How young is too young? Ecollar edition!

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How young is too young? Ecollar edition!

Post by DogNewbie » Tue Sep 13, 2011 12:11 pm

Didn't want to steal MO_GSP's thread so I thought I'd start a new one. And I know I've already asked this once on another thread, so I apologize for the redundancy, but I want to get some more info on benefits/concerns on this. This is where we left off
Greg Jennings wrote:It depends on the dog and the situation.

One of the most common is a dog without an ecollar chasing a deer into the next country. They seem to lose their brains and think about nothing but the deer. I lost a pup that way years ago for about 12 hours. It was gut wrenching.

Since then, I never take them out, even into the back yard, without an ecollar on.
Yeah, I'm definitely getting an ecollar and I'm starting to wish I could afford a GPS/ecollar combo but I simply can't right now. I wasn't, however, planing on ecollar training Briar until next spring. He's only 14weeks right now so I don't want to do it too early. That being said, I was hoping to get him out on the trail/in the field a fair amount this fall so he can build up his drive and start to learn to hunt wild birds. How should I handle this situation? Keep him on a check cord at all times? Won't that effect his range? Is a 3-4month old pup to young for ecollar training or have any of you started that early?
Thanks for the insight,

Tim

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Re: How young is too young? Ecollar edition!

Post by proudag08 » Tue Sep 13, 2011 12:21 pm

I am also interested in this conversation. Looking forward to the responses.

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Re: How young is too young? Ecollar edition!

Post by kninebirddog » Tue Sep 13, 2011 12:26 pm

Pups can be conditioned for points of contact which in the future make transition to the E collar seamless

here is how I approach the e collar UNDERSTANDING THE E COLLAR CLICK HERE
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Re: How young is too young? Ecollar edition!

Post by shags » Tue Sep 13, 2011 12:32 pm

I don't use an ecollar until the dog starts blowing me off. For mine that seems to be around 5-8 months or so depending on the dog. When they get near that age, I tend to run them in more open areas where I can see them most of the time; don't want them deciding not to mind in the thick woods where I can't see which way they've gone.

In the meantime, they learn POCs with a CC, so when the time comes they are ready.

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Re: How young is too young? Ecollar edition!

Post by troutbum13 » Tue Sep 13, 2011 1:43 pm

I think a dog will you tell you when it is ready....if the dog is giving you the finger in the field..it's time.

I have never had a pup that was ready at 3-4 months. I am more worried about putting confidence and range into them at that age.

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Re: How young is too young? Ecollar edition!

Post by Sharon » Tue Sep 13, 2011 1:49 pm

DogNewbie wrote:Didn't want to steal MO_GSP's thread so I thought I'd start a new one. And I know I've already asked this once on another thread, so I apologize for the redundancy, but I want to get some more info on benefits/concerns on this. This is where we left off
Greg Jennings wrote:It depends on the dog and the situation.

One of the most common is a dog without an ecollar chasing a deer into the next country. They seem to lose their brains and think about nothing but the deer. I lost a pup that way years ago for about 12 hours. It was gut wrenching.

Since then, I never take them out, even into the back yard, without an ecollar on.
Yeah, I'm definitely getting an ecollar and I'm starting to wish I could afford a GPS/ecollar combo but I simply can't right now. I wasn't, however, planing on ecollar training Briar until next spring. He's only 14weeks right now so I don't want to do it too early. That being said, I was hoping to get him out on the trail/in the field a fair amount this fall so he can build up his drive and start to learn to hunt wild birds. How should I handle this situation? Keep him on a check cord at all times? Won't that effect his range? Is a 3-4month old pup to young for ecollar training or have any of you started that early?
Thanks for the insight, quote dognewbie-Tim

...............................................................................................................................


It's been my experience that young pups don't just take off. Hopefully they show some independence but they keep an eye on where you are.
I've never felt the need to use an e-collar that young. No reason you couldn't for calling the dog in (assuming pup knows "come"), but I never saw the need.....Sharon
Last edited by Sharon on Tue Sep 13, 2011 1:54 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: How young is too young? Ecollar edition!

