Dog trainer recommending e-collar

[gamehhh]

Hi all. Long time lurker and owner of a beautiful 2 year old German shep boy. Had him since he was a puppy and he's a real part of our family of course! I'm looking for some opinions/advice on a recent experience I've had. Recently some more of my time has been freed up and I've decided to approach a dog trainer to see if we can further refine my boys behaviour.

Generally speaking he is a very well behaved dog and I consider myself very lucky. But there's definite room for improvement on his recall ability. It's impossible to have him safely off lead because of this, and this is the main thing I want to work on with him.

I recently had an initial session with the trainer. We did some walking using a pinch collar which went well. But he advised the only way to truly fix the off lead recall is by going down the e-collar route. He said it's not a shock collar but delivers enough stimulation to get his attention back. I find it hard to see the difference and I'm really on the fence about if this is the best approach.

What I would absolutely hate is if we went down this route and it radically changed my boys personality or affected him in some way. He is such a sweet boy I want the best for him always.

Does anyone have any similar experiences to share or any advice? As I say I'm really on the fence right now! Thank you

 

[ladel]

@gamehhh The e collar delivers a vibration that feels very much like a cell phone vibrating. Dogs don’t like the sensation so it sends the signal to them to pay attention and the buzzing will stop. I’ve been using e collars with my boys for almost 3 years. No effect to their personalities!

Check out Tom Davis on YouTube, he has a ton of great info about ecollars, off leash recall, and just training in general.

 

[imagebeastmarkbeast]

@ladel This is how recall is trained with mine. Works great and is painless.

 

[jmsk82]

@gamehhh Here is the video I was talking about in my previous comment, good luck with it all

 

[ngr]

@gamehhh E-collars are the greatest invention after the wheel and buttered toast.

E-collars are a reinforcement tool, never for punishment. The strength can be adjusted from unnoticeable tickle to a strong electrical bite. You have to fine tune it specific to your dog by putting on the e-collar and making sure the prongs contact their skin, then starting from the lowest setting of 1 slowly adjust the intensity until your dog JUST notices the stimulation. My setting is usually around 12. You tap the stimulation button on the e-collar, 1/8 second or less, you do not hold the button.

For actually training with the ecollar it would be something like this. You give hand signal and tell them “sit” and simultaneously begin tapping every half second to 1 second until they sit. The tapping does not stop until they sit, then you give a treat when they do sit.

 

[reslute]

@ngr Bulliseat, pardon my french.

I say this having been in the dog business for thirty years, and I have never needed an E-collar.......

 

[mhcapa1]

@gamehhh We use an e collar for the vibrate function. Works awesome to get your dogs attention when they’re running/playing off leash.

They are also helpful with training dogs that have strong prey drive and like to chase/kill animals.

 

[zander12]

@mhcapa1 Which one do you use? My guys a danger to himself and other animals. Frequently takes off after squirrels/cats/ other dogs even while on leash. He’ll pull so hard he gets away. There have been times he’s ran across streets (could’ve been hit by a car). Even ran off after a coyote once. Coyote incident he was missing for 2 hrs. When we finally got him back, the people who found him said he was being chased by the whole pack. Whoever downvoted your comment is ignorant. I’d rather my guy get shocked than ran over, mauled by a pack of coyotes, or kill another dog.

 

[mhcapa1]

@zander12 We use the Dogtra 280C. It’s not the most powerful model available, but it’s compact and has the vibrate function.

 

[zander12]

@mhcapa1 Thanks! I’ve been looking at the educator

 

[faithfulfindings]

@gamehhh I would rather go down other routes and get a real recall. Some GSD are smart enough to memorize what collar caused what. So it might happen that as soon as you are back to normal collars it won't work.

So instead use food as training motivation. So only food for training. Start in your home to get him accustomed to your command and the fact that he will receive a portion of food when he comes over. If you have a second person hand her part of the food so he has to run from point to point to receive his food. Get to a fenced of area let him roam for a while and then do your recall training like home. I would suggest a new word or whistle or something you can always use and loud enough for far away situations. Later you can add distractions and things that usually make him not listen to your training
Also change areas where you train and include the commands into your daily life.
It will take weeks or months but is much more reliable in the end with less discomfort for your dog.

 

[jmsk82]

@gamehhh Look up shield K9 on YouTube and try find their video with the e collar they use, if I was getting one I'd be getting that, saw it a while ago, would look for it now but I'm about to go to sleep
Once you learn how to use them correctly, it's all about clear communication with the dog,

Not smashing the dog in the highest level just coz it didn't listen to ya for example.. take it through the process taking your time to teach it what it means, can make it positive and mentally stimulating game which is great for you and the dog,

Might not need a trainer anymore after looking shield K9 up

 

[mitsudang]

@gamehhh drop the trainer jesus christ

 

[3roku]

@gamehhh I use an E-collar for off-leash work with my shepherd and when it comes out she literally tries to stick her head through the loop to put it on. She knows it means she’s going to get to play. If used properly the e-collar is an awesome tool. I would definitely do your research and give it a try.

 

[imagebeastmarkbeast]

@gamehhh Oh, I shock him to prevent him from chasing cats.

I started by testing it on myself. Then I put it on him on the mildest setting. I kept testing it on him while I turned it up. At a certain level, he felt it. I turned it up a little higher than that. After that, when he needed correcting, I'd mix the beep, vibration and shock. He eventually associated the beeps with the shock. Now all I have to do is show him the "zapper" and he behaves like an angel.

Back to the cats. I only use it as a last resort.

 

[mel]

@gamehhh I love my e-collar. My dog used to bolt out of nowhere and it has absolutely stopped this, im grateful for it every day because I can have her off lead anywhere now.

 

[reslute]

@gamehhh 2 years old. If his personality is such that he is distracted, there is no point in an electric collar. . And if it is a training fault, it can be corrected without it....

 

[mindanalyzer]

@gamehhh E-collar can be effective when used properly, but they dont work on all dog in my experience.

 

[sky7]

@gamehhh Make sure your trainer knows what they are doing. E-collar can make it worse for your dog if you do not condition him properly. I also suggest you try it on your neck to get the feeling of what your dog feels.

With that being said, my dog is e collar trained by Shield k9. I started at level 4 ( I felt a tiny tickle on my neck at level 8)progressed to level 7 correction. by week 3 he was recalling without the e collar. He is now 9.5 months and still wears the e collar when we go for walks off leash but I cannot remember the last time I had to correct him even when the collar isn’t on him. Again, it’s important to do your due diligence on your trainer before jumping in.

 

[xelalex]

@gamehhh I use the noise function on the e collar and my dog comes running back. I’ve never had to use the vibrate or the shock.