History of Newtrix
The NewTrix Dog Halter was invented in 1996 by Canadian veterinarian Dr. Robert Curran.
Dr. Robert Curran and his new lovely wife Dr. Barbara Houghton graduated in the same year at Guelph University for Veterinary Medicine where, of course, they met!
They jumped into having a family with the birth of their three children Matt, Emily and Laura Curran, their first before they even finished at Guelph U!
They took this on in stride. With love overflowing they had many animals in the mix over the years as well. Starting with three cats and a dog Nikki who tragically passed from running into the road and getting hit by a passing car. An unfortunate moment that had no fault on anyone, just broken hearts.
Nikki was a beautiful dark grey and black miniature poodle who loved to howl and sing! Robert and his family would imitate Nikki's howling and they would all go back and forth together with Nikki as a family game.
Nikki was so joyful and playful and this could make him difficult to walk... especially with three kids in tow.
This is when Dr. Curran started looking into purchasing a training device that would allow Nikki to maintain his joyful, playful nature while also encouraging calm walks and behaviour that doesn't put him at risk of what, unfortunately, to quickly, took his life.
Dr. Curran started with what was already on the market at the time. He noticed that many of them attached the leash at the front of their neck and advertised that they turned the dog's head diverting the direction of their walk so that they don't turn into traffic. You can, ideally, turn their head to the opposite direction with some direct force.
When Dr. Curran tried this on Nikki he noticed that the halter seemed to agitate Nikki even after many uses and many treats. He would continue to paw at it.
Dr. Curran also noticed that the halters at the time would rub into one eye or another creating discomfort for the dog when he and Nikki would start pulling in one direction or another.
One major pitfalls of these designs was that if a dog were to very quickly jolt in one direction it would yank tension and this would directly place a kink in the dog's neck where the halter would turn the dog into a direction.
Dr. Curran respects the concept of these older models as it can be compared to how we direct horses to train them while we ride them. The mouth piece connects to the rains behind the horses head so that a rider can steer or slow down or even stop the horse. The Rider pulls on one rain, for example, rapidly in order to stop the horse and put them into a controlled turn.
You can imagine this on a horse with a metal mouthpiece and a experienced rider, but you and your dog in a park? It didn't quite make sense for Dr.Curran and his miniature poodle who had an obsession with squirrels and was so fast and dark you couldn't see him swiftly sprint past you.
like a shadow he was gone....
This was only fuel to Dr. Robert Curran's flame and passion for animals and compassionate training techniques. He created and invented a design that seemed to correct the behaviour of a dog without potentially harming or agitating the dog's eyes or face etc...(illustrated in point form below).
Dr. Curran has spent the last 27 years establishing a reputation for inventing a dog halter that just plain works! He now has many customers world wide; Spain, Germany, Australia. Many have told of other heart breaking stories just like Nikki's. NewTrix is a clear and gentle tool that keeps your dog safe and you and your dog relaxed on walks.
Here are the key improvements the Dr. Curran included in his new design;
- The NewTrix Dog Halter attaches the leash to a ring located at the back of the dog's head.
- It's patented Push Pulley System puts equal pressure on the center back of your dog's head when they start to pull, the dog will often react by slowing down, stopping or sitting on order to release this pressure.
- The NewTrix Dog Halter utilizes your dog's natural balancing reflex enabling this action and behavioural correction.
- A loose leash walk! Your dog will no longer tense the leash. They will start to get the message to slow down and walk comfortably next to you at a steady pace.
- Quick acclimation time especially with lots of their favourite treats (doggies often LOVE little pieces of grilled chicken or cheddar cheese)!
- Feels SAFE and comfortable to walk your dog! No more stress, worry or embarrassment!
- The NewTrix Dog Halter encourages your dog to be themselves while also staying safe!
Finally a halter that we can all depend on!