[PaisleyH]

Hello All,
We are preparing for our puppy to arrive on August 10th and reading alot about different training methods. We are outdoors people and intend for our dog to accompany us on all outdoor activities. From swimming, running, hiking, the soccer field, etc. etc.
I have come across the remote collars and find them very appealing.

the theory in my mind for the 4 settings on the remote would be...

Audible beep: associate this with "come". if she is across the soccer field, instead of screaming "paisley, come" at the top of lungs from 100 yards away. Simply beeping the collar would signal her to return to us

Vibrate: this would be used if the beep for come is ignored or for a very mild correction for a behavior

Pulse: this would be for a correction to an undesirable behavior, digging up the flower beds, getting into a garbage can acorss the field, chasing a squirl toward a street, etc.

Continuous: i dont want to ever have to "continuously correct" our dog so this would not be used.

The aspect i like is that the dog associates the behviour with an immediate correction. If the dog is 100 yards away and starts sniffing around a picnic basket or eating someones sandwhich, me running 100 yards saying "Paisley NO" i feel is not going to be productive and she will not associate that action directly with my running and saying no....it would be more a miscue of fun. Oh look Matt is running at me waving his arms...time to play...and the whole misbehaviour of checking out a sandwhich will be missed.

So..as always....all opinions are very helpful..please share your thoughts.

Also....suggested training schedules and methods for the remote training

M&R
Paisley's Parents:wavey:

 

[Bentleysmom]

Hi, I just want to forewarn you, this is a hot button subject so you will hear lots of things and it may get heated. Don't take anything personal, I had to learn that too. Good luck

 

[PaisleyH]

I have not decided on the method so i would love to hear both sides of the argument. The best made decison is when you know both sides. Thank you for the warning though. : )

 

[TheZ's]

Ditto what Joyce said.

Never used an electric collar myself but know there may be a place where they are appropriate if the handler knows how to use it and the dog is properly trained to it. As I understand it, they are never appropriate for a young pup so you still need to do all the traditional training.

Good luck with your puppy.

 

[AmbikaGR]

You MUST understand that the electronic collar is NEVER used to teach ANYTHING. NOTHING!!!!! It is used to reinforce what hey have already been taught and COMPLETELY understand.
In my experience over the years I have put it on my pups for training but without turning it on. They wear it all the time for training to help prevent them from becoming collar wise. I usually start collar conditioning after the age of 6 months. Just my preferences.

 

[PaisleyH]

The Z's Thank you for that point. I assume this is a training method that is used after a certian age. great thing to keep in mind.

 

[itried]

You MUST understand that the electronic collar is NEVER used to teach ANYTHING. NOTHING!!!!! It is used to reinforce what hey have already been taught and COMPLETELY understand.
In my experience over the years I have put it on my pups for training but without turning it on. They wear it all the time for training to help prevent them from becoming collar wise. I usually start collar conditioning after the age of 6 months. Just my preferences.

quick question what does collar wise mean ?

 

[KeaColorado]

Collar wise would be when the dog figures out he or she only has to listen when the collar is on.

I also would not recommend a collar for a pup under 6 mos. Use those early months to do your very best with positive training, lots of repetition, a long line for teaching the recall. You may find that you have a quick study and you don't even need the e-collar at all. If you think your dog might start eating someone's sandwich, she should not be allowed to be 100 yards away from you. When she is little, you have to be right there, next to hear, teaching her what is right and wrong, offering her appropriate alternatives. If you are going to let her off-leash, do it in a safe place with a fence and no running kids or other temptations around. An e-collar can be a powerful training tool, but I think it's important to resist the urge to see it as a quick fix BECAUSE it's so powerful and then use it for everything.

 

[AmbikaGR]

quick question what does collar wise mean ?

It understands the "correction" comes from the collar because te only time they wear it they get corrected. So they listen well while on it but not so when they are not wearing it. Mine associate with what they LOVE to do - field training - and NOT the correction they may receive. When they see me grab it their tails wag and they stick out their heads for me to place on them.

 

[dezymond]

I have seen great success with owners who have gone the ecollar route and I hope you find the same success should you go this direction.

I have no experience nor will I ever use one. I don't think it's a cruel collar at all and it's gotten a bad rep. Put in the hands of someone who knows how to properly use it and the results are fantastic. I just have no real use for it with Maverick. The methods of training I use now work for myself and Maverick.

Good luck

 

[lhowemt]

It understands the "correction" comes from the collar because te only time they wear it they get corrected. So they listen well while on it but not so when they are not wearing it. Mine associate with what they LOVE to do - field training - and NOT the correction they may receive. When they see me grab it their tails wag and they stick out their heads for me to place on them.

When I started using the collar on Lila, I heard about this approach. It sounds like a very field/trials oriented approach, and since we had never trained that way I use it to reinforce existing commands (yes, it is a correction). I don't think turning the stimulation OFF would have interrupted her while chasing a deer, or a moose, or worse, a ranchers cow (legal to shoot). So there are two techniques, with different applications.

I also commented a bit more on your other thread.

 

[Leslie B]

There are a number of dvd's that you can purchase to teach you how to correctly collar condition your dog. The two that I would recommend would be Smart Works by Evan Graham or Total Retriever by Mike Lardy.

Your schedule of use sounds great - except your pup knows NOTHING about it. When stimulated the dog generally believes that the stimulation came from the ground underneath them. This can drive the dog away from you if the dog does not understand 1. the command and 2. that they have the ability to turn off the pressure by obeying the command.

I wait until the pup has all of his adult teeth in before I begin with the collar. My pups will wear an ecollar on and off from three months on to get them used to wearing it but we don't turn it on until we are ready to begin. I then take about 3-5 days to collar condition.

Good Luck and get help with this process.