Liz CA Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 ...that refuses recall in open areas? Mine is fine wherever there is confined space, even as large as the dog park but I had no luck with consistent training in open space. This is the first time I have a dog who will not come when called and it's a bit frustrating as well as potentially dangerous. I have never used a shock collar and would like to hear some general views on its effectiveness or ineffectiveness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remudamom Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 I used one at one point with my ACD, who is a car chaser. In order to get any sort of response from her at all it was turned up pretty high. This would make her blink. The same setting on my border collies would have scarred them for life, but she's a tough cookie. Used it a very few times and she is a GOOD DOG when she wears it now. Don't even need batteries in it. And yes, I tried it on myself first. Nearly fell out of my chair. The children loved it and hollered "Zap yourself again momma!!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbkaren Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 Properly used, the remote trainer is an excellent tool. It is literally the only reason my redbone coonhound is able to go out of the house without being tied up or kept in a kennel. We have invisible fencing around our yard, but she happily runs right through it in order to chase an animal into the woods. Once her nose is engaged, there is no calling her back. The remote trainer allows us to get her attention, and get her back in the yard. There are people who claim that using these trainers is "cruel", and "torture". But that's really ridiculous... Our dog looks forward to when we put her collar on, because it means freedom for her. The stimulation is uncomfortable and unpleasant, but does not cause real pain. It's like getting a shock in the wintertime when you touch your television or something metal. In addition, the animal has the choice of receiving the shock or not, depending on their behavior. If she doesn't like the shock, she has the simple choice of coming when she's called. I believe my dog would agree that it is a small price to pay in order to be able to run free. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 I can say that as a vet tech I have seen horrid pressure wounds caused by the contacts on shock collars. I have seen other issues too. My advice as a dog trainer is to practice at a distance in a confined area. When you have 100 percent compliance then practice in an open area, but with the dog only one foot away from you. Do lots of repetitions with treats/rewards, then after a few times try 2 feet, etc. Don't try to go from far away in a confined space to far away in an open space. Your dog is showing you you need to back up and start at kindergarten. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz CA Posted January 4, 2012 Author Share Posted January 4, 2012 I used one at one point with my ACD, who is a car chaser. In order to get any sort of response from her at all it was turned up pretty high. This would make her blink. The same setting on my border collies would have scarred them for life, but she's a tough cookie. Used it a very few times and she is a GOOD DOG when she wears it now. Don't even need batteries in it. And yes, I tried it on myself first. Nearly fell out of my chair. The children loved it and hollered "Zap yourself again momma!!" :D:D:D I may try it on dh first. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz CA Posted January 4, 2012 Author Share Posted January 4, 2012 He always comes in any confined space. When we get out on the orchard, he sees a rodent (or whatever) and is off. I had to let go of the leash today or I would have experienced the orchard on my face. :tongue_smilie: This dog weighs 140lb. I had a big mastiff girl before him and it was a snap to train her. Should have quit while I was ahead... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz CA Posted January 4, 2012 Author Share Posted January 4, 2012 Properly used, the remote trainer is an excellent tool. It is literally the only reason my redbone coonhound is able to go out of the house without being tied up or kept in a kennel. We have invisible fencing around our yard, but she happily runs right through it in order to chase an animal into the woods. Once her nose is engaged, there is no calling her back. The remote trainer allows us to get her attention, and get her back in the yard. There are people who claim that using these trainers is "cruel", and "torture". But that's really ridiculous... Our dog looks forward to when we put her collar on, because it means freedom for her. The stimulation is uncomfortable and unpleasant, but does not cause real pain. It's like getting a shock in the wintertime when you touch your television or something metal. In addition, the animal has the choice of receiving the shock or not, depending on their behavior. If she doesn't like the shock, she has the simple choice of coming when she's called. I believe my dog would agree that it is a small price to pay in order to be able to run free. This is exactly what my goal is. Walk with him off leash (like I did with my other mastiff girl), he can run in certain areas but he has to come when called. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milovany Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 We did, and it worked. It's been over a year since she wore the collar (which we used for 1-2 months) and she still doesn't take off like she used to. She was escaping into the neighbor's cow pasture when we'd let her out to do her business, and she wouldn't come when called. We'd have to follow her with the car and trick her into coming. I asked about a shock collar in a forum, and a very naturalistic, holistic vet. replied saying, "I know I don't like to see them overused, but they can serve a purpose with some dogs." Our dog was "some dog!" A different time we were out on a walk on a trail a few miles from our house. She got off leash and OFFFFF she flew into another cow field -- and it was calving season. She wouldn't hurt a fly, or a calf, she just loves to run, but Farmer Joe saw her out there and took off after her on a four-wheeler. We got her to come, eventually, but FJ looked at us with warning and said, "Keep your dog." I told my daughter he could have shot her