We had been training our dog to heel but with limited success, we tried obedience classes, harnesses, slip lead, choker chain, treats etc and though our Labradoodle does heel it seems only when it suited HIM, though he ALWAYS quickly crept ahead and started pulling within a few minutes, then the surges would hit and at 72yo it was getting harder and harder to walk him ...... then yesterday 10/3/2024 we bought a Halti and I searched for Halti training and watched this video and you made it look like a miracle dog experience!! ...... and IT IS! we did as you showed and within an hour our dog was a gentle man, not pulling nor surging but not perfect with other dogs but much improved and that on our first walk .... I am amazed and sooooo pleased that I found your helpful directions first.
Thanks for showing the details and walking us through it…I have adopted a sweet shy retriever …not terribly reactive…more nervous…we are making great progress. Thanks for this video …it has helped a lot😊. I have not found any videos that really go into the detail that you have on bring us along the journey.
WOW after looking at various different vids I felt dejected and a total failure when it came to training my rescue dog,a 12 month rottie who is 38kg,I'm 8 stone and could not handle him AT ALL with cars,dogs,he's even wary of walking past people. BUT after watching this video It's a TOTAL game changer,within 1min of coming out of front door he's walking by my side and NOT PULLING,I'm following vid and he hasn't tried to attack the bus the car and ok, I have to try him with dogs but it's the first day and the RELIEF I feel is overwhelming I MEAN IT I AM LITTERALLY STUNNED how effective this video is and extremely grateful for it🙏
Hey Jason, i've watched a TON of these training videos and i have to say yours is one of the VERY few that seems very realistic. this looks like a "real" dog that you're working with as opposed to the ones that look like "models" (read ... already partially trained!) that obey every command and follow every direction and then seems to be perfectly trained as if by magic. SUBSCRIBED!
That means allot to me. I try to show real training with untrained dogs. There are too many dogs on TH-cam that look impressive but this doesn't really teach people much at all. I like people to see live training sessions with dogs learning there and then.
I completely agree. I like how this video is kind of raw and unedited, and shows the entire process, the good and the bad, of what owners can expect during training at all stages. I am working with my dog now on this.
Was going to make the exact same comment - so many training videos are done with an already well-trained dog. It is so much more encouraging to watch training done in real-time with an untrained dog - showing the initial level of tugging and the gradual progression. This is absolutely the best "walk on a leash" training video I've watched yet. Working on both my chihuahua and my pitbull now (separately, of course), with a slip lead and already noticing how much more control I have. 💖 Thank you! 👍👊 New sub for sure.
Man, thank God I came across your video. My dog is exactly like Hugo on walks. I’ve implemented some of the stuff you talk about in the video and seen massive changes already but still early days. So well explained, can’t thank you enough
Oh my goodness, THANK YOU for demonstrating with an actual strong, pulling dog. We just got our rescue 3 days ago and I've been inhaling training videos. Most are using dogs that seem to have been mostly trained already, and it looks to easy to correct the pulling behavior. Walking our Charlie is quite the nightmare with the pulling, especially when he sees a squirrel or rabbit. He still pulls at full strength even after they're already out of sight. I've learned more from your video than all the others combined.😀
I use a head harness with my 120lb (55kg) giant breed. I love using it as the harness is a force multiplier (like power steering for your dog!). The amount of energy you have to expend to keep your dog under control is minimal, giving you the confidence to engage in situations and you would otherwise avoid. Your confidence is picked up by your dog and training your dog how to respond in those situations is made so much easier
Glad I saw this video, Jason. I was going to buy a harness lie Hugo's for my little steam train but bought a Halti first. I'll give the contraption a miss and will use her slip lead instead. Thanks for such sensible training methods.
This is just like my Sheltie. He's always been on a harness and is very reactive to dogs or anything else that moves. He will get some serious training this week. Thank you for the video.
Omg I thank you for this. I have a Rescue and I have the same problem. I took her to the Riverwalk and the leash popped off the harness as she was pulling to go toward a dog, thankfully did not harm the dog, but the owner was telling me about halti. This happened yesterday so I’m doing my research.
I have a Corgi/Heeler mix (commonly referred to as a Cowboy Corgi) who acts a lot like Hugo, except add in extreme barking and lunging to the mix. If he sees another person or (gods forbid) dog it's on like Donkey Kong. I've been involved with dog sports for decades (since the 80's) so slip leads and training collars are what I instinctively go to with problems like this, but my dog just thumbs his nose at them. He hyper focuses and no bit of yummy food, no amount of traditional correction on a training collar even remotely gets his attention. I've decided to try a head collar now, and I can't believe i didn't think of it before today. I'm quite hopeful it will be the "magic wand" I'm looking for. Thank you for this incredibly informative and helpful video! You have yourself another subscriber. :)
This is a fantastic realistic video thank you! I was in 2 minds on using a slip on my Labrador, she’s not an awful puller generally but she has a high drive and will lunge towards footballs or other dogs playing with balls as she wants to join in and has a major ball obsession . I was worried the slip wouldn’t be enough and I didn’t want her to be choking herself, I think I will definitely get the slip back out now and try this on a busy environment!
Really nice video! Will defo try with my frenchie. But I have a question.. when would you allow the dog to have a bit of sniffing and "wees"? Aren't the walks for the dog to do their pee mails? Thank you xx
Let them have time at the start and even during the walk to pee etc. but do it in your formal command with a word like “Free” then go back to your formal walking.
@@jasonharrisdogtraining Will try the command free and see how it goes. Yesterday I started training Gaston and OMG what a huge improvement already! Thank you so much for sharing this.xx
This training video is wonderful, especially with the info about rubbing with the Halti. However, there's growing evidence that slip leads can cause tracheal collapse due to the pressure on the throat. While it's not a choke chain, they can still cause issues.
Thank you for your comment and yes I’m sure the slip lead can cause damage like any equipment used wrong. Breck when I was in the army with police dogs over 30 years ago, we use check chains. And now this has become a slip lead and that whole time I’ve never damaged a dog throat through any training session. I do believe this is a well marketed study to get people to buy harnesses and other equipment and in particular comes from the force free community I would actually like to see this statistics on dogs having damaged throats, but with more detail on who was using the slip lead and how it was used. If we judge things on being dangerous like cars crashing, we would never drive cars but we also know that the people driving the car is what does the damage.
THANK YOU for this video! I have had my rescue dog for almost 7 months. For the last 3 1/2 months, I’ve been dealing with her reactivity toward other dogs and leash pulling. Now that the bunnies are out, it’s been worse. I watched this video last night and implemented the techniques this morning. HUGE IMPROVEMENT!!! FINALLY!! 🎉 Thank you!!!
