Installation Guide

all training sessions. Initially, you should attach the collar and do something
fun, such as retrieving exercises with a bumper or ball. Continue this until your
pup’s tail is wagging uncontrollably. Soon, your dog will be doing airplane spins
each time it sees the collar and think, “Oh boy, we are getting ready to have some
fun!” That is a pretty nice first impression. This is an important first step in collar
conditioning: your dog’s acceptance of the e-collar in a fun fashion.
You shouldn’t be pressing any of the remote transmitter’s buttons until your dog is
100% reliable on obedience drills. When you have to deliver a correction you don’t
want your dog trying to guess what you expect. Your dog should be performing
these skills masterfully in the face of distractions. If you did your homework, your
dog will have an excellent understanding of what you are asking while being able
to process pressure at the same time. Before, pressure was in the form of a leash.
Now, it will be an electronic, momentary “nick” from the collar. Your dog already
knows what to do in the face of pressure; you are simply changing the type of
pressure. Previously the pressure of the leash was on your dog’s neck and that is
where the e-collar also applies pressure, but in a different form. The e-collar will
now become an infinitely long leash to your dog. A nick with the collar will take
the place of a tug on the lead. This sounds pretty simple doesn’t it? Keep it that
simple and you and your dog will be happy.
Always remember: You’re not going to teach your dog anything with an e-collar.
You’re only adding electronic pressure to a skill your dog already knows and can
routinely perform. Also, don’t use the e-collar to correct responses in an area
where your dog may have not performed these skills until the training process is
finished.
FINDING THE CORRECT STIMULATION LEVEL
The hardest thing about
using an e-collar is
finding the proper level
of static stimulation and
sticking with it. Some
folks are of the opinion
that you should use
continuous high-level
stimulation until the dog
complies. Others think
you should use low-level
continuous stimulation.
Both programs can
work and create a dog
that performs great, but
either of these methods
could lead to trouble for
a novice trainer.
conditioned responses, verbal correction, and positive reward. Your dog is capable
of squarely facing severe distractions in unfamiliar areas while still giving you
control. Your dog is now a good citizen and a pleasure to live with. You have come
a long way in training your dog but you still have some goals to reach.
APPLICATION OF THE ELECTRONIC COLLAR
E-collar use has come a
long way. The equipment
is better and the many
available programs for
training with e-collars
are better. Some people
don’t believe e-collars
are reliable enough,
and therefore shouldn’t
be used, but successful
results are dependent on
the skills of the operator,
not the product. It’s very
rare for a dog to not
accept commands while
on a leash, but you can
hurt your dog’s attitude
if the training tool is used
improperly. The same
goes for e-collars. You
can do an unbelievable
amount of damage to your dog’s attitude by overcorrecting with an e-collar if you
don’t know what you’re doing or if you don’t control your actions. This program
will show you how to use an e-collar, but you must never lose control of your
emotions. So, make a promise to yourself and your dog that you’ll always remain
focused and in control when training.
In the beginning, e-collars were simple metal boxes with an on/off switch and
no way to adjust the static stimulation levels. And they were often unreliable.
SportDOG Brand® remote training systems are an example of how advanced
e-training products have become. SportDOG™ offers several excellent models
that work at great distances over land or in water. All of the units offer variable
intensity on the transmitter along with continuous and momentary stimulation
choices. In this program, you will use momentary stimulation (or a Nick/brief
correction) most of the time, but there may be an occasion where your dog is
heavily distracted and you need to use continuous stimulation. Therefore, that
option is available to you.
THE RIGHT WAY TO BEGIN
Your dog needs to start wearing an e-collar as soon as it can comfortably support
the collar’s weight. The collar should be worn from that point forward during
APPLICATION OF THE ELECTRONIC COLLAR
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