October 31, 2023 • 10 mins
Some pet owners prefer Head Halters, some prefer Collars. Which is best for your household or situation? The Dog Professor, Robb Lust from the Edgefield Animal Care Center, knows and wants to help in this episode!
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Episode Transcript
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(00:00):
Joining me in studio today is theDog Professor Rob Lust from the Edgefield to
Animal Care Center. It is anotherepisode of the Dog Professor podcast. And
my friend, we are going totalk a little bit about helping to control
and keep your dog safe with acollar versus a head halter. Boy,
I'm interested in this one because Ireally don't know the solid difference, so
(00:22):
this will be fun. Well,you know, the head halder is something
you know a lot of people withbig dogs will use. Basically, for
lack of a better way to sayit, it's usually a couple loops of
nylon, one that goes behind thehead and snaps, and then one loop
that goes over the bridge of thenose with a ring underneath the chin,
(00:47):
and those two are attached together andwe most owners will then attach their leash
to the ring that's underneath the chin. And the purpose of this, the
mindset of this and why this worksor or why it helps you control things.
Number one, if you think aboutcontrolling a horse, you don't put
a collar on a horse, whichis the strongest part of the horse's body
(01:10):
where the neck joins the shoulders,and it is that in the dog also,
and try to control a horse,You control the head of the horse
and steer the horse where you wantit to go. Because of the strength
of the horse. Well, sometimeswith bigger dogs like Great Danes and Newfoundlands
and you know, wolfhounds and allthese other large dogs, sometimes the strength
(01:34):
of the dog's just too much forthe people who own the dog. So
the collar is usually a no goas far as that, or you'll use
a different type of collar like what'scalled a pinch collar or something like that.
So the headholder is the best alternative. What people need to understand about
a head holder is there are someside effects quote unquote side effects that you
have to deal with when you're employingthis headholder to use in your training.
(01:59):
And the first of that is thefact that the dog doesn't want it on
its head, okay. And thereason for that is the bridge of the
nose around the muzzle is a naturalcontrol zone for dogs. Okay. Dogs
know it. When a older dogneeds to control a puppy or to get
(02:19):
a puppy under control, or asubmissive dog within the pack under control,
or less dominant dog, they'll grabright around the muzzle of the dog's nose.
And when a dog feels that thatsomething is trying to control their muzzle.
They have two choices. They fightit or they quit and give up.
Yeah, and ninety nine point eightpercent of the dogs are going to
(02:42):
fight it to see if they canget loose from it. Okay, And
so that's what you see. Themoment your dog feels that strap across the
bridge of their nose is they're goingto try to rub it off. And
they you definitely see it the firsttime you actually or they actually pull on
the leash. And what happens ina holder is the pull on the leash.
(03:02):
And I'm not talking to harness.This is not the harness that goes
around the chest in the neck,which is the least ability to control your
dog. But everybody puts them onbecause their dog pulls on the leash and
is hacking and weason in confidence,so forth it's on. But the idea
with the holder is the moment tensionis put on the leash, it applies
(03:23):
tension by the loop over the noseto the muzzle of the dog. So
the moment the dog feels that tensionaround their muzzle, they start to fight
it or try to free themselves fromthe tension. And if any of you
have had a dog that you've hada buckle collar on and the dog's neck
is bigger than their head, thedog's first instinct is to hit reverse and
(03:45):
back out of the collar, anda lot of times that's your dog's first
instinct. With these headholders is toback away from it and try to slip
out of it. Well, asthey do that, it actually applies more
tension, so you kind of equateit to the same thing as a toddler
throwing a tantrum in the store.Okay, most parents will grab hold of
(04:09):
their toddler's hand while their toddler isthrowing the tantrum in the store and not
release the hand until the tantrum goesaway. So the toddler learns the harder
the fit I throw, the moretension is applied to me. And I'm
not getting anywhere with the fit,so maybe I quit throwing the tantrum,
and then when the tantrum stops,we release the hand. So even a
(04:30):
toddler learns, look, don't fightthe tension, relax, and then the
tension will go away. So it'sthe same thing with the headholder. Usually
when the dog stops fighting that ifyou can hold on. Now it is
with bigger dogs. I will tellyou it is a bit like those videos
where you see a cowboy jump ona bucking bronco for the first time,
(04:53):
and the horse spends its time tryingto buck them off until they realize there's
no bucking off. The horse getstired, the horse relax, everybody reaches
a little understanding. Okay, Soit's the same way with these dogs in
the head holders. They'll try hardto get those holders off until they realize
(05:14):
they can't. So it's important numberone, when you get one of these
holders to put it on according tothe directions. Number two, you are
going to have to understand that you'regonna have to hang in the fight.