and been in the right. We got the collar soon after that. SO glad we did. It worked and she's so much safer now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KidsHappen Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 I trained my Golden with one. I never had to turn it up past a 4 when training. I zapped me, my hubby and all my kids on 2 & 3 when testing it. The Golden has a lot more hair that we do. My Golden picked it up at 100% very quickly. Mine also has a tone button and I have him trained to come to the tone so I didn't even have to zap after a short period of time just hit the tone button. The only time he wears it now is when we are traveling. I have never had to use it but I feel safer having it on just in case I need to use it. If you want to use it to train recall be sure to also treat and praise when he comes. You want to re-enforce his desire to come to you for protection. Hit the button and call him and then treat and praise. You can even introduce clicker training in there if you are familiar with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nevergiveup Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 I love ours. I have 3 dogs and they all wear one when we walk. They get so excited when they see them that I can't get them on fast enough. They are not meant to be left on 24/7--that is when they can cause skin wounds. Mine has a buzz feature so I can buzz them to get their attention first. If they don't come I can administer a shock ranging in strength. This is a nice feature since they don't have to be within hearing distance in order for me to tell them to come back. A lot of times we have strong wind and I know they can't hear me, but they can feel a buzz. They are wonderful tools. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kwickimom Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 Yep! We keep one on our hunting dogs while they are working in the field for safety. Ours has the beeper on it which I always use first. Our dogs usually come to the beep or us hollering if they are close enough to hear us. If they are in harms way or do not respond in a timely manner they get a zap. We have labs and they caught on super quick. Maybe one or two zaps each on level 3 and now they hear that beep and high tail it back to us. The only way you are going to get wounds on their necks are to leave the collars on too long or have them too tight. The shock is uncomfortable but is NOT going to harm your dog if you zap them once or twice here and there. My yellow lab, indoor dog is very sensitive and she responded fine to the zap and it has had no ill effects on her whatsoever. When used properly they are an excellent training tool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiramisu Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 I loved ours. We resorted to it because our dog would get rough with the kids in the backyard, steal food off the counter while I was making dinner, and pull so hard on the leash I started having nerve issues in my arms and legs. With one visit of the trainer and the collar, she was a different dog. She never reacted badly to the shock, but she knew who was in charge. Afterwards, she seemed happier overall. Perhaps because she could finally understand what was what. We only used the collar in the yard and house for a short time, but we continued to use it on walks. Unfortunately, she ran into the woods once and came back without the collar. We really miss that collar for walks. Too many rabbits in our neighborhood. We might actually be okay if it weren't for them.:001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SweetMissMagnolia Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 no but my sister's dh has used in the past-he trains hunting/sporting dogs.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer3141 Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 Funny you should ask... I've got one on order for Riker. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 I used a leash in open areas on our dog that would not come. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2cents Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 We used one on our Golden who was showing aggression and rough play toward our cats. She knew that she could nip and jump on them before we could get to her so the shock collar nipped (or zapped) that right in the bud. She is a very good dog around them now. I'm afraid she could have really hurt them if we hadn't used this intervention because the cats she was targeting are very mellow and won't defend themselves. Used correctly, shock collars can be very effective. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy Jo Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 I'm going to try mine again, as soon as I find the controller. It's great to hear all the success stories. I can say that as a vet tech I have seen horrid pressure wounds caused by the contacts on shock collars. I have seen other issues too. My advice as a dog trainer is to practice at a distance in a confined area. When you have 100 percent compliance then practice in an open area, but with the dog only one foot away from you. Do lots of repetitions with treats/rewards, then after a few times try 2 feet, etc. Don't try to go from far away in a confined space to far away in an open space. Your dog is showing you you need to back up and start at kindergarten. You aren't supposed to have the collar on them all the time. And your advice wouldn't work for my dog. As soon as she *thinks* she is free, she bolts. I used one at one point with my ACD, who is a car chaser. In order to get any sort of response from her at all it was turned up pretty high. This would make her blink. The same setting on my border collies would have scarred them for life, but she's a tough cookie. Used it a very few times and she is a GOOD DOG when she wears it now. Don't even need batteries in it. And yes, I tried it on myself first. Nearly fell out of my chair. The children loved it and hollered "Zap yourself again momma!!" That is so funny! I've heard different people respond differently to the collars - different tolerance levels. I tested ours at two settings - the higher one surprised me enough that I dropped the collar on the floor. I ordered ours from Leerburg kennels, along with a training video. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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