Post by DogNewbie » Tue Sep 13, 2011 1:53 pm

troutbum13 wrote:I think a dog will you tell you when it is ready....if the dog is giving you the finger in the field..it's time.

I have never had a pup that was ready at 3-4 months. I am more worried about putting confidence and range into them at that age.
Ok, so that takes me back to my worry about a run away dog. If I can't afford an astro right now and I want to get my dog confident and independent how do I do this safely and responsibly?

Tim

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Re: How young is too young? Ecollar edition!

Post by Sharon » Tue Sep 13, 2011 1:55 pm

We can't use Astro trackers in Canada so that is a worry i just have to live with.
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Re: How young is too young? Ecollar edition!

Post by DogNewbie » Tue Sep 13, 2011 1:56 pm

Sharon wrote:It's been experience that young pups don't just take off. Hopefully they show some independence but they keep an eye on where you are.
I've never felt the need to use an e-collar that young. No reason you couldn't for calling the dog in (assuming pup knows "come". but I never saw the need.....Sharon
I think we posted at the same time! So, in your opinion, will a dog be ready for a ecollar before it stops checking in with you?

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Re: How young is too young? Ecollar edition!

Post by windswept » Tue Sep 13, 2011 1:58 pm

shags wrote:I don't use an ecollar until the dog starts blowing me off. For mine that seems to be around 5-8 months or so depending on the dog.
Perfect answer. I would add that you obviously need to make sure the dog knows the command you intend to reinforce and then is conditioned properly to the collar. He must understand what the stimulation is all about and what he must do to turn it off.

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Re: How young is too young? Ecollar edition!

Post by Sharon » Tue Sep 13, 2011 2:09 pm

Re: How young is too young? Ecollar edition!

Postby DogNewbie » Tue Sep 13, 2011 3:56 pm

Sharon wrote:It's been experience that young pups don't just take off. Hopefully they show some independence but they keep an eye on where you are.
I've never felt the need to use an e-collar that young. No reason you couldn't for calling the dog in (assuming pup knows "come". but I never saw the need.....Sharon



I think we posted at the same time! So, in your opinion, will a dog be ready for a ecollar before it stops checking in with you?

.........................................................................................................................................................

I don't want to sound like an expert because I'm not , but an e-collar is just a tool. You use it when you need it.As has been well said, when pup starts to ignore you and knows better , it is time for the e-collar or time to get your hands on him. I prefer to get my hands on a dog. If I can do that I put off using the e-collar. A well trained dog , seldom needs an e-collar correction.

Ahhh Are you worrying that that first time pup ignores you , you might lose him. Unlikely. Taking a dog off leash to become independent is a scary thing sometimes though. Save up for that Astro. :)
Last edited by Sharon on Tue Sep 13, 2011 2:13 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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Re: How young is too young? Ecollar edition!

Post by shags » Tue Sep 13, 2011 2:10 pm

All I do is give them a light nick, just enough to make them to make them stop and think 'WTH was that???' When I see them react, I call once more and generally they are eager to come to me, or turn with me. Once or twice, and they have it down :D

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Re: How young is too young? Ecollar edition!

Post by Vonzeppelinkennels » Tue Sep 13, 2011 2:17 pm

I wouldn't want the E-collar GPS combo if something went wrong with either then your stuck with one or the other or if being repaired stuck with out both.
The astro is a much better unit with most the bugs worked out but again every one has different ideas.

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Re: How young is too young? Ecollar edition!

Post by JWP58 » Tue Sep 13, 2011 2:27 pm

This is great information! It reaffrims my belief that i need an e-collar.

My 6month old brittany is getting to where "he knows best", and just flat out ignores me!

I can see it in his eyes (and the fact he has responded properly like 1000 times), he knows exactly what "here" means, he just doesnt care to respond....
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Re: How young is too young? Ecollar edition!