I'm really surprised you have so few subs, I really enjoy your type of training. I have a 2 year old black lab, and she is a strong puller. I just bought 2 types of halti no pull harnesses, and 1 halti gentle leader, and it looks like I should have brought a slip lead :( I watched another trainers channel and he was horrible, he was doing a similar technique that you do with the slip lead, but instead of using an actual slip lead, he just used a dog collar and a leash, so the collar was too low on the dog, and he pulled WAY TOO HARD, and when the dog wasn't even doing anything that needed correction. You could see the dog was scared of him (tail tucked) it was horrible. I am sooo happy I found your channel instead! What I hate the most is you have so few subs, and he had over 500k!! WTF is that! You treat your animals with respect, I truly appreciate that. I can't wait to see how well what I've learned works with my Hana! Thanks so much!
I recently rehomed a young year in the month old rat terrier, smart, very reactive, and a huge puller and I got him a gentle leader. He is a different puppy. I love your technique I love walking him on a loose leash I have a 13-year-old beagle it makes ourwalks better with her and he hast to be good. I live in the center of a thriving community with lots of kids dogs, bicycles people I don’t wanna have a dangerous dog. Thank you for your video.
Love this video. My 5 month old Dutchie is very reactive to the environment but receptive to correction and discipline. I will be using my slip lead a lot more in our training sessions.
I love your technique. Personally, I don't know how you'd train a dog without a slip lead. It was the exact tool necessary to train my reactive cattle dog. He now walks beside me at all times and he's a great partner.
Thanks for the vid. I've just started using a halti with our staffy girl, how long does it typically take before you transition back to a leash and collar?
Some people never transition back to the collar. It really depends on the dog. There’s actually no need to as a head harness can be used permanently. They are not dangerous for the dog and if they get conditioned to them, they can wear it quite comfortably.
Thank you! At last i understand the correction and loose lead idea. I have a 7 mth old English springer who pulls like Hugo but i realise now that i have been too soft with him.He is very reactive to cars and hurls himself towards them which is very scary. I am not sure if this is fear or his strong prey drive - he chases anything from butterflies to leaves which makes walking him very difficult. Any tips how to handle this please?
Harnesses have been adopted world-wide. A memo must have been sent round. Sorry l never bought shares in the harness manufacturing industry. An excellent demonstration that the loose-leader/halti or what the great Cesar Millan used to call his “30cent lead” are all the tools you need.
I recently acquired a 5 year old neutered female German Shepherd. I was told that she was super reactive to other dogs because she was bitten by a pit bull when she was younger. She pulled like hell. I got the kind of prong collar that has 2.3 mm prongs on the inside of cloth and closes with a plastic snap. Using the technique shown I got her to walk with a loose lead when there were no distractions. I would like to introduce her to remaining under control when sighting another dog. However, I've read that correcting with a prong collar under those conditions would only create greater agitation. Instead, a slip lead should be used and raised straight up rather than jerked to the side. Is that good advice?
I believe as long as the dog has a very clear understanding of what the corrections is for and it isn't more than needed you can get a result. It's not about the equipment it's more about the person using it.
My staff is a major puller. Hes like this with the halti...hates it with a passion....to the point he will try and get back in the house instead of going for a walk. May try the slip lead instead now as the harness doesnt do anything either
Thanks for this video. I have a 15mo irish setter who takes me for a walk, even wearing a halti head collar he can pull so much it hurts my back and shoulder. I hate walking him. We'll be heading back to the backyard for a while to get the loose lead happening.
My mastiff x staffy is extreme, she starts to lunge as soon as she sees one & is 30kg … far too strong she also will do everything in her power to slip her harness which she has before
We just got the halti and my dog is doing so much better. Walks were a nightmare before. Now she isn’t trying to pull quite as much. She is still reactive though. We tried slip lead and I got all the skin ripped off my finger when she saw a squirrel. Gentle leader was going to be next.
Yes but at the start he had no awareness or engagement. After intro to the head harness he is walking without lead pressure. There is a big difference from start to end.
You shouldn't need to correct your dog, if they learn the expectations you set, they should do what is reinforced and choose it. behavior which is reinforced is repeated.
I just adopted a blind senior dog and struggling to walk her. Since she can't see me she keeps walking into me or across me and pulling really hard constantly. She is using smell and sound so reacts to my voice and is pulled to get to where she can smell grass or such. I've shortened the lead to keep her tight to my side but she still pulls. She has no training so doesn't know any commands. She's a lovely dog and has to be walked multiple times a day. Help!
Cheers for that - I’ll have to buy one. I’ve got to the stage where I think my dog would really like to play with other dogs …. but I don’t dare let him for fear of a fight resulting. The muzzle will ease my anxiety somewhat.
I struggled with reactivity in my GSD. I definitely found my confidence and energy played a role. I worked with a trainer in France saying the same types of thing. Seeing it on my actual dog made a big difference. It's like 90% better, and I realize that it's all me. Previously I had thought being firm and strong was the same as being mean.
Hi my dog os a rescue who is well socialised and goes to doggy day care 1 day a week. BUT she is super dog/lead reactive when on walks ... and her threshold is far away. Even if I try to turn to walk away or make her sit and wait she turns into a ferral beast. What would you suggest?
Thanks for this video. I have a 1y/o 50kg Rottweiler and have been employing exactly the same techniques for dog reactivity. He is not aggressive but excited and wants to play. I’m having mixed success with the corrections, even quite forceful ones. Any advice on other techniques that may work?
Its not really about force, it's more timing, technique and equipment. If your correction is even 1 second to late the dog wont connect what it did wrong. So really focus on timing and sharpness rather than power. Don't forget to praise the good moments. And don't' forget you have a guardian breed that is designed to protect so it's tough to ask your dog to go against DNA that being said you can make a difference.
@@jasonharrisdogtraining Thanks Jason. Im aware of the timing issue and correct very quickly. Even instant corrections don’t overpower his desire to play. I'll keep on it.
We have a halti, and have tried a head harness. She pulls relentlessly with both. Switching directions, she just starts to sprint in the new direction. She makes great eye contact and "checks in" a lot during the walk, but is always pulling with all of her might and trying to run faster when we are moving. We had to retire the head harness because she was pulling so hard with it that it was rubbing the one side of her snout raw.. just pulling with her head completely sideways. I'm going to try a slip lead and I really hope that's the solution. 😭
This was great Jason. I have a German Shepard, 2.5 yrs old. She’s awesome. I started on halti. Responded very well. Now on slip lead. Responding ok. But I think I’ll switch back to halti until I have 100% control. On slip lead, she’s not 100% engaged with me and beginning to pull a bit again. And, she’s reactive to dogs too. So I’m doing exactly what you do. Have her sit. But I am going to begin to say, ‘leave it’. Thank you so much.
I was using the head halti on my akita but have switched to the ezydog slip in the figure 8 like a halti but she is so much better with this than the halti
Honestly it’s a tough question. Some dogs can’t be improved 100% but if we can get at least being around dogs and not reacting that’s a great improvement. Fingers crossed we can get her allot better.
