How to Make a Dog Halter

Stop struggling to keep your dog under control when you go for a walk. Energetic dogs tend to pull on their leashes, causing their owners to pull back or accidentally let go. To keep your dog from pulling on the leash or to distribute the force of the leash evenly on your dog's neck and back, try using a halter rather than a collar. Make your own halter to achieve a customized look and fit that suits both you and your dog.

Wrap the leash loosely around your dog's neck and adjust it so that both sides are even in length.

Cross the clip-end of the leash over the handle-end and wrap it under your dog's body and up around to his back.

Fasten the clip of the leash onto the cross section behind your dog's head. Hold the end of the leash as you normally would when walking your dog.

Determine the appropriate width for your dog's halter based on your dog's size. For a small dog, use nylon webbing 3/4 inches wide and for a medium or large dog, use webbing 1 to 1/4 inches wide. For extra large dogs, or if your dog tends to pull on the leash, use 1 1/2-inch wide webbing.

Drape a length of nylon webbing across your dog's nose and wrap it loosely under its jaw. Tighten the webbing until it sits snugly against your dog's nose but leave enough slack so that your dog can still open its mouth. Mark the webbing and cut it 1 inch longer than the length marked.

Sear the ends of the nylon webbing by waving them gently over a lit match to melt the ends and keep them from fraying. Form a loop with the nylon webbing so that the ends overlap by about an inch and sew them together.

Wrap a second length of nylon webbing gently around your dog's neck and mark the places where the two ends overlap. Add 3 inches to each side of the webbing, cut it, and sear the ends. Attach one end of a plastic buckle to each end of the nylon webbing by inserting the end of the webbing, folding it back over itself and sewing it in place.

Put both the nose piece and the collar on your dog and experiment with various positions for connecting pieces. Pin a piece of nylon webbing to the underside of the nose piece and measure the space between it and the collar. Add an inch or so to the measurement then cut the piece and sear the ends. Sew the piece of webbing to the underside of the nose piece and to the front of the collar.

Measure and cut two more pieces of nylon webbing and use them to connect the sides of the nose piece with the collar. Pin one end of a piece of webbing to each side of the nose piece and mark the appropriate length for the webbing to connect to the side of the collar. Cut the pieces, sear the ends, and sew them in place.

Cut a 3- or 4-inch piece of nylon webbing and sear the ends. Loop one end through a metal D-ring, fold it back over on itself and sew it in place. Position the other end on the back of the collar at the base of the dog's neck and sew it in place.

Put the head halter on your dog by unsnapping the clip and sliding the nose piece onto your dog's nose. Wrap the collar around your dog's neck, snap it in place, and clip the leash to the metal D-ring.