Hi my friend has started walking her staffie on a halti as she pulls terribly. Only problem she's having is her dog scrapes her nose along the path trying to get halti off and has scraped the skin from her little nose any ideas to help stop this? Or will it just take time? Many thanks in advance
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Halti issues
- Thread starter DawnH
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Two things come to mind. The first is that tools don't train a dog to walk nicely, they can help you keep control but they don't do anything to actually teach the dog what you want. The other is that haltis are horribly uncomfortable as they ride up the face, squash the eyes, and on a broad-headed, short faced dog like a staffie they must be really unpleasant. So, walks become an ordeal for both the dog and the walker.
So I'd say ditch the halti altogether and take a different approach.
The first thing I'd recommend is to stop thinking of the walk as being 'a walk'. It's a loose lead training session, if your friend doesn't get anywhere further than 100 yards, that's okay. But by thinking like this, it takes the pressure off your friend to actually 'go for a walk' and that's a big first step.
Second, practise walking in a really boring environment, because anything exciting makes it harder for the dog to focus. There are too many exciting things to find and check out. That takes the pressure off the dog.
Then, there's a number of techniques to help stop a dog from pulling.
One is that every time the dog creates tension in the lead, you stop. Only when the dog relaxes back and the tension in the lead is eased, allow forward movement. The dog will likely try to pull immediately, stop again immediately. Repeat, repeat, repeat until the dog learns that she only gets to move forward when the lead is slack. This will take a lot of time, especially if the pulling behaviour is something she has been allowed to practise for a long time.
Another technique is to not use a lead at all (in a safe, enclosed space obviously). A dog that isn't on a lead can't pull. Carry a really smelly treat in one hand. As soon as your dog is by your side, where you would like her to walk if she was wearing a lead, mark that position with a sound like a 'yesssss' and give the treat. Practise getting her into that position with the treat, and every time she is in the right place, immediately use the 'yessss' sound to let her know that is where you want her - but start delaying the treat reward by a second, two seconds etc, until she has to stay in place for longer to get the reward. Then add in one step forward, mark and reward the correct position. Two steps, mark and reward, and so on. Again, this isn't an overnight quick fix.
I also have attached a video you might find helpful.
So I'd say ditch the halti altogether and take a different approach.
The first thing I'd recommend is to stop thinking of the walk as being 'a walk'. It's a loose lead training session, if your friend doesn't get anywhere further than 100 yards, that's okay. But by thinking like this, it takes the pressure off your friend to actually 'go for a walk' and that's a big first step.
Second, practise walking in a really boring environment, because anything exciting makes it harder for the dog to focus. There are too many exciting things to find and check out. That takes the pressure off the dog.
Then, there's a number of techniques to help stop a dog from pulling.
One is that every time the dog creates tension in the lead, you stop. Only when the dog relaxes back and the tension in the lead is eased, allow forward movement. The dog will likely try to pull immediately, stop again immediately. Repeat, repeat, repeat until the dog learns that she only gets to move forward when the lead is slack. This will take a lot of time, especially if the pulling behaviour is something she has been allowed to practise for a long time.
Another technique is to not use a lead at all (in a safe, enclosed space obviously). A dog that isn't on a lead can't pull. Carry a really smelly treat in one hand. As soon as your dog is by your side, where you would like her to walk if she was wearing a lead, mark that position with a sound like a 'yesssss' and give the treat. Practise getting her into that position with the treat, and every time she is in the right place, immediately use the 'yessss' sound to let her know that is where you want her - but start delaying the treat reward by a second, two seconds etc, until she has to stay in place for longer to get the reward. Then add in one step forward, mark and reward the correct position. Two steps, mark and reward, and so on. Again, this isn't an overnight quick fix.
I also have attached a video you might find helpful.
Thankyou for your reply. I shall pass on all the info to my friend. Her dog is 3 and found aloneness a forest and is a bit of an escape artist she tried to scale garden fence a lot when they first rescued her so I don't think off lead is an option. Thanks so much
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You can start the off lead work in the house. In fact, its probably better there because there are no distractions. Walking in place even across a whole room would be a huge achievement, don't underestimate baby steps.
