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I ran across a post by Gina Spadafori over at PetConnection.com and it really hits home about the proper use of training collars. E-collars are a tool used in the training of your dog. Used properly, they are a marvelous tool. Here’s a couple of things  Gina had to say:

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No, I’m not training Faith with an e-collar. It’s there to remind her of what she knows, if she needs to be reminded.  She knows “here” perfectly well, and responds to it 99.99 percent of the time. But when we’re on the bridle trail, that’s not good enough. A failure to come when called .01 percent of the time on a bridle trail that’s 500 yards from a street could be deadly.

…But then, see, I am one of those people who believes an e-collar is a tool, not an instrument of torture

…I also believe that someone who uses a head halter and a reel-type leash — which I see all the freakin’ time and no one ever says a thing — is putting a dog at more risk of pain or injury than I ever have or ever will. Tools used incorrectly are dangerous, no matter now well-intentioned their design or intended use.

Read the whole post at http://www.petconnection.com/blog/2011/09/03/whats-your-favorite-post-of-all-time-also-the-e-collar-conundrum/comment-page-1/#comment-511979

Bottom line:
Train your dog! Use ALL training aids properly and safely!

Whew – glad I got that off my chest.

OK, you have decided to use a dog training collar. Where do you start? Well, first you need to read the directions! That’s obvious but a lot of  people blast right past that. Petsafe training collars have really good  tips and instructions so you should take advantage of that.

But here’s a tip that will make a big difference.

When you first start training with a correction collar, do a few “dry runs”. Simply put the collar on your dog without batteries installed and let him/her see the remote in your hand. Then push the button. Obviously nothing will happen since there are no batteries installed. That’s the key. Your dog will see that you:
A. Put the collar on him and
B. Do something with the remote and
C. Nothing happens.

That’s important. There is no association with the collar and the remote with tone or static correction. Since you have put the collar on numerous times and fiddled with the remote your dog has no reason to be concerned with those things.  You could even go for walks holding the remote. Where your dog is concerned , the remote can be as common as you putting your hat on.

Our dogs actually like having us put a collar on them because many times it means we are going for a ride. (That’s because we used to always put their prong collars on before a road trip.)  Stella will bow when we get any collar down, waiting for us to put the collar on her.

If you want to teach you dog to bow, just say “bow” when they are naturally doing it – stretching with front legs out and behind up in the air. Praise them for a good bow. After a while they will do it on command.

You are now the “stealth trainer”, with the secret to activating the training collar without your dog knowing where the correction is coming from… other than your command. Now, your dog associates the correction, tone or static, with disobeying a command – not with wearing the collar or seeing the remote in your hand.

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