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IT’S NOT A MUZZLE! |
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The standard chain collars that have been used for
generations have caused handlers and dogs many problems and lots of
pain. Often referred to as “choke chains”,
they have indeed choked dogs to death because of being left on when the dog
was unsupervised. Even when supervised, dogs playing together often suffer
serious injuries or death resulting from getting teeth caught in the
chain. The dog whose teeth are caught
fights for freedom and the other dog fights to be free of the dog hanging
from his neck. One breaks a jaw while
the other is strangled. Tracheas have been broken and, at the very least,
necks have been badly bruised. People
who do not receive training in their proper use don’t even know how to
properly put them on the dogs! Now there are a number of alternatives that work almost
like magic. One such tool is called
“head halters”. The basic construction
is composed of a strap that goes around the dog’s nose and another that
clasps around the neck just behind the ears – there is no pressure on the
throat. There is a ring below the
dog’s chin and the leash is attached there. When the dog pulls, attempts to jump, or lunges at another
dog the head is turned as he does so.
The handler makes no corrections whatsoever – the head halter does it
all. Since dogs are constructed to go
in the direction that they point their noses they quickly learn that the
pull, jump or lunge simply do not work as they previously did. The Halti brand head halter has
been sold in stores for years. It
comes in 6 sizes from 0 (Yorkshire Terrier) to Size 5 (St. Bernard). The major complaint is that dogs can remove
the nose strap too easily. The Gentle Leader brand
has a slightly different construction than the HALTI. The construction is
similar but there is no tightening of the nose strap when pressure is put on
the leash. . There are many size options and even
various colors compared to only black for the Halti.
(I have these available for clients.)
At this time (2008) the market offers various other brands all
promising something a bit different but all aimed towards removal of neck
collars designed to punish the dog. My
preference at this time is the Gentle Leader. So – if this is such a wonderful idea why doesn’t everyone
have one? Well – for starters there is
the idea that it is a muzzle, which it is not. Dogs can eat, drink and certainly bite
while wearing the head halter. Almost
without exception dogs object to the collar at first just as puppies objected
to their first experience with a soft collar around their necks. Some owners feel the dog is suffering but
with a bit of praise and treats for proper behavior while wearing the head
halter dogs accept them just as they accept other collars.* There are a couple of problems. First is learning how to
put the collar and properly adjust it.
It is very important to have a short leash because were
a dog to take a running charge at another dog and hit the end of the leash
there would be a risk of “whip lash”.
The next problem is for the handler to do nothing! That is probably the most difficult part
since people are accustomed to giving corrections – even when they don’t
work. The final problem is trying to convince those who know nothing about
such training devices that the dog is not wearing a muzzle and the dog is not
being mistreated. For that problem try the solution one person uses – she wears
a T-shirt that says – It is NOT a muzzle! *There are some dogs that truly are seriously stressed and
other tools should be investigated if that happens. There are several brands of harnesses
designed to reduce leash pulling and that work well for many dogs. I do not recommend them for large, strong
dogs with aggression issues. T
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