Hi all,
the trainer for puppy preschool has suggested i use a Halti on Hope.
Hope's typical behaviour is just airhead behaviour during training class (just wants to look around as there so much other stuff to look/listen to rather then me).
Of course she does all her training perfectly at home 
(typical!)
Anyhow, does anyone have and experience with using one? Any advice? I was leaning towards using a gentle leader easy walk harness however the trainer suggested this idea.
Cheers
My experience is that my dogs view the head halters as an aversive so I do not use them. If I were to use something for pulling it would be a Sensation or Easy Walk harness.
If the issue is attention, then I would work to find higher value treats for class, mine like nuked hot dogs or roast chicken, and really work on rewarding attention while out and about. Also practice name response every day in a variety of settings and reward, reward, reward, so she is more likely to respond when in class.
I walk all of my labs in them and swear by them for those. They are brilliant with strong dogs that can have a tendancy to pull if they see something exciting (like another dog the opposite side of a busy road!!). It might be worth trying one on and see what she makes of it, but i think if Maya had one on she wouldnt stop until she got it off her face. But, you never know, the labs all took to theirs straight away with no problems. I wouldnt think they were normally be recommended to help with attention issues though, they're usually used for dogs that pull, or i thought they were anyway!
I find halti's mask the behaviour rather than correct a behaviour. Sounds simply like your puppy is bored in class-a typical problem for B's! Since she does things at home well and is looking around in class that would be my guess. B's, IME, once they know something, hate repetition. I would do as Lisa suggests and find some other way to distract her and keep the focus on you in class.
Some years ago I tried Haltis on my Basenjis resulting in their walks being taken on three legs with heads on the ground (if you can imagine that). I persevered for 6 months to no avail - they just didn't get used to them. I spoke to Roger Mugford who developed the Halti and his advice was…...... guess? To give up!!!! I took his valuable advice!!!
Some years ago I tried Haltis on my Basenjis resulting in their walks being taken on three legs with heads on the ground (if you can imagine that). I persevered for 6 months to no avail - they just didn't get used to them. I spoke to Roger Mugford who developed the Halti and his advice was…...... guess? To give up!!!! I took his valuable advice!!!
Same here:rolleyes: We have tried it with various B's over the years and none of them would tolerate it at all. The walk was just spent with them either pawing their noses or scraping them along the ground.
When I took my adult B to obedience class, he would do an excellent sit but then would **** his head from side to side and rotate it back to see the other dogs who were behind him and in the other ring. My B loved larger dogs so he was interested in the class that had the large dogs. My friend had another B a little bit older and she had a thing for small fluffy dogs (probably reminded her of bunnies). Even though my B was a big chow hound, the treats were no match for those other dogs. The instructor suggested we retake the class again but both dogs passed! She probably wished there were no Bs in her class! We were the only dogs in the hound group that were taking obedience that night although one of the instructors had a Norwegian Elkhound.
I would not think a puppy would need a Halti, just a matter of getting its attention and getting it focused to you. I can see an adult needing one as I have from time to time thought my Arnie could use one as he pulls really hard.
I wonder if it is because all of these Bs lure coursed and are/were extremely friendly with other breeds-very social dogs.
Jennifer
I thought the same thing. I personally would prefer to use an easy walk harness.
Its puppy preschool and its her 2nd outing- ever (waiting to be fully vaccinated before i take her anywhere apart from puppy preschool), so as u can imagine - why focus on me when theres other happy bouncy puppies to sniff and smell and such a brand new place to explore- i dont blame her for being excited and not attentive to me.
I took her to the vet on saturday for her 3rd vaccination and she sat for the receptionist a couple of times when she asked her! She does know her stuff.
I am changing treats this week to something more yummy.
I have noticed that IF she will do what i ask and i give her a treat which she takes but then spits it out and continues on her way. We tried liver treats, meat and dog biccies as well as her dinner food (that worked best).
In saying all this, i wouldnt change her any other way. I love her to bits 
I figure if we just keep working on it once we are out and about she will get it.
Im not overly worried about her behaviour as she still comes to her name and will eventually do everything i ask - she's just a little sidetracked.
We just need to work on it more out of the house.
I will let the trainer have a go with the Halti on her on thursday night to see how it goes but i dont think i will continue with it, especially if she disagrees with it. So far she hasnt minded having it on though.
Will post after thursday and fill in how it went.
ive attached a utube clip of our play session with the other dogs after class. I really wish we had a lure coursing group here as she just loves running.