Post by isonychia » Tue Sep 13, 2011 3:31 pm

I started when my dog knew everything from the check cord (stay, come, heel) (6.5 -7 months) and knew them for about a month. I started introducing the ecollar and reinforced those commands with it (only took about a week or 2) and then I could have him off leash in the field. So basically, you want to use an ecollar on your dog after he leaves the CC when you can no longer chase him down. That is with field/pointing dogs anyhow, it could save their life if you don't gamble and go unprotected around roads, etc.

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Re: How young is too young? Ecollar edition!

Post by Vonzeppelinkennels » Tue Sep 13, 2011 3:44 pm

Actually you want to use the e-collar & CC at the same time,that is the transition over to the CC.Teach them with the CC to start with but even then they should be wearing the e-collar just not turned on.Once they understand the commands then you use the CC & e-coller in conjunction together at the same time for awhile then start making any corrections with the e-collar only & when they respond to that then you can remove the CC & go from there.I think removing the CC & going straight to the e-collar with out these steps is where confusion comes from.

I want to add I use a pinch collar along with the CC that way they feel the correction at the neck same as they will with the e-collar making that connection with the corrections.

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Re: How young is too young? Ecollar edition!

Post by isonychia » Tue Sep 13, 2011 3:50 pm

Vonzeppelinkennels wrote:Actually you want to use the e-collar & CC at the same time,that is the transition over to the CC.Teach them with the CC to start with but even then they should be wearing the e-collar just not turned on.Once they understand the commands then you use the CC & e-coller in conjunction together at the same time for awhile then start making any corrections with the e-collar only & when they respond to that then you can remove the CC & go from there.I think removing the CC & going straight to the e-collar with out these steps is where confusion comes from.

I agree, you definitely have to make the correlation with the check cord and ecollar at the same time until they understand that the ecollar means the same thing. II also think it is a good idea to put ecollar on early, just turned off, may help avoid collar wise dogs (idk?).

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Re: How young is too young? Ecollar edition!

Post by shags » Tue Sep 13, 2011 4:05 pm

isonychia wrote:I agree, you definitely have to make the correlation with the check cord and ecollar at the same time until they understand that the ecollar means the same thing. II also think it is a good idea to put ecollar on early, just turned off, may help avoid collar wise dogs (idk?).
i think some hands-on time also prevents them getting collarwise. Sometimes you just gotta run 'em down and let them know who's handing whom ecollar or no ecollar :lol:

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Re: How young is too young? Ecollar edition!

Post by Vonzeppelinkennels » Tue Sep 13, 2011 4:17 pm

Yeah tell me that when your 65 yrs old & broke down!!! :lol:

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Re: How young is too young? Ecollar edition!

Post by troutbum13 » Tue Sep 13, 2011 4:30 pm

DogNewbie wrote:
troutbum13 wrote:I think a dog will you tell you when it is ready....if the dog is giving you the finger in the field..it's time.

I have never had a pup that was ready at 3-4 months. I am more worried about putting confidence and range into them at that age.
Ok, so that takes me back to my worry about a run away dog. If I can't afford an astro right now and I want to get my dog confident and independent how do I do this safely and responsibly?

Tim
Are you worried because you know he will run off, or are you worried because you are not sure?

I can only think of one pup I have ever owned that would run off at that age. That dog was a flusher and I kept him on CC and taught him to quarter as a pup, and then when he was between 9-12 months we transitioned to an eCollar.

Most well-bred gundogs want to be with you.

What I do see happen is that a pup can't see the handler, freaks out and bolts getting more and more lost.

My advice would be to find a nice wide-open safe area, and let the dog go. Once the novelty wears off, he should start hunting with you.

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Re: How young is too young? Ecollar edition!

Post by isonychia » Tue Sep 13, 2011 4:35 pm

troutbum13 wrote:
DogNewbie wrote:
troutbum13 wrote:I think a dog will you tell you when it is ready....if the dog is giving you the finger in the field..it's time.

