Using a Head Collar to Train
Behavior problems like pulling on his leash, mouthing while on the leash, and stealing can be handled safely with a head collar (we recommend the Gentle Leader). This piece of training equipment fits your Golden like a halter fits a horse. It is used to stop your Golden's forward motion. Since there are no corrections involved, the halter is self-limiting. When your Golden tries to pull forward, the halter pulls his head down. Since dogs can't walk with their heads down, they stop pulling. A head halter should always be used with a leash no longer than six feet. This prevents your Golden from jerking his neck by running to the end of the leash at top speed. You should never yank or give a leash correction when your Golden is wearing a head halter since doing so can injure his neck.
The head halter is not something that you can just put on your dog and use right away. Instead, it must be introduced slowly so that your dog can get used to how it works.
Here are the shaping steps for teaching your dog to wear a Gentle Leader head collar:
Hold the halter in your hand and let your dog sniff it for a click and treat.
Open the nose loop and repeat.
Lure your dog's nose through the loop and click and treat.
Repeat until your dog is willingly pushing his nose through the loop.
As your dog is eating the treat, reach around and clip the neck piece.
Leave the whole thing nice and loose so it doesn't feel confining.
Offer treats to your dog and have him walk several steps.
Click and treat him when he stops pawing at his face.
If he gets the nose loop off, take the whole thing off and ignore him for ten minutes.
Repeat from the start until he is no longer pawing his face to get it off.
Attach your leash to the clip under his chin and click and treat for the absence of pawing.
Take him for a short walk in a distraction-free area and repeat.
Tighten the halter so it fits without slipping off.
Add distractions gradually and click and treat for walking without pawing.
Begin to use on walks but keep the walk brief.
Gradually extend the time.
Most dogs take about two weeks to get accustomed to wearing a head halter. There are other brands available, but the Gentle Leader seems to fit the greatest variety of breeds and does not slip off easily.
The key to using a head halter effectively is to introduce it slowly and shape the dog to wear it without making him panic. It is important for the effectiveness of your training program not to rush this.
