Dog Training Collars

Question: What about dog training collars?

(Posted by: Sarah on 2009-02-25 10:16:06)

When i was at a lake one day, I saw this guy who had a small shock giving collar on his dog. It was to keep the dog from wandering too far without a leash. Now i do a lot during the summer, like swimming at lakes and going on walks a lot. It would be really nice to not always worry about my dog running off. She is a small lab mix, about 40 lbs. She listens well, but when she sees something, she doesn't stop. I'm kind of nervous about "shocking " her. Has any one had this, or can any one reccomend what type of shocking collar I should get? She is female dog aggressive, too, so I would want her to stray no more than 50 feet. she isn't human aggressive what so ever. only female dog aggressive. and the shock collar i saw was water proof.

Posted by: Jennifer V on 2009-02-25, 10:49:56

I have a training collar used by hunters that we use on our coonhound. It has multiple settings and something called a "pager ", which is a vibrating mode - like your cell phone. When our dog is outside, if he smells something, his nose will hit the ground and his ears will completely turn off. He would run straight into a busy road without a pause. He has been through formal obedience training, but being a hound, they are prone to be very focused on what they smell Living in the country, fencing our entire yeard is not feasible (and our driveway would still be open anyway). I have found that I don't even need to use the "shock " part. If I say "come " and he ignores me, I give him a little buzz with the vibrating pager mode (again, I have felt it and it is no different than if you have your cell phone on vibrate) and he stops and looks up and comes right back. I only use it to get his attention. However, if he were to be racing straight for the road, and was ignoring the vibrating collar, I would not hesitate to use the other function on the collar, at the low setting. If you decide that you want to try this training/ obedience aid, you need to make sure you follow the training instructions properly or you will be teaching your dog to be fearful of new places or people. ** You need to make sure that your dog understands the commands you are giving before using this as a reminder that the command needs to be followed. ** If you have not taken obedience classes, I would start there. A lot of people will tell you that these collars are nothing but torture tools. But it is completely dependant upon who is using the tool and whether or not they are using it properly. Please keep in mind that a leash in the wrong hands could also be used a torture tool. Do your research - look for one with multiple settings as well as a "pager " mode. Make sure you get the waterproof kind.

Posted by: Schnoodle_Mom88 on 2009-02-25, 10:22:28

Never use a training tool without the advice or assistance of a professional trainer. PERIOD. With that in mind... They do not prevent a determined dog from wandering off, and if your dog is aggressive i would NOT recommend using one of these collars as the buzz COULD make the aggression worse (by adding discomfort to an already uncomfortable situation for her) and will not stop her if she is really determined. I would also be mindful of leash laws and the fact that some of your activities would simply not make the collar effective OR safe. Swimming, for example - you would not bring the remote with you and if SHE went in, well... electricity and water do not mix well right? Your best bet is to invest in one of those zip lines or tie outs for dogs. Hook her up to a tree if you can't supervise her - it's a LOT safer and much more effective than an e-collar, especially on an aggressive dog - or just leave her home when you know you'll be otherwise occupied.

Posted by: altaira_3 on 2009-02-25, 10:28:06

These type of collars are typically mostly used to teach the dog the buondaries of it's own yard. Once the dog learns their own yard you don't have to shock them anymore and they don't wander out of the yard because they think they will be shocked. Using it in public places will not teach your dog anything except to fear new places. It's not very useful in these cases because you are giving them a shock at random times and the dog can't really make connections between what it is doing wrong and the consequence. Also, if you are swimming you wouldn't be able to take the remote in the water with you, and you would still need to keep an eye on your dog because if it isn't going to learn how far out it can go.

Posted by: brown eyed girl on 2009-02-25, 10:31:00

I have used a shock collar for my aussie because she would bark and get aggressive with the neighbors dogs and with men. (for no apparent reason) Believe me, we tried everything because I was totally against the collar. Nothing worked. The collar changed her completely. It has 6 intensity stages that are getting stronger as the dog keeps barking. My dog usually stopped after the first, rarely after the second stage. She learnt quickly. She is fine with men now. no more aggressive behavior or barking. A friend of my husband has an "invisibe fence " that shocks the dog when they run out of a certain area or something. i'm not exactly sure how that works but i know that it worked fine for their dogs. I always thought a shock collar is brutal but it isn't. And it does work!!!

Posted by: steffigiraffe on 2009-02-25, 10:36:01

If your dog is dog aggressive, keep her on a lead when there are other dogs about. Work on her recall using treats/ toys. Apart from shock collars being one of the least dog-friendly inventions ever, shocking her to keep her away from aggressive dogs WILL NOT WORK. Dogs learn by association so when she feels the pain in her neck and there's a dog in front of her she will most likely think the other dog did it, thus increasing her aggression. Please don't get one and train with kindness not pain.

Posted by: Shanna on 2009-02-25, 10:40:00

A dog aggressive dog shoud never be off lead, with or without an electric collar. A training collar is not going to prevent a dog set on attacking another dog from running away and you may have a fight on your hands. Electric collars are great tools, but even so, it's irresponsible to allow a dog with aggression issues to ever be off lead.