Can anyone offer advice on what my friend could use to help when walking her Akita Leo? He's about 14 months old, very powerful and can cover ground very quickly. They got him from Battersea 4 months ago. She uses a collar and standard lead at obedience class and uses an extendy lead when walking him. The issue is that he doesn't know his own strength and the poor girl sometimes gets yanked like something from a comedy sketch! I am worried that she's going to do herself serious damage! Would a halti help? Or a head collar? or are they the same thing Should she simply persevere with standard collar as it just takes time? His recall isn't solid yet and as he can cover so much ground so quickly an extendy lead is the best way to give him a little freedom. It seems a lot of our friends (that don't have dogs) are recommending a head collar but I don't know if that's the best thing? Any advice gratefully received
You mentioned an 'extendy' lead - are you saying your friend actually uses an extending lead on an Akita?? Sorry but if yes, this is lunacy. If she's having trouble controlling him while he's young and headstrong, then a good, properly fitting headcollar will help. A Halti is one type of headcollar - but I would argue not the best as the slipline always seems to rise up into the dog's eyes. You could recommend a Dogmatic to your friend: this is in my experience by far the best headcollar for a very strong dog. Please advise your friend NOT to use an extending lead on this dog. It will NOT help teach him to walk nicely and in fact it is dangerous. The locking mechanism can and does fail and the dog's safety is at risk, plus that of nearby motorists. An extending lead should only be used in a park or other secure area. http://www.dogmatic.org.uk/ JUST TO SAY: If the extending lead IS being used in the park, then your friend can use this to help with recall Tell her to register on this site and there are lots of people far more experienced than I am who will be happy to help her I have a very strong, big Labrador, which is why I use a Dogmatic headcollar - it stops him lunging and keeps us both safe! If your friend finds this one does not help, there are lots of others, but honestly, having tried virtually all of them, I really think the Dogmatic is the one to start with If your friend emails Dogmatic, they will advise her re which size to get.
I would highly recommend the K9 Bridle....use it for my 1yr old Akita whilst path walking, the reason being she is so strong and pulls towards anyone or anything to be fussed! It used to be a nightmare as I walk a husky at the same time, yet he is no problem at all and walks with normal collar and lead and doesn't pull. They both get their freedom on the beech every night ). I find with the K9 Bridle that she no longer has the strength in her pull, I have total control and she can enjoy her walks and meet people and other dogs in a calm and friendly manner...no choking, pulling etc. I feel I have total control and it makes a big differance. The Bridle fits lovely and does not rise up to the eyes..I have tried various haltis but nothing beats what I use now...
I looked at this headcollar - does it work by tightening around the dog's face/head when it pulls...? If yes, it's like the Gen con, which I tried and which was OK but not that comfortable for the dog. The Dogmatic is a 'fixed action' headcollar - it does not tighten at all, so there is no discomfort for the dog.
Hiya It's trial and error which works best i'm afraid, I tried them all at one point on our two kitas! I found the canny collar to be good, female is size 5, male size 7. Also I hear the gencon works great on akitas, I have friends who swear by them. If she is using an extendable then as long as she has the heavy duty 50 quid one then I think they are fine in some situations, not always to be scoffed at. It took so long for our girl to walk to heal, but with perseverance and lots of treats she now walls lovely on a harness or flat collar, tell your friend not to give up with the heel work! They are strong blighters at times, i've been dragged resulting in pocket fulls of mud-and that was when she just wanted to play pmsl! x
Thank you so much for your replies! You hit the nail! It's the biggest extendy lead I've ever seen I apologise for being vague, he's not my dog so it's hard to give precise details. The extendy lead is used in open spaces so he can have a bit more freedom when she's not sure how secure the area is. He's not yanking all the time, just enough that I am worried for the longterm effects to her shoulder and what happens in a few years when it's too painful to walk him (tbf, my 8.5kg JRT crossed the road with such gusto this morning I got yanked!!! ) There is also a personal reason for me asking. They live in the next street to us, we met at our obedience class. Back in January at about 6am, in the dark, my OH was walking Bentley and met Leo, the Akita. Bentley was taken by surprise, there was a scuffle and Bentley slipped his collar and ran home He had a small graze on his belly (OH said Bentley rolled over and Leo was just careless with his huge paws ) Bentley didn't forget this meeting; he is very nervous around Leo at the class and we've been working really hard outside of class to socialise the pair of them, with great improvements. Last weekend was the first time Leo was off lead on a walk with us and Bentley was so much more relaxed, even approaching Leo at times. When Leo went back on lead and started to pull a little, he began 'panting' and Bentley started to show nervous behaviour again. My thinking is that if Leo was wearing a headcollar, the collar wouldn't be causing him to pant and Bentley would get on with him a lot better? Totally selfish really!! He actually walks quite nicely next to her and as one of you already said, it's when he wants to say hello or gets excited etc that he'll pull. I am going to let her know your recommendations at the weekend and will let you know how we get on ps I did recommend the site to her but she's not familiar with forums and she couldn't work it out
Just to clarify, I was not 'scoffing' in the least I stated clearly that in parks, fields, etc, Flexi leads can be great. I have the largest size one that you refer to myself and in the park I sometimes use it on my Lab. The problems though are: 1 - the locking mechanism can fail. 2 - if the dog manages to pull it out your hand it can then get a real wallop from the heavy duty Flexi, it weighs a ton!
