First Headcollar + Leash Session (Patreon)

With adolescence fast-approaching, I realized it's about time to get back to head collar work with Denver, and start working with a leash on the headcollar.

In general, I want to have the option to use a head collar during adolescence to prevent the rehearsal of undesirable behavior. Because I do not use a head collar to teach loose leash walking (I teach that through reinforcement zone, as you've seen), the head collar is more of a "just in case" measure if Denver, say, lunges for a chicken bone or something of that nature.

The head collar I used here is the gentle leader. It's the most minimalist one, so I tend to use it more often, but I'll also use a halti if the dog doesn't prefer the gentle leader. I don't use a head collar for every dog, and I don't even know if I'll end up using one with Denver, but it's always good to have options, and practicing desensitization for things on their face goes hand in hand with desensitization to muzzles and dog goggles as well.

In this session my goal is just to let Denver feel the weight of the leash attached. With Denver, movement is my friend, so after he offers to "load" into the head collar several times, I immediately move into faster-paced behaviors and movements once the leash is attached.

My goal in this first session is to not have him think much about the head collar to prevent him pawing at it or trying to take it off. This means I use a lot of luring and known behaviors.

Pretty pleased with how this session went and how unfazed Denver seems by the head collar. Fingers crossed that with carefully planned, short sessions we'll have him pretty well accustomed to it well before I actually want to use it in real life.

Session Filmed: Late January 2025 - Denver is a week shy of 5 months