Although the Halti brand offers a number of different harnesses, we will be focussing on their head harness in this guide. How Does a Halti Work?

Thank you for your recommendations. I have become a mainly bedridden person. Do to an old broken vertebrae re-fracturing, and other spinal problems that run in the family. I may soon be helped by spinal surgery.If your dog is between sizes, or you’re unsure which size you should go for between two options, choose the smaller one. The majority of headcollars are made from nylon, which is soft around your dog’s nose and face. If your dog pulls along, you may wish to look for a headcollar which is padded or fleece to give even more protection.

It’s clear that the main priority of this product is the comfort and safety of our dogs, as the noseband is padded and reflective (and it even has adorable paw prints), and there is a safety link so that you can secure the head collar to your dog’s own collar. This is known as an aversive. It pairs the action of pulling on the leash with an unpleasant consequence.Ultimately, the least cruel way to stop your dog from pulling is to use positive reinforcement training to teach them to heel. Within the first couple of minutes, my dog did start trying to paw it off from his face, but I distracted him with treats. It’s important to make the experience positive for your dog, so that he can accept the new head harness. Keep in mind that it will take less time to properly train your dog to wear a dog head halter in the first place than it will take you to “fix” a dog that has had a bad experience and is scared of the dog head halter! The Halti head harness describes itself as giving the owner full control by gently directing and steering your dog from the front. Some dogs are hypersensitive to something on their face, and it might be easier to teach them to walk nicely on the leash than to wear a head halter. At the same time, many of my reactive dog clients have benefitted enormously from the extra control that a dog head halter provides.

If your dog has a lighter coloured face, uneducated passers-by may think your dog is wearing a muzzle. This is an unfortunate side effect, which can be frustrating to deal with. Prepare for sideways glances or strangers crossing the street to avoid your ‘dangerous dog’. Todd, Z. ‘ Barriers to the Adoption of Humane Dog Training Methods’, Journal of Veterinary Behavior (2018) If walking your dog is becoming a chore because of constant pulling, then it’s worth investing in a head collar. Used correctly, they can completely change the daily tug of war with your dog and transform your walks together. Suffice to say, YES, the Halti Headcollar did do as advertised. It’s strange seeing a dog that’s always ‘go go go’ slow down to an easy pace in an instant. I went from having a wild child, headstrong, bulldozer of a dog to a calm, quiet companion who behaved beautifully on walks.If you’ve got a dog who pulls hard on the leash and can be hard to control, a dog head halter can really help you regain control on your walks.

Unfortunately, this often becomes a battle between you and your dog. Despite what you may think, your dog does not understand that it is doing anything wrong. They just want to get to the next lamppost for a sniff or turn the corner to reach the park.

References and Resources

About: The Snoot Loop is the most different of the three dog head halters that I recommend. While the Halti and the Gentle Leader have almost the exact same design, the Snoot Loop is a bit more unique.