Used incorrectly, yes, e-collars can hurt your dog.

But so can a flat buckle collar.

So can your hand.

So can a leash.

Think about your kitchen knife, a tool you probably use every day, multiple times a day.

Have you ever used that same knife to kill someone? I sure hope not.

When used correctly, a sharp knife can create delicious meals for your family. Used incorrectly, it can be a murder weapon.

Catch the drift?

Any tool can be misused. When an e-collar is used correctly, under the guidance of a professional trainer, then it is a useful tool that makes life safer for your dog and gives them more freedom.

Hold up. Safer? More freedom?

Yes.

What if you could have100% confidence that your dog will respond when you recall him back to you? Yes, even if there is a squirrel, a dog, something tasty, a bear, you name it. You can call him off anything because of the e-collar.

What this means is that you can give your dog more freedom when you hike, with full confidence that he will obey commands.

Low quality, cheap collars and poor training methods are often used to demonstrate the abusive side of the tool. 

Myth #2: E-Collars are for Lazy People

If e-collars are for lazy people, then we’ve been doing this all wrong.

No matter what training methods and tools you choose, you should be working with your dog on a daily basis. We often hear that people work harder once they start working with a trainer and have homework on a regular basis.

Those who oppose e-collars claim that having to use a tool equals laziness. What they don’t seem to recognize is that the following items are also tools:

• Collars
• Leashes
• Harnesses
• Halti’s/Gentle Leader
• Food

Everything mentioned above is a tool. Everything mentioned above are tools that most trainers use.

Efficiency does not Equal Laziness

What some claim as “lazy,” can be called efficient. E-collars allow you to communicate with your dog in a way that they understand. They learn more quickly because the tool is more effective.

Let’s use another kitchen example.

Let’s say you’re making a lemon meringue pie. You can use a whisk and whip those egg whites for 20-30 minutes by hand, or, you can use an electric mixer for 5 minutes and save your arm strength.

Does it make you lazy to use an electric mixer over a whisk? Nope. It makes you efficient. Now, you have an extra 15-25 minutes of your life back, your arm isn’t wiped out, and you’ve got perfect peaks.

E-Collar Training Goes an Extra Step

E-collar training actually requires an extra step, reinforcing behavior, than positive only. 

First, you teach a dog a command using food and marker words. Once the dog knows that command, you introduce the e-collar, pairing it with the food and marker words.

Only after a dog understands a command is the e-collar used to both reinforce behavior or correct for non-compliance.

Myth #3: E-Collars Cause Confusion in Dogs

You may find the exact opposite to be true once you begin using tools like prong collars and e-collars.

When relying on treats alone, you’re only as valuable as the treats you have or you end up using them as a bribe. At some point, it doesn’t matter how much you squeal, play, or walk back and forth along the same street, if you’re not constantly shoveling food down your dog’s throat, your dog will always find something else more enticing.

Good trainers don’t just slap an e-collar on a dog and start pushing buttons, believing that it will magically change a dog’s behavior. An e-collar won’t be introduced until a dog is fluent in a command, as explained above in #2.

What does cause confusion in dogs is asking for commands before they understand what it means, and then getting mad at them for not doing as they’re told. 

Myth #4: E-Collars are Used to Punish Dogs

E-collars are used to both reinforce behaviors the dog already knows, and correct when the dog does not obey or engages in an undesirable behavior using low level/annoying stimulation.

By first teaching the dog the commands, you can then use the e-collar to get the dog’s attention, similar to your phone’s vibration when someone is calling you.

You do know that positive-only training uses punishment as well, right? 

What? It can’t be true!

Indeed, my friends.

• Ignoring a dog that jumps on you is negative punishment. 
• Withholding a treat for breaking or not performing a command is negative punishment.
• Removing access to your dog’s favorite window spot because they bark at everything that goes by is negative punishment.

But, that has the word “negative” in it! That can’t be right!

Negative doesn’t mean “good” or “bad.” Negative means “the removal of something” to discourage a behavior.

Myth #5: You Can’t Use E-Collars on Small Dogs

And why not?

