# head halter or harness for a boxer?



## jboboxer (Jul 9, 2009)

I was reading a book about head halters and it seemed like the best thing out there for a puppy like mine who keeps chocking herself. But I'm reading other places that it should only be used for training, but seems others only use it.

So I'm wondering if I should use a head halter or a harness for my boxer puppy instead of something around her neck?


----------



## moluno (Apr 29, 2009)

I don't really like the head ones, but I have an Easy Walk harness for my puppy and it's been FANTASTIC. I used to hate taking her for walks because rewards would work for a while, but she'd lose focus like halfway through the walk and start choking and gagging herself. She walks perfectly with the harness (at least what my vision of perfect is--she's not dragging me along--so it's all good!). 

I still reward her for walking nicely because my hope is to eventually wean her off the harness. But because I rely on walks so much for exercise, it's impossible to keep her away from highly distracting areas, so the harness is good for that while we're still training. Honestly though, if you're okay with the possibility of having to use the harness the rest of her life, I don't think there's anything wrong with just using it and not really _training_ with it.

And it's important to keep in mind that a no-pull harness is different from a regular harness. If you go with a harness, you want one that has the leash clipped in front on their chest, not on their back.


----------



## x3ro (Apr 29, 2009)

I use an easy walk for my ADHD puppy.

Walking him on that versus simply putting the leash on his collar, there's a WORLD of difference.

Try the easy walk.


----------



## opokki (May 30, 2006)

Regular harnesses give dogs more pulling power but I've used the Easy Walk (front clip harness) on Boxers with success. I think you would be pleased with one.


----------



## Pepper (Jan 27, 2008)

To help with stopping pulling, stop walking and wait for slack to appear in the leash, or for the dog to focus on you, praise and keep walking. Or you can turn around 180 degrees and walk the other direction for a few paces and turn back around. Sometimes you have to do this a lot. I find the stopping and standing still method works well.


----------



## pittsabowawa (Jul 26, 2009)

i have a boxer mix (bella) and i use the head halter on her and she does perfectly. however i think for a puppy a harness is better. as far as the choking you can fix ur collar directly behind the dogs jawbone and when he starts to put just pull straight up instead of back... this also helps your dog learn to heel better bc it forces them to walk next to you.


----------



## jboboxer (Jul 9, 2009)

I've been reading that people sometimes thinks that if they see a dog in a head halter, they think it's a vicious dog that has a muzzle on it. So I'm starting to lean towards the harness

I'm thinking about ordering the Premier Easy Walk Harness from amazon, which does have the hook in the front. As it was posted, it does make sense that if the hook is in front and the dog starts to pull, she will just do a 180 and face me.


----------



## Erick Aguilar (Jun 9, 2008)

I would also pick a harness for a dog with... how was it called... obstructive air ways??
Or dogs with flat noses.

I saw in the GL DvD that although the head collar can be fitted to flat nosed dogs, it can be ''harmfull'' for other flat nosed dogs to wear.

So yeah.. i would encourage the harness alot more.


----------



## Moose's Mom (Sep 30, 2007)

I vote easy walk harness, as well. My boxer is a different dog now that we use this. And my arms don't get pulled off.


----------



## prntmkr (Jan 17, 2009)

jboboxer said:


> I was reading a book about head halters and it seemed like the best thing out there for a puppy like mine who keeps chocking herself. But I'm reading other places that it should only be used for training, but seems others only use it.
> 
> So I'm wondering if I should use a head halter or a harness for my boxer puppy instead of something around her neck?



Pulling on the lead is a very common problem. However, the problem almost always lies with the handler, not the dog.

At the risk of offending you, rather than looking for a tool to "fix" this problem, have you considered actually _training_ your puppy not to pull? 

I don't mean to sound sarcastic here, and I'm not a professional dog trainer, but in over 30 years of having (large) dogs, as well as helping friends and neighbours with their dogs, I've never met one who couldn't learn this simple, basic skill quite quickly and easily.

Having said that, the various tools to stop pulling usually work fairly well; it's just a matter of finding what works best for you and your dog. But I would strongly suggest you try *training* her, rather than merely _*controlling*_ her. 

It's just my opinion...

Best of luck!


----------



## Teachadog (Jul 9, 2009)

Pepper said:


> To help with stopping pulling, stop walking and wait for slack to appear in the leash, or for the dog to focus on you, praise and keep walking. Or you can turn around 180 degrees and walk the other direction for a few paces and turn back around. Sometimes you have to do this a lot. I find the stopping and standing still method works well.


EXACTLY




prntmkr said:


> Pulling on the lead is a very common problem. However, the problem almost always lies with the handler, not the dog.
> 
> At the risk of offending you, rather than looking for a tool to "fix" this problem, have you considered actually _training_ your puppy not to pull?
> 
> ...



