Something to Consider Before Using an Electronic Collar

Something to Consider Before Using an Electronic Collar

By Ryan Eder

When it comes to electronic collars for training your dog, there are all kinds of resources available to help you select the right product. Electronic collars come in several different varieties, from several manufacturers and can vary quite a bit in cost as well. My purpose in this article is to bring forward some basic yet important factors to consider when it is time to introduce the e-collar to your dog.

Please remember that while an electronic collar is a fantastic tool to help train your dog, they are used for reinforcement of a command or behavior the dog ALREADY KNOWS. This is important, actually vital to understand before using the collar in your training or hunting efforts. For example, if your dog ranges too far while hunting and you choose to put an e-collar on the dog to correct the problem, you will likely cause more issues than you bargained for!

Think about this from the dog’s perspective: he or she has been allowed to run at this distance with little or no correction, and one day while hunting they receive a strong level of stimulation from this collar. The dog does not know why he or she is receiving this stimulation and will associate it with the surrounding environment. There have been times where I have seen a frustrated dog handler use the collar on their dog in the field as a bird is flushed! Guess what? Your dog now associates that stimulation from the collar with birds.

Another classic example is a younger dog that retrieves bumpers or birds, but does not want to come back to the handler. The handler decides to solve this issue with an e-collar. Now, when the pup retrieves the bumper or bird, but does not come straight back, they correct them with stimulation from the electronic collar causing the dog to now associate that pressure with either the act of retrieving, that particular area of the yard or field, or even the bumper or bird. This is obviously not a good problem to have when trying to train a hunting dog.

It is crucial to teach your dog before reinforcing commands and behavior with an e-collar. Things like obedience and proper range need to be taught on lead and check chord before the e-collar comes into play. Once your dog knows their basic obedience (come, heel, sit, stay, etc) you can then collar condition your dog using the commands he or she already knows. Collar conditioning is very important to ensure that they respond positively to the collar, and it is used to aid you in training rather than scaring the dog. E-collars have multiple levels of stimulation, that is, the intensity of the correction can range from a lighter/softer correction, up to a more intense stimulation. Each dog has a different level of tolerance to the e-collar, so anytime you collar condition your dog, make sure to start as light as possible. Some dogs may not respond to a light correction on the collar, in that case, go up gradually and find a level that the dog responds to (a blink of the eye, very minor flinch, etc). If the dog is vocal or excessive in their reaction, you are using too high of a level of stimulation.

You will not be successful with an electronic collar if it is not introduced properly to your dog. Finding the correct level of stimulation, and using it to reinforce commands the dog already knows are the most basic elements of proper collar conditioning, but if not done correctly, can have a very negative outcome for you and your dog. All too often people throw the collar on their hunting dog and correct things that they have not been properly taught with basic obedience, leads, check chords and yard work. I will touch in more detail in next month’s issue on this topic, to discuss more key points with electronic collars. In the meantime, please contact a trainer with any questions you may have.