Remote collar training has come a long ways since the early 70’s with the retrievers. Hunters were the first to use remote or E-collars. The collars and remotes have become smaller. Technology keeps growing. They have collars with GPS technology, so you always know where your dog is at. My background is not with hunting dogs but with police service dogs. I have been using remote collars for 15 years now. I love my collars and so do my dogs.
Remote collar training shortens the learning curve and is a better way to communicate with your dog. I always start out a new pup using a food reinforcement regimen. Once the dog gets a little older and starts making decisions on their own, I move forward with remote collar training. Remote collars are the best way to train your dog to ignore distractions and focus. Food rewards are great at first but once you begin training in real life environments the treats go out the window.
Once outdoors, there is a whole new world for the dog to investigate. New odors, sights and sounds become a huge distraction for the dog. Every time the dog is somewhere new, there are a whole slew of new distractions. Does your dog love the lake? Funny how they start whining before you ever get to the lake. They smell it before you even arrive. The lake can be a huge distraction for a dog. Dogs often jump out of the car and charge for the shore ignoring you as you yell, “Fido no come!” Good thing a car wasn’t coming. With remote collar training you can have control of your dog during all distractions.
Training doesn’t occur over night. This tool teaches the dog and the owner a new way of communicating. Once training is complete your dog can be a dog, running free while you still have control. My clients love their collars because they have the freedom to let their dogs be dogs.
There are many remote collars on the market and with E-collars you do get what you pay for. Steer clear of the collars in the pet stores. They only have a few levels and will go too high to fast for your dog. They won’t last and you’ll be wasting your money. Most people that have come for training say they have a remote collar but don’t use it. They don’t use it for two reasons. They bought a cheap collar that doesn’t work and they have not been properly trained how to use it. There are a lot of dog training books and DVD’s on the market and you can’t learn how to train a dog by reading a book or watching a DVD. It that was the case dog trainers would only have to watch some DVD’s to become dog trainers. It doesn’t work that way.
Spend some money up front on a professional dog trainer. It’s a onetime expense and you will be way ahead in the long run. I have had clients come for help when they were about to give their dog up to the Humane Society. They read the books, watched the DVD’s and what they learned doesn’t work.
I use Dogtra Collars because they are built to last and use a radial dial instead of a dial that clicks from one level to the next. Dogtra collars have 100 levels instead having 7. The difference is they both have the same intensity level but you get there a lot faster with just 7 options. With Dogtra you have many more low levels to use with your dog. If remote collar training stresses your dog out, you are doing it wrong.
This is the reason I demo my dogs when doing evaluations. My dogs have lots of happy energy and act the same way with the collar on or off. It makes no difference to the dog. Balanced training produces balanced results.
