Thread: E Collar Techniques

Originally Posted by thcerd

OK, those of you who use e-collars what system are you using and why does it work for you and why wouldnt you use it any other way?

1. Stim first then command then turn off stim when desired behaviour is shown.

2. Command Issued, dog shown desired behaviour no stim used. Command issued, dog does not comply, stim activated untill desired behaviour is shown.

3. Use e collar for undesired behaviour only. EG stim when dog bites the couch, or pees on your favourite mag wheels.

4. Would only use a anti bark collar with no remote.

5. Would never use a e collar again.

6. Other.

I do 1-3 depending on the circumstances and what I am trying to achieve.

For an adult dog i would use 1 and 2, maybe 3 depending on the severity of the undesired behaviour.
But this would also depend on the character of the dog. i dont think i would use an e collar on a nervous type. For a working type i def would.

Hi

This is my first post and I was hoping to find something here about E Collars. I have been using E Collars on my two GSD's over the past couple of months with great success using low stim escape training or high stim as a correction with my showline dog and our training has come a long way since using the E Collar. My working line dog who has just turned 11 months old, the E collar either has no effect on low stim and on high stim increases drive and creates aggression. He doesn't growl when playing tug and bite games, but when using the E collar working on outs with the tug toy and increasing the stimulation to get an effect and expecting him to spit it out as my other dog does, he started to growl and thrashed the tug around like a mad thing giving me the impression that he thought the tug had zapped him and he wanted to kill the tug in anger.

I am wondering if anyone else has seen this situation where an Ecollar stim has the opposite effect or perhaps am I using the collar incorrectly or the temperament of the dog is not suited to the E Collar for drive suppression?. I have heard prong collar agitation can increase drive in some dogs and thinking the E Collar stim is having what appears to be similar effect?.

Hi Mark

Thanks for your advice. His pain threshhold seems about 3 times greater than my showline dog going by the stimulation level on the transmitter. In a passive state, my showline dog will stop in his tracks at a level 25 where it takes a level 75 for my working line dog to flick his head from the nick button and then carries on what he is doing. In elevated drive, it takes a level 100 to get an effect which as I mentioned increases intensity and generates aggression. I have taken the E Collar off him and reverted back to what I was doing previously with drive training and positive reinforcement which is working quite well.

My showline dog is handler submissive and looses focus easily especially outside of our backyard and the E Collar is sensational with him, but my working line dog holds a good focus and is easliy motivated with toys and food in comparison. It's interesting how the difference in temperament respond to different training methods, as my showline dog responds to aversives to the point that I questioned how positive motivation can possibly work especially around distractions and a good leash correction with this dog is essential to regaining some focus and obedience if he gets too silly and absorbed in distractions becoming unresponsive to known commands. The working line dog's focus is easily redirected with mainly toys, a ball or tug toy which opened up the value of positive motivational training with a dog that responds well to those methods. I guess prey drive assists in toy motivation where my showline dog is a bit flat and lazy in prey and the working line dog's vigor to chase, retrieve and play tug games is non exhaustive in comparison.

On a side note, it's amazing the difference between a working and showline German Shepherd, not that I regret having my showline dog, in fact he's given me a crash course in how to be a better trainer working through insecurities, human, dog aggression issues and focus which would have taken me far longer to learn as a handler and trainer beginning with a better temperament and more stable dog, so in that aspect, my showline dog has done me a favour and provided me with inspiration to train at higher levels after the results we have achieved with this dog. I have found from my experience and learning curve with the showline dog, not that he is probably a good example in terms of character, the working line dog is easier to handle and train, and having a stable character as a pet, there is no comparison between them. Apart from learning prey drive containment and teaching the working line dog to switch off and that we can't play all day long, I regret to say that I couldn't recommend a showline dog anymore where in the German Shepherd, the working line dog appears to much more closely fit the original standards in temperament and character for what a German Shepherd is supposed to be.

Regards
AM