But I am, and I suggest that if you are going to use the easy walk as a spring board thats fine, however you need to TRAIN your dog. I generally start most dogs off on a head halter if they are 'rowdy' or 'hyper' dogs, it makes people feel like they have more control. After about two to three weeks they stop using the head halter because I have taught them and their dogs to walk on a loose leash by using the 'tree' and 'dizzy' method. The dog realises that if it pulls and you do not move forward that the pulling is not rewarded ("if I pull we continue to walk, when I stop pulling, like when I go into the house, we stop walking therfore if I pull, we walk!") and by changing directions you are also not rewarding the pulling and refocus your dogs attention on you. Brachycephalic dogs (or 'flat faced dogs') should NOT be fitted to a head halter, you can cause damage to the nasal passages. The easy walk can also cause rubs under the arm pits if not fitted properly. A tool is to be used properly, and if working consistantly you should have a dog at a heel in no more than 3 weeks with just a leash/collar.


----------



## hulkamaniac (Feb 11, 2009)

Most harnesses incline the dog to pull. At least this is what I've heard. The EZ walk puts the ring on the front so the dog can't pull. (WTF?? How did I end up facing this way? This isn't what I wanted.) I like to just slide the collar under the chin and pull up.


----------



## prntmkr (Jan 17, 2009)

Teachadog said:


> ...
> 
> start most dogs off on a head halter if they are 'rowdy' or 'hyper' dogs, it makes people feel like they have more control...
> 
> ... you should have a dog at a heel in no more than 3 weeks with just a leash/collar.


Yes and yes.


----------



## jboboxer (Jul 9, 2009)

Maybe it's just me, but I still kind of feel a color and leash is a little cruel and old school, but maybe it's just me. Some people I think are just used to controlling a dog by it's neck and cutting off air flow or putting a chain on the neck that the more it pulls the more it hurts or those prong chock collars that hurt the dog even more. I was reading people even sharpen the prongs, so that it hurts the dog even more. 
I'm sure these dogs heal really really well and some people will never change. A friend of mine has his dog heal really well, but he told me he would walk the dog and if the dog pulled a little bit he would say heel and yank the dog so hard that the dog would come flying back towards him. He said after doing this about 5 to 10 times if the dog heard heel would expect to be pulled, so it would stop and look back.

I guess it works great hurting the dog and chocking it. Same people who tell me to put my dogs face in her piss......... 

ALARMING FACTS FROM THE STUDY

63% of the dogs examined had neck and spinal injuries.
78% of the dogs with aggession or over activity problems had neck and spinal injuries.
Of the dogs with neck injuries, 91% had experienced hard jerks on a leash or had strained against their leashes.

http://www.dog-harness-solutions.com/happy-puppies.html


----------



## jesirose (Mar 27, 2008)

Following the law and keeping your dog on lead is hardly cruel. It's what you do with it that matters. Collars are not all choke and prong, there are plain flat buckle collars. Both of my dogs walk on regular collars 90% of the time. 

BTW. It's choke. Not chock.


----------



## Pepper (Jan 27, 2008)

> Maybe it's just me, but I still kind of feel a color and leash is a little cruel


And it's VERY annoying if an off leash dog is not under vocal command and rushes me to say hi or gets in my dogs face. If the dogs going to drag you and is not trained, keep it on a leash. If your dog will remain at your side in a heel and ignore ALL distractions, then be my guest and drape the leash over his shoulders.


----------



## Teachadog (Jul 9, 2009)

I'll agree that choke and prong collars are not my favorite things (in fact I try to steer people away from them) but everyone has their own training ideas. A regular flat buckle collar will not harm a dog if you are simply using it to keep the dog safely at your side. I was not mentioning doing 'leash pops' where someone snaps the leash quickly. If you stop and stand the dog cannot move, you if turn around, and NO you don't jerk the dog in the opposite direction, the dog cannot pull because he is trying to go one way and you are going the other. Dogs who walk properly on a leash will not choke or hurt themselves, however in danger they are safe because they are on leash. My personal and foster dogs are started in the house off leash with a treat held to my side, I find it builds trust. But like I said everyone has a different opinion


----------



## Tankstar (Dec 30, 2006)

Why not just train the dog to walk properly? harness's and head halters are just bandaids. if she is a pup now, start now, before she is 60lbs of muscle. 

I never properly trained Blaze to walk before, I just didnt care. Until where he is now at 60lbs of solid mucsle. And Im 110lbs. he is already half my weight. Wish I trained him as a young pup. Becuase now its a fighting match. He will heal perfectly offleash, since we majority (95%) of our walks offleash. but on leash is different. I bought a head halter, sur eit worked wonderful. But as soon as its off, the pulling starts.

traint he dog to walk on a normal flat buckle and you will be much happier to actually have a trained dog.

