Benefits and Drawbacks of Head Collars in Training Your Dog

Posted by Deakster on October 28, 2008

One of the training tools for dogs that are being popularly used nowadays is the head collar.  The reasons why it is being favored over other conventional collars is that it is simple to use for those who are starting out in training dogs.   Moreover, the head collar is efficient in handling dogs that have a tendency to pull as well.

Those who own dogs know that there are certain scenarios wherein their dogs are hard to manage. Examples of such situations are when a dog wants to be with his fellow canine companions, or if a working dog is surrounded by things that can distract him, or when going on outings. With the help of a head collar, you can control your dog from getting too excited and keep them reined in.

Although the head collar is quite effective, it can never be a substitute for proper dog training. However, by using it together with appropriate training techniques, like using reinforcement that is affirmative and establishing a reward system, you can be assured that your dog will be well trained in no time.

Despite the benefits, there are also some drawbacks to using head collars. Dogs are naturally quick to distinguish differences. Head collars can often make a dog dependent and because they are able to determine the difference between a head collar and their regular collar, their behaviors will then differ, depending on the collar being used, thus causing possible complications.

To add to that, there are dogs that are not used to the collar, thereby developing an aversion to collar itself that when they are wearing it, they tend to constantly take it off by pawing. To help your dog adjust to it, you can pull on his head and make him sit. Or, you can keep him on the move until such time that he becomes accustomed to the collar. Quite a number of people also have a negative reaction to it due to its muzzle-like form, giving them the impression that the dog is likely to bite at any given time.

To sum it all up, when training your dog, you follow the same principles in using either the training or head collar. You should make sure to read the instructions on the package thoroughly before using them and they should both be paired with firm training techniques. Once your dog behaves alike with either head collar or standard collar, this is a sign that your dog is well trained already.