HELLO TO EVERYONE FROM JOHN:
Whether we choose to call it an E-collar, shock collar, remote trainer, or tickle collar, many of us have them but few of us get maximum use and value from them. Although some novice trainers use these wonderful and helpful gizmos too often, too harshly, too inconsistently, and set on too high an intensity, many other trainers are needlessly frightened of pushing the button. With some helpful coaching and information sharing, it’s a sure bet we could ALL improve our dogs and become more correct and confident in our training ventures.
Each month I’ll offer some food for thought designed to help you confidently move forward with your training efforts and ensure that owning your TRI-TRONICS’ equipment is a wise investment which will pay for itself over and over.
If you wish to discuss a topic further, you’re welcome to call me any day from noon until dark Central Standard Time at 573-564-6146 or 573-564-3028. About two-thirds of that time I’ll be available. The rest I’m Gone Dawgin’!
Prepare to Succeed
Properly preparing your dog . . . it’s probably number one on most respected trainers’ top ten list of important do’s or don’ts concerning remote trainer use. As important a topic and consideration as that is, isn’t it surprising that eight out of ten brand new E-collar owners and almost the same ratio of veteran users neglect both types of proper preparation? Yes, there are two categories. Because they’re in a big hurry, and want all dog problems cured immediately, many rushing trainers and their well-bred dogs suffer lasting negative consequences.
By people being in too big of a hurry and neglecting to prepare for success, thousands of dogs each year become “collar-wise.” Even dogs of types and breeds that may have limited or moderate intelligence will quickly figure out that the bulky collar with the points jabbing its neck delivers an uncomfortable shock. Every dog can become collar-wise very quickly, and at that point the dog is in the driver’s seat instead of the trainer. That’s because the dog has learned that once the E-collar is strapped to its neck, its best strategy is to do nothing! Not a darn thing! Just stand there, lie there, or crawl under the truck and hide. Now our ability to use a remote trainer becomes either severely limited or non-existent, and we’ve just deprived ourselves of the greatest ease of solving dozens of minor or major problems our dogs may have or develop.
I used to think of collar-wise kinda like two cuss words said with disdain and disgust. But now it seems more like a trainer-inflicted dog disease. And it’s to be avoided at all costs because there is NO CURE!! Once they have it, it’s there for life. That’s why proper preparation is number one on the top ten list of things that must be done carefully, thoughtfully, and correctly if we and our dogs are to enjoy the best, smoothest, gentlest, most productive training experiences and results possible.
Sometimes I think we should all have to pass an in-depth test in order to obtain a license to own and operate an E-collar. A certain level of dog savvy, thoughtfulness, careful planning, and self-discipline would need to be proven in order to get your license. That may sound a bit harsh, but I’m always taking up for the dogs that have no voice in the matter. I like to see all dogs get a fair chance to succeed at their highest level, and get there with the very minimum of confusion or stress on their part. And because I’m possibly the number one fan of TRI-TRONICS’ Remote Trainers, I’m bothered when some users mix-up or permanently mess-up dogs due to neglecting one or more of the important items on the imaginary list of do’s, don’ts, and rookie mistakes.
COLLAR-WISE—we sure as heck don’t want it so how do we avoid it? We calmly, carefully, and thoughtfully prepare our dogs for future success by gradually helping them become totally comfortable with the weight and feel of the E-collar strapped snugly behind their ears. The first and second introductory sessions will see the collar a hole or two looser than will be required later for actual use. We make positively sure to spend one whole week or more putting the collar on and off a dog and having it wear the collar for several hours at a time (BUT NEVER CONTINUOUSLY FOR DAYS) in the kennel, in the field, in the hauling box, in the house—whatever it may be doing—BEFORE WE EVER TURN THE MAGICAL GIZMO ON!
Years ago when you opened the case your new E-collar outfit came in, there laid a shiny new dummy collar. It was simply a standard part of every remote trainer outfit. Manufacturers assumed all users understood the importance of preparing the dog, and they supplied a non-active, non-working dummy collar for trainers to use in proper preparation of all trainees. More years ago than I care to admit, I was a rookie making all the typical rookie mistakes. I didn’t fully understand the importance of proper preparation. Therefore, when I excitedly got my first E-collar, it wasn’t long until the active collar was getting the new worn off of it, but the dummy collar still looked clean and bright. And my dog training results (or I should probably say lack of results) left me thinking that maybe these remote trainers weren’t much good and were actually detrimental to achieving my goals of having well-trained, confident dogs.
