Training collars

[Fursty Ferret]

Any advice and thoughts welcomed on training collars (e collar)
Never used before so want to get it right.
Main use will be to deter a JRT from barking when in kennel for short periods of time.
But also have the ability to be used to reinforce commands in general training.
Cheap ebay/amazon ones a waste of time?
Thanks

 

[Dunwaters]

They’re worth having, but they’re very easy to abuse.
I use it to prevent chasing and to reinforce the drop command at distance.
You MUST put in the effort to train the dog properly first , the collar is a correction tool to stop the hound from doing something that you have already trained it not to do. You don’t start with the collar.
The eBay collars for around 100 quid are fine.

 

[Rake Aboot]

Yes they work
Learn how to use it and condition your dog to it before trying it on the dog
Use it as mentioned above, as a reinforcement. I use one simply to turn a Teckel’s attention back to me, not as a punishment.
Buy Dogtra, they are by far the number one name and for good reason

 

[Heym SR20]

I reckon in the wrong hands they are very very easy to ruin a dog for life. I suspect we have all seen those with dogs that cower at the feet of their masters. You know that that they have been beaten within an inch of their lives.

Chasing is a difficult one. As the handler you need to be very alert and correct the dog before the chase even starts. You see the hare or the squirrel before the dog and give the steady command. And then lots of praise as it ignores the intend object. It takes time and attention, and you cannot be doing other things such as talking to others or trying to shoot etc.

 

[T.eddie]

I use one for my dog, as others have said very easy to use wrong but fantastic when used correctly. Mine does sound vibration and then 7 levels of intensity for the "shock".

To get him used to it I would be it on him for our walks but switched off, so essentially just a collar. Then it was working out which intensity, this meant putting it on him, starting at the bottom and pressing the button until I saw the first sign that he felt something (this was level 2 and was a slight twitch of the ear). Then the training began. A lead should be used in conjunction with the collar so they understand what the correction means, for him it was because of recall so started off walking in circles and quickly turning if he didn't turn with me it was lead correction and press of button in conjuction with "no, this way" and then slowly extending the ranges. There's some good videos by garmin and sportdog on youtube of how to use them

 

[Julian S]

As above, not an excuse not to train dog first, but very effective last resort, used one to stop dogs chasing sheep, ignoring recall and eating poo!
Mine had a dummy collar to put on dog normally so dog didn't associate shock with the special collar dad put on sometimes

 

[Subsonic]

If your serious buy a good quality collar that comes with 100 plus levels as most training is conducted at the lowest levels and only small increases are required for most situations. Dogtra is a well respected make.

Look for Larry Krohn on YouTube, he has produced some good videos on introducing dogs to an ecollar training. He uses it on his daughter to demonstrate the technique. It's very effective and probably not what you imagine. Used correctly its a game changer and your dog will still love you.

 

[Dogtra UK]

I own a company called Dogtra UK.

www.dogtra.co.uk

If you need advice, give me a call. We can have a chat. I don’t do hard sell.

 

[nun_hunter]

I bought a cheap one (£25 on AliExpress) after previous having a 400m Dogtra one.

The cheap one has 100 levels of vibration and shock as well as sound and has a light built in to the collar too, so more functions and adjustability vs the expensive brand. This means if out on a walk or even at home but out for a wee at night you can pop the light on remotely and see where the dog is.

I was expecting a pretty naff and not very long lasting collar for £25 but this is 3 years old now, used daily (not for shocks but has it on so he's not aware what it is and for emergencies) and still going strong plus works at least at 200m which is the furthest I've tested it at.

 

[sikasako]

Having struggled with my young GWP chasing after things and disappearing i bought a collar from Amazon.
Found it to be a complete waste of time.
Recommend getting a PAC e-collar.
Having got one, my GWP is now a reformed character.
Walks to heel on command, broken to livestock, wont chase rabbits / hares.
Points great and now a joy to be with.

 

[Sonicdmb73]

I used one many years ago. If I recall correctly I only actually used a few times to break the dogs attention from what he'd decided was more fun. He wore the collar for a bit longer but that became unnecessary.
However that was used carefully as a training aid at bare minimum levels, not as a substitute.
I recall a shoot I used to go to where one of the guns used to start pressing the button as soon as he whistled his two dogs. Didn't seem to matter if they were coming back or not. I felt like putting one of the collars on him to see if he flinched every time like the dogs did.

 

[west_meon]

We use this one on our working cocker spaniel, who developed the single minded habit of chasing each individual flushed bird into the next parish before he responded to the recall. It has 7 settings, and 3 levels in each setting. As said by posters above, these collars are not for training your dog, but just to reinforce training already given and in-bedded. In our case, when a bird is flushed we give the recall/stop whistle, and if he responds then lots of praise. If he starts to follow, he gets a zap before the red mist descends, just to remind him that someone is talking to him and giving an instruction. After a few months, we have found that the collar is now rarely being used, as he flushes a bird and then stops automatically before the whistle is blown. To start with, we would put the collar on before every walk but without the power on or the controller, for about three or four weeks, so he simply associates the collar with something fun (going for a walk) rather than training or working. Also worth being aware that the collars are more shocking/effective when the dog is wet, so a level 4 when dry probably equates to a level 6 when wet.

 

[T.eddie]

We use this one on our working cocker spaniel, who developed the single minded habit of chasing each individual flushed bird into the next parish before he responded to the recall. It has 7 settings, and 3 levels in each setting. As said by posters above, these collars are not for training your dog, but just to reinforce training already given and in-bedded. In our case, when a bird is flushed we give the recall/stop whistle, and if he responds then lots of praise. If he starts to follow, he gets a zap before the red mist descends, just to remind him that someone is talking to him and giving an instruction. After a few months, we have found that the collar is now rarely being used, as he flushes a bird and then stops automatically before the whistle is blown. To start with, we would put the collar on before every walk but without the power on or the controller, for about three or four weeks, so he simply associates the collar with something fun (going for a walk) rather than training or working. Also worth being aware that the collars are more shocking/effective when the dog is wet, so a level 4 when dry probably equates to a level 6 when wet.

Same one I use by the looks of it, fantastic collar

 

[hendrix's rifle]

The Dogtra collar is brilliant, not only for training purposes but tracking and mapping purposes too