Shock Collars, Remote Trainers, Hunting Dog Training Collars

Some people vow they will never use a shock collar because they can be improperly used in an inhumane way. But that is dismissing the tool instead of dismissing the technique. Any piece of training equipment in the wrong hands can be cruel. They key is to use the appropriate piece of equipment for that particular dog, in the correct situation, and in the correct way.

Through years of experience in training dogs, a properly timed correction can give you results that otherwise might not be attainable on a consistent basis. As an example, a dog that attended a recent training seminar at a farm got loose from its owner when they first arrived and had killed multiple chickens within just a few minutes. A few hours into the seminar, and probably 20 minutes of actual working time with this dog, we were able to have her off leash with all of the livestock and she was completely ignoring them and responding to her owner.

Important factors when choosing an electric collar:

What range do you need? How far away is your dog going to be when you need to make the correction? Shock collar's ranges may vary in distance anywhere from 50 yards to 1 mile. Field trainers will need typically collars with longer ranges while most pet owners only need 100-200 yards.
What features do you need? All of these are considerations when looking at this type of product investment.
- Type of correction. Some collars have tones and vibrations that can be used as warnings, praise, or cue. The vibration is excellent for a deaf dog to learn to come or to look for their owner. You will often see the terms "continuous" or "momentary/nick" used. Continuous means that as long as you hold the button down, the dog gets corrected; whereas momentary or nick mean that no matter how long you hold the button down there is a pre-set fixed time of correction. There are even new types of non-shock remote trainers that use a Citronella spray for correction.
- How to change the level of correction. Some collars require manually adjusting the levers/plugs inside the transmitter or collar while others can change instantly right on the transmitter you hold.
- Type of batteries. Some collars have rechargeable batteries and others need replaceable batteries.
- What size of pet does the collar work for? Shock collars and remote trainers are designed to work with pets of various sizes and temperaments. There are even products that will work with toy breeds and cats.
- Is the collar water proof or water resistant? If you are working dogs in water this will be very important!
- Combo systems. There are combo systems such as electric dog fence and remote trainer combo, electric dog fence and bark collar combo, remote trainer and bark collar combos, etc.
- Product warranty. Some collars last for years and others may last no more than 6 months with consistent use. America's Pet Store only carries top brand name products that should work for years without issue.
What correction levels do you need? Some collars have as few as just a couple levels while others may have as many as 100. If you are going to work more than one task, we recommend that you get the most adjustable collar with the most levels of corrections you can afford. Different dogs will need completely different levels. Some dogs need as little as 6 levels and others as high as 100 levels. It is very important not to use too harsh a level for your dog, especially in the teaching process. Use a very mild correction level when first training. You want just enough so the dog feels something but not enough to make it yelp or become afraid. Fear often puts animals in a defensive position and not a thinking position.

Now that you have chosen a collar how do you use it?

Your dog should already have had training "on leash" and have been taught the correct response. The electric collar is a great tool to correct the wrong response, but it is unfair to correct a dog that does not know how to avoid the correction.
You must find a baseline correction level...a level that your dog might turn his head or scratch but not heavily react or yelp. When dogs are afraid, they are usually not able to clearly think. Once the dog understands how to avoid the correction, you can use increased levels if they refuse to respond to a known command.
Do not use an electric collar on an aggressive dog without the guidance of a very experienced trainer or behaviorist. Pain usually increases aggression and can intensify a problem. Please consult professional help with aggression issues.
Work the dog in a controlled environment such as a fenced area, on a long line or leash, isolated from major interferences, etc. Only factor in additional distractions and distance as you see the dog understands and you are getting a reliable response. Taking the line off, getting out of a fenced yard or a heavy distraction almost always makes the dog test the limits again. Make sure you are prepared for that before putting your dog in that situation.
You really need to have some basic training knowledge to properly use an electric collar. If you cannot teach your dog basic skills with your training methods then you should seek guidance from a professional trainer. Anytime you use a training tool, you should make sure you understand how to use it. If you are not sure of the basics of how dogs learn, timing of praise and correction, leadership issues, etc we highly recommend that you read some books by professional trainers or seek a local trainer for basic skills. We do not consider the remote collar a teaching tool but rather "proofing tool". That means it should be used once you've taught the correct response and the dog opts to not listen. Use the tool to increase your dog’s consistency with distraction and distance. You need to be capable of teaching those basic things before beginning the more advanced behaviors off leash.
The collars need both prongs to make contact with the neck to work. People often have their dog's fur matted or the collar adjusted too loose, thereby preventing solid contact with the neck.

How do I find that baseline correction level?

Each trainer may have their own method. One recommended method is to use a distraction such as a plate of food, food on the counter, garbage can, etc. Hold the dog by the end of the leash with just enough room to get to the distraction that has been set down. When the dog goes to sniff or touch it, give a nick (momentary) correction at the lowest level. If he moves away, do nothing else. When he sniffs again, repeat the nick correction. Do not say anything verbally as to determine what correction level works without verbal interference. Remember that a nick correction means it is only going to correct for a fraction of a second despite how long you might hold down the button. Try to find the lowest level where a nick makes the dog respond. Then use a continuous correction at that level if the dog needs more correction down the road. If the dog does not respond to the initial nick correction then move the correction level up one level and increase it until you see the dog stop/hesitate, turn his head, scratch, etc. Please do not try to find the level where your dog yelps. Some dogs will yelp just because it is a response to being startled but if your dog is consistently yelping at the correction, then you are correcting at too high of a level.

