# Halti or Harness for my labradors????



## gem31 (Apr 6, 2010)

Hello all again. My two labs are getting a little harder to walk now ( saffy 7 months and charlie 4 months ) I'm not sure if a harness for each of them will be best to stop them pulling and choking themselves or a harness. Has anyone tried either for their lab?? Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance xx


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## BubsyBear (Apr 23, 2010)

I used to have a halti for my old lab. He really didn't like it and used to walk sideways in it! I couldn't use a harness on him because he was a guide dog, but I've used them on my other dogs and I prefer them as they seem more comfortable for the dog.
I've also had people tell me that haltis rub the fur off the face but haven't found that personally.
I'd try a harness first and if you still need more control try a halti, but be prepared for a few days of them trying to take it off!


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## alaun (Jul 21, 2009)

In the past I have used halti with great success, but this week we have bought our first harnesses and a brace coupling. This has been fabulous. I've injured my shoulder, so find it difficult to hold on to two energetic 9 month old pups, but this has made life much easier for me.


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## gem31 (Apr 6, 2010)

Thanks so much for advice. Harness it is i think and see how we go with them


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## Starlights (May 2, 2010)

I have found that dogs who wear harness's pull ahead, the dog will walk ahead of you and therefore you wont have as much control over it as if it were to walk by your heel.

Have you tried a dogmatic? Its like a halti only it doesnt ride up on the dogs face and gives you far more control.

I would recommend a dogmatic.


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## Purrrrfect (Sep 10, 2008)

We have Halti's for our Labs and they don't pull.
A harness gives them too much freedom and makes
them harder to control. I would go with a Halti.
We are so glad we got ours they are worth every penny.

I couldn't walk Millie before we got the Halti because
she pulled too much and it hurt my arm and hand.
Now i can take her for a walk on my own any time.


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## luvmydogs (Dec 30, 2009)

I think the no-pull harnesses are great. But make sure you get the kind that the lead clips on the front at the chest rather than on the back.


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## Bearpaw (Dec 10, 2009)

Not tried the no-pull harness,but did find the normal harness allowed my labs to pull more.The halti takes a little time and patience but worked great in the end.I dont know much of them personally but iv heard alot of lab owners use the Gencon headcollar type one.


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## Daggre (May 2, 2010)

We have a halti for our labradoodle. It is brilliant. Only one problem, she will always rub to try and get it off, obviously we correct this, but if off leash she will rub her head along the ground. We can take it off then though, but you'll probably find occaionally they try and rub their heads against you. However the pros FAR outweigh that.

As for a harness, harnesses were designed so dogs could pull carts, or sleighs, and therefore make it easier for your dog to pull you- unless there's some new kind of harness. Holding my dog by the halti is far easier then without.

Another option is to move their collar/lead right to the top of theirhead so you have more control.

Good Luck!


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## zoeoli (Mar 29, 2010)

When I first got my dog he pulled like a steam engine, and not just in one direction, but charging about all over ... our first walk together was a 30 minute wrestling match, and the weather was snowy at the time, so I was in constant danger of being pulled over. I am working hard on teaching him to heel, but in the meantime I needed something to stop him pulling me about.

First, I tried harness which clips on the shoulders, but on a slip-line.
Harnais de dressage Easy Walk - Education & dressage - / Wanimo
This certainly gave me more control, but it seemed to me it could hurt him and anyway he got used to it after a few days.

Then I got a "gentle leader" headcollar, which is good for overall control, but he hates it and it tends to ride up into his eyes. Also, I felt it wasn't really helping with training him to walk to heel because it doesn't encourage them to bring their whole body back, but just turns their head. The other thing with it is that, because the clip of the lead is under the chin, it's fine for proper heel walking, but when he is walking in a more relaxed way, with his nose on the ground, he is bashing his leg on the lead clip the whole time.

For the last few days I have had a Halti harness, which clips at the front. This I am much happier with: it gives me control over his shoulders, so I can get him back to a proper heel position, which is making him understand what I want much better. It seems very comfortable for him and I am happy that it is OK for him to wear while off-lead.

I would say the headcollar gives the firmest control overall, and I will keep it for using in situations where he might get hyper (vets, etc), but for walks I much prefer the harness.


