A woman had a secret that only her dog knew. My new client cried as she admitted that she no longer walked her one-year-old chocolate Labrador, Didion. “He pulls so much it hurts and I get, well, frustrated,” she said, “this is not what I wanted for my dog but I don’t know what to do”.

Tracy is not alone in her secret. I know other dog owners who do not walk their dogs. Or if they do walk their dogs, it is short and they hate every minute of it. While some people prefer to bring their Energizer bunny of a dog to an off-leash dog park (that’s another article), most say their vision of sharing their life with a dog includes walking together. Nicely, on leash.

“What if we introduced a training tool that would have you and Didion walking together within an hour?” I asked. “Oh, that would be amazing, yes please, let’s do it,” she said.

I reached into my training bag and took out a size three Halti (pictured at below) Halti is one brand of head halter and available at most pet supply stores. A head halter is a training tool that fits on your dog’s snout, like a horse’s halter, with the purpose of guiding a dog’s head so that the body will follow.

“A common mistake people make is buying one off the shelf, slapping it on their dog’s face and watch him buck like a bronco,” I explained. “Like any new thing, you want to introduce it in a slow, positive way”.

I showed her how to take a piece of Didion’s lunch kibble, slide her hand through the Halti. Didion stuck his nose through the Halti and ate the kibble from her hand. She did not attempt to put the Halti directly on his snout yet. Tracy repeated the “kibble through the Halti” step for about ten repetitions. The next ten times she put the Halti on Didion’s snout as he chewed; she removed it as he finished chewing. Then it went on his snout AND head. Feed kibble. Repeat ten times.

“It’s like wearing eyeglasses for the first time, or a bra,” I chuckled, “it feels weird at first and you’ll fiddle with it, but soon, you forget all about it”.

“One friend said he tried a Halti and their dog didn’t like it,” Tracy said, “but Didion is doing well.”

“And if you invest a bit of time now, it will soon lead to long, enjoyable walks,” I said. “Food is a powerful motivator for most dogs, especially Labradors, so we pair up something positive with the new experience."

“Oh yeah, food works for Didion,” said Tracy, “he IS a Labrador.”

“And a handsome one at that! But a properly fitted head halter is critical for safety, effectiveness and the dog’s comfort. The head halter should not rub against the dog’s eyes and it should fit snug so it doesn’t slip off the snout, but not tight. Every dog has a different shaped head and if the Halti does not fit properly, there are other brands -- Gentle Leader, Canny collars, (pictured below) NewTrix or K9 Bridle,” I said.

“Well that makes sense, I feel the same way when I buy jeans,” Tracy giggled. “I don’t give up after trying on the first pair.”

Didion was ready for the next step. Tracy continued feeding through the Halti and then slipped it on his snout and clipped it in place while she continued to feed him (for proper fitting, see specific directions included with product). Didion didn’t even notice – perfect.

Next,Tracy clipped on his leash to the bottom ring of the Halti, under Didion’s muzzle. The Halti’s safety clip attached to the flat collar around his neck. The safety clip is critical in case the Halti slips off the dog’s nose – you will still have the leash attached to the neck collar. In the few seconds she was doing this, she wasn’t feeding Didion and he started to paw at his nose.

“What do I do now?”Tracy aasked.

“If your dog paws at the Halti, don’t get angry at him; distract him with your voice or a noise to get him to pause. Then praise him when he does,” I explained.

“Hey Diiidionnnn,”Tracy said as she tickled his hips. Didion stopped pawing and looked atTracy. She gave him a kibble piece. “Good boy!”

If a dog paws gently, this will work. If a dog paws frantically, stop, remove the Halti and repeat the initial introductory steps again. But break the steps down even further. Baby steps and with more repetitions (call for an appointment with a Dogtime trainer if you need help). Most dogs only respond with a curious tugging, “hey, what’s this thing on my face?”

Tracy stretched the time between kibble pieces while she gathered up Didion’s leash and we headed out to the drive-way. Didion bounced around with his feet popping off the tiles. He was excited about the walk and forgot about the Halti – again, perfect.

“The Halti helps because as Didion starts to walk ahead of you, he will feel the gentle pressure of the Halti on his snout. If he continues to pull, the feeling will increase. If he slows down, the feeling disappears.” I explained. “Didion has a choice and most dogs stop pulling because it is more pleasant to walk beside you.”

“So should I keep my hands close to my body or pull him back when he pulls?” Tracy asked.

“Great question. Yes, keep the leash loose and your hands to yourself, or put them in their pockets so the leash does not change length,” I said. “You never want to pull back on the Halti as could twist Didion’s neck. If you must stop Didion, place your hand on his flat neck collar.”

“Ok, and I guess I want to still praise him when he’s walking beside me?” Tracy asked.

“Yes, definitely. The Halti is a tool that helps Didion get himself into the desired place where he will be rewarded,” I said. “Use food, give him his squeaky ball or let him go sniff the trees as rewards for walking nicely.”

“Oh that’s Didion, he lives for sniffing everything,” Tracy said.

“Exactly. So let’s use that as his reward,” I said. “Remember, no yanking on the Halti, simply say your cue for walking, and encourage him to join you.”

Tracy and Didion practiced this “walk” and “go sniff” routine up and down the drive-way. Didion stopped a few times to paw at his Halti, but Tracy distracted him with her voice and a hip tickle.

“Has anybody asked you if it is a muzzle?”  Tracy asked.

“Yes, a few have, but I tell them that a muzzle keeps a dog’s mouth shut,” I said, “and I point out that the dog’s mouth is wide open.”

Tracy and Didion were ready for more and walked around the block. Didion got to sniff a lot of trees as a reward for walking nicely. Good boy!

“Oh, I cannot believe this, this is so awesome,” Tracy said. “I want to walk Didion all day!”

“Yeah, I love it, and it’s only been about 40 minutes!” I said.

“Do I have to keep the Halti on forever?” Tracy asked.

“Use it for as long as you like,” I said. “But only for walking, never leave a dog alone with a Halti on as it might get caught on something.”

The Halti helps a dog get into a position to get rewarded. And he learns that good things happen, such as the opportunity to sniff around the neighbourhood. So, if you reward a dog often enough, he may not need the Halti anymore and simply walk nicely on a flat collar. Or, you may save the Halti for situations, such as busy community events, when you are both distracted. If a Halti gets you out walking with your dog everyday, don't be in any hurry to quit using it.

We finished our session and Tracy was smiling. And Didion had a bounce to his step as he trotted next to his human. Nothing brings me more joy than seeing people enjoy their dogs.

Michelle Sevigny

© 2011 Michelle Sevigny. www.dogtime.ca. Reprint permission granted with full copyright intact.

Photo by AMagill