BODY HARNESSES
The use of a body harness offers a comfortable alternative to neck collars or chokes, particularly when walking puppies and small dogs. Since your lead attaches to the harness and NOT the dog's collar, there is no risk of injury to the dog's trachea. This also helps to maintain a "soft neck" which will insure that your dog is more responsive to a leash correction. ( not all trainers use leash corrections at all) Handlers often choose to use body harnesses when are walking their dog in a large field and want their dog to be free to move away from them as they walk and are usually used with drag lines or retractable leads. Others choose to use it during early training to help with socialization without corrections. The dog or puppy can be free to explore and build confidence without feeling stressed by a lead on their neck. Some harnesses can only be found online, while others can be found at your local pet supply. Yes a dog can pull with a harness but they also pull with collars when not trained properly. Remember always that when you consider which equipment your choose to use, that it is the ARCHER, not the ARROW that matters most of all!
Body Harnesses are designed for specific use:
- Styles designed for pulling sleds and carts
- Styles designed for small dogs and puppies with assorted collars and fabrics
- Styles that clip at the top that allow dogs to pull without issue
- Styles that clip to the chest area which inhibits the dog from pulling forward
- Styles that are designed to keep dogs from jumping up on people or over fences
- Styles designed for Service Dogs with handles of various types
HEAD HALTERS
The use of a head halter was inspired by the use of head halters for livestock and specifically horses. A horse or cow could easily drag a person down the road, but using a head halter assures more the handler more control and safety. There are a few advantages of using a head harness rather than a collar or body harness. One is that since dogs will have difficulty pulling, it allows older people, people with disabilities and young children to walk stronger or larger dogs more safely. Since the dog's body will always follow its head, you can easily influence his focus, redirect his attention, and change his direction by maneuvering him with a gentle guiding of the lead. They are simply NOT able to drag you anymore. The disadvantage of head harnesses is that the public often thinks that they are muzzles and that your dog is dangerous. This is NOT a muzzle. The strapping is wide around the muzzle area and allows the dog to bark, whine, pant , drink water or eat food and even BITE. Another issue is that if not conditioned to the halter, many dogs balk and get so frantic about something sitting on their face, that they panic, get the straps caught in their mouths and even pull the entire harness off. (which is why there is a safety strap attached to your dog's regular collar at all times) Some dogs can even shut down completely and not move forward at all. You must spend the time acclimating your dog using short sessions and lots of treats. Allow your dog to eat his food while wearing it. Some styles fit better than other styles on specific breeds with particular head shapes and lengths of muzzles. When not fitted properly , some dogs develop rub marks under the eye area, where their skin is fragile and sensitive. Others are designed to fit longer muzzled dogs so if placed on a shorter muzzled dog , they are more apt to slip right off. Most dogs begin to accept it without issue and are taken out so much more now that they are easy to walk, that their lives and yours are enriched ! Some handlers use these head harnesses at all times while walking their dogs, while others use it under certain circumstances or just during early training.
NOTE: You must NEVER apply a leash correction or stop suddenly while a dog is wearing a head harness or you may cause serious damage to the dog's neck.
There are a few styles on the market:
- Halti - the original, designed much like a horse halter with side cheek straps and a noseband that sits close towards the end of a dog's nose. It has a ring attachment under the chin and an additional "safety" strap that clips to the collar "just in case" the head harness comes off.
- Gentle Leader - this collar was designed so that the nose strap fits closer to the eye area and works better on dogs with shorter muzzles. It lacks the side straps and forms a V shape from muzzle to collar area. This also comes with ring to clip under chin.
- Canny Collar - the latest design that combines the original head harness concept of controlling the head, but the straps feed up through rings that allow your lead to clip to the top of the dog's collar area while walking rather than under the chin. This seems to help with dogs that PULL allowing you to remain with lead ABOVE the dogs head in normal lead position.
- Comfort Trainer Head Halter - a blend of comfortable fabric and a style that combines both the Gentle Leader V shape and the side straps of the Halti, but with shorter cheek straps.
- The NewTrix head halter harnesses the natural balance reflex of your dog to stop him or her from pulling on the leash. Instead of hooking under the dogÕs chin, twisting his neck, our ingenious Òpush-pulleyÓ exerts a gentle pressure behind the dog's head.http://www.newtrix.ca/
MUZZLES
Muzzles are used to prevent BITING. This can obviously be necessary during treatment of dogs who are frightened or in pain and require specific handling for medical attention. Muzzles are often a smart choice when maneuvering an aggressive dog near people or other dogs. They also can be worn when introducing a dog to another dog if he has a history of biting. They come in varieties of nylon, leather, wire and mesh. Depending on the size of your dog's muzzle, you may have to experiment with different styles for proper fit and function. Always consider your dog's comfort when choosing a muzzle.
Muzzles are styled for 2 different purposes. Although both styles can keep a dog from biting, there are those that also stress the dog because it makes panting, eating, drinking or barking nearly impossible.
The cone style is made of nylon and is easy to slip on for veterinary exams and treatments but does not allow any freedom of the mouth. This fits like a semi tight cone around the dog's muzzle and keeps the dog's mouth closed. This would not be the type of muzzle used anytime other than during medical intervention and definitely only while being supervised.
The basket style is one that is larger on the face and allows the dog to bark, breath, pant and even drink and eat with it on. Some of these styles are quite frightening to look at and we know that some owners choose styles that reflect a mentality that gives off a frightening appearance, yet they do serve a necessary function and responsible owners use them to keep people and other animals safe from aggressive dogs.
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