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Halti Training Lead Review

Labrador being walked with Halti Lead

Quick Verdict

Whether you’re looking for a new lead to aid with training or just a new general purpose leash, we’d thoroughly recommend the Halti Training Lead. We’ve been using this lead for a long time now and we haven’t looked back. It’s quick and easy to adapt to different situations, gives you greater control over your dog while walking, and is made from tough yet comfortable material that makes extended use a breeze. Overall, we highly recommend the Halti Training Lead for anyone looking to improve their dog’s walking behavior.

Pros Cons
+ Great versatility
– Material is strong but not indestructible
+ Gives you greater control over your dog than a conventional lead
– Will not fix pulling instantly. Needs to be used in conjunction with consistent training
+ Allows for easy tethering
+ Made from strong, durable material
+ Can be used hands free
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What is the Halti Training Lead?

The Halti Training Lead is a durable and dependable lead designed to help stop your dog pulling when out for a walk. The team behind the Halti range have 35 years of experience in designing and creating these leashes and are led by Dr Roger Mugford, a leading animal psychologist.

In this review, we will be focusing on the 2m long large lead (width of 2.5cm), but there is a smaller 2m lead (width of 1.5cm) available that is more suitable for dogs weighing less than 20kg. The lead is part of a range of products including the Halti head collar and the no pull harness, which the manufacturer recommends pairing with the lead for the best training results. However, we have used the lead as an everyday lead coupled with an alternative harness and have still seen improvements in Flynn’s walking. 

What We Liked

One of the best things about this lead is its versatility. The lead has two trigger clips at either end and three connection rings spaced along the length of it. When using it as a regular lead, you can attach one trigger clip to the ring by the other trigger clip to give you a short lead, clip it at the ring halfway for a medium length, or clip it to the closest ring to maximize the lead length.

If you’ve got two dogs, they can both be walked on the same lead. The double trigger clips also allow you to loop half of the lead around yourself, which is great for keeping your hands free when doing obedience training. I’ve even used this lead to go on runs with Flynn occasionally, by wearing the loop over one shoulder. While it is looser than a specialist running lead, it’s secure enough that I wasn’t constantly readjusting it when trying to jog.

It’s also great for easily tethering your dog when necessary. We always take the Halti lead if we’re visiting a dog friendly restaurant, as we can securely fasten Flynn to our chair or table in a matter of seconds. We also use the spare trigger clip to attach Flynn to a tether point in our car boot, so he can stretch his legs while we prepare for a hike.

Dog tethered to car with a Halti lead
White dog sitting wearing a Halti lead.

The main selling point of this lead is of course to improve your dog’s behaviour while walking. To achieve this, one trigger clip needs to be attached to the back of your dog’s harness, and the other should be clipped to either the connection point on the front of the harness or your dog’s collar. With your dog by your side, hold the end of the lead clipped to their back with the hand closest to them, keeping some tension in the lead. With your other hand, take the end of lead clipped to the front, but keep it slack until you need to correct their behaviour.

Attaching the lead in this way gives you much greater control over the direction that your dog is walking. This is because you can effectively steer your dog from the front, which you can’t do when using a normal lead. When coupled with consistent training and rewards for walking correctly, this lead will aid you in reducing your dog’s urge to pull.

We have found that attaching the trigger clip to Flynn’s collar rather than the front ring on the harness gives us better control, but your mileage may vary. Even when we’re not training, we like to attach the lead in this way when visiting places with lots of people and dogs around, as it allows us to easily keep Flynn close.

The lead is made from a lightweight neoprene webbing, which makes it tough yet comfortable to use for long periods of time. It’s nice and light but it’s robust enough to give you confidence when your dog starts to pull. At the time of writing, the lead comes in either red or black.

The Drawbacks

This is a great lead, but as is the case with anything, it’s not perfect. If you’re looking at this lead as an instant fix for your dog’s pulling, then you’ll be disappointed. While it gives you greater control over your dog’s movements, it needs to be paired with consistent training over a period of time. It’s best to see the lead as a tool to encourage your dog to walk nicely, and rewarding them when they do so.

While the neoprene material is tough, it’s not indestructible. If your dog is a notorious chewer (like ours), it’s best not to leave them unsupervised with the lead for long periods of time. I once left Flynn unattended with his lead while I searched for something upstairs. When I got back, he had chewed a bit of the way through the lead (not so much that it was unusable). He normally makes very short work of things though, so the lead did put up a good fight considering how long he had to chew it. It’s also not waterproof, and will retain moisture when it gets wet.

Conclusion

Based on our experience using the Halti Training Lead, we are confident in recommending it to other dog owners. The lead is well-made, durable, and effective in improving walking behavior. It is comfortable, versatile and great value for money. While it has some flaws, these are minor and we believe that for the money you are getting a top quality product. All in all, the Halti Training Lead is a valuable addition to any dog owner’s training toolkit.

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