I honeslty hate seeing these head halters, if people would just train their dogs there would be no need.



and you say a regular collar is mean? or dangerous? news flash a head harness is just as bad, if not worse. think about it.


----------



## Ludo the Monster (Jul 1, 2009)

I tried everything with Ludo. I tried choke collars, pinch collars, backpacks, harnesses, Haltis etc. Not a thing worked. I tried stopping and waiting for him to come back and then rewarding. I tried walking the other way. Nothing. Zip zero nada.

And then, miracle of miracles, I finally found a front clipping harness in his size. And it worked perfectly. He does not pull. He used to go ape wild anywhere near other dogs or kids and I can walk within 5 feet of kids now (the barrier used to be 1/2 - 1 block) and he walks calmly by my side.


----------



## jesirose (Mar 27, 2008)

Avalooloo said:


> Try walkyourdogwithlove.com front-leading, stops pulling, MUCH simpler then the EZwalk, and no chafing....a simple, yet sophisticated harness!! (and less expensive.)


It's exactly the same as the Easy Walk, and with shipping costs more.


----------



## GatsbysMom (Jul 20, 2009)

Avalooloo said:


> Try walkyourdogwithlove.com front-leading, stops pulling, MUCH simpler then the EZwalk, and no chafing....a simple, yet sophisticated harness!! (and less expensive.)


I'm pretty bothered by the fact they don't actually have any photos of the products (at least, none that I found within a few clicks)... you have to watch a video to see what the harness looks like? In the first video, it looks WAY too tight on that poor dog... no way two fingers could fit under the top of that harness.

I'm not sure what's "simpler" about this item than the Gentle Leader Easy Walk, as it looks like it latches exactly the same. I'm always a little iffy about knock-off items.

I'm not going to lie, though, I may be the only person who doesn't 100% love the Gentle Leader Easy Walk. My dog is a wiggler, and although he knows that if he pulls he'll get whipped around, he ends up walking sideways to get as much pull as possible without actually getting flipped around. Also, the leash is always winding up on the wrong side of his head, or wrapped around his head, or under his legs etc. The Easy Walk would best be used with a very short leash.

It also gets loose after EVERY walk. After every single walk I have to readjust the harness because it's hanging off of him.

We're starting training classes this Sunday to work on training Gatsby so he won't pull. The Easy Walk is okay, but I don't think (for my dog) that it's any better than a harness where the leash hooks on top, at the dog's shoulder blades. I frankly can't wait until Gatsby is trained to walk by my side so I can exchange my Easy Walk for another harness.


----------



## jesirose (Mar 27, 2008)

GatsbysMom said:


> My dog is a wiggler, and although he knows that if he pulls he'll get whipped around, he ends up walking sideways to get as much pull as possible without actually getting flipped around.


Rather than letting him continue to walk sideways and pull, when he starts going forward to pull, walk backwards. This will turn him the whole way around and teach him pulling gets him FARTHER away from his goal.



> Also, the leash is always winding up on the wrong side of his head, or wrapped around his head, or under his legs etc. The Easy Walk would best be used with a very short leash.


It helps to hold the leash in the hand next to the dog, giving him only a short amount. Just enough so he can get it right. You can double up your leash rather than only holding the loop, hold the loop and then hold the fabric of the leash halfway in the same hand.


----------



## jboboxer (Jul 9, 2009)

I've been using the easy walk harness and it's amazing how good it works. No more trying to correct my dog by chocking her or for her to slowly get it.

The easy walk harness is amazing. She doesn't pull at all anymore, she takes turns with me and is right next to me with slack in the lead. The first few walks she tried to pull, but as noted before she will just turn around and face me if she does that, so it's a pretty quick learn to know not to pull. If I want to make a turn, it's around her front legs/head area and I have much more control than her neck. If I even so slightly pull to go one direction, she follows me quickly.

I'm just amazed how much better this is than controlling her by her neck like I was doing before.

My second choice would be the head halter, but I'm really happy with my purchase and I'm sure my dog is also, since she can walk further than before. Before she couldn't figure out that the more she pulled the more it would hurt her neck and she couldn't breathe as well. So now I'm going on actually farther walks and having really complete control.


----------



## jboboxer (Jul 9, 2009)

Do most of you use who the harness that clips in the front attach it to a color as well? I've seen some clips of people who do and some that don't.
I know the same company has a colar that gets tighter as you pull, but doesn't choke and I'm wondering if people use this in combination with the harness?


----------

