Dog Training With A Head Collar

Mark Bensen

The head collar has become an increasingly popular dog training
tool in the past couple of years. Two of the most well known
brands of head collar on the market are the Gentle Leader and
the Halti, but there are many other brands that incorporate the
basic head collar concept.

Many people find the Gentle Leader easier to fit that the Halti,
and in addition the Gentle Leader is designed to fasten around
the dog's neck. The advantage of this design is that even if the
dog is somehow able to wriggle out of the muzzle, it is still
wearing a collar. This safety feature is very important,
especially during training outside or in novel situations. On
the other hand, the Halti offers better control of the dog, and
for this reason it is often favored when working with very
aggressive dogs.

Training a dog with a head collar has a number of advantages
over training with a traditional or training collar. For one
thing, head collars are often easier to use for beginning dog
trainers than are training collars. Head collars are also quite
effective at preventing dogs from pulling, or controlling and
retraining dogs that tend to pull.

Head collars can also be quite effective at controlling dogs in
difficult situations, such as controlling a dog that wants to be
with other dogs. Most owners know of some situations in which
their dogs are difficult to control, and head collars can be
quite effective at controlling these volatile situations.

Head collars can be excellent for controlling dogs that are very
strong, or for working with a dog in an area that contains a
great many distractions. For instance, head collars are great
for when your dog is on an outing, or in an area where there
will be other dogs and other distractions.

Even though a head collar can be a great tool, it should not be
used as a replacement for effective dog training. A head collar
is most effective when it is used in combination with strong and
sensible dog training methods, such as reward training and other
forms of positive reinforcement.

Disadvantages of head collars

Even though head collars have many advantages, they have some
distinct disadvantages as well. For one thing, head collars tend
to make many dogs dependent on the equipment, and they quickly
learn the difference between their regular collar and the head
collar, and adjust their behavior accordingly.

In addition, some dogs, particularly those not accustomed to
wearing a head collar, dislike wearing it and paw at it, try to
rub it off or pull excessively. If your dog exhibits this
behavior, the best strategy is to keep it moving until it learns
to accept the collar. A good alternative is to have the dog sit
by pulling up on the dog's head.

Another disadvantage of the head collar is the reaction that
many people have to it. Many people think that a head collar is
a muzzle, and react to the dog as if it may bite. While this is
not necessarily a defect of the head collar, many people do find
it troublesome.

In conclusion, training with a head collar is much like training
with a training collar or any other equipment. While the head
collar can be an important and useful tool, it is important to
use it appropriately, follow all package instructions, and to
combine its use with solid training methods. The eventual goal
of dog training with a head collar should be to have the dog
behave as well with a regular collar as it does with the
specialized head collar.

About the author:

Mark Bensen shares more of his dog knowledge at his informative
site, Leash
Training.

About the Author: