Chances are if you are reading this, you either use an e-collar for your dog or you have strong opinions about them. If you've got strong opinions, I hear you! So do I, especially since I work with them very often. If you are super against the use of them, I am sure you are either personally aware of someone who has had a bad experience (maybe even you yourself had a bad experience), or you just hear a lot of bad things about them.
Well, let me tell you- some of those things are TRUE!
But I think it's important that you understand how those stories came to be and understand that, when applied in a thoughtful and fair way, E-collars are truly the most sophisticated dog training technology we have available today. But just like anything else, you need to be using the right tool for the right job, and at the right time. It doesn't help to use an egg beater to unlock a door!
If you have done any sort of e-collar training with me, most likely you watched in shock as I opened your box, set everything out, and then told you that it came with a dangerous part that needed to be removed before use. Then I'd pick up your remote, remove the lanyard, and stow it in my pocket. I always say I'll give it back- but I still have them all. A collection, all coiled up together in one of the deep, dark door pockets of my route vehicle collecting dust and dog hair.
Oh, the lanyard.
That damn lanyard that people wear around their necks 24/7 as if it's some sort of super hip in-group signal. I want to rip off every lanyard I see and throw it in the trash where it belongs.
Okay- not really. Some of you are probably outraged at this point in defense of your trusty lanyard- and for many of you, the lanyard is truly not a problem. But lanyards can seriously cause a problem for effective e-collar training, especially in beginning stages before a dog becomes fully "e-collar literate." Pretty much every problem that can result from e-collar training (and make no mistake, ANY training can go wrong no matter what equipment you are using) ultimately boils down to a timing and/or clarity issue.
Timing and clarity issues are by default related. Many times I have seen a client wearing the remote on a lanyard (prior to my "lanyard policy"), swearing to me up and down that, "I'll get it if I need it," just to completely miss every key moment when a trigger arrives or the dog needs to be cued into obedience when it matters most. What ends up happening is that the lanyard swings all over and becomes impossible to grab and execute with good timing- which, as you can imagine, results in a completely meaningless stream of electric stimulation to the dog. Meaningless communication in any form, but especially in the form of pressure, results in frustration and confusion. Most dogs are able to tolerate a fair amount of any kind of pressure as long as they know what to expect!
This is when things can go wrong. Pressing the button before or after the right moment is like shouting instructions in a foreign language someone does not understand it. It's really important that dogs are able to understand what we are asking of them, especially in high stress or high arousal moments where emotions are likely to be amplified. It's likely that "shouting" some random crap (electrica or vocal) in a critical moment is going to lead to the dog interpreting it as something you did not intend.
When I talk to people about how to store the remote without a lanyard, I always recommend using the belt clip that comes with most of the models of Dogtra I recommend to clients (*right now generally the 200c, 280c, 280x, or 1900). From my observation it's much easier to grab it from your waistline than while swinging from the neck. I explain that training is an "proactive" venture, not a "reactive" one. Chances are that if I am in the room, someone is still in the "training phase" and has not yet passed over to the "maintenance phase" (where the dog is already trained and the remote is just for backup)- however, even if your dog is already collar literate it's really best just to have the collar in your hand in any situation you might need it. Why not continue molding your dog into your dream dog? Basically if you think to take it with you, what good even is it if you have to dig or scramble for it? You just never know when that off leash dog with no owner is going to pop out from behind a corner, a cat darts out in front of you into the street, a child on a scooter appears and falls as they whiz by, or a complicated social interaction comes up.
The thing about dogs is that they move FAST- like, really fast! Be ready.
The same is true of work with e-collar in the house. It may not need be clipped to your pajamas that don't even have pockets- but what good is the remote going to do if it is across the room on the kitchen counter instead of next to you on the coffee table? Don't get complacent! If the remote is out, it is out for a reason and you need to be prepared to use it in a fair and clear way.
The simplest way to make sure that both you and your dog have a great training experience using this awesome (yet high caliber) technology is simply to pay attention and be ready. That's it! That's the secret.
And of course, do whatever specific things your professional trainer asks you to do. ;p
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