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I got an E-Collar for my dog

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Author Topic: I got an E-Collar for my dog  (Read 794 times)
wizer
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« on: January 20, 2009, 02:37:00 pm »

E-collars are also known as "shock collars" and they are a rather controversial way of training a dog.

They deliver a "correction", in the form of an electric charge to the dog, usually on it's neck, that surprises, and scares the dog, and tells it in no uncertain terms that the behavior immediately preceeding the correction is not acceptable.

I first used an e-collar with my first dog several years ago, and long story short..after I used it too heavily in the beginning and scared the poor thing so badly it was afraid to leave the house...eventually I got him so well trained that he was completely reliable off leash.

My new dog, as of a year, has been much more reliable off leash and very easy to train..she's smart and obedient, however in the past week or so she got it into her head that it's ok to bolt in the direction of another dog, or sometimes another person...even if I am giving her a stern "No!".

I like to walk my dog off leash, because it gives her some freedom..she can duck under a bush, check out a scent "over there", and I can just walk or stand nearby, without leash tangles...and with the cold weather....dealing with leashes and gloves is more of a hassle.

So I picked up the collar on Sunday...and after using it about a half dozen times, she's like a different dog..she doesn't show any fear like my first dog did, because I learned from that experience to use a low level charge and ONLY when necessary and ONLY when the dog intentionally disregards a verbal command. We have been walking off leash now for 3 days and she's so good now that if she sees another dog, she looks at me and waits for the ok (if I give it at all) to approach the other dog.

I expect within a week or two I can remove the collar for good..after maybe applying 2 or 3 more shocks for a total of less than 10 TOTAL...although sometimes it's necessary to use it again for a short time in the future if the dog needs a "reminder".

E-collars have their place..they're a fast and efficient way to train a dog, but they must be used properly.

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wizer
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« Reply #1 on: January 24, 2009, 10:31:07 am »

Following up on my experience with the ecollar.

The results are amazing.

After 4 days...I have had no need to use a correction on my dog for the past day or two, in fact the only time I did have to use it was 2 days ago, when I took her to a nearby dog park, which was full of distractions...at one point she was sniffing along a fence and was not responding to my commands to come to me. At a level of about 6 (out of 10), a relatively mild jolt is delivered- and with the reminder zap she came right back to me. Despite all the distractions at the dog park..people, dogs, strange sights and smells, she never strayed more than 15-20 feet away and always came right back to me when called.

People are impressed when they see this...most just walk their dogs on a leash, with the dog pulling at them the whole time..whereas my dog walks with me, but on an "invisible" string perhaps 20 feet long..and it would be easy to decrease the distance, simply by issuing a correction if she gets further than the desired range. From what I have read in other reviews of people who have evaluated this product, the dog very rapidly learns that sticking close to the owner is "safe", whereas disobeying is "unsafe", and they become like velcro.

Now, before you say it...when done properly, the dog is not afraid...I have seen fear induced by these collars, like I said, I did it with my first dog because I didn't know what I was doing and I did traumatize my dog the first time around..although he eventually got over it and was reliable off leash as a result. My present dog, after less than a dozen corrections total, walks with me completely at ease, exploring her surroundings, but she comes right to me on command and never takes off after dogs, squirrels, people, or anything else. Upon return to my condo, she walks right in the garage with me rather then attempting to bolt, and at the beginning of the walk she "waits" while I open the garage door and close it..whereas before, she would have been halfway down the parking lot before I got through the door.



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cabledog
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« Reply #2 on: January 31, 2009, 09:33:51 am »

I'm actually an anti shock collar person. I think you can get more from a pet by reward than by punishment. I've had dogs all my life and have never had any problems. I have 3 right now that are very well behaved. I can walk them anywhere without a leash and they always listen. They do it because they want to, not because they are afraid not to.
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wizer
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« Reply #3 on: January 31, 2009, 09:41:50 am »

I'm actually an anti shock collar person. I think you can get more from a pet by reward than by punishment. I've had dogs all my life and have never had any problems. I have 3 right now that are very well behaved. I can walk them anywhere without a leash and they always listen. They do it because they want to, not because they are afraid not to.

That's all good...and if you can get that kind of obedience from your dog without the "fear factor" then more power to you. My dog was about 90% reliable..but if that other dog or squirrel came by...she was "outta here!". I imagine with time, and effort, and patience (which I don't have), I could probably get results approaching your level of success, cabledog.

But time is limited, I am not a patient guy when it comes to "immediate gratification", and with the collar, the results are amazingly fast...even if it's based on the dog doing what you want because it doesn't want the punishment. I figure it like this...I love my dog, we spend lots of good times together, she's spoiled rotten, but she's gotta listen or else bad things happen. It's a balance. I'm also a bit of a control freak if you haven't figured that out yet... roll

By the way, now into the second week with the collar, I haven't had occasion to use it since last Thursday at the Dog Park when distractions were everywhere. On our walks around the complex she's 100%. I figure in another couple of weeks I can take it off for good..with the exception of possible "reminder" training months or years down the line.

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