Professional trainers use e-collars with all kinds of dogs, ranging from chihuahuas and dachshunds to Great Pyrenese. Smaller dogs require more delicacy and size-appropriate tools, but there’s no reason one can’t use an e-collar on a small dog.

In fact, e-collars are great tools for highly reactive small dogs who don’t handle leash correction well. The e-collar lets them know that the behavior is not appropriate.

Myth #6: E-Collars Will Make Your Dog Afraid of You

The misconception is that e-collars use intimidation tactics in order to get the dog to perform a behavior, but that is incorrect.

Used incorrectly, sure. So can any tool!  A regular leash can become an object of intimidation, used incorrectly.

Improper use of any tool can make your dog afraid of you.

With proper conditioning, e-collars are wonderful tools that teach dogs how to make decisions and control the stimulation they receive.

Myth #7: E-Collars Burn Your Dog’s Neck

If you’ve ever read an article discussing the abusive traits of e-collars, then surely you’ve come across horrific images of dogs with “burn marks” on their necks.

These aren’t burn marks. They’re caused by allergies and improper use. Some dogs have allergies to nickel, the metal used in the contact points on my e-collar. The manufacturer may suggest you switch to hypo-allergenic titanium or plastic contact points.

The second reason you see photos of “burn marks” is a result of leaving the collar on for too long or not rotating the position with each use. The e-collar position must be switched every 2-4 hours, otherwise pressure sores will occur (just as humans experience bed sores when they’re stuck in bed for long periods of time). A properly-fitted collar that is rotated regularly will prevent these sores.

Myth #8: E-Collars Should only be used as a Last Resort

What would you say if you learned of a tool that expedited the learning process, bridged the bond between you and your dog, built confidence in your dog, and provided off leash reliability, would you wait to try everything else before using this tool?  We doubt it!

We get it, sometimes it seems like a last ditch effort because you want to try positive reinforcement to see if it will work. Truth be told, not all dogs need to use an e-collar. It depends on your dog’s personality and your lifestyle.

If you enjoy having your dog hang out in the yard off leash, hiking, walking your dog and other adventures with your dog, then why wait until you’re frustrated and can’t stand your dog’s behavior?

Think of it like this:

You always wear your seatbelt in the car.

You purchase car, health, and home insurance, just in case.

You can choose to not use an e-collar, possibly resulting in both of you being miserable and frustrated and missing out on fun experiences and memories.  Or you can choose to use it right away be able to enjoy your time together nearly every day, since day one!

Do you use an e-collar right now? What is your experience using an e-collar?

Did you once believe some of the myths in this article?

We’d love to show you the right way to use an e-collar with your dog.  Book private lessons with one of our trainers or talk to us about Stay & Train to begin building a foundation of freedom and obedience you’ve always dreamed of having with your dog. 

The post 8 Myths about E-Collar Training: Debunked appeared first on Next Generation Gun Dog Training.

Socialization means your dog is comfortable and behaves properly in all environments. They know how to interact with and simply exist with and around other dogs, animals and people and how to be confidently left alone.

There are a few points that need some clarity right off the bat.

Socialization is not:

• • about your dog freely interacting with other dogs at the dog park, day care, or with friends’ dogs
  • allowing your dog simply to meet other dogs on-leash or off-leash
  • allowing any and all shapes, sizes and manner of people, in all manner of mental and emotional states (scared, excited, indifferent, nervous, etc) interact with, pet and/or pressure your dog ‘for the experience’
  • about exposing your dog to the sights and sounds of cars, buses, motorcycles, bikes, walkers, joggers, etc and allowing them to panic, aggress, hide, bark, etc.
  • about exposing your dog to the sights and sounds of other dogs, cats, chickens, horses and other animals and allowing them to panic, aggress, chase, bark, hide, growl, etc.