But after doing a bit more reading, experiencing, and learning from the very few accomplished pros who were willing to share their knowledge, it quickly became apparent that the E-collars and my dogs weren’t the problem. The problem was me! And the problem was me in so many different ways. Ever since I came to that realization, I find it very hard to hold my tongue or find the proper words when someone is loudly proclaiming to me that E-collars don’t work, or E-collars mess up dogs, or their dog is too stupid or too smart to learn from an E-collar. I know for sure that none of those statements are the truth, but how do you politely tell a guy that if he wants to find the true problem, all he has to do is look in the mirror?
PROPER PREPARATION IS THE NUMBER ONE SECRET! It will solve about 60 percent of problems or confusions that arise for the trainer and the trainee when E-collars are used. After learning those lessons and forcing a little more maturity and self-discipline on myself, my dummy collars became much more used and ragged looking than my active collars. The more preparing I did, the more pleased I became with my results.
But a dummy collar alone isn’t the total answer, and it also does not normally come in the package these days. Your active collar feels and smells different enough from a dummy collar that many dogs, particularly those on the upper half of the intelligence scale, do figure out the difference. Therefore, proper preparation requires us to also use the active collar on all dogs in many situations and times and places without it being turned on to COMPLETELY accustom the dog to it. DO NOT turn it on because you don’t want to be tempted to jump-the-gun and give the dog a light tickle or stronger shock for some misdeed. During this getting-acquainted-stage, it’s much better for your dog to get away with a few things you plan to work on later.
Take your time, exercise your most extreme patience and self-discipline, and let your dog wear that active collar until she’s as comfortable wearing it as she is her regular collar or eating feed from a shiny bowl. Don’t tempt yourself and don’t let harmful peer pressure, or competitive urges, or momentary weakness mess up your plan to properly prepare. Do whatever you gotta do to make sure your dog doesn’t catch that dreaded and horrible disease of becoming collar-wise. Only after at least a week and preferably more are you ready to even think about turning the collar on and gently and confidently moving forward with your careful plans to turn this prospect into a dog of greatness.
THE OTHER HALF
Remember earlier when I said there are two parts to this preparation thing? Okay, part two is that while your dog is learning to accept and even enjoy that E-collar weight and feel, you need to prepare yourself by reading your owner’s manual; reading any good training books; watching DVDs done by proven pros; carefully considering the possibilities you want to accomplish; and laying out an outline in your mind of a sensible strategy. The first thing on your sensible strategy list will be ALWAYS keeping foremost in your mind that to be a top trainer, you must think and understand every situation as your dog would! Comprehending all situations as your dog would look at them is certainly one of the key parts of the test you’d need to pass to get your E-collar license, if such a thing existed. Smiles.
When in doubt on any thought or issue and before you act, talk to someone who’s a proven leader in your dog interest group. Though “dogs are dogs” is a common thought with lots of truth to it, we each have situations or scenarios that are unique to our type of doggin’. Take whatever time is necessary to prepare yourself and arm yourself with tried-n-true knowledge before you ever press that button.
GETTING STARTED
Okay, I’m betting you’re wise enough to learn from my rookie mistakes made many years ago. You’ve prepared your dog. You’ve prepared yourself. You’re ready to confidently move onward and upward. Here’s another little secret to success that all the real pros know. These are the people who consistently appear to have amazing success with dog after dog, and year after year. In all fields and arenas of dogdom, the real pros know that E-collars aren’t to be worn by the dog on just a few or occasional training sessions while most other times they’re running naked. Nope, the pros know that just as they lace up their boots, throw that whistle lanyard over their heads, and pull on those comfy and weathered leather gloves, the dog gets his TRI-TRONICS strapped on EVERY SINGLE TRAINING SESSION. No exceptions. None! Certainly not in the first year or two of its career. This is also an important way to vaccinate your dog against becoming collar-wise. It also assures that you’re always armed and ready when any big or small issue arises. You’re always ready! Rover might need just a tiny tickle or a slight or sturdy shock. You want to be ready every instant your action is required or an opportunity shows up!
Part of being always ready is keeping your equipment in good repair, up-to-date batteries installed, the unit properly charged, points occasionally checked for proper tightness, the collar properly snug on the dog, and the points the proper length for the dog’s hair coat. All those big and little subjects are part of proper preparation. They separate the successful trainers from the ones who wonder why their dreams aren’t coming true. It certainly separates the confident and correct dogs from the confused and contrary ones. As a dog lover, I always feel sorry for that second group of dogs. As mentioned earlier, I sometimes feel like I’m trying to give them a voice that you’ll listen to. They’d ask me to loudly stress to you the importance of preparing them and yourself so that they can enjoy a happy and productive life as your canine partner—no matter what kind of dog owns you. Smiles.
If you’re reading this, it’s probable that some nuisance barking is one of your problems. Next time we’ll visit about preparing your dog for and successfully using Bark Limiter collars.
John Wick
Archived Articles: