crazy for the collar

MarylandSetter · Post by **MarylandSetter** » Mon Jul 28, 2014 11:28 am

Hey all, this is my first post on here! My problem is not major, but more of a nuisance. My family and I adopted a 3 year old english setter about 6 weeks ago. He is doing great in our house and out in the woods, his recall, sit, and stay are great. I am working on heel, which is proving to be difficult, but not the topic of this post. What I would like address: we have him on the ecollar, and he once he sees it, he goes bonkers because he knows he gets to run, which we love! the only problem is walking him on the leash to the woods or the field is extremely challenging as he pulls like a mother and does not let up. I was wondering if y'all had any tips to help with the pulling. Thanks!

Post by **Sharon** » Mon Jul 28, 2014 8:22 pm

You've got the collar on. Use it to enforce heeling - assuming it has been well taught ahead of time and the dog clearly knows what heel means.

edited for grammar

Vonzeppelinkennels · Post by **Vonzeppelinkennels** » Mon Jul 28, 2014 8:27 pm

Exactly!!! Oh & look here the signature lines shows up here but not on some others.

Neil · Post by **Neil** » Mon Jul 28, 2014 10:14 pm

Sharon wrote:You've got the collar on. Use it to enforce heeling - assuming it has been well taught ahead of time and the dog clearly knows what heel means.

edited for grammar

Yes

Swampbilly · Post by **Swampbilly** » Mon Jul 28, 2014 11:56 pm

Agree w/ Sharon, as long as pup understands the command, and has been properly CC'd use it to re-enforce.
The message to the dog is that you go no-where if you pull on the lead..period. So when it starts you stop walking and when pup stops the pulling you proceed.
Keep in mind that while HEELING is about getting to your side and remaing there, it's also about getting there from any direction the dog approaches you from.
REPS.

Hoosierdaddy · Post by **Hoosierdaddy** » Tue Jul 29, 2014 5:57 am

A prong collar works wonders on a dog that likes to pull.It takes the spunk out of them rather quickly.The best part is the dog learns that he puts pressure on himself.The best 10 dollars i ever spent.

aulrich · Post by **aulrich** » Tue Jul 29, 2014 8:48 am

Heel drills in high excitement environments, my LM is like that around ponds so before he gets to go in we do some heel right by the pond, he is getting better slowly. What was that rule of thumb, do OB drills in 3-7 places with escalating levels of distraction and excitement.

Post by **ezzy333** » Tue Jul 29, 2014 9:34 am

Simple way to keep them from pulling is put a half-hitch around their belly with your CC or leash. They won't pull on that.

aulrich · Post by **aulrich** » Tue Jul 29, 2014 11:24 am

You can also put the half hitch over their nose, the advantage is you pattern them to walk a little further back than the belly half hitch.

Post by **Sharon** » Tue Jul 29, 2014 12:40 pm

[quote="Sharon"]You've got the collar on. Use it to enforce heeling - assuming it has been well taught ahead of time and the dog clearly knows what heel means." quote

addition: I don't wait until the dog pulls. I nick the moment the dog passes my knee.

Bluesky2012 · Post by **Bluesky2012** » Tue Jul 29, 2014 1:19 pm

How about you just train the dog to heel? Everyone is assuming since you have a collar and your dog associates it with fun, then you must have CC your dog. I disagree. If you have any OB problems, then your dog is not ready for an e-collar because the collar is to reinforce not to train, and obviously your dog is not trained.

You have an e-collar, but your dog is not ready for it. Take a prong collar or choke chain and actually train the dog. That will fix it. Follow PS/PF. That method works quite fine.

RayGubernat · Post by **RayGubernat** » Tue Jul 29, 2014 2:01 pm

In the short term, the half hitch around the belly will do what you need, which is to keep the dog from pulling your arm out of the socket. The dog is old enough for the discipline necessary to have compliance with this or any other command, but since the dog is relatively new to you and your family, you don't want to created additional issues while eliminating this one.

In the longer term, you will want to install the heel command. Unless the dog is trained to the point where it will obey this and other commands under ANY circumstance, it does not fully understand what you want. It is up to you to persevere and not accept anything but 100% compliance.

I would use a multi-pronged approach. I would work on heel in the yard, probably using a wonder lead. or a prong or pinch collar or, if you know how to use one, a Buddy stick. Eventually you could and should, overlay the e-collar and continue the training with that. I would take opportunities in the field to reinforce the heel command, like after the dog has burned off some steam and comes in to your call. Water the dog, slip a lead over the dog's head and and do some heel drills for, at most, two or three minutes. Then cut him loose again in a new direction.