I know you weren't, lots of people do though, which always puzzles me. And yes I know that's what you said hence I wasn't getting at you, obviously, well obviously to everybody else....... Luckily, I've never had a problem with them *touch wood* but have heard the horror stories :?. Tessabelle, your socialisation walks sound great, really nice to hear. You must take a camera next time ;-). Never really thought about the panting but when I think about it, no they don't pant with the canny so that should be good. The canny does tighten which the dog may find odd at first, I also need to knot the straps so they don't come off over the dogs nose when they're sniffing, I think that's just a short snout Akita thing
Sorry if someone has already mentioned it, but just wanted to add, never use a head collar with an extending lead. I use both btw, just not together
oh yes... Or you`ll give your dog whiplash at the very least. A Halti or any other headcollar should be used with a double ended lead and a flat collar. You could always consider using a lunge line and a harness?
We use many things on our 2. What works for one doesn't work on the other. BeauKita wears a tightening head collar when walking round town or other busy places. Taiyo has a harness that restricts her front legs if she pulls too much. I will add that IMO all such things should only be used as an aide and temporary measure while teaching correct lead work. BeauKita is close to just using a collar now as she is getting to understand heel walking. It's only taken 2 years! LOL. Taiyo we can see already is more independent so god knows how long it will take with her, but, no matter how long it takes she will learn.
There are various designs of headcollars/halters on the market. All of which have their pros and cons and not all will suit all dogs, pockets or handlers. Unfortunately it is not until you buy one that you will know if it suits you and/or your dog there being no rental service available. These can be useful for those dogs that have never been taught to walk on a collar and lead correctly or for those few dogs that have neck/trachea problems. They can have a calming effect on some dogs but they do not actually teach them to walk without pulling; however they mean that some dogs can be controlled with minimal strength. Correct fitting is required to prevent eye irritation or fur loss and to prevent stress. Jerks can result in neck injury so great care should be taken if used in conjunction with extending leads or long lines (not recommended). They can be made from leather, webbing or synthetic leather. They should always be removed when free running. The should be considered a management tool. There is nothing wroing with using them and there are many designs as not all suit all dogs/handlers. I think they are very useful pieces of equipment and, like certain bits on very strong horses, enable strong dogs to be managed very well by smaller owners. As a KC Approved Examiner for the GCDS I do not permit any test to be done with a head halter, and the scheme does not allow any dog to be tested on a harness unless there is a medical reason for it. So, as a management tool, I think they can be very useful, however I am afraid I control what goes on my dog not the instructor, so if he is being prescriptive about the use of them in class, I would vote with my feet. But I do agree that dogs should be used to muzzles for all sorts of purposes eg injuries so I prepare for this eventually with ALL my dogs from pups. Black Dog Head Halter http://www.agilitywarehouse.com/product_detail.cfm?id=960 The Canny Collar http://www.cannyco.co.uk/index.php The Dogalter http://www.kumfi.com/index.php?page...n=com_virtuemart&Itemid=26&vmcchk=1&Itemid=26 The DogMatic http://www.dogmatic.org.uk/ Gentle Controller http://www.gencon-allin1.co.uk/ The Gentle Leader http://canineconcepts.co.uk/item--The-Gentle-Leader--gentlelead The Halti http://www.companyofanimals.co.uk/halti.php The K9 Bridle http://k9bridle.com/ The Newtrix Easy Way http://www.dogpartnership.co.uk/equipment.htm
Yes, yes, and more yes! I've heard from people that they won't use a head collar because they cause neck injury. They don't, if used properly. Follow the instructions in the package and look up videos on YouTube for tips on how to use them, and never, never use them with a long or extending lead! Personally, I swear by the Halti. I have tried just about every anti-pull device you can name, and it, hands down, is the best for controlling a large, powerful dog who is bound and determined to pull, without choking or hurting. I now use one for a large, powerful dog who has no interest in pulling, but who doesn't like to be handled by a collar. He likes the Halti just fine. Edit: I have had the problem of riding up into the dog's eyes, but I found it could be fixed by sewing a bit of fleece around the snoot thing to soften it and pad it out a bit. The trick is to get the right size: Akitas have big faces, so you may need a bigger size than you think. I know some people have had success with the Canny Collar, but I do not like it at all, and I'll tell you why: it is a buckle collar, so fiddly to put on and adjustable only if your dog comes in the right range of sizes. Good luck with that. The snoot thing is annoying to fix, and the carabiner clips that are supposed to hold the straps to the collar when the dog is off lead break if you so much as look at them funny, leaving long, trailing straps that can get tangled in stuff and are attached to your dog's neck. Also, being mostly a traditional collar with an attached snoot masher, it chokes. I can see its merits as a training aid, but as an anti-pull thing, it fails utterly. The Halti, Dogmatic, and Gentle Leader are by far better choices. Thanks Smokeybear for your rundown and links!