I use ezydog lead and collar but there is other brands of higher quality if you choose. As long it's good quality buckles, clips and preferably a double rings on the collar so if pressure is applied it doesn't pull apart.
They both really work in different ways. A slip is more of a general obedience tool and head harness really focuses on covering walking. I don’t feel a head harness has a good cross over to a more obedient dog like a slip lead does. It’s a bit hard to explain in a quick message here.
@@jasonharrisdogtraining Thanks taking the time to reply, perhaps I can visit you at sometime as I am from South Africa. My daughter lives in Melbourne and I hope to visit soon. I have been training dogs al my live 43 years. I have been working abroad for 10 years training and deploying Mine Detection Dogs, however it has already been now 19 years that I have my Dog Training Business, I have been training 6 to 8 Civilian dogs on a daily basis, between 30-40 dogs weekly like I said for the past 19 years. It would really be nice to rub shoulders with a dog trainer like yourself. I am a firm believer in that there is always something to learn and share as dogtrainers.
amazing thank you! I have an aussie. i did one intro training session with a trainer (only 20 mins) and used a slip lead. INSTANT results. i was astonished. i bought a package to work with them. at the end of the video are you saying it's best to use a slip lead or halti all the time for walks moving forward? burn the harnesses? when i put his harness back on him after the session he did go right back to barking crazily at every dog and pulling me
I laughed while watching this. My Rottweiler is reactive and I can't keep a halting on her. She pulls the clip and slips it in half a second. She lunges at vehicles, she lunges and barks at people. She lunges,barks and slather at dogs. I pull her off the trail, make her sit and talk to her. If I can keep her attention on me I can avoid the conflict. It's emotionally and physically draining.
this woman at 18:08 haha. You see someone actively walking aside and holding their dog aside to create distance, and then you let your dog walk as close as possible to the person trying to teach a reactive dog... man....
I can walk my dog with the gentle leader and she walks well but her reactivity when a dog is close...she becomes like a bucking horse. I feel like I am hurting her but I literally have to drag her away. This is usually when I come in and out of my building and a dog is right there. When they are far enough away, I can keep her under control. I feel horrible and like I am hurting her snout but I have to create distance as she is lunging and trying to get to the dog.
If the other person is within ear shot, ask if they would help you, by providing distance if they can. Practice with friends and their dogs or go to a dog park and ask someone with a calm dog, if they would help you practice walking at a distance which is safe for her to not buck. Then keep on practicing so you can reduce that distance gradually. Soon you will be able to do this at a reasonable distance. Until then, you could try taking her out at a less busy dog time, or take her out on the collar and put head harness on once you are able to see everything safely. Watch Susan Garrett, she is a great trainer
thank you! We now rented a house with a yard, so have minimized the issues. I am starting to walk her as well, but we haven't encountered a dog yet. Her new trigger is the neighbor when he happens to come out when we are in the yard. She runs to the gate and starts barking at him. It's rare but it's the next thing I am hoping to work on and to continue work with her on walks. Thanks so much for your great suggestions. @@amy-marierichardson271
Far out the anxiety the dog is displaying is being missed. By fast repetition of treats as the dog goes past lowers the adrenaline releases all feel good horomones. Makes dogs passing a positivs, 28yrs working with rescues never had to treat a dog with domanince
Why are these considered as force/punishment training? Many shelters around my city won't allow adoption if "force-free" training isn't used. I don't see anything wrong with the type of training you're showing; in fact, I think it's amazing.
OMG I've got to 13 minutes and cannot watch anymore. Too shameful to watch a 'dog trainer' teaching these old-school methods. I am an IMDT qualified dog trainer (ie Modern Dog Training) with 10+ years experience as a dog trainer, and I know that by not allowing this dog to sniff anything and express his natural primary sense to mentally process the world is adding to his anxiety and confusion which will exacerbate his reactivity. He keeps getting popped with the slip lead and head halter so he cannot exhibit any natural behaviours without being "corrected'! So sad to watch. If he was allowed to express normal dog behaviour, he would be less anxious, confused and 'reactive'. How about teaching him connection and trust with the handler through positive reinforcement and that the handler is aware of his needs and will support him appropriately. Number 1 lesson is eye contact! You are not teaching him about eye contact, trust and connection. Can this dog look to you for guidance, information, support, reassurance? What is your connection like? Can he trust that you will not put him in situations he cannot currently handle? Don't force a square peg into a round hole. Instead, take time to work within his ability and slowly help him to gain confidence in himself and in you. Most dog reactivity comes from fear. I am afraid of Huntsman spiders. You will not reduce this fear by putting a contraption on my face and jerking my head to follow you toward a Huntsman spider. Of course, I would have to follow you because you have control of me with your equipment. But that doesn't mean I will ever trust you (the opposite is in fact true). And you will never reduce my fear of Huntsman spiders using your method! Please people, don't be fooled by the methods of this guy. They may work because the dog has no choice but to comply, but they are a bandaid solution and do not deal with the underlying issues! Please look for trainers who use POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT for behaviour change. Your dog will trust and love you forever for that!
Wow, I teach loose lead walking and no need for correction.. There's a better way than this, 28ys positive reinforcement training methods only.. this type of training looks at symptoms not the cause (triggers),
Treat or not treat, correct or not to correct. The internet is full of opinions. Every dog is different. I'm dealing with a 14 month old male GSD that was found in a park. I've had him for two months. I'm familiar with high drive German Shepherds. Tonight my reactive GSD slipped his Martindale collar as I reversed my direction due to several dogs out for a nightly walk. I have no idea of this dog's history. I took him to the ground until I was able to secure him. He could careless about treats regardless of value if he is interested in something better. I'm sure the neighbors have an opinion on what I did, but having him destroy a small dog would have been worse. Too many dogs end up on death row as their sweet little fluffy grew up to become an 80 pound teenager. They need some tough love.
Gentle parenting doesn't always work and doesn't work on every kid. Gentle methods don't always work and don't work on every dog. My dog is an extreme puller and extremely reactive but it doesn't come from fear and these newer, gentler methods do nothing to him 😅
Yeah, the manhandling really made me cringe. I'm not against gentle corrections, so pressure and release instead of popping, but this was just too much. "This is the process you've got to go through with the gentle leaders, unfortunately." No, no it really isn't. This is the process you go through if you just slap a headcollar on their face with no prior training and expect them to accept it. I managed to train my 10 year old Boston terrier with dementia to wear a headcollar through positive reinforcement, it took her about a week to realise it wasn't as bad as she thought but the whole time, she never fought wearing it since she knew that yummy treats or a fun walk were coming when the headcollar came out.
