Is a head collar an effective training tool for a dog that pulls?
I have tried every tool and method of training for my mastiff/boxer mix. the Gentle Leader is the only thing that keeps her from pulling. i have heard that it will not teach her not to pull, but it seems that the discomfort from the head collar(the turning of the neck) is similar to the prong collar pinching the neck. Is this thinking flawed?
tiptoptraining
27 Feb, 2010
The GL is primarily a management tool- you can prevent your dog from pulling because of the physics involved, but it doesn’t teach the dog not to pull. It doesn’t work by pain, like the prong does, but instead allows you to control the head, and for some dogs there is an aversive element in not having that freedom. Jean Donaldson has an awesome video where she conditions a dog to the GL. Once you are using the GL, you need to use positive reinforcement to teach the dog correct behavior.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=CA&hl=en&v=XeTKybGuyjw
Another step I like is to teach "silky leash" handling
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MkG0XHKzLQ
Kayla
27 Feb, 2010
The head harness (gentle leader) is a great tool. I have been to many different training classes with my many dogs and one thing they all have in common is the all recommend a head harness for dogs that pull. I have yet to meet a dog that likes it but it causes no pain if it is on properly, ask you dog store people how to put it on. It is not pinching the neck or causing pain and has worked on every dog I have met.
stefansgirl
27 Feb, 2010
I have always used a full harness when teaching my dogs. No matter what collar you decide, the most important thing is firm commands and don’t give in to the dog. Be consistent, and when they do what you want reward them immediately. It takes a lot of time and patience.
Kahlia - Dals Rejoice!
27 Feb, 2010
I use a Halti on my Dalmatian and I have nothing but good things to say about it. It is true that it won’t "teach" her not to pull; only you can do that, but it will help in training her not to pull on the leash.
I have been using the Halti ever since I began leash training my dog and he has never shown signs of pain or discomfort from wearing one.
C. Jean
27 Feb, 2010
Equipment used while walking your dog (whatever the type) does not "teach" the dog in the sense that when the equipment is off, the dog will continue to pull. It isn’t something that can be "phased out" after continuous wear. However, if you are willing to always use the Gentle Leader while walking your mix then I would suggest this over the prong collar as it does not cause any actual pain in the dog and has a general calming effect which you don’t get with the prong collar. As long as you are willing to always use the halti (only when walking, not around the house), there shouldn’t be a problem with it.
mminjung
27 Feb, 2010
i have a golden retriever that pulled like MAD and i used the gentle leader as the solution. my dog HATED it at first. rolled over, tried to rub it off, lied down on the middle of the street and tried to paw it off and stuff at first. you have to get her used to the gentle leader. give her lots of treats and when hse tries to paw it off, distract her with a toy or treats. at first, dont go out on a walk with it because you won’t be able to. lol just at home, keep it on her and when she tries to take it off, distracter with treats and toys and reward her. and when she gets used to it a bit, take her to somewhere special or just out on a walk so she knows that when she puts that on, she is going out. she’ll get excited and would be eager to put it on then
soon, you wont need to use the gentle leader at all. you can just have the collar and leash and your dog would be used to not pulling and woul automatically stop. good luck 
Ellen
27 Feb, 2010
All collars, halters and harnesses are basically management tools. They might, in time, teach the dog to change behavior somewhat, but mostly they prevent pulling only when they are being worn.
Actually teaching the behavior you *do* want to see is always more efficient.
Most trainers I know urge people to teach the dog to walk nicely with them, off leash in a safe place (I like to start indoors, to minimize distractions and make the point that it is just teaching a behavior, like any other behavior).
When the dog has learned to choose to walk beside the person, a management tool is no longer needed.
Ehawlz
27 Feb, 2010
Those things are awful, in my experience they only cause confusion, and neck injuries.
It would be best if you used a simple corrective chain(I do not like the term ‘Choke Chain’ as when it is used properly, it does not choke the dog) and correct them with a pull on the leash while giving them a command, such as ‘Heel’
I like a chain, because sometimes you don’t even need to pull on the leash to give them a full correction, because they’ll hear the chain and step in line before they receive the full correction.
Eventually, they should need a command only, and you will need nothing more than a flat collar. It would be best if you worked with a trainer to see how to properly use the training tools, however.
Breanna
27 Feb, 2010
im not sure how god of how good it is for ur dog but u should try careing a spray bottle and when she trys to run spray her i would go a long distance just go a short distance and she how it works i hoped that it helped
TanteL
27 Feb, 2010
It does not work by causing your dog any pain; it works the same way a halter works on a horse, by turning his head toward you, so he has to stop pulling away from you: the body follows the head.
I imagine that on a lot of short-faced breeds, the halter is difficult to keep in place. I know my Australian Shepherd hated it: he went into a frenzy of fighting and kicking and scraping until he got it off his face. I realized that it had been rubbing his lower eyelids.
If you don’t like or trust the halter, try the Gentle Leader Easy Walk harness. It works easily: the leash clips in the center of the dog’s chest, and when he reaches the end of the leash it pulls on either side of his chest and turns the dog toward the handler. I prefer the harness, myself.
Terry
27 Feb, 2010
I have a dog with a similar behavior. I’m not certain how bad the situation is for you though. I haven’t gone past using more than a leash. My advice would be to watch a few episodes of -The Dog Whisperer- or visit Cesar Milan’s website. Its sort of like a mind over matter type of deal. If worse comes to worse, talk to a dog training professional. I know this doesn’t really answer your question but maybe you wouldn’t need a head collar after all.
ginbark
27 Feb, 2010
Many dogs still pull while wearing a head collar which restrains instead of trains the dog and it has permently injured many dogs’ necks and spines. I had a rescued GSD who pulled like a freight train while wearing a Halti which I prefer to a GL and have used them on MinPins to 100lb GSDs.A friend adopted a Rottx who pulled on a GL.
I train all my dogs from 5lbs to 100lbs on a pinch collar which is the most humane method and after they are trained they can be walked on a reg harness,toy breeds, or small link fur saver, large breeds. A study on prong collars was done in Germany with 100 dogs. Half used choke and half used prong collars. The dogs were studied for their entire lives and when they died, autopsies were performed. Of the 50 who had chokes, 48 had injuries to the neck, trachea or back. Two of those were determined to be genetic. The other 46 were caused by trauma. Of the 50 who had prongs, two had injuries in the neck area; one was determined to be genetic and one was caused by trauma. Also, head collars like the Gentle Leader or Halti can be very dangerous. Say you were walking along and you suddenly fell, jerking the leash back as you went. Or say you were walking along and your dog saw a bird and started to take off towards it. What do you think would happen? The dog’s head would be violently jerked sideways when she hit the end of the leash. This can cause severe neck and spinal injuries to the dog. In my opinion, head halters are for people who are too lazy to take the time to train their dog how to behave properly. Now, that’s not saying that everyone who uses a head halter on their dog is lazy, and that’s not saying that head collars do not have their place when it comes to training. It’s just that they are very limited, and as I mentioned earlier, you pretty much have to keep using it for the life of the dog because they do not effectively solve problems – they just act as a restraining device.
Cris
27 Feb, 2010
i use the head collar for my pit, and she hates it, she will stop every now and then to use her front paws to take it off
its effective she wont pull, but she hates it