# Halti/Gentle Leader



## King&Skylar (Jun 3, 2010)

How young is too young to start walking my puppy with a halti? Right now i just walk her with a regular collar, she is doing good in heel for the most part, but pulls when she knows we're almost home- enough that she gags when i'm pulling her back- I don't want to use a check/choke? chain at all if i don't have to, especially at this age- and right now i don't need it because she is learning, i just don't like her gagging when i pull her back  
She will be 3 months old on Monday, and is 22 pounds- is it too young to start her with a halti? Should i just keep doing what i'm doing? How many of you use halti's on your older shepherds? we use one for our 7 year old and he does so much better with it than just a collar, so does our 3 year old rotti mix- do I really need one if she's a good walker? I just want to help her learn not to pull the best way I can. She doesn't even pull that hard, but she is only little and will grow fast, i want to catch it while she's still little.

thanks!


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## DJEtzel (Feb 11, 2010)

The thing is, they don't teach them not to pull, they just make it easier on your arm. Get her a harness so she's not choking herself, and clip the leash to the front of it in the O ring instead of on her back. 

When she starts pulling closer to home, dead stop and wait for her to turn around and give the leash some slack. At this point I make my dog walk in a cirlce around me then we procede. My 11 month old does the same thing at the park, so we work on this for an hour or so every time we go before ever entering and he's getting MUCH better.


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## Namara (Jun 10, 2010)

I used a Halti on my dog until he was about 10 months old. He hated it - our walks were miserable because he would stop and rub his face against my leg or on the ground to try to get it off. He didn't pull too badly and I could keep him under control with it, but he was always in that aggitated state of mind and started to bite the leash in the last few weeks before I got rid of it. 

My concern would be finding a Halti to fit your puppy. The size for a GSD was a bit too big for my dog when we first got it when he was about 8 months (I think that's how old he was). You would have to keep buying them because your puppy is going to grow fast!

Prong collars work really well when they are fitted properly, but you'll get mixed reviews on using them on a puppy as young as yours. For now, maybe take DJEtzel's advice on getting a harness for the time being (adjustable so it'll fit him longer...), or stick with the flat collar and do what DJEtzel said about stopping whenever your puppy starts to pull. Either way, it's a good habit to break before the dog gets bigger and stronger and more difficult to control.


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## heatherr (Jun 5, 2010)

I got a gentle leader at the recommendation of a service-dog trainer friend. They use them on their puppies at about 3 months of age and up (labs and goldens).

My pup HATES it (4/5ish months old). Absolutely hates it, walks are miserable, he is constantly fighting it, tries to knock it off, stops, lays down, and looks SO SAD. The size M fits well.

I've been taking to using his flat buckle collar and just stopping and having him sit next to me any time he pulls. 3 weeks into it, and we can walk about 80% of the time with a loose lead (not in heel, but not pulling - which is my concern for walks).

The other thing recommended to me was a front-clip harness.

I wouldn't use a prong on such a young pup. But stopping EVERY TIME they pull can be time consuming and boring. At first it took 30 mins to get down the block! But, he is getting it.


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## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

Sometimes Jake is a dream and sometimes are walks are also 30 min and 30 feet. I tried the leader and returned it, he was so miserable I couldn't get him to "watch me" or focus at all. I use a flat collar most of the time and a have a no slip martingale for training and places where I need a little extra.


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## Lilie (Feb 3, 2010)

I utilize the Halti on my pup, began when he was around 6 months old at the request of my trainer. The first few days were difficult, same as the reactions when he first learned walk on the leash. 

He is now 10 months old and I use the Halti when I take him out in public. He never surges foward or quits on me. I rarely need to correct him.


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## Grissom (Jan 7, 2010)

I just got a halti last week. After reading about how often dogs don't like it I was expecting it to be a difficult transition. I was pleased to see he adjusted to it quite easily. He shook his head a few times when I put it on, but once we started walking he forgot about it...whew! He's a good walker, but like the OP I too, want to stop the surge when we get close to our destination. So far so good. We'll see.....


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## King&Skylar (Jun 3, 2010)

thanks! I tried to do the stopping and then "heel" and she did good, so i think i'll stick to training her like that instead of buying every size halti made haha.


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