# Did you ever use Electric Collars ?



## MimiG (Nov 12, 2014)

Did anyone use electric collars on their GSDs while training for Schutzhund ? We train Enzo on prong collar but have never used the electric ones before.
Any thoughts ?


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## scarfish (Apr 9, 2013)

we don't do schutzhund other than the rally stuff. and yes we use one. but it's not for training. it's for correcting if the dog has a brain fart, loses focus, or flat out disobeys a command they are already trained to do while off leash.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

Yes. I do. I have a Tritonics.

And scarfish - you absolutely can "train" with it. It's all in how you use it. The stim can be a command just as a correction.


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## Zeeva (Aug 10, 2010)

I have used e-collars on both of my pups. Smokey is a husky and does well with an e-collar off leash. If you know something about huskies, they've a tendency to RUN like mad. The e-collar gives him a lot of freedom. C:


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## scarfish (Apr 9, 2013)

Jax08 said:


> Yes. I do. I have a Tritonics.
> 
> And scarfish - you absolutely can "train" with it. It's all in how you use it. The stim can be a command just as a correction.


interesting. we don't really use it that way. to be honest i only nicked julie like 3 times ever. she does well with voice commands/corrections.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

scarfish said:


> interesting. we don't really use it that way. to be honest i only nicked julie like 3 times ever. she does well with voice commands/corrections.


 It is. I really like the way I"m being taught to use it. It's used more as a stimulator than as a correction. More GO GO GO not NO NO NO.

So I guess, in the end, it is a correction because it's putting them back on track but done in a different way. Does that make sense?


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## Lin (Jul 3, 2007)

Ditto, the collars are really meant to be used in training. I'm a bit confused that you DONT use it in training, yet expect the dog to understand what it means when you use it as a correction. Used properly you train something and use the collar as another training tool, such as replacing the leash to do off lead work and still be able to give your dog information while hands off. When properly introduced and trained this way, then yes you can do things such as stim for correction or "dial up" in an emergency, but I don't understand how the dog would understand what it meant if the training wasn't done first.


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## wolfmanusf (Apr 5, 2012)

I use e-collars. With proper usage, they are one of, if not the most, effective training devices around. I have heard, and like, the following comparison:

Using the e-collar is like using a pneumatic nailer to build a house versus using hammer and nail. It can be done both ways but the more efficiently with the pneumatic nailer. 

One should consult a proper trainer to learn how to use the collar. Like other correction devices, it can be used to kill drive and extinguish behavior or used as a motivator to make behaviors quicker. It is a very nuanced tool that should not be taken lightly.


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## zyppi (Jun 2, 2006)

Yes, mine are Dogtra.

It's a 'tool,' bun one you need to learn how to use properly.

Please take the time to learn the proper way to implement this tool.


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## lhczth (Apr 5, 2000)

Yes. I have a tritronics pro 500, Dogtra 1200 NC (old collar) and a Dogtra 2300 NCP.


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## scarfish (Apr 9, 2013)

Jax08 said:


> Yes. I do. I have a Tritonics.
> 
> And scarfish - you absolutely can "train" with it. It's all in how you use it. The stim can be a command just as a correction.


i guess you can but we usually don't to initially teach a command. like i said we don't do shutzhund, just advanced obedience/rally stuff. things like walking backwards or a sit from moving we first introduce the command with a leash 'cause you can guide them with it. once they know the command then it's off leash with the ecollar. training reinforcement we always use the ecollar so i guess it is still training with it i didn't think of it that way. we also don't do anything that requires a zap or a buzz for a command but have seen it on youtube. people buzzing their dog for a recall. we always just use our voices and then again with a zap if they don't immediately obey.

just the way we use it, it's more for brain farts wich julie has a lot of. especially when she enters an agility tunnel. so goes in but doesn't like coming out. she starts rolling around like a nut. she rolls the thing all over the class and forgets every command.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

I use the Dogtra 2300ncp.


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## mycobraracr (Dec 4, 2011)

I have a tritronics sport basic G3 and a dogtra 280. They are a great tool when used correctly. They are also very easy to get carried away with. So knowing how to properly use one is key.


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

scarfish said:


> i guess you can but we usually don't to initially teach a command. like i said we don't do shutzhund, just advanced obedience/rally stuff. things like walking backwards or a sit from moving we first introduce the command with a leash 'cause you can guide them with it. once they know the command then it's off leash with the ecollar. training reinforcement we always use the ecollar so i guess it is still training with it i didn't think of it that way. we also don't do anything that requires a zap or a buzz for a command but have seen it on youtube. people buzzing their dog for a recall. we always just use our voices and then again with a zap if they don't immediately obey.


This sounds like +P. Lots of people use an ecollar for Schutzhund and are using it as -R. Various ways to use it.