If you let a dog sniff and explore their surroundings how is the dog looking to you for guidance? Are you sure that the dog needs to put his nose directly to a spot to smell it? I don't agree that you should let your dog do whatever it wants on the walk. Otherwise it's the dogs walk and not yours. There needs to be a joint effort for you both to enjoy the walk.
This is not good. I didn't make it through the entire video because he doesn't know what he is talking about. He said there were no distractions in the park, which is not true. Most of the distractions were the surface change, grass, the traffic, the camera person, trainer talking, the smells, the sounds, even the heat of the day if they are used to working in morning, the wet grass vs dry, the change in the harness to different leads, his handler movements, body language, energy, speed change, etc. etc. Then presented one treat and said he wasn't food motivated, he was overaroused at that point and generally overaroused dogs must have very high value treats to off set the environmental distractions, I always have options, especially with first meetings which can bring a dogs nerve up a bit, maybe chicken breast isn't his thing but beef liver is or cheese. He was correcting with the gentle leader on, which you are not supposed to do, you also always need to have the leader pull their head towards you to generate the focused connection. More on leader issues later... Sniffing is a reward which could be used on a walk and it could be anticipated that the owners would allow some sniffing. It is a great way to get them to not to pull and give sniffing as a reward. Why the heck would you bring him to a path area to introduce to a random dog walking instead of seeing his threshold in the lower distraction area once he was calm? Rehearsing undesirable behaviors, especially not in a control setting, will not allow the dog to improve threshold. Yanking and correcting the dog through his walk is simply not a good answer. Let's talk head halter, A flat nosed dog should use one designed for such a dog. You should always introduce gently in a calm environment and desensitize them to the feeling. The video on gentle leader recommends doing this at home over the course of a week, where you feed them with it on and play with it on, before starting a walk. The nose wiping to try to remove it is minimized when fitted properly. It is a nervous sign that they are not used to the feeling, and then walking with it while they are nervous will increase their excitement/arousal level or pair it with the nervous feeling not allowing them to get used to it in a calm, welcoming way. I am happy this trainer is giving it a chance, but he set it up for failure, by not following simple steps and rushing the process. He gave up on it quickly and went for his slip lead, which basically does the same thing without controlling the head, probably because he could correct more and have his own comfort history with such a tool. The first harness had a double leash attachment and he didn't hold it in the right area to get the dog with him, or use any signals to try to get the dog to follow his direction, get to know him, engage. Maybe talk to him a little, give encouragement and get him to relax in the stimulating environment. His ears were back, his tongue was long from anxiety, he was using his signals to say he was excited and didn't know what was expected. He is a beginner to the whole thing and I was utterly shocked when the trainer said, he thought he was ready for a walk. There was not connection or engagement in a calm way and he is inviting trigger stacking which will not show accurate threshold. At least get the dog into his thinking brain and out of the amygdala "reaction part of the brain" fight, flight, freeze will most likely happen, especially with a dog who has a history of mistreatment. I do not recommend. He is basically saying, this is why he uses a slip lead and all the other tools are garbage. Without actually using them properly or knowing how they work correctly. In dog training there is a saying, fast is slow and slow is fast... because you may appear to solve a problem fast but, it is redirecting that behavior into another area. Management is a tool to help while you improve your dogs behavior with counter conditioning, to reprogram the response the dog has. I didn't watch the rest because I feared he was going to flood the dog with not listening to his threshold or trigger stack him. Maybe he didn't, but I hate the thought of people doing this to a dog who has fear instead of helping him overcome the fear in a healthy way. I would have had a dog I knew to have calm energy come to the park once we were familiar with the park and sit far away, even a stuffed dog. Then do our foundations at a distance, perhaps a parallel walk at the park, the other dog on the other side. Give rewards, whatever those are (a good trainer would ask) maybe a tug toy or a bit of cheese, have them practice the look at that game and take the dog away for a break and repeat throughout the sessions. Slow builds confidence and trust and reprograms the fear thoughts and fast is no going to get success in the end because the fear is still there. It may be redirected to the handler with the lack of trust, it may manifest in another area when they feel they have no control or choice in their life or they may even get a condition like licking themself creating self harm in a way to try to soothe. Unrelated but interesting human behavior trait. I learned that our own stress/anxiety is created mostly by early development separation from our parents. Maybe, we didn't feel we fit right with them, or they were not emotionally mature enough to connect with us. We humans either work through our anxiety and validate our inner child self who is anxious inside us, to find our solutions or we humans will manifest our anxiety into a distraction such as addictions to self soothe because we feel we have no control over it. We shouldn't do the same things to our dogs, we should validate their feelings as we would our children and through counter conditioning behavior modification bring them to solve it. All the while having our dogs, trusting us and building a confident bond together. Advocate.
We had been training our dog to heel but with limited success, we tried obedience classes, harnesses, slip lead, choker chain, treats etc and though our Labradoodle does heel it seems only when it suited HIM, though he ALWAYS quickly crept ahead and started pulling within a few minutes, then the surges would hit and at 72yo it was getting harder and harder to walk him ...... then yesterday 10/3/2024 we bought a Halti and I searched for Halti training and watched this video and you made it look like a miracle dog experience!! ...... and IT IS! we did as you showed and within an hour our dog was a gentle man, not pulling nor surging but not perfect with other dogs but much improved and that on our first walk .... I am amazed and sooooo pleased that I found your helpful directions first.
Thanks for showing the details and walking us through it…I have adopted a sweet shy retriever …not terribly reactive…more nervous…we are making great progress. Thanks for this video …it has helped a lot😊. I have not found any videos that really go into the detail that you have on bring us along the journey.
WOW after looking at various different vids I felt dejected and a total failure when it came to training my rescue dog,a 12 month rottie who is 38kg,I'm 8 stone and could not handle him AT ALL with cars,dogs,he's even wary of walking past people. BUT after watching this video It's a TOTAL game changer,within 1min of coming out of front door he's walking by my side and NOT PULLING,I'm following vid and he hasn't tried to attack the bus the car and ok, I have to try him with dogs but it's the first day and the RELIEF I feel is overwhelming I MEAN IT I AM LITTERALLY STUNNED how effective this video is and extremely grateful for it🙏
My absolute pleasure
Hey Jason, i've watched a TON of these training videos and i have to say yours is one of the VERY few that seems very realistic. this looks like a "real" dog that you're working with as opposed to the ones that look like "models" (read ... already partially trained!) that obey every command and follow every direction and then seems to be perfectly trained as if by magic. SUBSCRIBED!
That means allot to me. I try to show real training with untrained dogs. There are too many dogs on TH-cam that look impressive but this doesn't really teach people much at all. I like people to see live training sessions with dogs learning there and then.
I completely agree. I like how this video is kind of raw and unedited, and shows the entire process, the good and the bad, of what owners can expect during training at all stages. I am working with my dog now on this.
