Go Back   Pet forum for dogs cats and humans - Pets.ca > Discussion Groups - mainly cats and dogs > Dog training - dog behavior

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old October 28th, 2004, 08:34 AM
Mysts38's Avatar
Mysts38 Mysts38 is offline
banned user
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Kenmore Ontario
Posts: 321
Harness or Haltie?

Hi Everyone

I received my Sporn harness today and tried it on Hannah..it looks pretty comfortable but of course she was balking at wearing it and wouldnt move...I tried the Gentle leader on her yesterday .

I was wondering which I should use..the haltie or the harness..I want to get her use to wearing one of these,she tugs on her lead now and I want to avoid straining her neck

I do think the Sporn harness is better fit..but she was whining like it was killing her...but of course it wasnt and I adjusted it to make sure it wasnt putting too much pressure on her legs
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old October 28th, 2004, 08:48 AM
sammiec sammiec is offline
Senior Contributor
 
Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 2,315
I think the harness is a great idea.. you can interchange them... I would just leave the harness on her for a bit, even around the house so she can get used to it.... LOL, Briggs acted like her best friend just died when I put hers on for the first time!
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old October 28th, 2004, 08:59 AM
lezzpezz's Avatar
lezzpezz lezzpezz is offline
Senior member - formerly Lezzerpezzer
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: london ontario
Posts: 1,254
harness or halti

Just my 2 cents worth. I have 3 large dogs and all wear a halti or gentle leader. I have no difficulty whatsoever in walking all 3 beasties with no strain to my body. I have carpal tunnel in both wrists and tennis elbow in both arms and have had to endure cortizone shots to deal with the pain in the past. So, these head devices have saved my life! If you control the head, the body has to follow. I have excellent control when I use these. As for the harness, I am not familiar with the brand you have, but I do know that as soon as I put the harnesses on my dogs, they think this is an indicator that it is time to PULL!! My husky, especially, knows that this is what it is for and it makes him pull even harder. Yes, we have a sled, and I feel that this is what the harness is designed for: pulling, whereas the halti is meant for NOT pulling, rather, walking politely. I have not much control over the dogs when the harness is put on, as now, they can throw their entire body weight into it. With the halti, they know that they can only do so much, and pulling is not one of the things they can do. Hope this is helpful.
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old October 28th, 2004, 09:05 AM
mastifflover's Avatar
mastifflover mastifflover is offline
Senior Contributor
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Toronto
Posts: 4,007
Well I am the exact opposite I perferred the harness if yours is the type that adjusts as they walk. But I really think that it is a matter of what works best for each individual dog. I have stayed away from the Halti or Gentle Leader for 1 main reason my dogs have big jowls and it mushes them up so I dont think it could be comfortable for them. Luckily Buddy is a dream on a leash and barely ever pulls unless there is a spot that he will die unless he sniffs it and pees on it.
__________________
Robin
A dog has so many friends because they wag their tails not their tongues.
R.I.P. Buddy 2002-2008 The best Mastiff ever.
Now owned by Clark the Crazy American Bulldog
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old October 28th, 2004, 09:25 AM
GsdDiamond's Avatar
GsdDiamond GsdDiamond is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Winnipeg, MB
Posts: 768
I might get flak for some of my training methods, but.... at almost 9 months old, I use a prong collar for our walks, a quick-release buckle collar for general use and a harness for buckling her into the back seat with her doggie seat belt.

I've read that harnesses are more used for little dogs or for allowing the dogs to pull without hurting them. If you want the dog to not pull, use a training device that doesn't allow them to pull, such as a halti or prong collar.

For such a little girl, there are variations of collars that are new. I've seen one that looks similar to a buckle collar but have a retractable feature, kind of like a choker but much more humane because it's wider and softer on the skin.

I tried the haltie but Diamond hated it. After a few walks it didn't do much to deter her from pulling. Besides, how good on the neck muscles can it be to have your head jerked to the side all the time? Can we say whiplash?
__________________
"Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else." - Judy Garland
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old October 28th, 2004, 09:40 AM
Mysts38's Avatar
Mysts38 Mysts38 is offline
banned user
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Kenmore Ontario
Posts: 321
mastifflover-harness that adjusts?

The harness I have now doesnt adjust when the dog is walking,and I think I would prefer that....can you tell me please what is it called or is it one of these from the list below?

