E Collars on 3.5 mo. old puppies??? - Page 4

Louise, my grandpa had hunting dogs and used  e collars at a very young age. This poster gave the impression that the collar was being used wrong. I am very much against anyone using them if they do not know what the heck they are doing. If the owner of that pup felt compelled to talk to the breeder and the breeder felt compelled to ask the board, I am free to assume they have no clue. I am very much aware of the benefits of a e collar and training (my Grandfather had some of the finest hunters in the state). However, I would not have told this poster about this, If they do not understand, they have no business using it. I have also seen alot of messed up dogs with the e collars in the wrong hands. I would like to know what they are training the pup for, that a treat and a "good boy" would not suffice and build a mentally stable dog,
Regarding the "sit stay" training, I have met a few dogs trained under that program, very impressive. However, I would be VERY leary of a "newbie trainer".

A 3 and a half month old GSD puppy is going to be a sponge for learning, it is in my opinion completely unneccesary to to use ANY training collar that young. It would be akin to spanking a 9 month old child for dropping their sippy cup off the high chair. 

While some trainers and handlers may be skilled enough to use one on very low frequencies, if the puppy is "freezng up" the dog is clearly going into avoidance and shutting down due to lack of comprehension. They need to stop this type of training RIGHT NOW. I recall a pointer I work with who had been clearly mistreated with an ecollar, teaching him anything new was so hard, he felt if he didn't understand something he was going to be punished. Very sad.

There is no way in hell a 3.5 month old puppy is having behavior problems so extreme it needs an ecollar. Lets say pup does have an obsession with chasing cars, as Chistopher mentioned. Put a leash on it, don't fry it. If thats what you need to do to get an infant puppy to listen you are a piss poor excuse for a dog trainer.

There is no way in hell a 3.5 month old puppy is having behavior problems so extreme it needs an ecollar. Lets say pup does have an obsession with chasing cars, as Chistopher mentioned. Put a leash on it, don't fry it. If thats what you need to do to get an infant puppy to listen you are a piss poor excuse for a dog trainer.

 

So your idea is to avoid the issue? What would you do to fix the problem?

 While some trainers and handlers may be skilled enough to use one on very low frequencies…

 

If the behavior was caused by bad e-collar work then blame the training not the collar! Why do you rail against the collar when, by your own admission, you know it can be used effectively?

And what the frequency have to do with anything?

By low frequency, I meant a low level shock. Do think it's appropriate to fry a baby puppy? The OP clearly said the pup is freezing up in training. That says it all, don't you think?  I have NO problem with e-collars used properly on a dog that si ready for it. Avoid a problem? In a 3 month old puppy? Give me a break.  As I said, if you need an ecollar to problem solve with a THREE MONTH OLD puppy, I stand by my statement of piss poor training, so yes, I am railing against the trainer here, not the collar.

BTW- in your statement you referred a problem a 2 year old dog could have if something isnt fixed at a young age. There is a rather large gap between 3 months and 2 years,  plenty of ample time to introduce compulsion at a more approriate age.

 To the original poster: GO BUY this pup back from these idiots, and get it away from whomever this so-called trainer is- using an e-collar on such a young pup. This makes me livid. There is absolutely NO reason to be using an e-collar on so young a pup. I believe that an e-collar can be appropriately used for a very few select things when the dog is an adult. But this is inexcusable and, if you do live near Mystere, I will help pay her gas to go deal with this idiot using it.

I do not generally get this riled up, but this is too much. The answer is NO, NO, NO and you should know better and have enough sense to go get the pup. Clearly, you sold it to people who do not have a f'***** clue.

One does NOT need an e-collar to teach anything to such a young pup!!

To be fair to the pup's owner's...many, many owners take what the trainer says as gold. Hey, if they're a professional, they must know what they're doing!  I don't completely blame the owner, I blame the trainer.

Another point- when I do recommend an ecollar for a client's dog, I always take into consideration not only the dog readiness but the OWNER as well. Is this owner going to follow through with my directions exactly? Or are they going to go "zap happy" on the dog? Does the owner have a history with me of being consistent with the dog? If I have doubts I don't bother bringing the ecollar up at all.   I have a feeling all this trainer thought about was $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$.

Hodie, I am still waiting to hear whether this trainer is in my neck of the woods.

my german friend had a very eloquent response for those who put e-collars on babies:
"if they want a remote puppy, they are sold at walmart.  the eyes light up, tail wags and they bark."
pjp