Thanks very much
Was going to make the exact same comment - so many training videos are done with an already well-trained dog. It is so much more encouraging to watch training done in real-time with an untrained dog - showing the initial level of tugging and the gradual progression. This is absolutely the best "walk on a leash" training video I've watched yet. Working on both my chihuahua and my pitbull now (separately, of course), with a slip lead and already noticing how much more control I have. 💖 Thank you! 👍👊 New sub for sure.
Man, thank God I came across your video. My dog is exactly like Hugo on walks. I’ve implemented some of the stuff you talk about in the video and seen massive changes already but still early days.
So well explained, can’t thank you enough
Oh my goodness, THANK YOU for demonstrating with an actual strong, pulling dog. We just got our rescue 3 days ago and I've been inhaling training videos. Most are using dogs that seem to have been mostly trained already, and it looks to easy to correct the pulling behavior. Walking our Charlie is quite the nightmare with the pulling, especially when he sees a squirrel or rabbit. He still pulls at full strength even after they're already out of sight. I've learned more from your video than all the others combined.😀
That's great to hear I helped you out.
I use a head harness with my 120lb (55kg) giant breed. I love using it as the harness is a force multiplier (like power steering for your dog!). The amount of energy you have to expend to keep your dog under control is minimal, giving you the confidence to engage in situations and you would otherwise avoid. Your confidence is picked up by your dog and training your dog how to respond in those situations is made so much easier
what kind of pup do you have?
@@user-cs1xz He's a 2.5yo Great Pyrenees
@@leftsock7351 d'aww!!!! those are always so sweet and gentle when i see them out. thanks for replying
Glad I saw this video, Jason. I was going to buy a harness lie Hugo's for my little steam train but bought a Halti first. I'll give the contraption a miss and will use her slip lead instead. Thanks for such sensible training methods.
This is just like my Sheltie. He's always been on a harness and is very reactive to dogs or anything else that moves. He will get some serious training this week. Thank you for the video.
Every dog owner needs to watch this video. Changed my life 👍
Omg I thank you for this. I have a Rescue and I have the same problem. I took her to the Riverwalk and the leash popped off the harness as she was pulling to go toward a dog, thankfully did not harm the dog, but the owner was telling me about halti. This happened yesterday so I’m doing my research.
Best video ever, thank you so much
Glad it helped!
I have a Corgi/Heeler mix (commonly referred to as a Cowboy Corgi) who acts a lot like Hugo, except add in extreme barking and lunging to the mix. If he sees another person or (gods forbid) dog it's on like Donkey Kong. I've been involved with dog sports for decades (since the 80's) so slip leads and training collars are what I instinctively go to with problems like this, but my dog just thumbs his nose at them. He hyper focuses and no bit of yummy food, no amount of traditional correction on a training collar even remotely gets his attention. I've decided to try a head collar now, and I can't believe i didn't think of it before today. I'm quite hopeful it will be the "magic wand" I'm looking for. Thank you for this incredibly informative and helpful video! You have yourself another subscriber. :)
Thanks so much
One of the best lead training videos i have seen. Thank you
Glad it was helpful!
This is a fantastic realistic video thank you! I was in 2 minds on using a slip on my Labrador, she’s not an awful puller generally but she has a high drive and will lunge towards footballs or other dogs playing with balls as she wants to join in and has a major ball obsession . I was worried the slip wouldn’t be enough and I didn’t want her to be choking herself, I think I will definitely get the slip back out now and try this on a busy environment!
Thanks this was so helpful !
You're welcome!
Really nice video! Will defo try with my frenchie. But I have a question.. when would you allow the dog to have a bit of sniffing and "wees"? Aren't the walks for the dog to do their pee mails? Thank you xx
Let them have time at the start and even during the walk to pee etc. but do it in your formal command with a word like “Free” then go back to your formal walking.
@@jasonharrisdogtraining Will try the command free and see how it goes. Yesterday I started training Gaston and OMG what a huge improvement already! Thank you so much for sharing this.xx
My pleasure
This training video is wonderful, especially with the info about rubbing with the Halti. However, there's growing evidence that slip leads can cause tracheal collapse due to the pressure on the throat. While it's not a choke chain, they can still cause issues.
Thank you for your comment and yes I’m sure the slip lead can cause damage like any equipment used wrong. Breck when I was in the army with police dogs over 30 years ago, we use check chains. And now this has become a slip lead and that whole time I’ve never damaged a dog throat through any training session. I do believe this is a well marketed study to get people to buy harnesses and other equipment and in particular comes from the force free community I would actually like to see this statistics on dogs having damaged throats, but with more detail on who was using the slip lead and how it was used. If we judge things on being dangerous like cars crashing, we would never drive cars but we also know that the people driving the car is what does the damage.
THANK YOU for this video! I have had my rescue dog for almost 7 months. For the last 3 1/2 months, I’ve been dealing with her reactivity toward other dogs and leash pulling. Now that the bunnies are out, it’s been worse. I watched this video last night and implemented the techniques this morning. HUGE IMPROVEMENT!!! FINALLY!! 🎉 Thank you!!!
Good job, I love people who tend to think every dog passing by just wants to say hello 🤣
I just came across your video & it's the most helpful video I've seen so far! Thanks heaps!
You're very welcome!
I'm really surprised you have so few subs, I really enjoy your type of training. I have a 2 year old black lab, and she is a strong puller. I just bought 2 types of halti no pull harnesses, and 1 halti gentle leader, and it looks like I should have brought a slip lead :(
I watched another trainers channel and he was horrible, he was doing a similar technique that you do with the slip lead, but instead of using an actual slip lead, he just used a dog collar and a leash, so the collar was too low on the dog, and he pulled WAY TOO HARD, and when the dog wasn't even doing anything that needed correction. You could see the dog was scared of him (tail tucked) it was horrible.
I am sooo happy I found your channel instead! What I hate the most is you have so few subs, and he had over 500k!! WTF is that! You treat your animals with respect, I truly appreciate that.
I can't wait to see how well what I've learned works with my Hana! Thanks so much!
Thank you
Omg ! Your hired !!
This is real training that I can do. Tessa is a very reactive jack chi, reactive to dogs and people. She and I really need this help.
I recently rehomed a young year in the month old rat terrier, smart, very reactive, and a huge puller and I got him a gentle leader. He is a different puppy. I love your technique I love walking him on a loose leash I have a 13-year-old beagle it makes ourwalks better with her and he hast to be good. I live in the center of a thriving community with lots of kids dogs, bicycles people I don’t wanna have a dangerous dog. Thank you for your video.
Love this video. My 5 month old Dutchie is very reactive to the environment but receptive to correction and discipline. I will be using my slip lead a lot more in our training sessions.
I love your technique. Personally, I don't know how you'd train a dog without a slip lead. It was the exact tool necessary to train my reactive cattle dog. He now walks beside me at all times and he's a great partner.
