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Gentle lead harness or head collar??

Basenji Training
  • L

    Ok,,,,,,,quick question,,,,,,,,,,,,my hubby and I took our two b's for a walk in the woods today (BEAUTIFUL day here in Ohio!!!) and it should have been enjoyable but,,,,,,,,they would not quit pulling! Falling leaves, a roaming squirrel, the wind,,,,,,,,they wanted to chase it all!!! It is cute at first but can become frustrating after a while,,,,,,,anyway,,,,,,,I checked out some of the older threads on leash training and have a dillema. We have decided to get a gentle lead but we dont know if the head collar or the gentle lead harness is better for B's. We have tried our friends head collar (the one that goes over the head) and our smaller B Bella slipped out of it,,,,,,,,but the other dog was bigger so it may have just been to big,,,,,,,,,,has this happened to any of you? Which do you think is better the head collar or the harness??????

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  • DukeD

    http://www.blackdog.net.au/index.php

    I have purchased about every collar and harness. The Black Dog head collar worked best for me. (I bought it from a distributor in my area - but I still had to drive a ways to get it.) Duke hates the head collar, and anything that goes on his head, BUT I can walk with him. Otherwise, he's a nut and it's just plain crazy trying to take him for a walk. With all the obedience training, he'll do almost everything perfectly well, except heel - loose leash! :mad: That is what I wanted him to do most. Ahhh well - he's still a youngster. I'm not giving up. . .

    Jill

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  • annandaelA

    I use a Gentle Lead on all of my dogs. It works better, but it doesn't stop them completely from pulling.

    Haus Annandael Basenjis

    est.2004

    "Love, Wellness, and Quality"

    "We who choose to surround ourselves with lives even more temporary than our own, live within a fragile circle, easily and often breached. Unable to accept its awful gaps, we still would live no other way. We cherish memory as the only certain immortality, never fully understanding the necessary plan."

    –Irving Townsend

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  • QuercusQ

    Well, Gentle Leader makes a head halter that I prefer over the Halti. I haven't tried any of the other head halters. As far as body harnesses, I prefer the Sensible (or Sensation) harness. It attaches the leash at the front, instead of the back, which keeps the dog from being able to gain leverage to pull….a lot of dogs like the body harness better than the head halter, so they respond better. If you use the Sensible harness it is important to fit it correctly, and to attach the leash clip to the ring in front of the harness AND to the dog's regular neck collar, this keeps it from sliding on the dog's body too much.

    Andrea Walters

    Quercus Basenjis

    NW Ohio

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  • dashD

    We have a halti which Dash hates. So we got a harness that hooks in front on his chest. I am not sure the name. Anyway, that works nice. It doesn't completely keep him from pulling but it is not nearly as bad and he can still have his head free.

    Jennifer

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  • subaruthieS

    We got the Gentle Leader harness and love it!!! It helped tame Cooper's bad habits from being in a shelter, and it is impossible for him to get out of (and he's gotten out of a lot of harnesses and collars!).

    Working at PetSmart, I know that both the Gentle Leader headcollar and harness are popular, but you will see instant results with the harness. The headcollar, on the other hand, takes some time for dogs to get used to. It's also harder to fit.

    Premier (the manufacturer of both) is really great with customer service. They will talk you through fitting their products over the phone. They also will trade in your existing harness for a half-size (or replace broken ones), just for a shipping and handling fee of less than $6. You can't find the half-sizes in stores, so that's really neat. We got our new harness back within a week.

    Good luck.

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  • VanessaV

    When I first started leash training our pup he pulled like crazy (still does at times). I tried the gentle lead collar and it worked. The only thing is that you can't leave it on him because he will find a way to chew through it. He will paw his face until he gets it off…BUT while walking him he does great. I don't use it all the time because IMO the dog needs to learn not to pull. We alternate between a regular leash and the "head gear".

    Basenji Forums Staff

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    @SNA: I tried a head halter ages ago, for at least 3 weeks, but she just hated it. She kept trying to get it off, even after three weeks, and I just couldn't do it to her anymore. A couple of books I'm following at the moment say that head halters suppress rather than correct the behaviour. She's doing well now. Well, both the head halter, and the chest harness suppress the pulling behavior. You have to train the desired behavior at the same time. The idea is that you have to stop them from pulling, or else you can't make any progress training the correct behavior. Pulling is a self rewarding behavior; in their minds, they pull, and it makes them get to where they want to be. You have to stop that association, and retrain them that when the leash is loose you get to go where you want to be. Neither walking aide can do that, only the training.
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