Sporn Anti-pull Halter

[Got Spots]

WOOOO HOOO

my 9kg freight train has been contained. tried the sporn harness for the first time today. Worked wonderfully, instantaneous and she didnt mind wearing it.

HOWEVER one minor fall back. They have the freedom of their heads so can sniff. If you don't mind this then don't worry. i fixed this by using the end of her lead looped over her head just to correct any sniffing or if she goes in the wrong direction so that i am not using the harness to pull on her just stop her pulling me.

also it definately didn't impair her zoomies - she is a whippet- we chased the ibis with no problems

[Gayle.]

There are two Sporn non-pulling products....the halter and the harness. They both work in different ways and I've found them both to be effective. The halter is a collar with a padded nose-piece which sits across the muzzle. The harness is a body contraption with padded straps that go under the front legs.

I found both of them allowed me to consolidate the correct walking position by actually having him there. It's a bit hard to praise a dog for being next to you when you can't GET him next to you cos he's working on pulling you to the next town.

Out of the head halters I've used, the Sporn brand was the most effective and the least disliked by the dog. The lead attaches at the back of the neck, unlike some of the others. it's also soft and padded so it doesn't cut into the dogs face. Once the dog is walking properly, you can easily slip the nose piece off and just use it as a normal collar. Dog starts pulling again, slip it back on.

Edited June 5, 2009 by GayleK

[Benji&Cuddles]

blah, mums account.

Edited June 6, 2009 by Benji&Cuddles

[rastus_froggy]

Thanks for the reply. The trainer whom I took her to had me dropped her off for a week and she was taught the basic commands, such as sit, drop, stay and heel. When I went to pick her up, I addressed the issue that she is a puller and a jumper. He showed me to go in the opposite direction from where she was pulling to. It was going really well at that time when he was there and she was doing the heel really well. After we got home, both my DH and I took her for walks and she was staying close to DH who was holding the lead. But the problem appear when I took her alone for walks and she started to pull me. I tried stopping and be a tree but she just bulldoze ahead. When I tried training her to walk in the yard with DH watching, she was doing fine. But the moment he turn his back, she starts pulling again. I spoke to friends who thinks it's because she don't see me as an alpha dog that's why she is doing that

I first use the choker chain when we first started(I am not good at this and end up didn't correcting her pulling) and she rather pull and choke then to stop I just hate to see her choke everytime I take her out for walks. She does the same on a normal flat collar as well I was researching about the different types of aids and spoke to my vet who then told me to give the Sporn a try. I did consider the clicker training as a alternative after reading the book by Karen Pryor, but because she is overweight, the clicker training does involve giving treats which will add up to her calorie intake.....

It is possible that she does not see you as alpha, maybe you need to look a little deeper into things like when and how she is fed, who feeds her, who is the disciplinarian, is she indoors or out door and if she is indoors maybe you need to look at what goes on in the house between you and her and DH and her. The problem may stem back to these sorts of things if she is behaving when your DH is around and also the trainer.

[ILK]

I used the sporn harness on my boy it only worked the first couple of times. He seemed to become immuned to it and pulled more than on a collar. I have found a check or martingale when used correctly to be the best for me. He doesn't like the sound of the chain so he doesn't pull.

I guess all dogs are different so they require different methods. Good Luck.

[Erny]

Thanks for the reply. The trainer whom I took her to had me dropped her off for a week and she was taught the basic commands, such as sit, drop, stay and heel. When I went to pick her up, I addressed the issue that she is a puller and a jumper. He showed me to go in the opposite direction from where she was pulling to. It was going really well at that time when he was there and she was doing the heel really well. After we got home, both my DH and I took her for walks and she was staying close to DH who was holding the lead. But the problem appear when I took her alone for walks and she started to pull me. I tried stopping and be a tree but she just bulldoze ahead. When I tried training her to walk in the yard with DH watching, she was doing fine. But the moment he turn his back, she starts pulling again. I spoke to friends who thinks it's because she don't see me as an alpha dog that's why she is doing that

In part, yes it could be that you don't have the respect you need from her and perhaps learning to be calm and assertive (amongst other things) will help. Could also be in the other part that your handling technique needs improvement. I notice here (for example) that the trainer demonstrated to you "to go in the opposite direction from where she was pulling", yet even in this one small instance, I see you've modified that to "stopping and being a tree". I'm not suggesting the latter doesn't work for some, but I wonder if there's an element of inconsistency creeping into your dog's training? Having one lesson from the trainer when you picked your dog up from the boarding/training kennels is good (and necessary). But remember, your dog comes home knowing far more about obedience than you do and one (by comparison) short lesson doesn't generally teach people the co-ordination and timing they need to be able to "push the buttons the training installed" (in a manner of speaking).

I'd suggest that your dog doesn't understand that you want her to exhibit the training the trainer has given her and that she's picked up that notion by your body language and different handling style/skill.

I'd fully recommend that you take some lessons from a trainer so that you can improve your handling skills and I bet you your dog will recognise the instant that you are consistent and more clear, and will respond accordingly.

One of the dogs I trained when he was in for boarding and training went home a wonderfully obedience skilled dog. The owner was given the 'hand over' lesson and also a membership to a dog training club so she could continue to learn and improve her handling skills. I didn't see her at training after the 'hand over', until 6 months later, when she sought me out because of how her dog's training had 'slipped' backwards.

I worked with the dog for only about 5 or 10 minutes and all of the skills he had been taught rose to the surface. The owner continued with going to lessons after that, as it proved to her that it wasn't the dog's problem, it was that she hadn't worried about learning herself. The fact the dog was already trained made it easier for her to learn, as once she managed to "push the right button" (again, manner of speaking) the dog was able to respond in a way that made it very clear she'd done the right thing. And of course once the owner's action was reinforced by the reward of the dog's appropriate response, she sought to repeat the "right moves" in her handling.

There are some here who are opposed to dogs being sent for boarding and training. I'm not. But I completely agree that the owner still needs to learn. It is easier to learn the beginnings of handling with a trained dog (more often than not). Same, in a way, as it is easier to learn how to ride properly (especially at competition dressage levels, for example) if the rider can learn on a horse trained in the dressage moves.

Edited June 6, 2009 by Erny

[Got Spots]

I have also tried the Sporn pack leader halter - works very nicely

Very gentle tug similar to when working on horse back and asking for movements. She responds very well

Had a little tanty at first but soon was trotting on a loose lead next to my leg - it felt so so so nice to walk her