to a ring that’s attached to the nose strap. Because of the collar design, when the dog begins to pull, the dog’s nose turns back toward you, which makes it physically difficult for him to continue pulling.
The head halter is completely humane, as it doesn’t cause any pain and works much better to prevent a dog from pulling than a choke chain or prong collar.
How should the collar fit?
To be effective and comfortable for your dog, The head halter must be properly fitted. The neck strap should be as high up on your dog’s neck as you can get it, just behind his ears. The strap should be tight enough that one finger fits between it and the dog’s neck. when your dog’s mouth is closed, the nosepiece should be adjusted so that it can slide down as far as the beginning of the skin on his nose. But the nosepiece should not be so loose as to slide off the nose. The nosepiece will sit naturally, just below your dog’s eyes. Make sure that the metal ring to which the leash attaches is underneath his chin.
How will your dog react?
It is likely that your dog will resist a head halter as do most dogs. When the head halter is first put on, expect the dog to attempt to get it off by pawing at the nose, rubbing the nose against the ground, you or anything in an attempt to get it off. To combat this behavior it may help to distract the dog to keep moving with treats. Be certain that the nosepiece fits properly to that attempts to remove the collar are not successful. Begin by practicing with short walks in your own yard while wearing the halter then progress to longer walks. Given some time, most dogs sooner or later accept head halters. Once the dog associates the halter with a walk, things should be come easier.
Points to remember while using a head halter:
- Make sure the head halter is fitted properly: Snug around your dog’s neck and high behind
his ears, but loose enough around his nose so that the nose strap can
slide easily down to the fleshy part of his nose.
- A head halter is not a muzzle – the dog can still eat, drink, pant, bark and bite, if he chooses.
- NEVER use a hard jerk with the head halter.
- Do not use the head halter with a retractable lead: It not only teaches your dog to pull, but if your dog runs quickly to the end of the lead, he may give himself a hard jerk.
- Your dog should wear his head halter only during on-leash walks with you and/or when you’re directly supervising him. If your dog wears the head halter around the house, he’ll have plenty of time to work at getting it off, and will eventually succeed.
- Read the information sheet that comes with your dog’s head halter. You can also ask the salesperson where you make your purchase if they can help you to properly fit the halter to your dog.