Okay, if you want this towork, you're gonna have to hang in
the fight. And that includes yourpet walking around the house trying to rub
it off on the furniture or rubit off on you or whatever, or
just physically trying to bust out ofit by pulling away from you and everything.
(05:38):
So, and it's also important thatonce the tension goes away as far
as your pet where they stop theyrelax for a second, that you actually
make sure that that loop across thenose loosens up also, so it's easy
for your pet to understand what happenson both sides when they have to make
(05:58):
that choice. Fight bring more tension, Relaxing brings more relaxation. So I'm
going to pick between the two,and your pet will eventually go with the
relaxation in that case. Now,when we use a training collar, and
you're properly trained how to use atraining collar or quote unquote a choker,
it's the same process. If you'reusing it correctly, the collar is hardly
(06:19):
ever tight at all. If you'renot using it correctly, then that's the
dog you see pulling the owner downthe street. The dog is coughing and
wheezing, the owner's coughing and weezing. Okay, so they instantly don't want
to do that anymore. So instantlythey go to a halder or I'm sorry,
harness, the thing that goes aroundthe chest and buckles behind the legs
(06:41):
and doesn't control the pet's head atall. And yeah, the pet's a
heck of a lot more comfortable,but the pulling down the street doesn't go
away, and you've actually put yourselfin a position to lose control of your
dog. So if your dog's abig puller and you haven't gone through training
and learned how to use a collarcorrectly and controlling your dog, or your
dog just too physically big to dothat, then don't feel bad because they're
(07:04):
choking while they're pulling, and goto that harness because you'll be more of
a world hurt than you were before. You should think about these headholders.
That's interesting. So with that beingsaid, and you talk about how the
harness is actually kind of counterproductive,for lack of a better term, why
do they still sell them because peoplebuy them? For sure, they really
for sure it makes the person feelbetter that the dog's not choking, when
(07:27):
in fact, the reason the dogis choking is because the dog is pulling
in the first place. Right,Okay, so the dog is still pulling,
but the dog is way more comfortablenow, So it's all in the
dog's favor in that case. Now, there are some dogs that might have
a genetic predisposition to trachia issues,okay, and in cases like that,
your harness is your best bet.But I would say ninety five to ninety
(07:51):
six percent of the dogs out theredo not have that issue. They make
their owners think they have that issuebecause they're offing and hacking and wheezing as
they're pulling on the collar. Butif a dog is really in pain from
something, they don't continue to doit, okay. So if it was
(08:11):
really physically bothering your dog to pullon the leash and be choking, they
would stop pulling on the leash,okay. But they don't. It's more
important for them to control how thissituation goes down, and they'll deal with
discomfort the fact that they're hacking andweezing, but they will continue to pull
okay. So it's important. Likewe've said before, and we've talked a
(08:33):
little bit about the equipment being usedin the case, but other behavior changes
have to occur in you as anowner or no piece of equipment helps you
out in no situation. Absolutely,And you guys can train people how to
deal with collars, leashes, harnesses, halters, whatever it might be,
because that's what you do. Yeah, everything, If you don't change your
(08:54):
behavior, like I said, noneof that stuff helps. So it's important
if you have that problem, startyoung when the big dogs are small and
start to establish that right away,and you can do that with us at
the Edgefield Animal Care Center or theBig Dog is Smaller Small tell everybody how
(09:15):
to reach out to you man easiestway to find out about the Edgefield Animal
Care Center. We're in Central Ohio, so if you're in Central Ohio,
you can be sure to give usa look up. If you're outside and
here listening to this outside of CentralOhio, which we hope you are,
you can get all our information aboutour veterinary hospital, about our burning,
our grooming, our training, everything. You can get all our information at
(09:35):
Edgefieldanimalcare dot com. Great stuff.And if you're just finding the Dog Professor
Podcast, I don't know where you'refinding it, but I'm glad you did.
Make sure that you hit follow rightthere so you'll get a notification on
your phone every time we produce anew Dog Professor podcast, which is every
couple of weeks or so. Sowith that being said, make sure that
(09:56):
you go back and check out thepast episodes of the Dog Professor podcast.
