[nagdu] Not vocalizing in the Halti? WAS Re: a goat

[Raven Tolliver]

Cindy,
Yes and no.
The gentle leader and Halti are both head collars, meaning they are
fitted to the dog around the head just below the ears and over the top
of the muzzle.
The Halti is the gentle leader's strappier sister. I've seen 2 types
of gentle leaders, the 1st had 2 straps, a collar that fastens around
the neck with fast-X clips and a strap that goes over the nose. The
leash attaches to a ring on the collar portion. The 2nd type had 3
straps, the collar, the nose strap, and an additional short strap on
the side of the collar to attach the leash to.

Now the Halti is more complex, and has six straps. Strap 1 is the
collar with Fast-X clips. Strap 2 and 3 are the cheek straps which run
from the collar up along the sides of the dog's muzzle. These connect
to strap 4, the nose strap, which goes over the dog's nose. Strap 5 is
the chin strap, which is connected to the nose strap and collar
portion by small metal rings. The chin strap is T-shaped. The
horizontal portion of that T runs across the chin close to the neck.
The vertical portion extends along the length of the chin, and is
adjustable by a clip at the base of the nose strap. So it is possible
to use the Halti as a muzzle, since you can adjust the chin strap so
that the dog can't move his mandible. Below that clip is the ring
where the leash attaches. And from that ring comes strap 6, which is
simply a strap that clips to a working or ID collar.
That's complicated as heck. Somebody can probably simplify that, but
that's my explanation.
Guiding Eyes gives this out with all there dogs. At least, they did
when I attended 3 years ago.
It is far more effective at feeling movements of the head and
controlling the head than a gentle leader. Since the leash attaches at
a point below the dog's chin, I can feel everything my dog's head is
doing, and I can physically turn my dog's head to refocus him. The
gentle leader doesn't give you anymore feeling or control than other
collars. What it does is applies pressure to the neck and nose,
whereas the Halti applies pressure around the neck, the chin, and the
nose. So a gentle leader can help with pulling and lunging, but not as
effectively as the Halti. The Halti also helps with scavenging,
sniffing, and vocalizations.
The added pressure under the chin might make vocalizations
uncomfortable. That's my only theory. Now that I've actually put the
Halti on my dog and examined how it fits around his head and face,
I've thought about it a bit more.
He never shies away from the Halti though. Whenever I get it out, he
puts his nose into the nose strap and lets me fasten it as if he is
presenting his head and neck for any other collar.

At GEB, he really tried to rub it off when we did the intro session.
But during that session and on route, he got lots of treats while
wearing it. Now it's no big deal and is a part of his working
equipment.


On 8/29/15, Cindy Ray via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> I have wondered this for a while, so I might as well ask. Is a halti like
> the gentle leader?
> Thanks.
> Cindy