Just wanted to drop in and chat about my recent journey with an e-collar for my 18-month-old Cane Corso from a working line - she's very driven to chase and although she responds very well to positive reenfocement, she is also a dog who needs boundaries communicated to keep her well behaved.
So, here's the deal: My training's always been about positive vibes, treats, and praise, with a bit of prong collar action for loose leash walking. Her recall was decent, hitting the mark most times unless she spotted another dog wanting a play – then, forget it, she wouldn't give me a second glance.
I used to think e-collars were cruel and unnecessary due to everything I have seen online. So, whenever there were other dogs about, I'd keep her on a leash, not really trusting her not to ignore them. Despite trying everything – all sorts of treats, toys, and even spending thousands on trainers – nothing topped the thrill of playing with another dog for her.
One trainer even reckoned she might always need to be on a leash, given how driven she is. So, I sort of made peace with that, though I always wondered if something like a e collar might do the trick for my stubborn, smart and driven working line pup
Then this one day changed everything. We were walking down a busy street, same as usual, and these workmen dropped something loud right near us. This made her jump and stressed her out a bit. After shaking it off, her leash somehow came undone from her collars – still no idea howm, she was double leashed – and off she went, straight across the road towards another dog. I'm shouting her name, but she's not having any of it. She was milliseconds to being hit by a van. Scared me to death and still makes me sick replaying it in my mind.
That night, I ordered an e-collar, realising that even a 99% good recall isn't enough in a freak situation.
I did my homework, watched loads of YouTube videos on introducing the collar, and followed the standard recall stuff:
And you know what? After just 5 days, we went for this long hike in the countryside, and she was brilliant. She'd bolt off, but the moment I called her, she'd spin around and come right back – didn't even need the stim. Even when she was touching distance with other dogs, she listened and came back.
Honestly, I'm so happy and so is she. She has never had that much freedom to just be a dog on a long hike.
That's it really - just wanted to share my expereiice because whenever i googled "e collar reddit" i read so much info about how evil they are and it stopped me buying one.
So, here's the deal: My training's always been about positive vibes, treats, and praise, with a bit of prong collar action for loose leash walking. Her recall was decent, hitting the mark most times unless she spotted another dog wanting a play – then, forget it, she wouldn't give me a second glance.
I used to think e-collars were cruel and unnecessary due to everything I have seen online. So, whenever there were other dogs about, I'd keep her on a leash, not really trusting her not to ignore them. Despite trying everything – all sorts of treats, toys, and even spending thousands on trainers – nothing topped the thrill of playing with another dog for her.
One trainer even reckoned she might always need to be on a leash, given how driven she is. So, I sort of made peace with that, though I always wondered if something like a e collar might do the trick for my stubborn, smart and driven working line pup
Then this one day changed everything. We were walking down a busy street, same as usual, and these workmen dropped something loud right near us. This made her jump and stressed her out a bit. After shaking it off, her leash somehow came undone from her collars – still no idea howm, she was double leashed – and off she went, straight across the road towards another dog. I'm shouting her name, but she's not having any of it. She was milliseconds to being hit by a van. Scared me to death and still makes me sick replaying it in my mind.
That night, I ordered an e-collar, realising that even a 99% good recall isn't enough in a freak situation.
I did my homework, watched loads of YouTube videos on introducing the collar, and followed the standard recall stuff:
- First few days, just getting her happy with the collar on.
- Started with really low stims while calling her over so she understood what i wanted
- Upped the ante with distractions and distance, keeping her on a long lead near other dogs.
And you know what? After just 5 days, we went for this long hike in the countryside, and she was brilliant. She'd bolt off, but the moment I called her, she'd spin around and come right back – didn't even need the stim. Even when she was touching distance with other dogs, she listened and came back.
Honestly, I'm so happy and so is she. She has never had that much freedom to just be a dog on a long hike.
That's it really - just wanted to share my expereiice because whenever i googled "e collar reddit" i read so much info about how evil they are and it stopped me buying one.