Hands down the best video showing both the gentle leader and slip lead.
Muy buen video. Gracias
Thank you for this helpful video, got lots of tips watching it all
Glad it was helpful!
Thanks for the vid. I've just started using a halti with our staffy girl, how long does it typically take before you transition back to a leash and collar?
Some people never transition back to the collar. It really depends on the dog. There’s actually no need to as a head harness can be used permanently. They are not dangerous for the dog and if they get conditioned to them, they can wear it quite comfortably.
This is amazing for one session!
Thanks for making this video! Greetings from Belgium ❤️
You are very welcome
this is the best video i've seen on how to use a halti
Thank you
Watch the halti instruction video
Thank you! At last i understand the correction and loose lead idea. I have a 7 mth old English springer who pulls like Hugo but i realise now that i have been too soft with him.He is very reactive to cars and hurls himself towards them which is very scary. I am not sure if this is fear or his strong prey drive - he chases anything from butterflies to leaves which makes walking him very difficult. Any tips how to handle this please?
beautiful views
Sure is
It is always a good idea to accustom the dog to the training tools, prior to starting to use it on/in your training regime.
Outstanding!
thanks
Great work!
Thanks for the visit
Great video. Subscribed.
Thanks for the sub!
Good video thanks
Glad you enjoyed it
Harnesses have been adopted world-wide. A memo must have been sent round. Sorry l never bought shares in the harness manufacturing industry.
An excellent demonstration that the loose-leader/halti or what the great Cesar Millan used to call his “30cent lead” are all the tools you need.
I agree i wish i bought shares as well. I personally feel harnesses are one of the biggest scams in dog training equipment.
loved the long video.
Thanks for the feedback its appreciated
It worked perfectly. Still goes back to what he learned first (mouth lead, choke lead) which are proven to be damaging for dogs. Sight
For a malinois which is better halti or gentle leader?
I recently acquired a 5 year old neutered female German Shepherd. I was told that she was super reactive to other dogs because she was bitten by a pit bull when she was younger. She pulled like hell. I got the kind of prong collar that has 2.3 mm prongs on the inside of cloth and closes with a plastic snap. Using the technique shown I got her to walk with a loose lead when there were no distractions. I would like to introduce her to remaining under control when sighting another dog. However, I've read that correcting with a prong collar under those conditions would only create greater agitation. Instead, a slip lead should be used and raised straight up rather than jerked to the side. Is that good advice?
I believe as long as the dog has a very clear understanding of what the corrections is for and it isn't more than needed you can get a result. It's not about the equipment it's more about the person using it.
Thank you, so helpful
You're welcome!
Would be nice if you would show close up on the placement on the neck. I cant tell
Where is this beach? Its gorgeous.
Port Macquarie
My staff is a major puller. Hes like this with the halti...hates it with a passion....to the point he will try and get back in the house instead of going for a walk. May try the slip lead instead now as the harness doesnt do anything either
Thanks for this video. I have a 15mo irish setter who takes me for a walk, even wearing a halti head collar he can pull so much it hurts my back and shoulder. I hate walking him. We'll be heading back to the backyard for a while to get the loose lead happening.
Hope it goes well
My mastiff x staffy is extreme, she starts to lunge as soon as she sees one & is 30kg … far too strong she also will do everything in her power to slip her harness which she has before
We just got the halti and my dog is doing so much better. Walks were a nightmare before. Now she isn’t trying to pull quite as much. She is still reactive though. We tried slip lead and I got all the skin ripped off my finger when she saw a squirrel. Gentle leader was going to be next.
I notice the amount of leash let out on the slip lead was much shorter. So of course he was closer to you when walking.
Yes but at the start he had no awareness or engagement. After intro to the head harness he is walking without lead pressure. There is a big difference from start to end.
How can I transition from a slip lead to a flat collar if my dog is already walking nice on a leash? Or will I forever need the slip lead?
You can transition if your technique is good but truth is a slip gives better results.
You shouldn't need to correct your dog, if they learn the expectations you set, they should do what is reinforced and choose it. behavior which is reinforced is repeated.
where can i get a slip lead like that?
I just adopted a blind senior dog and struggling to walk her. Since she can't see me she keeps walking into me or across me and pulling really hard constantly. She is using smell and sound so reacts to my voice and is pulled to get to where she can smell grass or such. I've shortened the lead to keep her tight to my side but she still pulls. She has no training so doesn't know any commands. She's a lovely dog and has to be walked multiple times a day. Help!
I’m training a fear-based aggressive dog. Some great tips there ……thanks muchly 👍
Will a muzzle work fine with any type of lead/collar?
I use a Baskerville muzzle, that attaches with a collar to secure the bottom. Which is vital so the dog can't remove it.
Cheers for that - I’ll have to buy one. I’ve got to the stage where I think my dog would really like to play with other dogs …. but I don’t dare let him for fear of a fight resulting. The muzzle will ease my anxiety somewhat.
I struggled with reactivity in my GSD. I definitely found my confidence and energy played a role. I worked with a trainer in France saying the same types of thing. Seeing it on my actual dog made a big difference. It's like 90% better, and I realize that it's all me. Previously I had thought being firm and strong was the same as being mean.
@@djohnson-ku4cl I'm happy you are going well and understand the difference between firm and mean.
A good muzzle will work with most collars and leads
Wow brilliant 👏 hopefully this will help us with our Spanish rescue 🫰
Hi my dog os a rescue who is well socialised and goes to doggy day care 1 day a week. BUT she is super dog/lead reactive when on walks ... and her threshold is far away. Even if I try to turn to walk away or make her sit and wait she turns into a ferral beast. What would you suggest?
I suggest you remain consistent and be the leader and not accept this behaviour. Sometimes these things take time.
Wow!!!
Thanks for this video.
I have a 1y/o 50kg Rottweiler and have been employing exactly the same techniques for dog reactivity.
He is not aggressive but excited and wants to play.
I’m having mixed success with the corrections, even quite forceful ones.
Any advice on other techniques that may work?
Its not really about force, it's more timing, technique and equipment. If your correction is even 1 second to late the dog wont connect what it did wrong. So really focus on timing and sharpness rather than power. Don't forget to praise the good moments. And don't' forget you have a guardian breed that is designed to protect so it's tough to ask your dog to go against DNA that being said you can make a difference.
@@jasonharrisdogtraining Thanks Jason. Im aware of the timing issue and correct very quickly. Even instant corrections don’t overpower his desire to play. I'll keep on it.
What about the Prong....???
I don't use them. They are also illegal in my state.
