Best body control halter for lab

claireandnadia

claireandnadia

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My year old lab out on walks is constantly pulling me along. The amount of collars, lead and halters I've got I could open a shop but have not found anything that actually works.
The face halters are no good as she just lays on the floor trying to get if off and she won't walk.
Any suggestions??:)
 
Check chain and a good trainer. A lab in a harness will have so much weight to pull with she will have you off your feet in minutes. A harness will not stop her pulling. Or persist with the halti and be firm about her walking in it and distract her from it with food/toys....this will help with her heeling as well.
 
Pretty sure all harnesses would just encourage pulling....

Harley has a gentle leader. When I 1st used it he just lay down trying to get it off. I just kept walking. Had some really high value treats on me and just ignored his protests. Just keep walking!! Within 10 mins he was walking fairly normally, and it only took a few repetitions and now he's fine (if a little sulky! lol)
 
I use a Canny Collar on my Dobes and it does work, they hated it at first trying to lie on the ground and scratch it off. The secret is lots of treats or a favourite toy with lots of encouragement and keep on the move. Might take a while depending on how stubborn your dog is and Labs are stubborn but it does work.
 
A trainer is your best investment - not being glib, you need to know how to use the various bits of equipment available to really make a difference:)

Henry is good on the lead much of the time these days, but when he has little moments I either use a Halti, or if he's on his slip lead I double it over his nose.
 
At a year old your lab is very trainable. Get a good slip lead put it right up behind his ears and teach him to heel properly. do this by giving him a good yank every time he moves from where you want him to be i.e right by your calf and say heel at the same time. do lots of sharp turns change of directions etc so he isn't anticipating where you are going. it will un nerve him and will (if you are doing it properly) make him cough. but it will teach him that you are in control and it is not a nice to be anywhere other than right by you.
My colleague had the same issue as you with her lab and 2 sessions and he was a changed dog.
Labs are so trainable and it is a real bugbear of mine to see people being towed around by their dog because they haven't done some v simple training.

Sorry if this is a bit harsh, but it is something i feel very strongly about.
 
Op get either a canny or a front clip harness and look into a good positive trainer in the mean time search for silky leash training and start that unless you want to join the crank and yank crew.
 
katielou said:
Op get either a canny or a front clip harness and look into a good positive trainer in the mean time search for silky leash training and start that unless you want to join the crank and yank crew.
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Crank and yank - good name for it!

OP, you do not need to risk damaging your dog's trachea by yanking hard enough to make him cough to train him to walk on the lead - that is extremely old-fashioned advice and as a trainer it is certainly not what we practice in our classes (where we teach all owners to train their to walk on a loose lead). A good trainer will be able to show you a variety of techniques which are far kinder and more effective. I would definitely suggest you seek one out:)
 
Ok, thanks everyone.
We've been going to weekly training since she was 10 weeks old and she is now 15 months old. We still go to training and will continue until we've done all the courses.
She is great in class but it's when we get outside in the real world that she takes me for a walk.
I tried with the halti for about 3 weeks, even real chicken couldn't stop her from laying on the floor.
I'll do a search on all your suggestions above and see what I can find.
My latest harness is from pets at home and I have seen a little improvement but still a long way to go.
 
Have you tried a metal ringed martingale collar?

These have similar action to a check but can't choke and work from more angles. They can also clack to give an audible signal.

What are you using at training class? A "trainer" near here bans all check, choke, slip, double slip & martingale collars. Many dogs complete their puppy course without being safe to walk along a pavement. (but will sit for sausage)
 
s4sugar said:
Have you tried a metal ringed martingale collar?

These have similar action to a check but can't choke and work from more angles. They can also clack to give an audible signal.

What are you using at training class? A "trainer" near here bans all check, choke, slip, double slip & martingale collars. Many dogs complete their puppy course without being safe to walk along a pavement. (but will sit for sausage)
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LMFAO:D (bit about the not walking on a pavement but will sit for a sausage) sorry im useless at quoting specific words) or literally the ones I want.

I had never heard of classes that bans this or that before, but funnily enough tonight I have 2 labradors coming to my house (well not in my house) for a walk who have apparently been to a training class/es aslong as the OP, well even longer, and he too was jibbering on about something to do with banning of training aids (this is it):D not the same class obviously.:D they pulls like trains and his wife has busted her knee, they are coming to learn how to stop their dogs pulling.
I have seen this martingale collar used on a large rotti round here by and old lady, she said it worked well for her.
 
s4sugar said:
Have you tried a metal ringed martingale collar?

These have similar action to a check but can't choke and work from more angles. They can also clack to give an audible signal.

What are you using at training class? A "trainer" near here bans all check, choke, slip, double slip & martingale collars. Many dogs complete their puppy course without being safe to walk along a pavement. (but will sit for sausage)
Click to expand...

I'm sorry that the trainers and owners failed those dogs but to blame it on not using positive punishment is ridiculous.
There are plenty of crank and yank trainers who have the same kind of success with their classes.
There are people on here who still use the first trainer i ever worked with who has been publicly shamed for her terrible training she was a crank and yank trainer and in all the classes i did with her i never saw a dog come out of it walking well or showing any kind of good behavior.
Lets not pretend its the dogs that need these training devices its the trainer.
 
