Hi,
My springer has always pulled, however vary rarely needed to go on lead as out of the back garden we'd go and into woodland and secure open fields which me and the dogs adored. However circumstances changed and we have reccently had to move house. Now resulting in the dogs having to be on lead for a while before getting to where they can be let off (if that makes sense). My two labs are angels, but my spaniel is a total nightmare (i know its my own fault). Tryng to walk the three of them is a nightmare and i have now developed arms like popeye.
I know its excitement that causes him to pull, but he has now started lunging and i feel im not in control of my own dog. Im looking at getting a headcollar for him and was just looking for any suggestions from tried and tested ones any of you folks have used. He is currently walked on a half check collar with a thick rope trigger hook, a combination i have used on dogs for many years. No ammount of correcting him makes any differece. I checked him back today with all my strength, and was told by a passing dog walker that i was 'inflicting cruelty onto my dog'.
I cant carry on walking him like this, i have even driven the ten minute walk to the woods to save the agro. Plus popeye arms are ok, its when i start to look  like the incredible hulk im going to worry.
Any suggestions other than a halti/headcollar greatly welcomed.

Thanks

My suggestion is that you walk him on his own, without the others, so that you can concentrate entirely on him without the presence of the other dogs (even though they're behaving well) getting him over-excited about the prospect of a run with them.

I have tried the normal Halti collars and found myself spending most of my time with a dogs foot over the leash and her managing to get the loop off from over her nose !! The Canny collar was better in the fact that it works in a completely different way and was almost impossible for her to get off but I didn't have as much comtrol over her as she soon worked out that she could put her nose down and just pull anyway, LOL. The best so far has been the leather dogmatic which she very rarely gets off and it give plenty of control when needed but doesn't rub, move into her eye or stay tight which the others can do. My dogs are a breed which has a large head and short noses and I imagine if you have a breed with longer muzzle then it would be far more unlikely to be slipping over the nose but, I would still go for the dogmatic myself. 

Not sure if I'm allowed to mention other sites, but if I am, I thought this one was good for advice about basic training using Ian Dunbars, well respected methods.
www.dogstardaily.com
I think the only way of dealing with a pulling dog is to not allow it to pull at all, so when the lead goes tight the dog gets nowhere untill he sits or the lead goes slack. You will probably have your work cut out doing this with an adult dog and you'll need lots of patience (and time to spend standing around waiting for the penny to drop!) but you will get there.

I would definately recommend dogmatics. Since using them I can walk my two super strong huskys easily!

Another vote for Dogmatics. I don't use them myself, but we use them at club and even dogs that have previously been tried in other headcollars, accept them well. The owners usually go home with a big smile on their face.

I'd suggest one of the following, all lead from a more natural postion than the halti.
Gen-con, figure of 8 headcollar, leads from side
K9 Bridle, like a horses bitless bridle, leads from the back of the head
Canny Collar, leads from the back of the head.
I have written a guide on my own website, but won't link to it as its probably against the rules! I'm guessing you could contact me by pm if you want the address, unless someone says i can post it here!
Jessy

I use a halti, but only to control head movements and help stop excited lunging  from being able to happen ie. to direct Busters big slobbery face away from passing strangers clean trouser legs or if I see a situation he is likely to lunge in (loose dog running around him - great fun!!!) I'll get rid of the slack on the halti lead so he doesn't have room to lunge.

For general walking without pulling, I've found the 'tree' method the best - stand still when dog pulls and do not take another step until the lead goes slack, the INSTANT the lead goes slack reward, praise and carry on. You don't get far, fast to start with but it's worked a treat. Eventually the dog should self-correct with this method (it feels tension on the lead so will ease off) .

You could also go back to basics and treat the dog as if it were a pup - teach lead manners at home, around the house and garden where there is much less distraction/excitement so you can focus more on rewarding the behaviour you want rather than battling for the dogs attention

> so when the lead goes tight the dog gets nowhere untill he sits or the lead goes slack.

Yep, I agree, also chuck in some treats (timed correctly) to help make that distinction and it helps the penny drop a bit quicker

Thanks for the replies guys.
I guess im going to have to go back to basics with him. We used to do the stopping and making him sit and rewarding him, but that lapsed as he was never really on a lead. Its our own fault he cant walk on a lead, and were now going to have to put some efort in!
As i said it was never an issue before, and we never saw ourselves leaving our old house. However circumstances change, and our life has been turned completly upside down.
Ive looked at the 'dogmatic' online and might order one once ive managed to measure him.

Thanks again.

Another vote for the dogmatic here.  It was recommended by people on here and the staff are great if you phone up with the measurements they will advise on the correct size if your dog is between sizes.  My rotts first one was between sizes but they know their product so well that they were able to advise on the correct size and it fitted perfectly.

I use gentle leaders on my two male BCs and a dogmatic on my bitch BC.  All work very well and its the only way I can walk all three together.  On their own they will all walk without one.

I agree dogmatic is brillant I use it on my aussie and wouldn't do without it worth the extra money

I use canny collar on my youngster and love it, but he walks nicely on the lead and I really only use it in places of high excitement when I am trying to persuade him to stay calm. It does work well and I find that often a little tug with a finger is enough of a reminder and he can keep all four feet on the floor, although It does nothing for the carnage he could be creating with his tail at the time.

Another vote for the canny collar from me. It worked really well with our flatcoat who didn't need it for very long. We now manage with the 'immoveable tree' approach on the odd times he pulls.

Dogmatic gets my vote, have used the leather one on a GSD. The only drawback was it needs some care with being leather. I now have a springer spaniel and can imagine the leather getting messed up with the slobber. Leather cleaner and conditioner needed frequently. On looking at the Dogmatic web site I see that they now make a fabric one which would be easier to care for but have not tried one of these. By the way the leather Dogmatic is very stiff when you first get it and needs softening up befor use.

I have one of the synthetic leather ones and that came very nice and soft so very happy with it

I use the GenCon all in one head collar. Works well for my BC bitch.