Desensitization to Head Collar

Helping your Pet Adjust to Wearing a Head Collar

Desensitization to Head Collar (i.e. Halti or Gentle Leader)

Head collars can be great management tools while you are working on polite leash walking with your dog; they can help keep you both safe on walks and reduce the pulling on your arm and shoulder, they can also help while you are working on training for dogs who are reactive, or dogs who like to try to eat things they shouldn't while out and about.  For some dogs, they can take some getting used to.  Most dogs aren’t immediately comfortable with something placed over their nose and may paw at the head collar or rub their face on the ground or other objects in an effort to remove it.

Positive Associations

Never punish your dog for trying to paw at or rub the head collar.  You want to create positive associations with wearing it so your dog can get used to it and become comfortable with having it put on his nose.

The Right Size

Make sure the head collar is the right size for your dog.  You can bring him to the store and have him try it on before you buy it and ask for help fitting it if you’re not sure what size he needs.  The head collar should be loose enough that you can slide one or two fingers under the band behind the ears, but not so loose that it slides up into your dog’s eyes or that he could back out of it.  Try to pull the nose loop over the tip of his nose - if it can slide off, then it's too loose.

Step 1

Put a treat through the nose loop of the head collar so that your dog has to stick his nose through to get the treat.  Give him the treat and remove the head collar (out of sight).  Each time hold the loop over his nose a second longer before giving him the treat.  When the head collar goes away, the treat bar is closed.  When the head collar comes out, the treat bar is open again.  Keep these sessions very short and sweet to begin with, you can just do a few trials before each meal, or a few times per day when your dog is relaxed.

Step 2

Once your dog is comfortable with the first step, then clip the head collar behind the ears and feed your dog a few treats, then remove it again.  Do this a number of times a day, for only about 20-30 seconds at first, then slowly increase the length each time.  Give your dog a few treats and remove the head collar before he gets to the point of wanting to paw at it or rub his nose on things, the goal is to "quit while you're ahead" and end on a positive note.

Step 3

Once your dog can have the head collar on for a longer period of time, put the head collar on and give him his meal, adding a few treats to the bowl to make it extra special.  Let him eat his food while wearing the head collar and remove it as soon as he has finished.  If your dog will not eat with the head collar on, go back to step 2 and work on that for a while longer.  Keep in mind that you want the head collar to have positive associations, so go at your dog’s pace and reward heavily when he is wearing it.

Step 4

Take your act on the road: once your dog is able to eat a meal with the head collar on, start using it for very short walks.  Remember to give him treats for putting it on, and bring some treats along with you on your walks.  If he starts to rub or paw at his nose, simply redirect him: call his name in a cheerful voice to get his attention, pick up your walking pace slightly, then give him a treat for paying attention to you and moving forward.  If your dog is rolling on the ground and absolutely refusing to move, go back to step 3 and give him more time to get used to it.  The end goal is safer, more comfortable walks for both of you so you want to make sure you’re both enjoying the benefits of the head collar and it doesn’t become a battle.  Keep these walks short, sweet, and fun and then gradually increase the length of time your dog wears the head collar.

You'll know you're on the right track if your dog has an excited reaction when you pull out the head collar.  He should be thinking "oh goody, treats!" and "oh goody, walk time!" when he sees it.

About The Author

Jillian is a fear-free certified and CPDT-KA certified animal behaviour specialist and has been working in the animal care and behaviour field since 2009.  

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Photo Credit: Audrey Fear

Our Boarding and Pet Sitting Cancellation Policy

Pawsitive Pet Care's Boarding & Pet Sitting Cancellation Policy 

We understand that sometimes plans change, and sometimes these changes are outside of our control.  With that said, we make every effort to keep our availability as accurate and up-to-date as possible.  We also wish to be considerate of our staff's personal time and respect the fact that they set aside their own time to be available for our clients for pet-sitting services.  As such, we ask that clients please give us as much notice as possible if you need to change or cancel any services.  This may also allow us to offer the services to clients on our waiting list.

As our services are in very high demand, and we book very far in advance, we have the following cancellation fee schedule in place.

Unfortunately, because we are often turning away clients due to being fully booked, we require a non-refundable deposit with no exceptions.  This policy will always be discussed at our meet-and-greet, prior to confirming bookings.  We thank you for your understanding.

A deposit of 50% of the total service cost is required to guarantee the pet-sitting or boarding dates.   Post-dated cheques must be dated at least two weeks prior to the start of services.  There is a minimum $50 administration fee on all cancellations with no exceptions.

Once the deposit is received the booking is confirmed and the following cancellation policy is in effect:

14 or more business days:  cancellation fee of $50
13 business days:                cancellation fee of $60
12 business days:                cancellation fee of $65
11 business days:  cancellation fee of $70
10 business days:  cancellation fee of $75
9 business days:                 cancellation fee of $80
8 business days:                cancellation fee of $85
7 business days                 cancellation fee of $90
6 business days:               cancellation fee of $95
5 business days:  cancellation fee of $100
4 business days:  cancellation fee of $125
3 business days:  cancellation fee of $150
2 business days:  cancellation fee of $175
one business day:  cancellation fee of 50% of service cost
**One business day or less:     Deposit  (50% of service cost) is forfeited

Please note that the cancellation fee will never be more than 50% of the service costs, unless service cost is $100 or less in which case the $50 deposit is retained. 

