Meet Chewie…
Chewie...
Chewie is our (almost) 11 month old Siberian Husky puppy.
Meet Chewie’s head collar…
Meet Chewie when he’s wearing his head collar…
This is what Chewie looks like twice daily when I walk him. Now, I don’t meet a lot of people when I walk Chewie, but those that I do meet (usually dog owners themselves) take one look at Chewie in his head collar, and ask me if he bites, or if he snapped, or if he’s viscious. Seriously people?? Can you not tell that its just a strap around his snout? Can you not see that his mouth is open and his big giant floppy tongue is sticking out?? If he were wearing a muzzle, he wouldn’t be able to open his mouth. He wouldn’t be able to drink, or eat, or bite your ass if he wanted to.
A Siberian Husky’s instinct is to PULL. It’s what is bred into them. I have every intention of hooking my kids’ sleigh up to him in the winter time and charging for dog sled rides. (no joke, man)
If I DON’T use the head collar, my Siberian Husky (who’s instinct is to PULL) will PULL me all over the neighborhood. Now I’m no lightweight (as if you didn’t know that already) but if he sees something he wants to get at (cat, bird, another dog, shiny object) and he’s not wearing his head collar, he will YANK my arm off trying to get to it.
With the head collar, a slight correction to him (I’m also studying the methods of Cesar Millan, aka, the Dog Whisperer) and he will sit and wait to be ALLOWED to yank my arm off.
The idea behind a head collar is very much like a halter for horses. Where the nose goes, the rest of the body will follow. You wouldn’t put a regular collar and leash on a horse and expect to be able to ride it or lead it anywhere, would you? It’s the same concept for Chewie. If he’s wearing the head collar I can lead him (like every pack leader should, thank you Cesar) where I want him to go. Ultimately , I want to do away with it and just use a regular collar and leash, but until he realizes that I am the pack leader, this is the way I need to do it.
So if you see me walking down the street with Chewie and his head collar, take a minute and consider what you see… Is is mouth open? Can you see his teeth? Then no, he doesn’t bite. But I might! So, think before you open your mouth!!
This is an original ROSCMM post. All opinions in this post come from Jennifer herself unless otherwise noted. This post has no compensation level as I did not receive anything for writing this post,(visit my Full Disclosure page for more details) and no, you can not steal my content unless you specifically ask me for it first. It’s called copyright, yo.
Copyright 2011 Mastermind Mommy
Ramblings of a Semi-Conscious Mastermind Mommy 
It’s been SOOOO long since you posted… I thought you may have fallen off the planet!
Another good post. Was it the evil neighbor who said something at the bus stop again? 😛 You can easily train your dog to not pull you around unless you tell him to. You will get there!
This shit happened to me too! Does it look like a muzzle? Does it look like it would be in any way effective as one? No! GAH!
Oops lol. What techniques do you use for corrections? I find my Doberman still tries to charge ahead although he can’t yank my arm off. I have been using a gentle pull until he comes back to my side and then continuing walking. Any tips you have would be muchly appreciated!
I wish I had an answer for you… I’ve recently switched to a choke collar for him, although he still pulls. I’ve read on the forums that I belong to that the head collars can injure my dog’s neck much worse that a choke collar can. I’ve enrolled my dog in training classes, and I try to use a mixture of Cesar Milan’s techniques and what I’ve learned in the training classes and although he’s better, he still needs a lot of work.