Gundog
PMA Member
First couple days I let them wear it to get used to it. Point the remote at them from time to time so they understand you have it. Then after a couple days, I will use the tone or vibrate level when they are getting into something they are not supposed to or simply being too hyper and trying to get them to calm down. Use the same commands you have used without the collar on them. You should be able to tell when they start to realize they hear the tone or feel the vibrate when you are correcting them. From there, you can start to bump up the electricity when you use it to correct them. Each dog is going to be different in what gets their attention so start light and go up as needed.
For example, I run a two dog Dogtra collar system that goes from 1 to 7 in intensity. My old dog I never had to go above 4 to get his attention but my sons pup I run it on 6 as he is a little harder headed. It's really pretty easy to get them conditioned. I think where people go wrong is by using too much intensity too soon. 8 months is about the perfect age to start getting her conditioned for it.
Hope this helps.
For example, I run a two dog Dogtra collar system that goes from 1 to 7 in intensity. My old dog I never had to go above 4 to get his attention but my sons pup I run it on 6 as he is a little harder headed. It's really pretty easy to get them conditioned. I think where people go wrong is by using too much intensity too soon. 8 months is about the perfect age to start getting her conditioned for it.
Hope this helps.
fatboy
Well-Known Member
Just what Gundog said, every pup is different and every breed is different. Just like shooting over a dog you want to less noise or correction is better and then see how the pup reacts. I learned from one of the best Harold Adams who was the trainer at Doc's Kennels when I was younger and learning and Harold took me under his wing. I also learned a lot from Bob West and Rick and Delmar Smith. Look up any books or videos from any of these trainers. They are a wealth of information. I loved training GSP's but when the bird population when down hill and my family grew I got out of it. But ready to get back into it again. Nothing like watching a good dog work!
HorseDoctor
PMA Member
I trained and ran retrievers in field trials and hunt tests for 10-15 years using e-collars extensively. The most important thing I remember being HAMMERED into my head by protrainers (and "pro-amateurs") was that you NEVER train a dog anything new with a collar! You re-inforce what they already know by correcting them when they do wrong! Smart as they are, they cannot figure out why they were "corrected" if they don't already know what they were supposed to do. e.g. You don't just "zap"a dog for running big! You teach them to come to a whistle, (and teach them well)! Then, when they don't respond to the whistle you can "correct" them for failure to do, when they already know what to do. Dogs should only ever be "corrected" electronically for refusal to do what they know is right and for failure to try when they know what they are supposed to do. The collar should be used as an extension of the leash or the long line training, not instead of...
That said, conditioning is a big part in preparing a dog for e-collar use. Somewhere I may still have a video of Mike Lardy's (retriever protrainer) collar conditioning technique which is equally applicable to pointers or retrievers. It is full of great info that is applicable for conditioning any dog! Unfortunately it's a cassette tape nd nobody has player anymore.. It is still available on disc and well worth the price. A mentor to work with is always great help if you can find one.
That said, conditioning is a big part in preparing a dog for e-collar use. Somewhere I may still have a video of Mike Lardy's (retriever protrainer) collar conditioning technique which is equally applicable to pointers or retrievers. It is full of great info that is applicable for conditioning any dog! Unfortunately it's a cassette tape nd nobody has player anymore.. It is still available on disc and well worth the price. A mentor to work with is always great help if you can find one.
Booner
Well-Known Member
Depends what you’re using it for? What are your intentions? They are a tool, but sometimes I feel sometimes they get
Exactly what he said..............
Condition, condition, condition. Using an E-collar is a tool, not a way to punish or correct bad habits. There's tons of good dog training videos out there, youtube or you can buy them online. I do a ton of waterfowl hunting and love watching Freddy King's stuff, learned a ton from just watching his free stuff he puts out on the web. Lots of good quality guys right here in Iowa as well.
Exactly what he said..............
Condition, condition, condition. Using an E-collar is a tool, not a way to punish or correct bad habits. There's tons of good dog training videos out there, youtube or you can buy them online. I do a ton of waterfowl hunting and love watching Freddy King's stuff, learned a ton from just watching his free stuff he puts out on the web. Lots of good quality guys right here in Iowa as well.
tyler883
Member
It all starts with the leash... You SHOULD NOT use an e-collar until everything is taught on the leash first. I have trained a handful of retrievers and I watched a Danny Farmer and Judy Aycock video called the basics. A lot of this you will not need but they take you thru the puppy stage and collar conditioning stage. I have seen so many guys just throw a collar on a 6 month old puppy with no proper training and just ruin a good dog. Like I said it all starts with a leash and chain first. Then after a fw weeks of that you can move into using them both together. Not a fast process but it is the right process.
muddy
Well-Known Member
Thanks for the responses. So far all I've done is put the collar on her for about 3 days now and let her carry it around. Today when we went for a walk I just put it on vibration and when she didn't come back to calling after 3 tries in a couple of instances I just gave her a quick little buzz, no electricity, just vibration. It worked great, she came right back and we've kept on our walk with no issues. Slow and steady. I've done so much training leash work with her its stupid. Right now the biggest "issues" are on walks when she gets up into people's yards and won't come when called. After the second tick today She came back everyine immediately.
HorseDoctor
PMA Member
You're being cautious and that's good, but a few days of doing the same thing on a long line would be good. Give her the come command, then (even if she starts to come), give it again and at the same time give her a little "buzz" and real her in with the long line at the same time. Do this repeatedly using the collar every 3rd or 4th time. Goal is to get her to try to "beat the buzzer" by coming the first time as well as faster! All part of the conditioning process. Good luck.
