Boxers and Head Collars
Head collars fit over your dog’s muzzle and clip behind the ears with the leash attached under the chin. This collar controls your dog’s head kind of like a bridle on a horse–the body will follow the head. Head collars are great for powerful pulling dogs or overly rambunctious dogs like the Boxer!
Types of Head Collars
Head collars come in a few varieties, depending on the brand. Below, I’ve listed three of the most popular brands that I’ve personally purchased for my Boxers. Finding the right dog head collar for your Boxer’s face shape is imperative, as some of those small variations might hinder the collar’s effectiveness.
Halti Head Collar
The Halti head collar has a nylon nose strap that fits over the dog’s muzzle with additional nylon straps that reach behind the dog’s ears and clip. There are additional smaller straps located underneath the muzzle that are attached to an O-ring. This is where the leash clips too. Most of the straps on the Halti head collar are adjustable, so you can fit them according to your dog’s size. However, in my experience, the extra straps around the mouth sometimes aggravate the dog and don’t always work best for shorter muzzle dogs, such as Boxers.
Gentle Leader Head Collar
Gentle Leader head collars have one nylon strap that goes around the dog’s nose and two additional straps that attach behind the dog’s ears with fewer straps around the muzzle. The Gentle Leader has an O-ring that hangs on a strap under the dog’s chin where the leash attaches. The cool thing about this collar is it has a clip where you can adjust the tightness around the muzzle. This collar also has adjustments around the ears to fit a wide range of dogs. This type of dog collar was always more practical for both my Boxers.
Walk‘n Train! Dog Head Collar
Walk’n Train! head collars are similar to the Gentle Leader head collar in design. It only has one main strap around the nose, two straps going around the ears, a strap with an O-ring where the leash clips and an adjustment clip under the dog’s chin to maintain a proper fit. However, there are some differences that make this collar stand out, such as a pad on the nose strap to add comfort for the dog. Overall, this was my number one choice in terms of head collars for Boxers because of the minimal straps and muzzle adjustments along with the nose pad. As you know, Boxers are short-muzzled with short slick hair. The one strap around the muzzle is versatile for any sized muzzle and the padded strap prevents any chafing or irritation on their noses.
Pros and Cons of Using a Head Collar on Your Boxer
Pros
In my opinion, I love the head collar for Boxers! They’re a great tool to help control these exuberant, loving dogs that tend to be powerful pulling dogs.This type of head collar redirects your dog’s attention quickly and easily with little to no force, and can be used by anyone. They come in all different colors and sizes, and are available at your local pet store or even Walmart.
Cons
With anything, there are cons to using a dog head collar. Nothing is perfect. The main cons for this type of collar are having to properly fit the collar and desensitize your dog to wear the collar as well as your Boxer’s ability to get the collar off. You can usually overcome these obstacles by making a positive association with wearing the head collar.
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Fitting Your Boxer for a Head Collar
Last, but definitely not least, how do you actually fit your Boxer in the proper head collar? Choose a head collar that best fits your Boxer. As I said above, I recommend the Gentle Leader or Walk’n Train! head collar due to the minimal straps.
Now that you’ve chosen your collar brand, read the back of the package to see what size it suggests for your size Boxer. This way you have somewhere to start. Unclip the neck strap, hold one side in each hand, place the high around your dog’s neck and clip it behind the ears. Then, tighten the adjustable straps to make the collar snug, but not too snug where your Boxer can’t open his mouth and pant. You should only be able to fit two fingers between the collar and your dog’s neck.
Next, pull the nose loop through the bracket and place it around your Boxer’s muzzle. Move the adjustable clamp where the nose strap is below your Boxer’s eyes. Don’t make it too loose that he can take off the collar with his paws. All Boxer owners know how talented their Boxers are with their paws. 🙂
If you have a friendly dog, I suggest taking him to the pet store with you and asking one of the employees to help you select the proper dog head collar. This will prevent ill fitting collars and possibly negative associations to the collar. Make sure you bring your Boxer’s favorite treat to make that positive association.
For additional information on the collars mentioned above, check out the links below.
http://www.coastalpet.com/products/product/wthh1.aspx?style=06100
http://www.companyofanimals.us/brands/halti
http://www.petsafe.net/gentleleader