I have never had a pup that was ready at 3-4 months. I am more worried about putting confidence and range into them at that age.
Ok, so that takes me back to my worry about a run away dog. If I can't afford an astro right now and I want to get my dog confident and independent how do I do this safely and responsibly?

Tim
Are you worried because you know he will run off, or are you worried because you are not sure?

I can only think of one pup I have ever owned that would run off at that age. That dog was a flusher and I kept him on CC and taught him to quarter as a pup, and then when he was between 9-12 months we transitioned to an eCollar.

Most well-bred gundogs want to be with you.

What I do see happen is that a pup can't see the handler, freaks out and bolts getting more and more lost.

My advice would be to find a nice wide-open safe area, and let the dog go. Once the novelty wears off, he should start hunting with you.
My philosophy comes from MO's book... so its not really my philosophy;

When your pup is old enough to out run you, use the check cord, don't let your dog run free until you have a solid foundation with the ecollar from that point on, then you don't have to worry. If you have to encourage range in your dog, my guess is you don't have to worry about them running away. There will be plenty of time for your dog to be off leash, I don't think 5 months is a good time for this. You have to consider where advice is coming from on this board, some people mostly hunt in open areas, others in grouse woods, others near highways, and some elite few in chukar country, etc, etc.

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Re: How young is too young? Ecollar edition!

Post by Sharon » Tue Sep 13, 2011 4:47 pm

Are you worried because you know he will run off, or are you worried because you are not sure?

I can only think of one pup I have ever owned that would run off at that age. That dog was a flusher and I kept him on CC and taught him to quarter as a pup, and then when he was between 9-12 months we transitioned to an eCollar.

Most well-bred gundogs want to be with you.

What I do see happen is that a pup can't see the handler, freaks out and bolts getting more and more lost.

My advice would be to find a nice wide-open safe area, and let the dog go. Once the novelty wears off, he should start hunting with you.[/quote]

My philosophy comes from MO's book... so its not really my philosophy;

When your pup is old enough to out run you, use the check cord, don't let your dog run free until you have a solid foundation with the ecollar from that point on, then you don't have to worry. If you have to encourage range in your dog, my guess is you don't have to worry about them running away. There will be plenty of time for your dog to be off leash, I don't think 5 months is a good time for this. You have to consider where advice is coming from on this board, some people mostly hunt in open areas, others in grouse woods, others near highways, and some elite few in chukar country, etc, etc.[/quote]

........................................................................

If that has worked for you, far be it from me to criticize , but I want pup off the leash at 10 weeks , exploring the field with me, being curious , becoming independent and learning "come". If you let me off the CC for the first time at 5 months, I would be gone until hungry. :)
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Re: How young is too young? Ecollar edition!

Post by shags » Tue Sep 13, 2011 4:58 pm

Vonzeppelinkennels wrote:Yeah tell me that when your 65 yrs old & broke down!!! :lol:
I'm tellin' ya that, even though I'm a couple years shy LOL The occasional workout will help you sleep better that night even if it is harder to get going the next morning :P

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Re: How young is too young? Ecollar edition!

Post by isonychia » Tue Sep 13, 2011 5:18 pm

Sharon wrote:Are you worried because you know he will run off, or are you worried because you are not sure?

I can only think of one pup I have ever owned that would run off at that age. That dog was a flusher and I kept him on CC and taught him to quarter as a pup, and then when he was between 9-12 months we transitioned to an eCollar.

Most well-bred gundogs want to be with you.

What I do see happen is that a pup can't see the handler, freaks out and bolts getting more and more lost.