We have a halti, and have tried a head harness. She pulls relentlessly with both. Switching directions, she just starts to sprint in the new direction. She makes great eye contact and "checks in" a lot during the walk, but is always pulling with all of her might and trying to run faster when we are moving. We had to retire the head harness because she was pulling so hard with it that it was rubbing the one side of her snout raw.. just pulling with her head completely sideways. I'm going to try a slip lead and I really hope that's the solution. 😭
Good luck
This was great Jason. I have a German Shepard, 2.5 yrs old. She’s awesome. I started on halti. Responded very well. Now on slip lead. Responding ok. But I think I’ll switch back to halti until I have 100% control. On slip lead, she’s not 100% engaged with me and beginning to pull a bit again. And, she’s reactive to dogs too. So I’m doing exactly what you do. Have her sit. But I am going to begin to say, ‘leave it’. Thank you so much.
I was using the head halti on my akita but have switched to the ezydog slip in the figure 8 like a halti but she is so much better with this than the halti
Training wise, how long would it take to get her perfect?
Honestly it’s a tough question. Some dogs can’t be improved 100% but if we can get at least being around dogs and not reacting that’s a great improvement. Fingers crossed we can get her allot better.
You forgot to give him the release word after he sat and you walked to the camera
I recently tried to work with a slip lead but my puppy always has his head down sniffing and the lead slips down on the throat... Suggestions??
Don't use a slip lead. There are so many better options. Train your dog to want to be by your side and then the pulling is not there
What type of brand/lead do you use?
hello. i do not use a particuler brand but just what i have around the house. rope / string or chain. hope that helps. thank u.
I use ezydog lead and collar but there is other brands of higher quality if you choose. As long it's good quality buckles, clips and preferably a double rings on the collar so if pressure is applied it doesn't pull apart.
Why not have both slip + halti especially during training
They both really work in different ways. A slip is more of a general obedience tool and head harness really focuses on covering walking. I don’t feel a head harness has a good cross over to a more obedient dog like a slip lead does. It’s a bit hard to explain in a quick message here.
@@jasonharrisdogtraining Thanks taking the time to reply, perhaps I can visit you at sometime as I am from South Africa. My daughter lives in Melbourne and I hope to visit soon. I have been training dogs al my live 43 years. I have been working abroad for 10 years training and deploying Mine Detection Dogs, however it has already been now 19 years that I have my Dog Training Business, I have been training 6 to 8 Civilian dogs on a daily basis, between 30-40 dogs weekly like I said for the past 19 years. It would really be nice to rub shoulders with a dog trainer like yourself. I am a firm believer in that there is always something to learn and share as dogtrainers.
amazing thank you! I have an aussie. i did one intro training session with a trainer (only 20 mins) and used a slip lead. INSTANT results. i was astonished. i bought a package to work with them. at the end of the video are you saying it's best to use a slip lead or halti all the time for walks moving forward? burn the harnesses? when i put his harness back on him after the session he did go right back to barking crazily at every dog and pulling me
As a rule harnesses generally don't work on most dogs.
No food driven likely bc it’s hot. 😌
My dog pulls and barks like crazy when he sees another dog
Try changing your equipment and improving your foundational obedience.
I laughed while watching this. My Rottweiler is reactive and I can't keep a halting on her. She pulls the clip and slips it in half a second. She lunges at vehicles, she lunges and barks at people. She lunges,barks and slather at dogs. I pull her off the trail, make her sit and talk to her. If I can keep her attention on me I can avoid the conflict. It's emotionally and physically draining.
Try the ezydog slip lead in figure 8 its like a halti but better
There are halti style leaders for flat nosed dogs. When fitted correctly, they won't slip off.
Oh compared to my female akita hugo is a saint with his reactivity 😂
this woman at 18:08 haha. You see someone actively walking aside and holding their dog aside to create distance, and then you let your dog walk as close as possible to the person trying to teach a reactive dog... man....
I can walk my dog with the gentle leader and she walks well but her reactivity when a dog is close...she becomes like a bucking horse. I feel like I am hurting her but I literally have to drag her away. This is usually when I come in and out of my building and a dog is right there. When they are far enough away, I can keep her under control. I feel horrible and like I am hurting her snout but I have to create distance as she is lunging and trying to get to the dog.
Try not to allow your dog to win those battles it will get better.
Prong collar works better than a halti
If the other person is within ear shot, ask if they would help you, by providing distance if they can. Practice with friends and their dogs or go to a dog park and ask someone with a calm dog, if they would help you practice walking at a distance which is safe for her to not buck. Then keep on practicing so you can reduce that distance gradually. Soon you will be able to do this at a reasonable distance. Until then, you could try taking her out at a less busy dog time, or take her out on the collar and put head harness on once you are able to see everything safely. Watch Susan Garrett, she is a great trainer
thank you! We now rented a house with a yard, so have minimized the issues. I am starting to walk her as well, but we haven't encountered a dog yet. Her new trigger is the neighbor when he happens to come out when we are in the yard. She runs to the gate and starts barking at him. It's rare but it's the next thing I am hoping to work on and to continue work with her on walks. Thanks so much for your great suggestions.
@@amy-marierichardson271
Ps I'm training my dog with the halti
Far out the anxiety the dog is displaying is being missed. By fast repetition of treats as the dog goes past lowers the adrenaline releases all feel good horomones. Makes dogs passing a positivs, 28yrs working with rescues never had to treat a dog with domanince
Why are these considered as force/punishment training? Many shelters around my city won't allow adoption if "force-free" training isn't used. I don't see anything wrong with the type of training you're showing; in fact, I think it's amazing.
Thanks
That's not a strong pulling dog mate.
Ok
is okay 2 hit dog ?
No
@@jasonharrisdogtraining ok
Ú
Learning to use the Halti without yanking at the dog is not this
OMG I've got to 13 minutes and cannot watch anymore. Too shameful to watch a 'dog trainer' teaching these old-school methods. I am an IMDT qualified dog trainer (ie Modern Dog Training) with 10+ years experience as a dog trainer, and I know that by not allowing this dog to sniff anything and express his natural primary sense to mentally process the world is adding to his anxiety and confusion which will exacerbate his reactivity. He keeps getting popped with the slip lead and head halter so he cannot exhibit any natural behaviours without being "corrected'! So sad to watch. If he was allowed to express normal dog behaviour, he would be less anxious, confused and 'reactive'. How about teaching him connection and trust with the handler through positive reinforcement and that the handler is aware of his needs and will support him appropriately. Number 1 lesson is eye contact! You are not teaching him about eye contact, trust and connection. Can this dog look to you for guidance, information, support, reassurance? What is your connection like? Can he trust that you will not put him in situations he cannot currently handle? Don't force a square peg into a round hole. Instead, take time to work within his ability and slowly help him to gain confidence in himself and in you. Most dog reactivity comes from fear. I am afraid of Huntsman spiders. You will not reduce this fear by putting a contraption on my face and jerking my head to follow you toward a Huntsman spider. Of course, I would have to follow you because you have control of me with your equipment. But that doesn't mean I will ever trust you (the opposite is in fact true). And you will never reduce my fear of Huntsman spiders using your method! Please people, don't be fooled by the methods of this guy. They may work because the dog has no choice but to comply, but they are a bandaid solution and do not deal with the underlying issues! Please look for trainers who use POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT for behaviour change. Your dog will trust and love you forever for that!