What is the next thing I work on?

Generally, it is best to start with a "Come to me" command. Again, you want to teach this command first using just a leash before you use a shock collar. Below is some basic instruction for teaching your dog the "Come" command.

Put food on puppy's nose and lure him toward you as you say "Come" and back away from your puppy.
Stop and as puppy gets to you, shift the food over his head (as for sit).
When he sits, then touch his collar (hand without food) and feed.
Do not worry about covering a lot of distance. A few steps is fine.
DO NOT REPEAT the command. Instead, praise freely, but do not repeat "Come".

Once you have taught "Come" on verbal cue and have practiced it many times, you can start to work on the remote training collar. Start with the dog on a long leash that he can drag on the ground. Let the dog venture away and then clearly call his name followed by "Come”. If you do not instantly get a response, say "No. Come" and at the same time say "No" and use the nick correction. If the dog responds, instantly praise and back up to encourage the dog to continue toward you. Do not worry about the sit at this point. The objective is just to have the dog come to you so you can touch him. If he does not come, say "No. Come" and again nicking as you say "No", and try backing up to encourage him to come toward you. Again praise intensely if he starts to make even one step near you.

One of the biggest mistakes people make with "Come" is they wait to praise until the dog is all the way to them. Instead the very second they make the first step toward you, you should be confirming for them this is the correct response. Praising usually makes the dog come in much faster and with a much better attitude. If the dog does not respond to this you have a couple of options here:

Increase the correction level and nick again as you say "No" in the "No. Come" command. Continue this until you find the correction level that encourages the dog to move toward you. If the dog looks afraid at any point you have corrected too high and you should use the long line to help lead them to you praising all the way. It is very important you know when the dog is afraid or unsure and when he is just busy sniffing the ground. Increase the correction level on the dog just sniffing and use the long line on the dog that is unsure or afraid.
You can use the continuous button and hold it down ONLY as long as it takes you to say "No" in the "No. Come" command. On either method it is important you never have any correction applied to the dog when they are making motion toward you. All pressure should be removed as they are coming toward you and you should be praising.

When you praise make sure you are NOT continually saying, "Come, Come, Come" because a command should not be repeated over and over again. A command means "give me the desired behavior immediately and if not there will be consequences". That is why you correct with the "No", each time you repeat, "No. Come". Once the dog is doing the desired behavior just praise with a "Good Boy or Girl" all the way to you.

The dog might be confused initially as to what is happening. Make sure you have success at easy tasks before you add in more distraction or distance. Also remember that you do not want to correct the dog in close proximity to a person or dog until you are assured of their response. Dogs can redirect aggression on things near them when they are corrected. This is why when you start finding the baseline; you let the item they are near to be food or an object. As you add in distraction, remember to always make sure your dog and those around your dog are safe from injury if he makes a mistake. Do not work off leash without having done sufficient long line work. Do not rush this. This could take minutes or a week to progress to where you can take the long line off. When you first take the long line off, it is preferred to have the dog in a large fenced area so the dog is loose but still safe. The method and timing of the correction does not change through the stages though. As a summary, It is always in this order:

", Come"
If no response, immediately say "No. Come" correcting as you say "No" with a nick correction
Praising and backing up instantly when the dog makes even one step toward you
Increasing the correction level (combined with the "No" in "No. Come") until the dog chooses to make that step toward you or using the combo of a slight correction with the long line on the hesitant or fearful dog.
The less you can say verbally other than what’s described in this training article...the better. When you train, try to be very clear with only necessary command words. Usually the more people talk, the more dogs ignore them. It’s similar to when we are first learning a second language. We like one word/one meaning so we can grasp it. When people start running off with sentence after sentence we do not understand… we tend to just shut them out or are overwhelmed.

Using the above method of finding the baseline is very effective for dealing with dogs that touch items they are not supposed to (e.g. counter tops, couches, garbage cans, etc), but we do not recommend using this training method for dogs that jump on people. We do not want the dog to think a person shocked him and become aggressive or fearful. As your dog becomes more experienced with the collar you might address the jumping issue. If you decide to do this, make sure the dog is corrected as the owner is saying "No" or "Off".

It is also recommend to only work on one issue at a time. Do not make the dog paranoid to move in fear that he might make another mistake. Take the time to address one problem at a time and build his confidence in what he is supposed to do before moving onto another next trained behavior.

This article was co-authored by America’s Pet Store and Michelle Blount-Jordan and may not be reproduced without permission. It has been written to provide general information on product selection and training. It is not intended to be a substitution for the information that comes with your product. If you have a dog with behavioral problems and particularly with fear or aggression issues, you should contact a reputable and local trainer who can assist you with your dog.

Michelle Blount-Jordan
www.doghuman.com