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## stephwiggy (Nov 23, 2009)

alaun said:


> In the past I have used halti with great success, but this week we have bought our first harnesses and a brace coupling. This has been fabulous. I've injured my shoulder, so find it difficult to hold on to two energetic 9 month old pups, but this has made life much easier for me.


 could i ask what this is "first harnesses and a brace coupling"


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## Matrix/Logan (May 7, 2009)

We use gencon all in one leads. They are fab, my 10 and 11 year old boys can walk our dogs on these and the dogs do pull like mad on a normal collar and lead, to the point where i can't hold them!

Whatever we tried training wise works well if they are on their own or NOT heading anywhere nice!! LOL

They pull in excitement to get to the park so we use gencons and make it easier on them and us. :thumbup:


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## Melissa85 (Apr 28, 2010)

We use a halti for Timber who is part Lab (mostly Golden Retriever) with great success, although he had a major tantrum the first couple of times we used it on him and would roll around the floor during walks to try and take it off  I absolutely swear by it now though and find it far more efficient than a harness. The harness stopped him choking himself but didn't stop the pulling whatsoever.


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## swarthy (Apr 24, 2010)

I really wouldn't use a body harness on a lab puppy while their bones are still soft.

Harnesses do nothing to train them to walk correctly on a lead - and as Labs grow, particularly dogs, who can be deceptively strong, there is no substitute for good training.


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## kaisa624 (Mar 5, 2010)

We use a halti harness, however I have a halti and gencon for other dogs I walk, most prefer the gencon, and it seems to work better.


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## ploddingon (Jun 15, 2010)

swarthy said:


> I really wouldn't use a body harness on a lab puppy while their bones are still soft..


Swarthy does this include using a harness with a long lead for recall training? I dont have a lab but have today bought a harness for Bobs so I can do some recall training with him safely.

Could that lead to problems? I had heard it was better than using a neck collar for this?


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## Yummylab (Jan 18, 2010)

Just want to say what a good post this is as I find im in the same position with 8 month old lab and been considering the options, training to heel is always on going but as he's getting stronger with age its harder to get his control and attention sometimes when out n about, espically walking through the village where there are lots of people to jump on


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## PennyH (Dec 30, 2008)

I use a Gencon too - my lab x springer could easily pull me over, but with the Gencon a 2 year old could walk her!! They are absolutely fantastic and I can't praise them highly enough.
Good luck!
xx


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## Jasper's Bloke (Oct 30, 2009)

For every person you find that loves the Halti, you will find another that hates it. The problem is that we generalise too much and forget that all dogs are individuals, what works for one may not work for another.

I have used a Halti, works brilliantly but the dog hated it and a canny collar, which again worked brilliantly but I found it quite awkward to use. In the end I put a lot of time and effort into walking nicely on a normal collar, but that still only worked for us up to a point. Come the point where he wants to zoom off to get to something and he's choking himself again.

Having listened to (and agreed with) the argument that harnesses encourage dogs to pull I was reluctant to buy one, but after getting a cheap one on a whim I have changed my mind. My dog stopped pulling straight away in his harness and now even when he does lunge for something like a particularly interesting smelling lamp post or the cat that suddenly jumps out in front of him, he doesn't pull as hard and is easier to restrain and control. Having given it some thought I have come to the conclusion that because the harness spreads the load over a larger area of his body, the opposition reflex is removed, (ie, the more the dog pulls means the more you pull back, and so the dog pulls more, and so on). With the harness he is more relaxed because he is not placing constant pressure on his neck and I am not holding him tightly just to restrain him, the one thing no longer feeds the other.

Of course like I said, each dog is an individual and what works for my dog may well not work for yours, but do not assume that harnesses make dogs pull because they don't. Pulling harnesses are different to walking harnesses, if the dog pulls against a load in a sled harness it will move the load forwards (which is exactly the point), if it pulls against you holding its lead on a walking harness, it will lift itself up and get nowhere.

Incidently I have just got Jasper a new harness, it is actually designed as a car harness but is great for walking in. It is made by a german company called Hunter and I have to say, it is the finest quality piece of dog gear I have ever bought, really durable looking materials, all metal fittings including the clasp, and extremely well put together. Available from zooplus.co.uk, not at all cheap but they seem to have an ebay outlet called zoopetcare for their returns, which is where I got this from (for a third of the price!).


