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APPLICATION Of THE ELECTRONIC COLLAR
E-collar use has come a long way. The equipment is better and the many available programs for training with
e-collars are better. Some people don’t believe e-collars are reliable enough and therefore they shouldn’t be
used, but successful results are dependent on the skills of the operator, not the product. It is very rare for a dog
to not accept and happily work while on a leash, but you can hurt your dog’s attitude if it is used improperly. It is
the same with e-collars. You can do an unbelievable amount of damage to your dog’s attitude by over correcting
with an e-collar if you do not know what you are doing or if you don’t control your actions.
This program will
show you how to use an e-collar, but you must never lose control of your emotions. So, make a promise to
yourself and your dog that you will always remain focused and in control when training.
In the beginning, e-collars were simple metal boxes with an on/off switch and no way to adjust the static
stimulation levels. And they were often unreliable. SportDOG Brand
®
remote training systems are an example
of how advanced e-training products have become. SportDOG Brand offers several excellent models that work
at great distances over land or in water.
THE RIGHT WAy TO BEGIN
Your dog needs to start wearing an e-collar as soon as it can comfortably support the collar’s weight. The collar
should be worn from that point forward during all training sessions. Initially, you should attach the collar and do
something fun such as retrieving exercises with a bumper or ball. Continue this until your pup’s tail is wagging
uncontrollably. Soon, your dog will be doing airplane spins each time it sees the collar and think, “Oh boy, we
are getting ready to have some fun!” That is a pretty nice first impression.
This is an important first step in collar
conditioning: your dog’s acceptance of the e-collar in a fun fashion.
You shouldn’t be pressing any of the Remote Transmitter’s buttons until your dog is 100 percent reliable on
obedience drills. When you have to deliver a correction you do not want your dog trying to guess what you expect.
Your dog should be performing these skills masterfully in the face of distractions. If you did your homework, your
dog will have an excellent understanding of what you are asking while being able to process pressure at the same
time.
Before, pressure was in the form of a leash. Now, it will be an electronic, brief correction from the collar. Your
dog already knows what to do in the face of pressure; you are simply changing the type of pressure. Previously the
pressure of the leash was on your dog’s neck and that is where the e-collar also applies pressure, but in a different
form. The e-collar will now become an infinitely long leash to your dog. A brief correction with the collar will take
the place of a tug on the lead. This sounds pretty simple doesn’t it? Keep it that simple and you and your dog will be
happy.
Always remember: you are not going to teach your dog anything with an e-collar. you are only adding electronic
pressure to a skill your dog already knows and can routinely perform. Also, do not use the e-collar to correct
responses in an area where your dog may have not performed these skills until the training process is finished.
fINDING THE CORRECT STATIC STImULATION LEVEL
The hardest thing about using an e-collar is finding the proper level of static stimulation and sticking with it.
Some folks are of the opinion that you should use continuous high-level static stimulation until the dog complies.
Others think you should use low-level continuous static stimulation. Both programs can work and create a dog that
performs great, but either of these methods could lead to trouble for a novice trainer.
Your long-term goal is to have your dog remain under total control while receiving correction from the e-collar and
understand why the correction occurred.
Remain under total control is the key phrase in that sentence. If your dog
is jumping around or cannot focus on you because it is vocalizing, it is not under control. If your dog reacts in either
of these ways, back off. Either you are progressing too fast or the static stimulation intensity is too high.
You should shop for the correct level of static stimulation by starting with the lowest intensity and continuing up
until you see the acceptance mechanisms appear. This is first introduced during obedience drills. With your dog
on-leash, call it to you. After a few successful “Here” routines, apply leash pressure and stimulate with the e-collar
at the same time. Look for the swallow response, head drop, or neck twitch. Sometimes you can see a change in the
breathing pattern. Progress up in intensity until you see your dog say, “I accept” with one of these responses. When
you see your dog drop its head or swallow, you are there and this will be your most-often used correction level.
COLLAR CONDITIONING WITHIN EACH OBEDIENCE COmmAND
Never correct your dog with the e-collar without first conditioning it to accept and understand the collar. This will
take a short period of time, but without the conditioning process, your dog will be dazed and confused about the
discomfort around its neck. It is easy to confuse your dog and undo a couple of months of good training in just a
few minutes by over-stimulating on a correction or correcting when it is not justified. No corrections should occur
until the conditioning process has been successfully completed. The collar-conditioning process can be thought
of as practice in accepting electronic static stimulation. Your football coach didn’t send you on the field without
practicing the plays and likewise, we do not want to send your dog into the world without an understanding of how
to comfortably accept electronic correction.
USING AN E-COLLAR TO REINfORCE OBEDIENCE COmmANDS
“HERE”
Bolting can become a disastrous side-effect of e-collar conditioning if your dog is allowed to move away from your
control. Therefore, keep using the leash until the conditioning process is finished. Toss a few bumpers and work
on obedience drills in the training area. Check for that wagging tail which signals a good attitude. Then command
“Here,” deliver a brief correction on the correct level – paying close attention to the dog’s reaction – and then
immediately command “Here” again. Reward your dog with a stroke on the shoulder and verbal praise. Repeat
“Here”-brief correction-“Here” three to five times on the first day at various places in the work area while making
sure that no two brief corrections occur at the same spot. Your dog will receive at least three brief corrections, but
no more than five, during the first couple of sessions. If things are going well, you can go to five. But, if your dog
is nervous, stop at three. Continue the obedience routine with no static stimulation for a little longer. Make sure
rewards follow proper responses. Finish by throwing a bumper or ball to each spot where your dog received static
stimulation in an effort to show that the location had nothing to do with why the correction occurred.
Pay close attention to your dog’s attitude during this routine. If momentum fades, use fewer brief corrections and
more play time. Increase the reward by adding a few extra shoulder strokes along with a happy tone of voice. Don’t be
afraid to skip a day if your dog shows repeated signs of too much pressure. This is not likely to occur if you are careful,
but understand how to overcome it just in case.
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