I've never used one for SchH. I just never got one with my first dog and am happy with how we train without introducing a new tool. Second dog was sold and he is now trained with one quite a lot but the foundation I did was not with an ecollar. I have nothing for or against them, just haven't had a good opportunity to introduce one, though I have trained with +P and -R, just not with an ecollar as the tool.


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## ayoitzrimz (Apr 14, 2010)

Oh yea we use e-collars. I turn it off if I'm getting frustrated though which can happen to me sometimes. Just as a safety precaution - always remember that this dial is easy to turn up. Never had an incident but to me it's a great tool to be able to give precise and timely feedback from half a field away. No leashes to drag around, the dog is free to move, and I can still give guidance via stim or nick when needed.


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## jafo220 (Mar 16, 2013)

To me, an e-collar is an essential part of training. Now and in the future. I have utilized one with Cruz for about 6 or 7 months now. Cruz is a "hands off" dog unless you want 90 pounds of over zealous GSD on you. The e-collar took the confusion element out of training and set up clear communication between Cruz and myself. I would not train without one. Cruz has gotten to the point where it's not always required to have the collar on anymore. In public and around the house cat, that's it. He is light years away from where we were. Much much improved performance in training and social skills too. We still make small strides of improvements. We train everyday with collar on. I rarely stim him anymore. Only when we take things to where we haven't been before. Other than that, it usually happens pretty fast. Repetition and consistency are your friend when using an e-collar.


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## Lin (Jul 3, 2007)

I have a Dogtra, chose it for the dial control of levels, I think its 1700ncp. 

I don't do schutzhund, I do advanced obedience and service dog training. I never used the collar with Tessa, didn't have one and didn't learn from a trainer on how to use one back when she was being trained. She was my working service dog who passed away. I used a cheap Innotec with Logan shortly, I think I had bought it because of cat chasing but I don't remember actually getting up to using it for that lol. I had forgotten I'd ever bought or used it until I came across it in a box, missing the batteries and the cover that holds the battery and completes the connection in the remote (so cannot be used without) and its so old its not supported any longer, this was around 2011 when I came across it in a box. 

But I had wanted one for years because they're such a good training tool when used correctly, able to guide and give information (both reinforcement and correction) when your dog isn't within reach, and off lead work. I finally bought one because Emma has always been only 99% reliable, its why she washed out of service dog training. Like recall, more than 99 out of 100 times she's excellent and will even stop dead in pursuit of a squirrel or cat, but every now and then she doesn't hear me and will keep chasing for a little while before she finally hears me. I'm disabled and not able to go after her if she ignores a recall any longer. Haven't had a chance to use the collar for that yet though. Ironically the first day I got the collar we had one of those moments, this time she just wanted to ignore me to run up to the fence where some dogs were inside barking at her. But the battery on the collar had gone dead when I tried to add in the collar, I tried "dialing up" to get her attention but nothing until she finally heard me and raced back, and I saw the light was off on the collar. Where I just moved there's no fence in the yard at all, but the majority of places we lived had no fence or not a full fence, I just watch her during potty times and use an "EH-EH" command when she hits the border and needs to turn around. But I'm trying to remember to put the collar on her, especially if I can see other dogs in any yards. There's a big open space just beyond our yard, which I don't let her enter without me with her, but so technically she could run up to say 6-8 different houses yards, a good amount that are fenced and have dogs outside when I let her out, if she crossed that land ignoring me. I've also introduced the collar with the leave it command for the cat, and will also "dial up' if ever needed and she ignores the command. I'm hoping to use the collar to work on distance commands, she always wants to be right up in my face. And to proof things, because her reliability never goes over 99 (which is not enough, like recall) and can drop down to maybe 75% despite the years of training and various trainers and groups I've worked with. She will never make a service dog, I had to realize that a couple years ago, but with Tessa gone I want to introduce more tasks and better reliability to do what she can for me while I'm at home. Its going to be a long 2+ year wait for my next service dog!


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## GatorDog (Aug 17, 2011)

I use ecollars for IPO training.


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## ChunksDad (Jan 6, 2014)

I use an ecollar on Chunk during training but only during bite work. The obedience portion of his training rarely needs corrections. He is motivated by his ball and tug and rarely needs firm corrections. Bite work is another matter, when he gets into "drive" mode he is so focused and "on it" that the collar is almost required to get his attention. Most the time I don't need to use it but occasionally when he gets into the "Butthead Mode" he needs a correction that I can't get to him because most of his bite work is off leash. 
I was a little worried about using it on him but when taught how to use it correctly it is a great tool Before I even started using it I watched a video put out by Leerburg which gave me an idea on how to use it. My trainer showed me a correct method of using it by making me the collar wearer and it really helped. I learned how to apply it and to think the process thru so that it is no more than a collar correction with a prong or fursaver collar.
Good Luck..
Phil


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## hunterisgreat (Jan 30, 2011)

ecollar is my tool of choice


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