My advice would be to find a nice wide-open safe area, and let the dog go. Once the novelty wears off, he should start hunting with you.
My philosophy comes from MO's book... so its not really my philosophy;

When your pup is old enough to out run you, use the check cord, don't let your dog run free until you have a solid foundation with the ecollar from that point on, then you don't have to worry. If you have to encourage range in your dog, my guess is you don't have to worry about them running away. There will be plenty of time for your dog to be off leash, I don't think 5 months is a good time for this. You have to consider where advice is coming from on this board, some people mostly hunt in open areas, others in grouse woods, others near highways, and some elite few in chukar country, etc, etc.[/quote]

........................................................................

If that has worked for you, far be it from me to criticize , but I want pup off the leash at 10 weeks , exploring the field with me, being curious , becoming independent and learning "come". If you let me off the CC for the first time at 5 months, I would be gone until hungry. :)[/quote]

My pup wasn't old enough to outrun me by 10 weeks :mrgreen:

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Re: How young is too young? Ecollar edition!

Post by Sharon » Tue Sep 13, 2011 5:27 pm

isonychia wrote:
Sharon wrote:Are you worried because you know he will run off, or are you worried because you are not sure?

I can only think of one pup I have ever owned that would run off at that age. That dog was a flusher and I kept him on CC and taught him to quarter as a pup, and then when he was between 9-12 months we transitioned to an eCollar.

Most well-bred gundogs want to be with you.

What I do see happen is that a pup can't see the handler, freaks out and bolts getting more and more lost.

My advice would be to find a nice wide-open safe area, and let the dog go. Once the novelty wears off, he should start hunting with you.
My philosophy comes from MO's book... so its not really my philosophy;

When your pup is old enough to out run you, use the check cord, don't let your dog run free until you have a solid foundation with the ecollar from that point on, then you don't have to worry. If you have to encourage range in your dog, my guess is you don't have to worry about them running away. There will be plenty of time for your dog to be off leash, I don't think 5 months is a good time for this. You have to consider where advice is coming from on this board, some people mostly hunt in open areas, others in grouse woods, others near highways, and some elite few in chukar country, etc, etc.
........................................................................

If that has worked for you, far be it from me to criticize , but I want pup off the leash at 10 weeks , exploring the field with me, being curious , becoming independent and learning "come". If you let me off the CC for the first time at 5 months, I would be gone until hungry. :)[/quote]

My pup was old enough to outrun me by 10 weeks :mrgreen:[/quote] Isonychia

You need to get in shape. :) Sharon
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Re: How young is too young? Ecollar edition!

Post by isonychia » Tue Sep 13, 2011 5:45 pm

My pup was old enough to outrun me by 10 weeks
Isonychia

You need to get in shape. Sharon[/quote]

Horse poo, I said my pup wasn't! hmmm.... ironic, with the green man and all. Backfire!

Hey wait a sec...

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Re: How young is too young? Ecollar edition!

Post by Vonzeppelinkennels » Tue Sep 13, 2011 6:20 pm

Shags if you can do it & I'm sure there are quite a few that can at even older ages but I have a hard time walking across level ground without tripping over a blade of grass let alone chasing a dog through a field full of hloes,ditches,etc grown up in weeds.Bad back,nerve damage in both legs,& numb feet don't help.Count your blessings because just a few yrs ago I had friends a third my age that use to call me a walking horse.
They would always end up back at the truck waiting on me & usually taking a nap.I never thought for one second it would be this way but that's life we have to play the hand we are dealt. :D

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Re: How young is too young? Ecollar edition!

Post by JKP » Tue Sep 13, 2011 7:36 pm

An e-collar is just another form of communication....you may as well ask when you should use a lead or a check cord. Its not when you use it but how that matters.

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Re: How young is too young? Ecollar edition!

Post by DogNewbie » Wed Sep 14, 2011 8:45 am

troutbum13 wrote:
DogNewbie wrote:
troutbum13 wrote:I think a dog will you tell you when it is ready....if the dog is giving you the finger in the field..it's time.

I have never had a pup that was ready at 3-4 months. I am more worried about putting confidence and range into them at that age.
Ok, so that takes me back to my worry about a run away dog. If I can't afford an astro right now and I want to get my dog confident and independent how do I do this safely and responsibly?

