Electronic Collar

[Guest]

Tried unsuccessfully to post this under the hunting forum. Thought this the next best spot.

I'm going to pick up my 9 mo.old Weimaraner on Monday after 6 weeks of obedience training. She has been trained with an electronic collar, and the trainer strongly recommends that I continue using one. I know the jury is out on whether to use the collars for correction (I know they are NOT to be used for punishment). Anyone got some info for me? To use, or not to use the electronic color?

[Dan97]

Hi Clayton...

As far as the "continued" use of the e-collar is concerned, that will depend on you and your pup. In the training of my two English Setters, I found the e-collar to be a very valuable tool. One pup was a natural and very receptive to "normal" training procedures. The other, knew her duties, but at times, figured out MY range for correction. With the e-collar, I was able to deliver correction the instant the "infraction" took place. Far better than correcting pup after some time has passed. Less confusion for the little rascal.

The one problem I was told to watch out for is making your pup "collar wise". Meaning he/she does their thing only when the collar is on. Then when the collar is off, all hell breaks loose. I guess I was lucky in the fact it didn't take too long before Rosie got her ducks in a row. Now, the collar comes out only for a little while during the summer "tune-ups".

In my opinion, the use of an e-collar is sometimes the only way to correct or avoid bad habits. It's not a cure-all, but with proper use, it is effective. Your goal is to get your pups training to a point where the e-collar is not needed. I think you'll find that the more time you spend with your new friend, the less and less you'll need the collar.

Well this response is probably clear as mud, so if you come up with any questions, please post or email.

Happy Hunting......Dan

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[nunzio]

Clayton this is just my .02;
My buddies German Shorthair was trained with one. The first time that I got to hunt with them , my buddy forgot the collar. We spent most of the morning hunt dealing with the dog. We went back to town and picked up the collar. Just putting the collar on was all it took. It was like two different dogs. We had a much better hunt in the afternoon. -nunzio

[Bryce]

The new Tri-tronics have a tone feature on most models which is quite useful. I have it on an older model and use more often than the shock portion. Nice for getting the dogs attention for changing direction or whatever instruction you'd like to give without using voice or whistle commands. I believe smart old roosters learn those noises and do not behave politely.