They are very evergreen and they canprobably help out with whatever situation you have
in your household.
Joining me in studio today is theDog Professor Rob Lust from the Edgefield to
Animal Care Center. It is anotherepisode of the Dog Professor podcast. And
my friend, we are going totalk a little bit about helping to control
and keep your dog safe with acollar versus a head halter. Boy,
I'm interested in this one because Ireally don't know the solid difference, so
(00:22):
this will be fun. Well,you know, the head halder is something
you know a lot of people withbig dogs will use. Basically, for
lack of a better way to sayit, it's usually a couple loops of
nylon, one that goes behind thehead and snaps, and then one loop
that goes over the bridge of thenose with a ring underneath the chin,
(00:47):
and those two are attached together andwe most owners will then attach their leash
to the ring that's underneath the chin. And the purpose of this, the
mindset of this and why this worksor or why it helps you control things.
Number one, if you think aboutcontrolling a horse, you don't put
a collar on a horse, whichis the strongest part of the horse's body
(01:10):
where the neck joins the shoulders,and it is that in the dog also,
and try to control a horse,You control the head of the horse
and steer the horse where you wantit to go. Because of the strength
of the horse. Well, sometimeswith bigger dogs like Great Danes and Newfoundlands
and you know, wolfhounds and allthese other large dogs, sometimes the strength
(01:34):
of the dog's just too much forthe people who own the dog. So
the collar is usually a no goas far as that, or you'll use
a different type of collar like what'scalled a pinch collar or something like that.
So the headholder is the best alternative. What people need to understand about
a head holder is there are someside effects quote unquote side effects that you
have to deal with when you're employingthis headholder to use in your training.
(01:59):
And the first of that is thefact that the dog doesn't want it on
its head, okay. And thereason for that is the bridge of the
nose around the muzzle is a naturalcontrol zone for dogs. Okay. Dogs
know it. When a older dogneeds to control a puppy or to get
(02:19):
a puppy under control, or asubmissive dog within the pack under control,
or less dominant dog, they'll grabright around the muzzle of the dog's nose.
And when a dog feels that thatsomething is trying to control their muzzle.
They have two choices. They fightit or they quit and give up.
Yeah, and ninety nine point eightpercent of the dogs are going to
(02:42):
fight it to see if they canget loose from it. Okay, And
so that's what you see. Themoment your dog feels that strap across the
bridge of their nose is they're goingto try to rub it off. And
they you definitely see it the firsttime you actually or they actually pull on
the leash. And what happens ina holder is the pull on the leash.
(03:02):
And I'm not talking to harness.This is not the harness that goes
around the chest in the neck,which is the least ability to control your
dog. But everybody puts them onbecause their dog pulls on the leash and
is hacking and weason in confidence,so forth it's on. But the idea
with the holder is the moment tensionis put on the leash, it applies
(03:23):
tension by the loop over the noseto the muzzle of the dog. So
the moment the dog feels that tensionaround their muzzle, they start to fight
it or try to free themselves fromthe tension. And if any of you
have had a dog that you've hada buckle collar on and the dog's neck
is bigger than their head, thedog's first instinct is to hit reverse and
(03:45):
back out of the collar, anda lot of times that's your dog's first
instinct. With these headholders is toback away from it and try to slip
out of it. Well, asthey do that, it actually applies more
tension, so you kind of equateit to the same thing as a toddler
throwing a tantrum in the store.Okay, most parents will grab hold of
(04:09):
their toddler's hand while their toddler isthrowing the tantrum in the store and not
release the hand until the tantrum goesaway. So the toddler learns the harder
the fit I throw, the moretension is applied to me. And I'm
not getting anywhere with the fit,so maybe I quit throwing the tantrum,
and then when the tantrum stops,we release the hand. So even a
(04:30):
toddler learns, look, don't fightthe tension, relax, and then the
tension will go away. So it'sthe same thing with the headholder. Usually
when the dog stops fighting that ifyou can hold on. Now it is
with bigger dogs. I will tellyou it is a bit like those videos
where you see a cowboy jump ona bucking bronco for the first time,
(04:53):
and the horse spends its time tryingto buck them off until they realize there's
no bucking off. The horse getstired, the horse relax, everybody reaches
a little understanding. Okay, Soit's the same way with these dogs in
the head holders. They'll try hardto get those holders off until they realize
(05:14):
they can't. So it's important numberone, when you get one of these
holders to put it on according tothe directions. Number two, you are
going to have to understand that you'regonna have to hang in the fight.
