Halti, Dogmatic, Infin8, or training harness????....Arrrghhhhhh, the choices are too much!!

i use dogmatics to take my 3 dogs out. best things i ever bought tbh.

Thank you all for your comments and advice. After spending hours trawling the wonder web and looking at the pros and cons ive decided to buy 4 dogmatics. I have used haltis on the 2 big ones when they were younger, but they used to ride up in their eyes and leave marks around their muzzle which I didn´t really like, plus they could still pull on them. The dogmatics are padded and seem to be very secure, and the woman has guaranteed me that they will not ride up into their eyes. They have all been measured so hopefully they will fit nice and snug. If a 45kg ridgeback can be controlled by these, then Im hoping that walking 4 pullers of 20-30kg huskies will be a ´walk in the park´............(sorry couldn´t help that last bit.....lol).

Definitely a dogmatic or gentle leader. The dogmatic is made of stronger stuff, I believe, but my two newfoundlands use gentle leaders and never had a problem. A harness is of no use whatsoever to prevent pulling. They are designed for tracking, hence all the police sniffer dogs wear them. The idea of the headcollar type control is that if they can´t get they´re nose up, they cannot pull. You will probably have to get them used to it one at a time, though. Dogs never like this restraint at first and will spend time trying to paw it off. Even now Ferdie tries to get his off if he sees another dog because he knows that is what´s stopping him. All you need do is stand still until they have given up. I would not try all four at once, though. Not till they are used to them.

Having used both, l personally prefer the gentle leader as it dosent ride up the eyes , care must also be taken when using these aids, do not yank the dog back as it can cause injury to your dog , a gentle pull in the right direction is all thats needed.

Thanks Mary that´s really useful reading.Ive said all along i wanted Marley to enjoy his walk and at the moment i dont think its as enjoyable as it could be so think i will invest and hopefully like yourself will be able to use as a ´back to basics´ training aid.

A Halti or such similar gadget work´s exactly in the same principle as a horse´s headcollar.....fitting an equine with a well fiited and suitable headcollar is not cruel and this certainly applies to a dog.

As long as the owner has gone out of their way to ensure that that they have the correct size and style for their particular breed and that they acustom their dog to wearing it (gradually and with lots of praise and rewards),these items are not cruel at all,when used correctly and in accordance with the Manufacturers own guideline´s.

I have never seen a dog in distress when being walked on a Halti or such like but I have seen more dogs (and their owners) distressed when,the dog is struggling to breath against it´s collar as it pull´s it´s poor owner along.....it is not fun walking such a dog and when they invented the item such as the Halti,this was a godsend.

Everybody has their own preferences as what work´s well for them and their dogs and that is perfectly fine but it should also be mentioned that these are a gadget that should be used ideally alongside regular and consistent training,in order to teach the dog to walk at ´Heel´ or alongside you without ever pulling.

My halti was used as an inital training aid but once my Rottie´s learnt to master the ´Heel´...I never needed use the halti again throughout their adult life....I´ve only ever had one puller really,all the rest of my dogs (past & present) have been taught ´Heel´ without the use of any gadget.

I think it´s a case of horses for courses and finding a product that suits both your dog and you!.

Hiya Vikki,we´re seriously considering a halti for Marley cos his pulling is dreadful only because he hadn´t been at all lead trained when we got him,but ive read so many conflicting reports i dont know what to do now. some say its brill others say its cruel so i´m stuck. I know huskies pull but he is pulling or should i say dragging really badly. So like you any advice greatly recieved. x

http://www.petstreet.co.uk/Forum/503040.whose%20walking%20who__

ok i have a 45kg rhodesian ridgeback who can take me for a walk when he feels like it..we have the dogmatic and i promise you i can conrol him with my little finger when he has it on..so i would defo go for dogmatic..we have the leather one but as you will know they do them in other fabrics..good luck with whatever aid you go for.

the halti worked on my little dog who is a BIG puller
maybe you could find someone who has a spare halti and borrow it
so you can see if it works on them before you buy it then its not money wasted