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## RobD-BCactive (Jul 1, 2010)

Jasper's Bloke said:


> he doesn't pull as hard and is easier to restrain and control. Having given it some thought I have come to the conclusion that because the harness spreads the load over a larger area of his body, the opposition reflex is removed, (ie, the more the dog pulls means the more you pull back, and so the dog pulls more, and so on). With the harness he is more relaxed because he is not placing constant pressure on his neck and I am not holding him tightly just to restrain him, the one thing no longer feeds the other.


Dog pulls out of keeness to go in a certain direction, turning round 180 and heading off opposite way, stops the pulling. Dog soon realises, it's faster not to pull, when it wants to get somewhere.

The way to avoid constant pressure, is to stop training the dog to pull, by letting it get there quicker, when it pulls.

Far easier to teach a puppy, that is small and easily controlled than an adult dog though.


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## swarthy (Apr 24, 2010)

Jasper's Bloke said:


> For every person you find that loves the Halti, you will find another that hates it. The problem is that we generalise too much and forget that all dogs are individuals, what works for one may not work for another.


I have used a Halti harness very successfully on an adult dog, I am not their biggest fan but they do what they say on the tin - it also taught me a VERY valuable lesson, and not one of my other 5 younger dog will ever need to use a harness.

There is no excuse for using any type of harness on puppies, and certainly not body harnesses - at a time when their bones are still soft, and you are putting un-natural pressure of their bones and joints.

There is no substitute for good training, I've found that out the hard way - if you don't know how to train the dog, find a training to train you - that's what I did - invariably, it's the owners lack of ability to train the dog rather than the dog not being willing or able to learn.


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## newfiesmum (Apr 21, 2010)

I use gentle leaders on mine. They are like a horse's headcollar so, they can't get their noses up so they can't pull. They need to be on a proper lead, though, not an extension lead or they can cause neck injuries. A dogmatic is also excellent, I am told, though more expensive.


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## Jasper's Bloke (Oct 30, 2009)

RobD-BCactive said:


> Dog pulls out of keeness to go in a certain direction, turning round 180 and heading off opposite way, stops the pulling. Dog soon realises, it's faster not to pull, when it wants to get somewhere.


This method needs a LOT of consistent repetition and so is not always effective because people are just not consistent enough.



RobD-BCactive said:


> The way to avoid constant pressure, is to stop training the dog to pull, by letting it get there quicker, when it pulls.


That is exactly the behaviour that teaches dogs to pull in the first place.

The answer for me was to teach walking to heel, which my dog now does routinely. However, when presented with an irresistible distraction the harness means he is easier to restrain without damaging his throat.


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## Guest (Jul 24, 2010)

Not keen on either myself but several use larger dog owners do use halti;s, have you considered a plain old slip lead?#DT


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## newfiesmum (Apr 21, 2010)

I had a lot of trouble with Ferdie. He doesn't pull as a general rule, but if he sees something he wants, I've got no chance. He is three stone heavier than me and a very willful dog. With the gentle leader he walks next to me all the time, so much so that when I am walking him back across the heath to the car, I just have his collar on and he still walks next to me. I wouldn't chance it on a street, though. But, you are right in what you say. Not all dogs will respond the same. I tried walking my daughter's English mastiff on one, and she nearly had my arm out of its socket!


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## LostGirl (Jan 16, 2009)

I use halti for one (although hes not really a puller its just a control thing for me as i have crappy hands) and a Canny Collar for the other i like the Canny collar more then the halti , it doesnt ride up in his eyes at all and i have slight more control


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## gorgeous (Jan 14, 2009)

As the dog is still so young, how about going to training classes and teaching the dog to walk to heel?


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## RobD-BCactive (Jul 1, 2010)

Jasper's Bloke said:


> This method needs a LOT of consistent repetition and so is not always effective because people are just not consistent enough.


When you first teach a dog to walk on a lead, you expect it to pull at some point. If you are ready for it, then you don't have to discourage it that often. The behaviour simply doesn't pay off, so it doesn't become a habit.

It's breaking a pulling habit that's tough, but the that's the real way to avoid consistent pressure than spreading it out with a harness, and being dragged along by the dog in it's eagerness.



> That is exactly the behaviour that teaches dogs to pull in the first place.
> 
> The answer for me was to teach walking to heel, which my dog now does routinely. However, when presented with an irresistible distraction the harness means he is easier to restrain without damaging his throat.


Yes we agree, I can see my original wording could be misinterprted. It's rewarding the pulling by not turning round that's training it, and speeding up is the ultimate pay off for the impatient exuberant dog.


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