Would you recommend

shocker35 · Post by **shocker35** » Mon Jan 05, 2015 11:21 am

Good afternoon everyone. I have been contemplating getting an e collar for my Brittany. Now I am a first time trainer and have no experience using one and quite frankly I am very apprehensive and afraid I may mess up more than be productive with it. Would you recommend a first timer using an e-collar?

cbump · Post by **cbump** » Mon Jan 05, 2015 12:04 pm

As long as you train yourself how to use it.

Post by **ezzy333** » Mon Jan 05, 2015 12:05 pm

They are not hard to use. Only problem is when and how. If you can remember it is nothing more than a long check cord you will have little problem. It is not a training tool as much as a controlling tool.

Ezzy

mask · Post by **mask** » Mon Jan 05, 2015 12:15 pm

shocker35 wrote:Good afternoon everyone. I have been contemplating getting an e collar for my Brittany. Now I am a first time trainer and have no experience using one and quite frankly I am very apprehensive and afraid I may mess up more than be productive with it. Would you recommend a first timer using an e-collar?

NO!

Neil · Post by **Neil** » Mon Jan 05, 2015 12:35 pm

Learn

gsp1985gj · Post by **gsp1985gj** » Mon Jan 05, 2015 12:35 pm

Train your dog with a checkcord first and when your dog is solidly doing what you expect, implement the e-collar and as Ezzy pointed out you'll have a mile long checkcord.

The stimulation is to reinforce/ enforce compliance to a command not punish the dog. I was circumspect at first myself, if you let your dog dictate the pace and work with the dog to teach it what you want, you'll have no issues. I think they are essential if you want to have a big running pointing dog that you hunt in a variety of environments.

Also if you're uncertain get a video, I'd recommend perfect start/ perfect finish... And on top of that if you can work with someone whose worked a dog through the process, do it. I have layered the process with my dogs, between tone and stim and have one dog that I rescued that was started by a pro and it is amazing what the collar accomplishes.

Final two cents get a collar that has continuous stimulation and tone... I happen to deal with tritronics, doesn't mean they are the best but it's been good for me.

DonF · Post by **DonF** » Mon Jan 05, 2015 4:53 pm

Every body was a first timer at some point. You will be a first timer until you get into it.

bonasa · Post by **bonasa** » Mon Jan 05, 2015 5:10 pm

It's not that hard. Find someone to show you how to use it. If not, find the dogs working level and overlay it to the checkcord commands and then treat it like a checkcord. By the time the dog is off the cord in training you will probably use it sparingly. Start low, the box actually does a good job for first timers and the application/correct usage along with placement of the collar.

bonasa · Post by **bonasa** » Mon Jan 05, 2015 5:24 pm

[quote="gsp1985gj"] I think they are essential if you want to have a big running pointing dog that you hunt in a variety of environments.
[\quote]

How so?

Post by **Sharon** » Mon Jan 05, 2015 6:12 pm

DonF wrote:Every body was a first timer at some point. You will be a first timer until you get into it.

Exactly. PM sent to OP

mlittle · Post by **mlittle** » Mon Jan 05, 2015 7:29 pm

Be careful in how you use it, and when you use it. Timing is essential, but there are several people on here that would be more than glad to help you understand it.

RayGubernat · Post by **RayGubernat** » Tue Jan 06, 2015 8:54 am

The problem with e-collars is over-use, not use.

It is sooooo easy to press a button and soooo easy to turn up the voltage.

It is usually a mistake to attempt to micro-manage a dog in the field. The field has a WORLD of distractions and competing interests, compared to the training yard. Thus, you can expect a somewhat slower and less crisp response to commands in the field than you are used to in the training yard...at least at first. I agree that timing is critical, BUT, what is much more critical is that the dog both understands the command and is well trained to respond. The e-collar is an ENFORCEMENT tool for most trainers. That means the command has to be installed first, before you can enforce it. Never forget that, because attempting to enforce a behavior for which the dog is not trained will almost always confuse the dog.

It is often a mistake to expect that the dog will respond faster when stimulated than if popped with a checkcord, pinch collar or prong collar. Ideally, the dog's response should be BEFORE you need to employ the pinch, prong or checkcord pop, but that response has to be trained in place BEFORE you can expect the dog to respond anywhere close to that in the field.

When you issue a command to the dog...give it time to let the command go in through the ears, hit the brain, process it and respond before you hit the button. If a dog is out a couple hundred yards, running hard, that process may take a few seconds.

My general notion as to when to stimulate is about when I would holler the second time, because I was pretty sure the dog ignored the first one.

As stated it is a mile long checkcord. Use it in the same way and you should be fine. Less is more, lower is better.

RayG

AZ Brittany Guy · Post by **AZ Brittany Guy** » Tue Jan 06, 2015 9:20 am

DonF wrote:Every body was a first timer at some point. You will be a first timer until you get into it.

+ 1 Find a Bird Dog Club in your area and get someone with experience to work with you. Make sure your dog knows the command before you use the ecollar. Understand what the "overlay" technic is before you take on the process.

Never loose your patience with a transmitter in your hand.

will-kelly · Post by **will-kelly** » Tue Jan 06, 2015 9:28 am

My experience has been that most people contemplate getting an e-collar because they are not getting the results they desire in training. I am guilty of this with my first collar I purchased 18 years ago. I now know that a nick from the collar properly timed will teach a dog way more than making it hot and over stimulating them. They are a great tool for communicating with your dog. I use mine solely for recall with a the tone and haven't used the stimulation button since the bird season started back in the fall.

If you do get one you need to step back and reteach the check cord overlayed with the e-collar. Otherwise you run the risk of the dog associating the collar with a certain area or worse yet, birds.

Martha Greenlee's book Training With Mo has the single best explanation on when and how to not only use it but to transfer from a check cord to a e-collar.

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