Okay, if you want this towork, you're gonna have to hang in
the fight. And that includes yourpet walking around the house trying to rub
it off on the furniture or rubit off on you or whatever, or
just physically trying to bust out ofit by pulling away from you and everything.
(05:38):
So, and it's also important thatonce the tension goes away as far
as your pet where they stop theyrelax for a second, that you actually
make sure that that loop across thenose loosens up also, so it's easy
for your pet to understand what happenson both sides when they have to make
(05:58):
that choice. Fight bring more tension, Relaxing brings more relaxation. So I'm
going to pick between the two,and your pet will eventually go with the
relaxation in that case. Now,when we use a training collar, and
you're properly trained how to use atraining collar or quote unquote a choker,
it's the same process. If you'reusing it correctly, the collar is hardly
(06:19):
ever tight at all. If you'renot using it correctly, then that's the
dog you see pulling the owner downthe street. The dog is coughing and
wheezing, the owner's coughing and weezing. Okay, so they instantly don't want
to do that anymore. So instantlythey go to a halder or I'm sorry,
harness, the thing that goes aroundthe chest and buckles behind the legs
(06:41):
and doesn't control the pet's head atall. And yeah, the pet's a
heck of a lot more comfortable,but the pulling down the street doesn't go
away, and you've actually put yourselfin a position to lose control of your
dog. So if your dog's abig puller and you haven't gone through training
and learned how to use a collarcorrectly and controlling your dog, or your
dog just too physically big to dothat, then don't feel bad because they're
(07:04):
choking while they're pulling, and goto that harness because you'll be more of
a world hurt than you were before. You should think about these headholders.
That's interesting. So with that beingsaid, and you talk about how the
harness is actually kind of counterproductive,for lack of a better term, why
do they still sell them because peoplebuy them? For sure, they really
for sure it makes the person feelbetter that the dog's not choking, when
(07:27):
in fact, the reason the dogis choking is because the dog is pulling
in the first place. Right,Okay, so the dog is still pulling,
but the dog is way more comfortablenow, So it's all in the
dog's favor in that case. Now, there are some dogs that might have
a genetic predisposition to trachia issues,okay, and in cases like that,
your harness is your best bet.But I would say ninety five to ninety
(07:51):
six percent of the dogs out theredo not have that issue. They make
their owners think they have that issuebecause they're offing and hacking and wheezing as
they're pulling on the collar. Butif a dog is really in pain from
something, they don't continue to doit, okay. So if it was
(08:11):
really physically bothering your dog to pullon the leash and be choking, they
would stop pulling on the leash,okay. But they don't. It's more
important for them to control how thissituation goes down, and they'll deal with
discomfort the fact that they're hacking andweezing, but they will continue to pull
okay. So it's important. Likewe've said before, and we've talked a
(08:33):
little bit about the equipment being usedin the case, but other behavior changes
have to occur in you as anowner or no piece of equipment helps you
out in no situation. Absolutely,And you guys can train people how to
deal with collars, leashes, harnesses, halters, whatever it might be,
because that's what you do. Yeah, everything, If you don't change your
(08:54):
behavior, like I said, noneof that stuff helps. So it's important
if you have that problem, startyoung when the big dogs are small and
start to establish that right away,and you can do that with us at
the Edgefield Animal Care Center or theBig Dog is Smaller Small tell everybody how
(09:15):
to reach out to you man easiestway to find out about the Edgefield Animal
Care Center. We're in Central Ohio, so if you're in Central Ohio,
you can be sure to give usa look up. If you're outside and
here listening to this outside of CentralOhio, which we hope you are,
you can get all our information aboutour veterinary hospital, about our burning,
our grooming, our training, everything. You can get all our information at
(09:35):
Edgefieldanimalcare dot com. Great stuff.And if you're just finding the Dog Professor
Podcast, I don't know where you'refinding it, but I'm glad you did.
Make sure that you hit follow rightthere so you'll get a notification on
your phone every time we produce anew Dog Professor podcast, which is every
couple of weeks or so. Sowith that being said, make sure that
(09:56):
you go back and check out thepast episodes of the Dog Professor podcast.
They are very evergreen and they canprobably help out with whatever situation you have
in your household.
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