Wow, I teach loose lead walking and no need for correction.. There's a better way than this, 28ys positive reinforcement training methods only.. this type of training looks at symptoms not the cause (triggers),
Treat or not treat, correct or not to correct. The internet is full of opinions.
Every dog is different. I'm dealing with a 14 month old male GSD that was found in a park.
I've had him for two months. I'm familiar with high drive German Shepherds.
Tonight my reactive GSD slipped his Martindale collar as I reversed my direction due to several dogs out for a nightly walk.
I have no idea of this dog's history. I took him to the ground until I was able to secure him.
He could careless about treats regardless of value if he is interested in something better.
I'm sure the neighbors have an opinion on what I did, but having him destroy a small dog would have been worse.
Too many dogs end up on death row as their sweet little fluffy grew up to become an 80 pound teenager. They need some tough love.
Gentle parenting doesn't always work and doesn't work on every kid. Gentle methods don't always work and don't work on every dog. My dog is an extreme puller and extremely reactive but it doesn't come from fear and these newer, gentler methods do nothing to him 😅
Yeah, the manhandling really made me cringe. I'm not against gentle corrections, so pressure and release instead of popping, but this was just too much.
"This is the process you've got to go through with the gentle leaders, unfortunately." No, no it really isn't. This is the process you go through if you just slap a headcollar on their face with no prior training and expect them to accept it. I managed to train my 10 year old Boston terrier with dementia to wear a headcollar through positive reinforcement, it took her about a week to realise it wasn't as bad as she thought but the whole time, she never fought wearing it since she knew that yummy treats or a fun walk were coming when the headcollar came out.
If you let a dog sniff and explore their surroundings how is the dog looking to you for guidance? Are you sure that the dog needs to put his nose directly to a spot to smell it?
I don't agree that you should let your dog do whatever it wants on the walk. Otherwise it's the dogs walk and not yours. There needs to be a joint effort for you both to enjoy the walk.
Theres nothing gentle about the gentle leader, its garbage. Throw it out and stop using it.
This is not good. I didn't make it through the entire video because he doesn't know what he is talking about. He said there were no distractions in the park, which is not true. Most of the distractions were the surface change, grass, the traffic, the camera person, trainer talking, the smells, the sounds, even the heat of the day if they are used to working in morning, the wet grass vs dry, the change in the harness to different leads, his handler movements, body language, energy, speed change, etc. etc.
Then presented one treat and said he wasn't food motivated, he was overaroused at that point and generally overaroused dogs must have very high value treats to off set the environmental distractions, I always have options, especially with first meetings which can bring a dogs nerve up a bit, maybe chicken breast isn't his thing but beef liver is or cheese.
He was correcting with the gentle leader on, which you are not supposed to do, you also always need to have the leader pull their head towards you to generate the focused connection. More on leader issues later...
Sniffing is a reward which could be used on a walk and it could be anticipated that the owners would allow some sniffing. It is a great way to get them to not to pull and give sniffing as a reward.
Why the heck would you bring him to a path area to introduce to a random dog walking instead of seeing his threshold in the lower distraction area once he was calm? Rehearsing undesirable behaviors, especially not in a control setting, will not allow the dog to improve threshold. Yanking and correcting the dog through his walk is simply not a good answer.
Let's talk head halter, A flat nosed dog should use one designed for such a dog. You should always introduce gently in a calm environment and desensitize them to the feeling. The video on gentle leader recommends doing this at home over the course of a week, where you feed them with it on and play with it on, before starting a walk. The nose wiping to try to remove it is minimized when fitted properly. It is a nervous sign that they are not used to the feeling, and then walking with it while they are nervous will increase their excitement/arousal level or pair it with the nervous feeling not allowing them to get used to it in a calm, welcoming way.
I am happy this trainer is giving it a chance, but he set it up for failure, by not following simple steps and rushing the process. He gave up on it quickly and went for his slip lead, which basically does the same thing without controlling the head, probably because he could correct more and have his own comfort history with such a tool.
The first harness had a double leash attachment and he didn't hold it in the right area to get the dog with him, or use any signals to try to get the dog to follow his direction, get to know him, engage. Maybe talk to him a little, give encouragement and get him to relax in the stimulating environment. His ears were back, his tongue was long from anxiety, he was using his signals to say he was excited and didn't know what was expected. He is a beginner to the whole thing and I was utterly shocked when the trainer said, he thought he was ready for a walk. There was not connection or engagement in a calm way and he is inviting trigger stacking which will not show accurate threshold. At least get the dog into his thinking brain and out of the amygdala "reaction part of the brain" fight, flight, freeze will most likely happen, especially with a dog who has a history of mistreatment.
I do not recommend. He is basically saying, this is why he uses a slip lead and all the other tools are garbage. Without actually using them properly or knowing how they work correctly.
In dog training there is a saying, fast is slow and slow is fast... because you may appear to solve a problem fast but, it is redirecting that behavior into another area. Management is a tool to help while you improve your dogs behavior with counter conditioning, to reprogram the response the dog has. I didn't watch the rest because I feared he was going to flood the dog with not listening to his threshold or trigger stack him. Maybe he didn't, but I hate the thought of people doing this to a dog who has fear instead of helping him overcome the fear in a healthy way. I would have had a dog I knew to have calm energy come to the park once we were familiar with the park and sit far away, even a stuffed dog. Then do our foundations at a distance, perhaps a parallel walk at the park, the other dog on the other side. Give rewards, whatever those are (a good trainer would ask) maybe a tug toy or a bit of cheese, have them practice the look at that game and take the dog away for a break and repeat throughout the sessions. Slow builds confidence and trust and reprograms the fear thoughts and fast is no going to get success in the end because the fear is still there. It may be redirected to the handler with the lack of trust, it may manifest in another area when they feel they have no control or choice in their life or they may even get a condition like licking themself creating self harm in a way to try to soothe.
Unrelated but interesting human behavior trait. I learned that our own stress/anxiety is created mostly by early development separation from our parents. Maybe, we didn't feel we fit right with them, or they were not emotionally mature enough to connect with us. We humans either work through our anxiety and validate our inner child self who is anxious inside us, to find our solutions or we humans will manifest our anxiety into a distraction such as addictions to self soothe because we feel we have no control over it. We shouldn't do the same things to our dogs, we should validate their feelings as we would our children and through counter conditioning behavior modification bring them to solve it. All the while having our dogs, trusting us and building a confident bond together. Advocate.
stinking pit bull