As our services are in very high demand, and we are often turning away clients due to being fully booked, we require a non-refundable deposit with no exceptions.  This policy will always be discussed at our meet-and-greet, prior to confirming bookings.  We thank you for your understanding.

This policy is also provided with all boarding and pet-sitting invoices and is also available on our website at PawsitiveCare.ca/cancellation-fees

Please contact Jillian if you have any questions or concerns.

Please always ask any questions you may have and always be aware of all policies prior to booking any services.  We also have cancellation policies for dog-walking services, and these can be found on our website at PawsitiveCare.ca/dog-walking

Thank you for your understanding, and thank you for your business.

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Pawsitive Pet Care has been providing pet care services in Manitoba since 2010.

Tips for Introducing Dogs Safely

This is a follow-up to our 2015 blog post Understanding Dog Reactivity

Part Two:  Tips for Introducing Dogs Safely

(i.e. a friend or neighbour’s dog) 

Rule #1:  Start on Neutral Territory

If you’re not sure how the dogs will respond to each other, then the most important thing is to start somewhere neutral, not in someone’s back yard where a dog may become territorial.  A quiet street where you won’t encounter many other people or dogs is ideal, one where there is lots of room for the dogs to move apart if they want to.


We recommend starting with the dogs on leashes for safety

Keep the leashes on, but as loose as possible: don’t tighten up on the leash or put tension on the leash unless you need to gently guide your dog away from the interaction.  Allow the dogs to move away whenever they want to, allow them to exhibit curved non-confrontational body language (going sideways to each other, sniffing rear ends) or to move away and sniff other things.  These are effective ways for the dogs to slowly warm up to each other.


Curves are IN

In polite dog culture dogs do not meet face-to-face (head on), instead they approach each other circuitously to show that their intents are friendly, then often they circle-sniff with each dog’s nose meeting the other’s rear end.  Dogs can get so much useful and important information from a sniff and from observing the other dog’s posture.  When dogs are approaching face-to-face their postures are often stiff, heads held high, coming in a straight line with no opportunity for appropriate body language and doggy etiquette.  As they are getting closer the tension is already building before they’ve even come in contact.

Walking along a sidewalk most people are walking in a straight line with not much room.  It is wise to give the dogs a wide berth so they can pass each other in a curved pattern rather than a straight line.  Always ask the other person if the dogs can meet, please do not allow your dog into another’s face, and if the other person’s dog is on leash and you’re not in an off-leash park, the polite thing to do is leash up.


The Introduction 


Go for a Walk Together to Take the Pressure Off 

If you are introducing the dogs intentionally, the best thing to do is have them walking in the same direction, parallel to each other, facing the same way as opposed to face-to-face and moving toward each other.   If their bodies are tense then have them walk parallel further apart (i.e. on separate sidewalks or across a field) and then slowly move closer together, remaining parallel, only as they exhibit signs they are ready.  You’re looking for relaxing their body tension, sniffing in each others’ direction, soft eyes (not staring), tails relaxed and loose around mid-height (not high up in the air like a flag and not tucked in as though they are scared).


Take THEIR (not your) Time

It’s always best to err on the side of caution, especially if you want these dogs to be friends long-term.  It’s better to take a longer time for them to be fully introduced than to rush things and allow them to have a negative experience.  It’s a lot harder to undo bad first impressions than it is to delay those play dates.

Once they are walking side-by-side seeming relaxed and happy, then let them meet as they wish in a more open space.


Play Time! 

If (and only if) the dogs are meeting with relaxed bodies, loose wagging tails, wiggly body language, looking like they want to play - now is the time to let them play off leash.  We recommend doing so in a space fenced in for safety, but one that is large enough that each dog can move to take space when they want or need to.  We recommend at least one adult for each dog, just in case trouble does come up.


Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow 

Keep the first play date short and sweet (and ideally the first few, especially if there is significant time between them - dogs have a great memory for scents, but still have short memories in general).  Don’t wait for the dogs to get tired and cranky and therefore increase the risk of a scuffle.  End the play date while they’re still playful and happy and having fun.  This way their least memory of each other is a very positive one, and they will look forward to seeing each other again.  You’re building a long-term friendship here, so be patient and cautious :)  Keep a careful eye on their body language and intervene proactively whenever there might be trouble brewing.  Even if they play for 5 minutes, then take a short 1-2 minute break separately for water and to shake off, then return - that is a great way to ensure things remain friendly.  Finally, enjoy watching your dog(s) have fun!  Healthy dog play is one of the great joys of dog ownership and a well-socialized dog gets to have more of these fun play dates.

About The Author

Jillian is a fear-free certified and CPDT-KA certified animal behaviour specialist and has been working in the animal care and behaviour field since 2009.  

visit us on Facebook to learn more about Pawsitive Pet Care!  

Visit our website at PawsitiveCare.ca