Sporn
Lupi
Kwik Clip?

Thanks much!
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old November 1st, 2004, 04:46 PM
TalonsMa's Avatar
TalonsMa TalonsMa is offline
Animal Lover!!
 
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Alberta, Canada
Posts: 473
We just bought Solara a Halti...and the difference in her walking is amazing!!! We can actually walk her with no problems, as she was pulling quite a bit. So I love the Halti.
__________________
Katrina - Mama to Three Furbabies!!
Kitty's:
Mercedes (Sades) 10yrs - Female
Talon 7yrs - Male
My Little Chocolate Girl - Solara - ** 10 MONTHS **
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old November 1st, 2004, 05:05 PM
Shelby's Avatar
Shelby Shelby is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Canberra, Australia
Posts: 144
Izzy pulled my neck out the last time I walked her with a normal collar, and the harness wasn't any better. Then I bought her and Wilson a Halti and the difference is amazing, I call it "the attitude adjustment strap". I can walk them both together happily with no pulling what so ever. I don't think they can get whiplash as you don't actually snap their heads back, you only need to apply a tiny amount of pressure on the lead and the dog responds instantly.
We control larger/stronger animals by their heads (horses/cows), to me it just makes sense to use a halti on dogs as well. (But that's just my opinion).
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old November 1st, 2004, 05:30 PM
heeler's rock!'s Avatar
heeler's rock! heeler's rock! is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Calgary, AB
Posts: 896
IMHO, halti's, and gentle leaders are no good to teach your dog. All they do is mask the problem. Of course no dog is going to pull when you have control of it's head, but as soon as you take it off, guess what? They pull. Harnesses are also designed for sled dogs so they encourage your dog to pull you around and you have no way of correcting them. The only collar I use is a martingale which is part choke and part material. They give a quick correction and release right away. They don't hurt the dog and is a very effective training tool. I never recommend halti's or gentle leaders as they are a waste of money. JMO.
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old November 1st, 2004, 05:46 PM
mastifflover's Avatar
mastifflover mastifflover is offline
Senior Contributor
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Toronto
Posts: 4,007
I have to agree GSDiamond I also used the prong collar and I find each dog is different. But with the larger stronger breeds a prong was great. I had great success with the lupi harness on a rescue that I had. I don't care for the halti or gentle leader because of the reasons Heelerrock gave as soon as you take it off they are pulling again.
__________________
Robin
A dog has so many friends because they wag their tails not their tongues.
R.I.P. Buddy 2002-2008 The best Mastiff ever.
Now owned by Clark the Crazy American Bulldog
Reply With Quote
  #11  
Old November 1st, 2004, 06:46 PM
Shelby's Avatar
Shelby Shelby is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Canberra, Australia
Posts: 144
Sorry, I should have mentioned that the halti was my last resort, and I intend to use it on them everytime I take them out walking, not just as a training tool. I did also try a martingale, but they just didn't respond. I guess it just depends on the dog.
Reply With Quote
  #12  
Old November 1st, 2004, 09:57 PM
doggy lover's Avatar
doggy lover doggy lover is offline
owned by Tucker
 
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Scarborough or Berkeley On
Posts: 2,143
I have used a Halti and a choke chain togeather on my last dog as he was 120 lbs and could pull me anywhere, it worked great if he started to pull on the halti the choke would check him even my children could walk him on this set up. On my new puppy I have just been using a normal harness and he walks great on it, he was pulling on his collar a little not enough to bother me but it was bothering him, coughing etc. I don't think that I will bother with a halti for him if he stays the way he is on the harness.
__________________
A man who looks into a collie's eye to receive an icy stare is but a fool. Be at one with man's best friend and through his eyes you will see his very soul.
Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off


Forum Terms of Use

  • All Bulletin Board Posts are for personal/non-commercial use only.
  • Self-promotion and/or promotion in general is prohibited.
  • Debate is healthy but profane and deliberately rude posts will be deleted.
  • Posters not following the rules will be banned at the Admins' discretion.
  • Read the Full Forum Rules

Forum Details

  • Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8
    Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
    vBulletin Optimisation by vB Optimise (Reduced on this page: MySQL 0%).
  • All times are GMT -5. The time now is 05:10 PM.