28 ~ North Shore News - Sunday. July 23, 2000 Canine head hal Joan lucha canine connection AFTER aggravating an old back injury I found the once-simple pleasure of walking my dogs a painful chore. They seemed to know that their injured mrom \ was- PETS pulling behaviour and th began pulling harder (the bugger: When our walks became increasingly difficult and my back was not healing, I decided to purchase my dog Alex a head halter. When I placed the halter on him, I “We've just received a double truckload delivery of Frigidaire and Woods Freezers for immediate clearance. Take advantage of huge savings now in effect. After 31 years of being in business, this is our biggest Freezer Sale. Our largest ever sclection of freezers! Chest and upright models Manual defrost and frost-free models Full factory warranties - up to i0 years * * * * 5 to 25 cubic feet storage capacities * * In stock, ready for immediate delivery HURRY! SHOP EARLY FOR BEST SELECTION _ OPEN DAILY. ‘Mon.-Thurs 9-6:30 Sat. 9-5:30 © Sun 12-4 ter ht ee oe ero wes o£ Ree os * AND SAVINGS!!! copes, MAJOR APPLIANCE AND MATTRESS “Saving You Money Since 1969” B_b ete tema et en Pee Osa me he 1075 Rousevelt Crescent, North Vancouver ¢ {2 blocks behind the former Avalon Hotel} 985-8738 er a usefu fully expected him to rear up and buck like a young stal- lion, but he placed his nose through the loop and calmly accepted it. What a good boy. The head halter is a train- ing tool, similar to a horse’s halter, with a strap that sits on a dog’s nose and around the back of its head. You may have seen dogs sporting these facial devices while on walks, or maybe use one on your own dog. Although its recent popularity may sug- gest it is a new trend, the head halter has been around for almost 10 years. The premise behind the head halter is that by guid- ing a dog's head, the body will follow, thus stopping a dog from pulling. When used properly, the head hal- ter can be a positive training device, bringing the joy back into walking our dogs. The | key words are “when used properly.” Like every training tool, such as choke or prong col- Jars, there are downsides. These downsides are general- ly associated with misuse or abuse of the training tool. With choke or prong collars, the misuse of them can lead to serious neck and spine training t injuries. Damaged discs and tracheas can occur due to the constant yanking or “checking” associated with these devices. With head hal- ters, even though the risk of jury is virtually a non- issue, it can still occur. Spine injuries and whiplash can occur if the dog is allowed to run to the end of the leash full steam or the dog's owner yanks swiftly at the halter. In both cases, the dog's head can quickly snap sideways, causing injury. Therefore, proper education on the head halters use is essential. On the more positive side, head halters do work well on dogs who continual- ly drag their owners around like rag dolls. They also have a calming effect on some dogs. This can assist in teaching a large, unmanage- able dog self-control, allow- ing the owner to appreciate their dog instead of getting frustrated with it. There is an unfortunate stigma attached to head hal- ters. Those people who are unfamiliar with them or who are not dog owners have the tendency to view the head halter as a muzzle. Thus they assume the dog is aggressive. read the health trends page every sunday in the north shore news classifieds Since a head halter does not restrict a dog’s mouth from opening or biting, as a muz- zle does, it should not be confused with or used in place of a mu Positive motivation train- ers who specialize in working with aggressive dogs are capable of using the head halter as a non-punishment, non-pain-based teaching tool. With time and training, a head halter can positively assist in the behaviour modi- fication of aggressive dogs. This could potentially save a dog from execution. Not all dogs are comfori- able with head halters. Some react by rubbing and scratching at it, and the hal- ter ends up being a negative stimulus on a walk instead of a positive one. This usually happens when the dog is not allowed to slowly get accus- tomed to it. A professional should be consulted on how to do this properly. Unless a dog is especially unruly, the halter should only by used as a walking aid. If it is used during obe- dience training, 2 dog may learn that it must only behave when the halter is on. As soon as the halter comes off, it is a bad behav- iour free-for-all. All in all, the head halter can be a positive training tool but careful considera- tion should be given as to its use, in this way preventing | misuse. — Joan is the owner. of Sierra K9 Training.. For advice or training e-mail her at . 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