Measurement Guide

FINDING THE CORRECT STIMULATION LEVEL
The hardest thing about using an e-collar is finding the
proper level of 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.
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 cannot focus
on you because it is vocalizing, it is 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 shop for the correct level of 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
is 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 is
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 do not 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 that wagging tail that signals a good attitude. Then
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.
23-24
APPLICATION
OF THE
ELECTRONIC
COLLAR
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