How to Use a Head Halter as a Basic Dog Training Tool

Video Transcript

" Hi! I am Melanie McLeroy with Taurus Training for Expert Village and today we are going to talk about training dogs. So let’s move on to how to fit a head halter appropriately. If you choose a head halter for your dog, keep in mind that you must condition your dog to it slowly. You see the advantage of head halters is that you can have instant physical control over your dog. It is going to be very helpful for example with dogs that pull on the leash, and dogs that are reactive or aggressive towards other dogs on the leash. The disadvantage is that it is uncomfortable. It is something on the dog’s face that they have to get used to and just like a shelter dog who you put a collar on for the first time, it takes a little while to get used to it. There are several different brands of head halters on the market, and you can check them out and find out which one is best for you. This is a gentle leader and the key is that the little silver part goes under the dog’s chin and this pops up this way. Now the first 50 times, you get your dog used to this, sit, sit, Zute, I recommend simply teaching your dog to pur their nose through the loop to get a treat. Now Zute has never before had one of these on, but she is already learning that there is a positive association with it going over her nose. The next step is to make sure it fits high and tight behind their head. It is better to take it off and put it back on to adjust it but the higher and tighter it is here, the looser it can be on the nose. Next you tighten this part up here under the nose; you do not want this to be so loose that your dog can get if off, take a long time to get your dog used to putting their nose through the loop and then take some time just letting the dog wear it, play fetch with your dog go for walks on just a plain buckle collar or a no-pull harness and do not put any pressure on the gentle leader until your dog is used to it. We are going to talk about how to properly walk your dog with the head halter in the next video. "