A leash is not something that you need so that you can continuously restrain your dog. It is a failsafe device that should kick in so rarely you hardly notice it’s there.
I went to the local vet’s intending to buy a robust choke chain, but the vet talked me into buying a
HALTI Black Headcollar for Dogs ... Size 3
instead. The vet said that she wouldn't walk her Bull Mastiff without it. The collar was a few dollars cheaper than the industrial-strength choke chain I’d been considering, and the vet said I could bring it back if it didn’t do the job. It cost me $25.30 – that’s Australian dollars, by the way.
Kitty was very excited to see me when I came back from the vet’s. It was a little awkward to fit the head collar at first, but there was an illustration on the box, and when I eventually got it on I realized that it was not really very difficult to fit at all. Kitty shook her head a few dozen times, wagged her tail, gave a little playful snarl, and bounced around -- “What new fun is this! Shall I bite it?” -- then calmed down, and gave me a “OK, good joke… can you now take it off now?” look.
At this point in the story I should perhaps introduce you to Kitty. Kitty is a Bull Arab: a cross-breed with Bull Terrier, Greyhound, and Pointer, and perhaps even a bit of Boxer in her mix. She has the powerful head of a Mastiff, and the sleek, muscular body of a fast-running hunting dog. Kitty is designed to be used in pig hunting, which means that she is immensely strong, very fast, and has a bite which can cut through an anchor chain—not a dog that you want to loose control of. Bull Arabs are bay dogs: they work with the hunter to track the pigs and bail them up until the hunter gets there, attracted by loud barking.
Because of the nature of their work, they must have exceptional stamina and a high pain threshold; injuries to working dogs are common. It is essential that Bull Arabs are well-trained and completely socialized. Kitty has so far led a fairly sheltered life so far. Bull Arabs are a loyal and affectionate breed, easily trainable, and Kitty is no exception. She’s a very friendly dog, that’s for sure!
She has a big garden to run in, plenty of toys, and constant company as there’s always someone at home. She gets lots of love and affection from her family including several young children, and regular visits from other dogs, but she has not often been out in the Big Wide World. Kitty isn’t my dog. I just borrowing her for a few weeks while I am staying with some friends. But I have vowed to take Kitty out every day, as much for my fitness as hers.
(Although I love dogs, the breed I have known and loved best over the years is Other People’s Dogs – an excellent breed in my opinion, and the only sane choice for person with a peripatetic lifestyle.)
Our first walk was a shocker! Kitty pulled like a freight train. Within minutes my hands were chafed and sore, my arms were shaking and tired. The walk consisted of nothing more than an endless to tug-of-war, with me on the losing end! As we approached the school fence, the caretaker’s dogs ran up, yapping and snarling, and Kitty ran towards them, barking aggressively, almost tripping me over in the process. She pulled me three or four paces closer to the fence before I could stop her. That’s when I realized I was in serious need of assistance from technology.
The Halti Head Collar that I got from the vet came in a wide range of sizes, I went for the Large size, as Kitty is about as big as a Labrador. I chose the purple version which looked, I thought, rather natty.
I was surprised when I took it out of its box: it was a little bundle of straps, which all seemed quite thin to my eyes…surely not enough to restrain a powerful dog. The straps are made from a strong webbing material. A soft neoprene noseband goes over the dog’s muzzle. Side straps pass under the chin through a small slip ring. There is another strap that clips around the neck and a small safety strap that connects your lead to the dog’s normal collar.
While I was at the vet’s, I also picked up a 13mm, 4’ Prestige Mountain Leash (www.prestige.com.au), also in purple for $23.10. This leash was a distinct improvement on Kitty’s existing leash, a simple rope tied to her collar. 
(Is it any wonder our first walk together was a disaster?)
Having fastened the head collar, I clip on Kitty’s new leash and release her from her garden run. She bounds off in her customarily way… until she reaches the end of the leash… Then she stops dead. She turns around and walks back to me. I take a few paces forward, and again she tries to pull away. And again she stops immediately.
Amazing!
It is at this point that she decides she's had enough of this nonsense, and she goes into a mad, thrashing, head-shaking, body-twisting, totally indignant, adolescent tantrum… which lasts all of two seconds… then she calmly walks back to me, and sits quietly by my side.
Even more amazing!
“Good girl, Kitty!”
She wags her tail half-heartedly, her head is a little lower than usual.
The head collar seems to work in the same way as a halter does on a horse. As Kitty starts to pull away, the head collar gently closes her mouth. This is something that she does not like, and so she immediately stops pulling. As long as the leash has slack in it, Kitty is free to sniff, yawn, pant, and bark, but as soon as she starts to pull away, the halter goes into action and shuts down her behavior instantly.
We start walking again, out of the gate, up the gravel track, and up past the school.
Those first 100m are a revelation: not once does Kitty pull, she just walls along calmly by my side. Occasionally, she pulls tentatively away to the side to investigate an interesting smell, but unless I permit her to move that way, I am in complete control.
She’s not cowed in any way: within minutes she is back to her happy-go-lucky self. She rapidly learns that, as long as the leash between us is slack she can do all that doggy things she wants.
When we reached the school fence, the caretaker’s two small dogs start up. Kitty immediately snarls and makes off towards the fence… for the length of the leash. Then she comes to an abrupt halt as the halter goes into action. She tussles with me for a couple of seconds, then gives it up and walks back to me. After this struggle – and this was the only major battle we had that day – Kitty does not try pulling again, not once.
I walk her for another hour, and it is just great. I have full control of her at all times. My confidence increases, I relax, and she relaxes, making it so much easier for us to enjoy our walk together. Now I am walking her on my terms, whereas before I was walking her on her terms.
With her new head collar, Kitty is easy to steer and control, almost as if we have a telepathic bond. I have gone from zero to 100% control within minutes. I can lead Kitty safely past people, other dogs, and animals without her giving them much attention at all. If Kitty tries to lunge forward or attack – her jaws are instantly closed by the slip ring under her chin. As soon as she relaxes and is friendly, she can reopen her mouth. A simple light tug brings her to heel.
I thought it might be a problem to get the head collar on the next day, but Kitty seemed eager to try it out again, like she knew that she needed to be properly dressed to go out. (Bull Arabs may wear body armor when they are out with the hunter, so they look like canine gladiators. Perhaps the whole idea of getting dressed up in chains and straps rather appealed to her.)
Pulling on the leash is just about the commonest problem all dog owners encounter. And owners meet it with varying degrees of success.
Dogs love to pull. There is always a new trail to follow, a new bug to discover, a new pole to mark just a little way ahead… if only this stupid person would hunt properly like part of the pack, and just get on with it now! It always concerns me when I see young children being taken by a huge dog for a drag around the block, their little arms extended, the leash tight, and Fido desperately (and soon successfully) following that wicked scent he’s just picked up. By letting Kitty pull on the leash that first walk – straining against it with great force until the collar eventually choked her and she had to stop draw breath – by letting her do this, I rewarded her for her bad behavior: she got to forge ahead towards all those interesting things in the distance.
Now, with her new head collar, Kitty after one week is a transformed dog. We go just about anywhere, we meet people, and we have lots of fun together. I can’t believe how much she has learnt in one short week, nor how much I have learned about walking a dog.
Products reviewed:
HALTI Black Headcollar for Dogs ... Size 3
, Kitty.
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