Tim
Are you worried because you know he will run off, or are you worried because you are not sure?

I can only think of one pup I have ever owned that would run off at that age. That dog was a flusher and I kept him on CC and taught him to quarter as a pup, and then when he was between 9-12 months we transitioned to an eCollar.

Most well-bred gundogs want to be with you.

What I do see happen is that a pup can't see the handler, freaks out and bolts getting more and more lost.

My advice would be to find a nice wide-open safe area, and let the dog go. Once the novelty wears off, he should start hunting with you.
At the moment I'm not worried about him being off leash in an open area. We were out last weekend and he stuck pretty close and was always checking back. Even when he flushed the birds he'd chase them for maybe a minute and then turn back. I'm just noticing that day by day he is getting more and more independent, which is good, I just don't want to get caught with my pants down, so to speak. It sounds like I'll just have to watch him these next few months and if he seems to start being more comfortable wondering further and further away then I'll have to figure out a new training regime either with a check cord or an ecollar.

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Re: How young is too young? Ecollar edition!

Post by outdoorman » Wed Sep 14, 2011 7:54 pm

I use the e-collar as soon as the dog shows he or she wants to do what they want to do and not what you want them to do, but if you make it a priority to build a strong bond from day one with your puppy, you will have little trouble with your dog doing what you want them to do, sleep with your dog, talk with your dog as you would with your children, and treat your dog the same way you treat your children, make your dog your best friend next to your children.

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Re: How young is too young? Ecollar edition!

Post by gittrdonebritts » Wed Sep 14, 2011 9:58 pm

From the time they weaned or I pick a pup up I start "collar Conditioning" them by this I mean when ever they leave the kennel to play poop or Pee chase birds whatever they get a Nylon collar put on them after a while they figure out that the collar means fun time, when the get a bit bigger they go on a chain gang that helps establish the neck as a point of contact when they are bigger the get the e-collar put on them when they come out of the kennel granted the transmitter is still in the house or on the 4-wheeler basically I'm not using it, now depending on the pup's general attitude and and temperament any were from 5- 9 months old I'll teach the dog to kennel up using a plastic dog crate and just push him in while saying kennel over and over a few times doing this they figure it out but usually get the I'll do it in my own good time attitude then I figure out the dogs level of stim and put it on continuous and stim pup while saying kennel then release when pup is in they learn pretty quick how to turn the stim off same way Hickox did it in his Pointing dog video, I really like using kennel as the first step to collar conditioning them, then I go to the pinch collar and teach here with that and over lay it with the stim once they have the concept of it with the pinch collar. some pups can start learning with the collar at 4 months some might not until they are a year or older and had time to build there confidence and get bold, its all up to the dog they will tell you when they are ready for it like Mo say's we need to listen with our eye's.

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Re: How young is too young? Ecollar edition!

Post by shags » Thu Sep 15, 2011 5:49 am

DogNewbie wrote:At the moment I'm not worried about him being off leash in an open area. We were out last weekend and he stuck pretty close and was always checking back. Even when he flushed the birds he'd chase them for maybe a minute and then turn back. I'm just noticing that day by day he is getting more and more independent, which is good, I just don't want to get caught with my pants down, so to speak. It sounds like I'll just have to watch him these next few months and if he seems to start being more comfortable wondering further and further away then I'll have to figure out a new training regime either with a check cord or an ecollar.
That's what's supposed to happen...otherwise you could just kick birds up yourself :) It's if/when he stops obeying you, or hunting for you, that you need to make an adjustment. Ranging out doesn't mean he's not hunting for you.

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Re: How young is too young? Ecollar edition!