I do use the e-collar to enforce known commands, but I very much prefer to use a prong collar or slip lead, high up on the neck. I have always preferred to get my hands on the dog so I can feel how they are reacting and adjust accordingly. I will always want to stroke a dog and have it settle in my hands, especially after a correction, before we go on to the next thing. That seems to work best for me.

RayG

partyofone · Post by **partyofone** » Tue Jul 29, 2014 3:26 pm

The Halti collar is what we used with our mutt. It leads them by the nose and did wonders for him.

Bluesky2012 · Post by **Bluesky2012** » Tue Jul 29, 2014 11:46 pm

partyofone wrote:The Halti collar is what we used with our mutt. It leads them by the nose and did wonders for him.

Yes but that will not transition to an e-collar nearly as well as just training with a prong collar correctly in the beginning. Just do it right the first time.

oldbeek · Post by **oldbeek** » Tue Aug 26, 2014 11:22 pm

You said the dog is older and new to you. Is it possible that the previous owner only wanted ,( in the nearby range) for heel? When healing back to the truck, I don't want my dog right next to my knee in heavy brush. Within 5 feet works for me.

gonehuntin' · Post by **gonehuntin'** » Wed Aug 27, 2014 4:41 am

Pointing dogs are very much like sled dogs; they LOVE to pull! I put a wooden dowel through the loop handle of a leash and let him pull against me. It is tremendous conditioning for the dog.

To teach heel, is always use a heeling stick. Nothing teaches it faster.

Just because your dog loves to have the collar put on doesn't mean he is collar conditioned. It's a step by step process that you should study before implementing.

Meller · Post by **Meller** » Wed Aug 27, 2014 4:50 am

RayGubernat wrote:In the short term, the half hitch around the belly will do what you need, which is to keep the dog from pulling your arm out of the socket. The dog is old enough for the discipline necessary to have compliance with this or any other command, but since the dog is relatively new to you and your family, you don't want to created additional issues while eliminating this one.

In the longer term, you will want to install the heel command. Unless the dog is trained to the point where it will obey this and other commands under ANY circumstance, it does not fully understand what you want. It is up to you to persevere and not accept anything but 100% compliance.

I would use a multi-pronged approach. I would work on heel in the yard, probably using a wonder lead. or a prong or pinch collar or, if you know how to use one, a Buddy stick. Eventually you could and should, overlay the e-collar and continue the training with that. I would take opportunities in the field to reinforce the heel command, like after the dog has burned off some steam and comes in to your call. Water the dog, slip a lead over the dog's head and and do some heel drills for, at most, two or three minutes. Then cut him loose again in a new direction.

I do use the e-collar to enforce known commands, but I very much prefer to use a prong collar or slip lead, high up on the neck. I have always preferred to get my hands on the dog so I can feel how they are reacting and adjust accordingly. I will always want to stroke a dog and have it settle in my hands, especially after a correction, before we go on to the next thing. That seems to work best for me.

RayG

This way!

Bluesky2012 · Post by **Bluesky2012** » Wed Aug 27, 2014 8:11 pm

gonehuntin' wrote:Pointing dogs are very much like sled dogs; they LOVE to pull! I put a wooden dowel through the loop handle of a leash and let him pull against me. It is tremendous conditioning for the dog.

To teach heel, is always use a heeling stick. Nothing teaches it faster.

Just because your dog loves to have the collar put on doesn't mean he is collar conditioned. It's a step by step process that you should study before implementing.

Exactly! Everyone thinks it's a great sign to have a dog that goes bonkers over an e-collar. News flash, an e-collar is a discipline and reinforcement tool, not positive reinforcement. Your dog should see it as just any other normal part of there day because it is so consistently used and their obedience is so consistently reinforced. I feel like people on here like to say their dogs "get excited" like it's some catch phrase.

If your dog is that excited to do wrote yard work and OB drills with an E-collar and choke chain on, I'd bet you probably aren't doing them enough or challenging the dog enough.

My dogs don't give a rats a$$ if the e-collar is on or off. They know to respond to OB regardless. The only thing they go crazy over is opening the gun safe.

I don't think your dog truly knows the e-collar. Train your dog as shown through PS/PF for pointer work and you'll be fine.

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