When I was doing the bronze KC good citizen award I used to see the people and dogs doing the gold going in as we came out. Without exception every one of those were dragged in by their dogs and and Im sure were also dragged out but in the hall I bet they all walked beautifully.:D
 
This particular trainer was all positive -to the extent of offering a treat when the dog misbehaved.
Not a good idea with many dogs.
No was a banned word as was assisting a sit etc. - in her mind the dog had to want to please. Hence the sausage sit.
Any dog that didn't fit in was thrown out of class. She kept the "what can I do for you now" dogs that probably didn't need the classes. Staffies, yappies and "make me" types didn't stay long.

I use Northwind martingales. They are safe and effective and if fitted correctly impossible to slip which is very important when looking after dogs for other people or the rescues in for assessment.
 
I think you need to spend time making sure it's the right trainer for you and your dog. I was prepared to be disappointed the first time I met mine, it was all positive reward, choke/slip/headcollar/harnesses banned, also no use of 'no', no pushing bums for sits, excessive use of chicken/cheese/sausage, all very fluffy bunny.

I have probably the least people-pleasing dogs out there - proper 'make me' types, bred to pull, no drive for anything other than running away. And you know what, the whole thing worked. Dax could have taken the whole yank 'n crank thing but I'm glad I found this trainer for Ricoh because he's turned out to be an incredibly sensitive, responsive dog who probably would have shut down under anything else.

I've still never told her that I use choke chains at home. :o
 
katielou said:
There are people on here who still use the first trainer i ever worked with who has been publicly shamed for her terrible training she was a crank and yank trainer and in all the classes i did with her i never saw a dog come out of it walking well or showing any kind of good behavior.
.
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Publicly shamed? Really? where? I have never heard any negative comments about her training apart from what you pmed me. I attended her classes for about a year. Yes H had a check chain on for a little while, but it was never used excessively, he certainly was never choked and neither were any other dogs in the class. Over half the dogs in the classes were on normal collars, then about 1/4 on haltis and the rest on half/full check.

I no longer go to the classes purely because we were no longer learning anything new and I took up agility. The agility trainer is also a dog trainer that is definitly considered a "positive" trainer and has commented on how nicely harley walks on his lead and how well behaved and trained he is.

So your last comment is blown out of the water I'm afraid.
 
galaxy23 said:
Publicly shamed? Really? where? I have never heard any negative comments about her training apart from what you pmed me. I attended her classes for about a year. Yes H had a check chain on for a little while, but it was never used excessively, he certainly was never choked and neither were any other dogs in the class. Over half the dogs in the classes were on normal collars, then about 1/4 on haltis and the rest on half/full check.

I no longer go to the classes purely because we were no longer learning anything new and I took up agility. The agility trainer is also a dog trainer that is definitly considered a "positive" trainer and has commented on how nicely harley walks on his lead and how well behaved and trained he is.

So your last comment is blown out of the water I'm afraid.
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Except they were not about you or Sue although i wouldn't rate her as a trainer either.
 
katielou said:
Youtube search for introducing a halti with a Clicker. It should be.done slowly over 4 or 5 days not just put on and made to walk.
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Before we went out for a walk with the Halti, I practised at home, I left it on her for 20 minutes most nights for a week, practised walking around with her in the house.
 
s4sugar said:
Have you tried a metal ringed martingale collar?

These have similar action to a check but can't choke and work from more angles. They can also clack to give an audible signal.

What are you using at training class? A "trainer" near here bans all check, choke, slip, double slip & martingale collars. Many dogs complete their puppy course without being safe to walk along a pavement. (but will sit for sausage)
Click to expand...

I haven't heard of this collar, I'll look it up.
 
katielou said:
I'm sorry that the trainers and owners failed those dogs but to blame it on not using positive punishment is ridiculous.
There are plenty of crank and yank trainers who have the same kind of success with their classes.
There are people on here who still use the first trainer i ever worked with who has been publicly shamed for her terrible training she was a crank and yank trainer and in all the classes i did with her i never saw a dog come out of it walking well or showing any kind of good behavior.
Lets not pretend its the dogs that need these training devices its the trainer.
Click to expand...
It is not the devices it is the trainer not looking what each dog needs or reacting to those needs.
Some trainers have not experienced problem or stroppy dogs or dogs that have brains wired differently to the ones they are used to.
I had a cairn here that had been banned for being disruptive. He took about ten minutes of "Oy -I'm the boss" to behave impeccably and he still does ten years on. No yanking but a couple of flicks of a lead on a close fitting collar.
All this dog needed was ground rules and not rewards for bad behaviour.
No, used properly, is one of the best positive commands. Dogs don't speak English and need our language and body language explaining. Rewarding unwanted actions is counter productive.
The Prison dogs I board have a different language altogether and I get crib sheets with each one.
One had the name of one of my cats as his attack command!
 
I'm going to go against everyone else here and say that our lab was SO much better in a body halter! We bought it for going to Badminton this year as a safeguard against him slipping his collar, and he completely stopped fighting in it, trotting alongside us rather than constantly pulling.. I would never have dreamed it could work so well, so perhaps it indicates that not all dogs respond to the same things?
 
Honey08 said:
I'm going to go against everyone else here and say that our lab was SO much better in a body halter! We bought it for going to Badminton this year as a safeguard against him slipping his collar, and he completely stopped fighting in it, trotting alongside us rather than constantly pulling.. I would never have dreamed it could work so well, so perhaps it indicates that not all dogs respond to the same things?
Click to expand...

Im sure you are right but it is expensive trying out all the latest gizmos. People can only comment on what works for them though.
 
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