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

Daryl Marie crazymusician at shaw.ca
Sun Aug 30 02:43:56 UTC 2015


Jenny sounds a lot like Thai in her reaction to the Halti. She'll definitely work in it, won't fight me to put it on, but will try and rub it off (right now I know she's very itchy, so this probably plays into that).  But I have found that I don't clip the leash to the little ring under her chin; she seems to not like it much there (perhaps too heavy? Or perhaps because she feels like it's a power struggle).  I clip the leash to her collar like I normally do, and clip the Halti to the collar... and she's good as gold.  I use it only rarely (in high-stress environments, if she's been particularly sniffy/scavengy)... she knows what it is and why she uses it.. and she's using it less and less.

Daryl

----- Original Message -----
From: Danielle Sykora via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Danielle Sykora <dsykora29 at gmail.com>
Sent: Sat, 29 Aug 2015 20:27:54 -0600 (MDT)
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Not vocalizing in the Halti? WAS Re: a goat

I have also noticed my dog vocalizes less when wearing the Halti. He's
not one to bark much, but during the worst period of interfearance by
off-leash dogs, he would lunge, bark, and growl at dogs running toward
him that weren't obviously restrained. I mainly thought it was because
I was able to have more control over his head, preventing him from
lunging and causing him to look away from the other dog more
frequently. This helped to keep him a bit more calm, which prevented
him from barking. I'm still not completely sure if he was being
defensive, excited, or most likely, a combination of the two. Maybe
the pressure of the Halti did make it uncomfortable to vocalize, or
maybe it helped him feel more secure somehow.

Thai willingly puts his nose through the Halti and waits patiently for
me to buckle it. He will try to rub it off after a while if we have
come to an extended stop. Once we start moving again though, he is
fine. A lot of people think he dislikes it more than he really does
because he has "such a sad face" when it is on, but he is pretty much
used to it and accepts it as working gear.

Danielle and Thai


On 8/29/15, Raven Tolliver via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 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
>
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