Shes so agile and fast compared to the other pups (all around the same age give or take a week). She's also the only bitch in the class!
Enjoy. Dont mind the laughs and commentry lol you can turn it down.
What an enchanting video!
Just pure joy and happiness in those two puppies! 
Well our last night at puppy preschool was very interesting!
Hope and i somehow we just "clicked" and we were completly zoned into each other. She sat on command, looked at me on command (and then wouldnt stop looking at me, she was so intense with those brown eyes) and was perfect, dare i say she was best of the class that night!
We even had a go at running through a tunnel which she enjoyed, straight through. She even taught the timid dogs to run through with her! Then they ran around and they came side on to the tunnel and every pup put their brakes on and she just jumped clean over it to everyones suprise/delight lol
needless to say, the trainer didnt even bother with the Halti or tried anything with her.
Very impressed with my little girl! and they all loved her musical yawns towards the end of the class and she even had a little yodel (shes so vocal!).
I attached a couple of pics the other half took when we were having a break and once i get the video up and running of the pups all playing ill post a link
We are looking forward to doing Puppy "Primary School" in October (6 lessons) and then we are going to join my friend at TOADS (Townsville Obedience and Agility Dog group) and do some obedience and agility classes once a week she'll begin in the "tadpoles" class of course
What fun! What breed is the big, blonde, fluffy klutzy one? Looks like a Standard Poodle or mix thereof.
What fun! What breed is the big, blonde, fluffy klutzy one? Looks like a Standard Poodle or mix thereof.
Its a labradoodle. Its a very strange dog lol
Its a labradoodle. Its a very strange dog lol
I was going to guess it was a 'doodle of some type. Great dogs actually but really clumsy pups.
Lysh,
You didn't say why the trainer suggested a Halti. To what end? I normally only recommend the Halti to owners of large dogs who are having serious pulling or reactivity problems. If Hope pulls, I prefer the Sense-ation or Wonder Walker to the Easy Walk, as I do not like the martingale effect on the EW and feel it gives less clear feed back and they seem to require more frequent adjusting for fit.
WRT spitting out treats I have two thoughts:
Try higher value (think real food, like boiled chicken)
She may be slightly anxious and unable to accept food
One of my dogs is an anxious fellow and usually cannot accept food in certain environments because he is too "on". It took roughly 2 years of living in our new neighborhood before he could accept food on our walks. Just a thought there. It took me a long time to realize that's what was going on with him.
She has a lovely play style. Lots of give and take. Love that!
Lysh,
You didn't say why the trainer suggested a Halti. To what end? I normally only recommend the Halti to owners of large dogs who are having serious pulling or reactivity problems. If Hope pulls, I prefer the Sense-ation or Wonder Walker to the Easy Walk, as I do not like the martingale effect on the EW and feel it gives less clear feed back and they seem to require more frequent adjusting for fit.
WRT spitting out treats I have two thoughts:
Try higher value (think real food, like boiled chicken)
She may be slightly anxious and unable to accept foodOne of my dogs is an anxious fellow and usually cannot accept food in certain environments because he is too "on". It took roughly 2 years of living in our new neighborhood before he could accept food on our walks. Just a thought there. It took me a long time to realize that's what was going on with him.
She has a lovely play style. Lots of give and take. Love that!
Hi
Thanks for the information. I agree with you and wasnt too interested in using a Halti on her and would prefer the easy walker etc.
The reasoning she suggested we try the halti is because she wouldnt settle down and was basically like a fire cracker on the end of the lead no matter what you did and no matter the treat value, her food, liver treats, meat etc.
But i took into consideration that it was a new place, other puppies and her 2nd outing and that shes a basenji, possibly even that she was bored. (maybe the trainer hadnt as all the other puppies where much more "easier" to calm down?)
I think she was overwhelmed by everything as-well because by the next lesson, she was top of the class and even demo dog. She was calm and happy and vocal when she wanted to be. She done everything to a T. So we did not bother with the halti.
Now that she is fully vaccinated and we have been out and about i walk her in a harness and she is a perfect little puppy apart for the occasional "omg its a bird" … yank! she even does anything strangers ask of her (sit, drop, stay etc). She accepts food whenever we are out and gladly ate her lunch at our recent fundraiser pet markets event for the RSPCA (attached some pics)
Im very happy with her progress and we are starting puppy primary school for 6wks next month and then we are beginning agility and obedience classes.
