e-collars - Page 1

hello all,
what are some opinions about using an ecollar for a gsd. what age is best to start using one?  thanks for any input,   jim

Hi Jimbo, you can do a Search Messageboard on e-collars, there are so many threads to choose from, as this topic usually has it pros and cons, and has been often discussed. You might want to check out some of those old threads. I think your question might be restated, if you read some of those threads, first.

if you have never used one PLEASE go to a trainer that uses them.  See if you like how they are used and if you feel you can learn to train with one.  They are not for beginners.  Learn to use one correctly or don't use one at all :)  They ruin alot of good dogs.   ( in the hands of an expert i have seen them work well)  I repeat not for beginners and must be used correctly by an expert!

i have bought the leerburg ecollar video to see how they are used. we are doing obediance training now. we have a training place here in town, but they use the escape method of training with the collar. i don't think i want to do that type of training. i liked what i saw in the leerburg video. i'm not ready to start using it now, but thought it might be a good aid when she has the basics down and start doing off leash work. Just want something to tap her on the shoulder if she doesn't listen off leash to tell her to get her butt back to me.

"what age is best to start using one?"  Ok, that question right there concerns me.  Why do you think you even need to use one?  Is your ability to control your dog so poor that you need to resort to an e-collar right out of the shoot?  I have had multiple GSDs that I have never had to resort to an e-collar to control them. I spent long hours working with them in all phases of Schutzhund and K9 training to learn to work with my dogs.  I learned to read their body language and to build a bond with them.  The oldest male was a 120lb dominant dog that was a royal pain in the butt to train and it took a lot of work, a few pulled shoulders (until I learned to train smart, hey he was my first GSD), but he ended up being an incredible dog.  It is all about learning what motivates dogs to learn and want to please you.  Save the e-collar for some idiot human who pisses you off. I have seen too many dogs ruined by e-collars used when they didn't need to be.  Please, please don't even contemplate an e-collar unless it is an absolute last resort and you can honestly say you have tried everything else first.

I agree the OP probably shouldn't use an E collar.  Trying to learn from a leerburg video is a disaster waiting to happen. 

However, E collars should never be viewed as a "last resort."  They are a tool like any thing else and used correctly can be extremely beneficial.  In the hands of an experienced trainer they can be used as a finesse tool to polish exercises.  Used as a tool of last of resort it can certainly "ruin" dogs or at least ruin the relationship between the dog and handler.

I do not know what you intend to achieve by using an e-collar, I assume it`s control, speed, power and reliability, but all this can be easily achieved without the use of such a device, even if you aim for higher competition. Just follow the link below and watch this dog, half the way through to the first ipo trial (it`s an extraction of training scenes) and an e-collar has never been used and will never be used.
All the best
Ulf

http://vimeo.com/29251193

the reason i asked this question is because the training place we have here in town starts ecollar training after puppy preschool. she was 4months old when we completed school, and i didn't want to use an ecollar with her being this young and not even have her basic commands down cold yet. she is going through a 10 day residency training program starting this week. I know this trainer does not use ecollars until they are 10 months old or older. I hope i won't need to use one at all. Not interested in doing protective training or any of that stuff with her. Just want a well behaved part of our family that we can take to the park and get her some good exercise off leash. In our town we have a leash law, but if you have control of your dog with just your commands then it's okay. They look at it as an invisible leash type thing. By the way, the place she is going this week is not the same place she did puppy preschool- this place is about an hour away.

That young for e-collar training, wow that just blows my mind.  I know some on here swear by e-collars but all the K9 trainers I know and the animal behaviorist that specializes in aggression cases, also lack of handler control cases in K9, almost every one of them has been trained with an e-collar and many of them before 12 months old.  I don't have confidence in a trainer that wants to introduce the dog to e-collar that young.  Makes me wonder why???  JMO

Yes an e-collar is a tool but building a bond is the best method and the most permanent.

Bird dog people start their puppies with
e-collars young, it's not a cardinal sin.

An e-collar is simply one more tool to use.
Agreed, someone with no experience should
not try one, but instead, find someone who IS
experienced and go to them to learn first how
to use the collar properly. If someone is going
to be abusive and/or unfair, they don't need an
e-collar to do that, it can be done with no collar,
a flat collar etc.

Jimbo, while your pup is away, why don't you
find some good bird dog people in your area
and ask about coming out to watch some
training etc. You can learn more about the
collar from people who use it every day.