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Dog
Training With A Head Collar
By: 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, http://www.wecould2.com/doggonit/
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