Steve: The halti and gentle leader are two different products. They are similar, but are not quite the same.

The only time I have used a halti is when I was grooming. I used it with mild biters as the action of the halti closes the dogs mouth. Note that I say mild biters. If the dog really wanted to bite me, the halti would not stop it and it was time for a muzzle.

I actually turned down a job training and teaching classes at a shelter were I used to live because they wanted me to teach with Haltis or Gentle Leaders. Blech.

As far as we know the Halti goes around the muzzle of a Dog and then fixes around the base of the neck or at times to a collar there is different versions,
The Gentle leader goes around the muzzle and then behind the ears but also on the neck, Both do the same job so over here we class them the same, but have never seen a G.S dog with one on

gentle leaders are worthless for giving corrections. But, i have used them before, and out of all my dogs, i would only ever use them on one. And that is for pulling, because the dog would literally pull so hard with the prong that it was bleeding. She instantly stopped with the gentle leader.
Now, as far as the pulling the head away for aggression, that doesn't work.
So, with a few dogs who are strictly pullers, not animal/human/dog aggressive, they work alright. I have seen several dogs, including one of my own, walk very nicely in a matter on minutes.
I have also seen too many still lunging at the end of that gentle leader, with no fur on their nose.

So with my dogs, and this is just my experience, with Maya, she shut down on those, she went into a panic, would drool, the whole works. I put a prong on her, and within seconds, she got it, she had to listen.
Bart wore one for about a year. It worked great, at first. Then he learned to pull and lung while wearing it, he would put his head and neck at a certain angle. Bear in mind, i tried a prong at first, he would not have it, it over stimulated him, plus, when he wanted to go, no amount of popping would stop that, and the prongs were causing marks. So it was gentle leader for a while till he learned to listen. Now he can wear a prong, and not hurt himself.
Roxie can or can not wear a gentle leader, it depends of the day. With a G.L she doesn't pull, but she lunges as squirrels and cats. With a prong, she doesn't lung, but she pulls. So i can switch back and forth, or she can wear both.

That is just with my dogs, and i don't use them to give corrections, as they aren't designed to to that.

I know many people who use them, and most of them don't know why, or are using them for "training". I see dog aggressive dogs lunging and snarling with these on, and the owner is clueless because their magical gentle leader was supposed to fix all their dogs behavioral problems, along with treats.
I have seen dogs pull, and hurt them selves on these things, because the owner wouldn't use anything else, after all, they are GENTLE Leaders, and can't possibly hurt the dog, right?????

And of course everyones favorite scene, someones dog DRAGGING them to the dog park, all hyper and already acting stupid, and of course, they are wearing a gentle leader.

So, for me, and know i will catch crap about this, some dogs can use them, and do very well, but that is a select few.
The vase majority of dogs wearing them need something else, namely, they need a prong and a different owner.

My trainer recommends a gentle leader at first. But the second she sees that it's not working, she doesn't hesitate to use a prong or remote collar, and she knows how to use them correctly. She just gives the pups a chance the "gentle" way.
For dogs with issues, and more high strung older pups, she goes right for the prong.

So in all, i think that they are pretty much worthless for maybe 82% of the dogs wearing them. the rest do well on them, for now at least.

I think we all agree that haltis are useless, but I just have to share this story. Some years ago, before I knew better, I tried to train a dog using a halti. He was a GSD x border collie mix and the smartest dog I ever owned. He could get that halti off in 5 seconds no matter how carefully I fitted it - he would half lie down with his chin and chest on the ground and put both front paws simultaneously behind his ears to push it off. I would tell him no, he would roll his eyes at me and walk on, but he would watch me - as soon as my attention wandered for a moment he was on the ground pushing it off again. After a couple of weeks of this I got a clue and a prong collar and the halti went in the trash. I still miss that dog.

Thanks for the feed back. Pretty much what i was expecting. The Mrs has read these post and has agreed to stick with the prong.
Andrew

Hi Andrew,

Nice to see another UK resident! Sorry I picked up this thread late.

I know LOTS of trainers here advocate the Halti style head collars (and we've used them too) but now I know better.

I did lots of reasearch before deciding on trying the prong collar, and the info I got from here was awesome. It helped to convince the wife that prongs are safer and the best way to go.

They also make your wifes 'softer' corrections more effective, as they take less strength to use properly. I'm convinced that head collers redirect, not correct. We won't be using one again.

Let us know how you get on!

Regards
Rob

They actually say the halti type collar is the most inhumane because it is the one most likely to cause damage. The jerking of neck can cause whiplash. The prong is suppose to be least damage.

I'm not totally against them. I see a lot of service dogs with them, but I can't imagine using one on my gsd. I didn't think they were for any other purpose than for a dog who pulls and they have to pretty much be pulling straight.
I do use a halti on my ridgeback who is sensitive to pressure on throat since his toncilectomy and having portion of throat removed, but he requires no corrections cause he's a ridgback and everyone knows they do no wrong :-).

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The highest drive dog(yellow lab) I know has a halti used on him by the owners. They used to be literally dragged in by this dog. Once they put a halti on him they are able to control him enough that they aren't getting ran away with. He still pulls it just isn't to the point where it's dangerous. I think even a properly used prong would just wind him up further. He is just so driven that any kind of stimulation only makes him crazier. An e-collar is also an option but I think a dominant dog collar coupled with a toy/play reward would be the best fit.
This dog comes in M-F for daycare. He can't play with other dogs. He also has to be put in a small dog kennel because he will pace and jump from frustration in a normal size kennel. He gets AM, noon, and PM individual play that lasts about 15-30 minutes depending on who is doing it. He can be controlled for the short walk to a playroom by using a slip lead tight right behind his ears(like a dominant dog collar) and being held on a very short lead with your hands locked against your body. Otherwise this maniac will jerk the lead out of your hands and charge through the doors into the playroom. New people are always told to just LET GO if you can't control him.
So Haltis do have a place in certain situations but in most cases there is a better alternative. They are VERY over used. In this case it is being used to control a completely untrained high drive dog and prevent a dangerous situation. Training him using the proper tools like a dominant dog collar would prevent the situation from ever happening.

Just realized this thread is a little old but the overuse and misunderstanding of what a Halti should be used for is something I'm very passionate about.