Installation Guide

command “Here,” deliver a nick on the correct level – paying close attention to
the dog’s reaction – and then immediately command “Here” again. Reward your
dog with a stroke on the shoulder and verbal praise. Repeat “Here”-Nick-“Here”
three to five times on the first day at various places in the work area while making
sure that no two nicks occur at the same spot. Your dog will receive at least three
nicks, but no more than five, during the first couple of sessions. If things are
going well, you can go to five. But, if your dog is nervous, stop at three. Continue
the obedience routine with no stimulation for a little longer. Make sure rewards
follow proper responses. Finish by throwing a bumper or ball to each spot where
your dog received stimulation in an effort to show that the location had nothing to
do with why the correction occurred.
Pay close attention to your dog’s attitude during this routine. If momentum fades,
use fewer nicks and more play time. Increase the reward by adding a few extra
shoulder strokes along with a happy tone of voice. Don’t be afraid to skip a day if
your dog shows repeated signs of too much pressure. This is not likely to occur if
you are careful, but understand how to overcome it just in case.
“HEEL”
Your dog learned to heel beside you earlier in the program, and transferring this
command to e-collar correction is simple. Walk your dog on-leash and change
directions. As the leash tightens, command “Heel,” nick with the collar and
command “Heel” again. It’s important to apply the nick at the same time the leash
is tight instead of when the dog is coming to you. Reward with verbal praise and a
stroke on the shoulder until you see the acceptance swallow. Repeat this routine
as you walk together in various locations until your dog is comfortable.
Your dog is now
conditioned to accept the
e-collar while coming,
heeling, or sitting on
command. It’s time to
mix the commands into
a full “Here”-“Heel”-“Sit”
drill. Use your nick at
varying times as your
dog allows and as before,
avoid successive nicks or
multiple nicks in the same
area. You can increase the
number of nicks as long
as you pay close attention
to your dog’s attitude.
Toss a few bumpers to
chase when necessary to
relieve pressure and pour
on the positive rewards as
needed.
Your long-term goal is to have your dog remain under total control while receiving
correction from the e-collar and understand why the correction occurred. “Remain
under total control” is the key phrase in that sentence. If your dog is jumping
around or can't focus on you because it’s vocalizing, then it’s not under control.
If your dog reacts in either of these ways, back off. Either you are progressing too
fast or the stimulation intensity is too high.
You should test for the correct level of static stimulation by starting with the
lowest intensity and continuing up until you see the acceptance mechanisms
appear. This is first introduced during obedience drills. With your dog on-leash,
call it to you. After a few successful “Here” routines, apply leash pressure and
stimulate with the e-collar at the same time. Look for the swallow response, head
drop, or neck twitch. Sometimes you can see a change in the breathing pattern.
Progress up in intensity until you see your dog say, “I accept” with one of these
responses. When you see your dog drop its head or swallow, you are there and this
will be your most-often used correction level.
COLLAR CONDITIONING WITHIN EACH OBEDIENCE
COMMAND
Never correct your dog with the e-collar without first conditioning it to accept
and understand the collar. This will take a short period of time, but without the
conditioning process, your dog will be dazed and confused about the discomfort
around its neck. It’s easy to confuse your dog and undo a couple of months of good
training in just a few minutes by over-stimulating on a correction or correcting
when it’s not justified. No corrections should occur until the conditioning process
has been successfully completed. The collar-conditioning process can be thought
of as practice in accepting electronic stimulation. Your football coach didn’t send
you on the field without practicing the plays, and likewise, we don’t want to send
your dog into the world without an understanding of how to comfortably accept
electronic correction.
“HERE”
Bolting can become a
disastrous side effect of
e-collar conditioning if
your dog is allowed to
move away from your
control. Therefore, keep
using the leash until the
conditioning process
is finished. Toss a few
bumpers and work on
obedience drills in the
training area. Check for a
wagging tail that signals
a good attitude. Then
APPLICATION OF THE ELECTRONIC COLLAR
REWARDING THE E-COLLAR
Most SportDOG™ remote trainers can also be used
as a reward system. They feature a button that when
depressed, emits a tone on the receiver. Some folks like
to use this as a warning tone for their dog before static
stimulation. A better use would be to tone your dog each
time it gives you a positive response to a command.
You can start toning your dog while stroking its shoulder to
begin conditioning it to the praise tone. Then, each correct
response is followed with a praise tone via the collar. This
can be a very effective method of rewarding your dog at a
distance when voice or touch are not available.
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