Post by DogNewbie » Thu Sep 15, 2011 10:36 am

shags wrote:
DogNewbie wrote:At the moment I'm not worried about him being off leash in an open area. We were out last weekend and he stuck pretty close and was always checking back. Even when he flushed the birds he'd chase them for maybe a minute and then turn back. I'm just noticing that day by day he is getting more and more independent, which is good, I just don't want to get caught with my pants down, so to speak. It sounds like I'll just have to watch him these next few months and if he seems to start being more comfortable wondering further and further away then I'll have to figure out a new training regime either with a check cord or an ecollar.
That's what's supposed to happen...otherwise you could just kick birds up yourself :) It's if/when he stops obeying you, or hunting for you, that you need to make an adjustment. Ranging out doesn't mean he's not hunting for you.
This is good because it's helping me hone in on what's worrying me. I guess I'm worried he doesn't have a good enough grasp on some basic commands that if we encounter a deer in the field he'll bolt...or is that not as common for a young puppy? I have no problem with a dog ranging as long as I can recall him. You'll have to forgive me if this seems like I'm really digging for things to worry about. I didn't grow up with dogs and this is my first so I really have no clue what to expect!

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Re: How young is too young? Ecollar edition!

Post by cpinkert » Thu Sep 15, 2011 11:01 am

Try playing hide and seek with him in the woods when he gets out of sight. Hide behind a tree and call his name then be quiet. This was suggested to me this spring when I got my pup and it works pretty well. The look on their face when they find you is hilarious and after doing that a bunch of times with my pup I now have an 8 month old who is always checking in with me and I don't worry about running away in the woods...unless there is a deer or rabbit, which she'll be taught not to chase with the e-collar when it happens. The yard is a different story for some reason. Guessing it's because she feels completely comfortable there. If she's not tied up she'll run out of the yard and not listen at times without some "encouragement" from the e-collar.

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Re: How young is too young? Ecollar edition!

Post by DogNewbie » Thu Sep 15, 2011 12:50 pm

cpinkert wrote:Try playing hide and seek with him in the woods when he gets out of sight. Hide behind a tree and call his name then be quiet. This was suggested to me this spring when I got my pup and it works pretty well. The look on their face when they find you is hilarious and after doing that a bunch of times with my pup I now have an 8 month old who is always checking in with me and I don't worry about running away in the woods...unless there is a deer or rabbit, which she'll be taught not to chase with the e-collar when it happens. The yard is a different story for some reason. Guessing it's because she feels completely comfortable there. If she's not tied up she'll run out of the yard and not listen at times without some "encouragement" from the e-collar.
haha, that's a good idea. I'll have to try that out! Thanks for the advice!

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Re: How young is too young? Ecollar edition!

Post by shags » Thu Sep 15, 2011 1:33 pm

I think it's a very rare dog you can call off a full blown chase on deer. If deer are a problem in your area, it's something to worry about - a dog can be killed by deer, hit by a car while chasing, or shot by a POed landowner or hunter. You'll need an ecollar to fix it or to prevent it if you're lucky enough to catch him in his first chase. There are all kinds of 'cures' like rolling a dog down a hill in a barrel with a deerskin in there, wrapping a deerskin around his neck for a couple of weeks, beating the bloody heck out of him, and junk like that. An ecollar can eliminate it in one or two sessions, or at worst slow it down to an occasional attempt to chase.

Can't remember exactly, but my worst deer dog started at less than a year old. Since I always run them with an ecollar from around 6 months old anyway, it was easy to correct him. Next time he jumped a herd he stood there and watched them run off - but every now and then he'll give it a go and needs a reminder :lol:

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Re: How young is too young? Ecollar edition!

Post by DogNewbie » Thu Sep 15, 2011 1:49 pm

yeah..I'm thinking I might start him wearing an ecollar around 5mo while training and hunting and only use it in the case of a deer or road. Just for an easy mind.

Tim

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Re: How young is too young? Ecollar edition!

Post by Sharon » Thu Sep 15, 2011 2:01 pm

That's good ,but what are you going to do when at 5 months he goes off hunting and you don't know where he is?
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