Installation Guide

of correction. Many folks
want to use the lightest
electronic correction
possible, hoping they
will not hurt their dog.
That sounds polite and
is a nice thought but may
not accomplish anything.
Use a level of correction
(verbal, leash tug, or
electrical stimulation)
that your dog responds
to in a positive fashion
(more on this later). Your
dog will progress faster
and be more reliable in
the long run if you are
direct and honest in your
words and actions. This
is accomplished by using
a level of correction
that causes the swallow response of acceptance while your dog remains focused
on you.
Pressure will be a big part of your dog’s life, not unlike ours. The volume of
pressure and how it’s handled will determine your dog’s attitude. Therefore,
when using corrections (verbal, leash tug, or electronic), always use the minimum
amount of pressure necessary to obtain the desired response. It’s easy to go
overboard when you've lost your focus and failed to control your emotions, but
please don’t go there. Your dog won’t like you for it and you won’t like yourself
that night when you go to bed. Stay focused on your goal for the day and your
dog’s body language. Heavy correction may not make the problem go away any
quicker than a few more repetitions. Take the conservative approach of stopping
your dog’s unwanted actions with the correction while your dog remains focused
on you. Too much correction will cause your dog to lose that focus, and too little
correction will not stop the action. You’ll learn how to find that level of correction
shortly, but do not jump ahead. Like all good trainers, be patient.
INTRODUCING THE SPORTDOG BRAND
®
ELECTRONIC COLLAR
In the manual that came with your remote training system, you will find all the
information you need to operate it. Please read this and know which button does
what, how to turn it off, when the battery is fading, and all the other essentials
that pertain to this high-tech training system. You have purchased a well-tested
and proven piece of equipment. Take good care of it and you’ll get many years of
reliable service from it.
When you know how it all works, follow the instructions on how to turn your
system on and let’s get going. Place the receiver (collar) snugly around your dog’s
Your dog will likely exhibit some other behavior during training that you need to
understand. All dogs attempt to displace themselves from training at one time
or another by telling you: “Hold on, I’ll get back to you and your commands in a
minute.” If you have children, this is easy to understand. When telling a child it’s
time to go to bed, most parents will get one of, if not all of the following responses:
“I need a drink of water,” or “Let me watch five more minutes of TV,” or “I need
to go to the bathroom.” In all of these cases, the child is going to bed but on his
or her terms. This sounds a lot like a dog that knows a command but is hesitant
to do it. It tries to put off doing the command with a series of actions, and by
doing so, challenges the alpha position. These displacement actions are subtle
and overlooked by many trainers.
Displacement behavior
takes five classic forms
in canines. During a work
session, yawning, sniffing
the ground, head shaking,
scratching, and biting at
itself are all methods a
dog uses to tell you, “Hold
on, let me do this first and
then I’ll get back to you.”
Let me emphasize, this
is only during your work
sessions. If you allow
this to go unchecked,
the alpha position is
open for debate and
future challenges are
coming. Each time one
of these actions occurs,
immediately correct the
dog (we’ll get into that
later) and repeat the command. Do not be fooled by your dog when these appear.
It’s not an accident but rather a planned and instinctive challenge.
During your training sessions, it’s likely that your dog will be overwhelmed in
spite of your best efforts to prevent this. Learn from this and watch your dog’s
body language. If you see this body language starting to appear in the future, back
off and go do something fun. Due to improper usage, e-collar training has been
associated with over-pressurization for many years. You don’t want your dog’s
head or tail to be down for an extended period. There will be many times when
your dog will be timid and show a lack of confidence in training. This is quite
normal when the lessons are new and unconditioned. You were probably the same
way when you went to your job for the first few days. Be patient with your dog and
work through the uncertain times with an extra stroke on the shoulder and a kind
word.
On the other hand, don’t nag your dog with a lot of babble or too-soft corrections.
This will quickly lead to a dog that turns you off and builds tolerance to any form
LEARNING TO TRAIN
05/06
A REMINDER ABOUT ATTITUDE:
Earlier, I mentioned the attitude of you and your dog.
Attitude needs to be addressed each training session. If
your dog’s attitude is not good, you need to reevaluate
what is happening. Always ask yourself: 1) Are both of us
happy in what we are doing? 2) Is my dog’s tail wagging?
Answer these questions each time you train and pay close
attention to your dog’s body language. Also, how are you
feeling today? Was it a bad day at work? Did you sleep
well last night? Is the IRS looking for you? If you do not
feel good, take a break until you can present a positive
attitude to your dog.
Your dog will read your body language instantly and
know if you are not up to training that day. If you are off
your game a little, the challenge your dog presents for the
alpha position is likely to be a little more earnest. In other
words, don’t be afraid to take a day off if you can't give
your dog your best effort.