Socialization is:

• • about teaching your dog the proper responses to dogs. It is up to us to teach what is and isn’t appropriate behavior, and to correct the unwanted when it appears.
  • about teaching your dog to calmly walk by the barking, lunging dog(s) on walks and ignore them, completely. Our dog should be focused on us, the handler and correction may be necessary to achieve this result.
  • about advocating for your dog, first and foremost. This means that people aren’t allowed to pressure your dog by approaching, touching, crouching down, attempting hugs and kisses etc. That sometimes means being standing up and stopping others from engaging in unwanted, uninvited interactions.
  • about exposing your dog to all types of daily life stimuli and ensuring a proper response. If aggression/arousal is present, it’s corrected, if fear/arousal is present (and causes an overreaction/fleeing etc.) it’s corrected. Ask your dog to learn to ignore and not care about distractions. Teach them to listen to you, not the world around them.
  • about teaching your dog to leave other creatures alone unless you specifically ask or give them permission to interact. The cat, the bird, the cow, the goat, the other dog is simply none of their business. If they decide those things are their business, it’s your job to correct and clarify what is and isn’t their business at this specific moment.

Socialization has become too much of a simplified idea. The idea that free interaction and exposure is the magic gateway to having a balanced dog is just a bunch of crap. Exposure is a starting point, but building controlled and predictable behavior through training and oftentimes correction is the end goal.

A well socialized dog isn’t phased or distracted by the world around them. And that doesn’t come from simple exposure and interactions without guidance. Ironically, that’s precisely how you create fearful, unpredictable and anti-social dogs.

Socialization is all about teaching your dog how to properly and predictably behave and exist in the world. Somewhere along the line, people developed a belief that only interactions create a socialized dog. They don’t understand that existence is almost always preferable to and more valuable than actual interaction. Yes exposure is critical, but exposure without clear guidance and corrections for poor choices, isn’t socialization, it’s chaos. It’s up to us to teach our dog what’s right and wrong and that we will keep them safe.

The post The Do’s and Don’ts to True Socialization appeared first on Next Generation Gun Dog Training.

As a result, I called on my friends at Next Generation Gundog Training, who had seen many similar situations and trained using many methods over the years. The more I learned, the more I saw how useful this tool is, when used correctly.

There are a lot of myths and assumptions out there about e-collars, and many of the claims and beliefs simply are not true. This post explains the truth behind proper use of an e-collar.  In the future, we’ll dispel many of the myths surrounding the technology.

Modern Day E-Collars vs Shock Collars

You’ve probably heard the terms e-collar and shock collar used interchangeably when referring to such tools. More often than not, the term “shock collar” is used today as a way of intentionally creating a reaction in people to associate pain and harm with its use.

The first electronic collars were introduced during the 1970s, based on the psychology of shock treatment. The tools were designed to shock dogs using three different settings.

Modern e-collars use TENS technology (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation), which delivers a mild pulse that stimulates muscle contraction (the same thing your Physical Therapist or Chiropractor may use on you when you are in for treatment).

They are also designed to safely and humanely deliver the stimulation to dogs as small as 5 lbs. 

Not all E-Collars are the Same!

While the archaic shock collars of the 70s are no longer produced today, there are still a number of low quality, inhumane e-collars on the market. 

Do not buy an e-collar from a chain pet store or some off-brand from Amazon!  

How E-Collars Work

This stimulation interrupts the dog’s thought process through an unpleasant, but not painful sensation.  It’s kind of like an annoying tap on the shoulder or tug on your pants by your toddler – annoying to the point that it gets your attention.

As I will mention several times, the stimulation reinforces commands the dog already knows. With proper conditioning, the dog learns how to stop the sensation by responding correctly to a command.

The e-collar can also be used to deter undesirable behaviors like digging, counter surfing, jumping, and more. In this instance, your dog learns to associate the unpleasant feeling with its own behavior.

Think of the e-collar as an extension of the leash. Just as your dog feels a tug on their collar when they reach the end of the leash, the e-collar is sort of like a tap on their shoulder, only it does not cause damage to the larynx or spinal cord like a jerk of the collar can.  

When used properly, e-collars are a valuable training tool, just as a flat buckle collar, a clicker and a treat.  The key is to seek advice and lessons from a knowledgeable professional and to only purchase a brand with a track record of success.  We like Dogtra products for their large stimulation range and adaptability to many different dogs and situations. 

The post The Facts About E-Collar Training appeared first on Next Generation Gun Dog Training.