E-Collar Training for 4-Year Old Brit Lab

[WildFan10]

All-

I have a 4-year old British Lab (she just turned 4 yesterday) and realized last fall when I went on a hunt out North Dakota that I need to get her started on an e-collar. I hunt mostly around MN, and I have not had a problem keep her within the range I like her to be, just using verbal commands and a whistle. I realized after going to the area in ND that we hunted, that the reason I can keep her in check without the collar around here is simply due to the fact that there just aren't as many birds around. Out there, where in some fields there were literally HUNDREDS of pheasants, I could not keep her close enough. So much scent and a dog with a very high drive to find birds = a dog ranging out WAY too far at times. It was great she got to flush so many birds (don't get me wrong, still had some nice flushed and retrieves, but they were few and far between the ones she and the other dogs in the group were flushing up out of range).

My questions are:

1.) Is it too late to start training a 4-year old dog on an e-collar?

2.) I have always been told to be careful when using a collar on a British dog because they are "softer". This is true. My dog is certainly softer than a lot of American labs I have seen. Any thoughts about this? I don't want to "wreck" her and decrease her drive in the field.

3.) Anyone have a good training program they would recommend for e-collar training? Good book to use? I could have it done professionally, too but because I trained her myself from the star, I think I can probably work with her enough to get her going on a collar.

If anyone has any thoughts about the what my fist steps should be in getting the process started, and/r about any of my questions above, I would appreciate it. I likely give my breeder a call as well, but wanted to get some thoughts from outsiders as well, just to get some other opinions. Thanks!

[rwwong]

I take my Vizsla to Chad Hines at willow creek kennels, he and his staff do amazing work. Here is an article on how he collar conditions.

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