My dog was not obeying me. She knows the “recall” but has a mind of her own. I was irritated. Dogs have a way of knowing when you’re irritated with them. There’s no hiding this from your dog. Maybe it was time for a dog training collar — called an e-collar or remote collar.
My dog came to live with me because my kids begged me for a dog, promised to take care of her, feed her, walk her, train her–everything that a dog needs. She is a German Shepherd, and I have seen her through several medical conditions–mites, an emergency “hysterectomy,” stitches, an abscess, stupid things like biopsies for nothing but a bug bite. Now she is my dog. And I love her, even more so when she is obedient. Why don’t dogs understand that you are protecting them?
Sometimes when I call her to “come” (the recall), she just looks at me seeming to say …
“….what, you’ve got to be kidding, I’m busy here, sniffing around…”
–that sort of thing.
Or, worse yet, while hiking, off-leash, if she sees ducks, squirrels, foxes, rabbits, or coyotes — and she chases after them. My dog becomes deaf to my recall. One time, my husband lost her in the hills, chasing a stag, only to find her back at the car–with an injury, that of course I found several hours later, that needed stitches.
A little history here–we have lost a dog before–dead that is–hit by a car, chasing rabbits. Not a good experience for the kids, my husband, or me for that matter.
So, I was irritated, and our German Shepherd knew it. She sulked around here, ears down. She was so down-trodden that she went up to my bedroom and took a giant pee on my down comforter on my side of the bed. Well, you can imagine how delighted I was with that.
I had to solve the problem — I had to remind my dog that I was the leader of the pack (as Cesar Milan recommends.)
First, I decided to wear my happy, calm, “I’m in control” face with the dog–she wins–no more pee on my bed.
And second, well, I really wanted a living room chair, but this must-have dog item won out. I kept going over in my mind how my family would feel if I lost the dog to the coyotes or some other animal chase. I bought an electric collar.
Its called an e-collar, or remote collar to get away from the stigma of “electric” and shocking my dog. I got a DVD from Leerburg and bought the collar which is the same cost of a chair, mind you. I am watched — “ yes, this will work, my dog will finally know that I , Eve, the mother of all living, am the leader of the pack.”
How to use an e-collar for dogs:
Getting used to the e-collar:
Put the e-collar on your dog and just let her wear it without doing anything with the electronics. Don’t turn it on. We did this for a few days.
Setting the level of stimulation:
Now, turn the e-collar on and the hand remote. Put the e-collar on your dog, making sure it is tight enough to make a connection when you stimulate her, but not too tight — like you can fit two fingers in between the collar and her neck. Set the stimulation to a low setting on the hand remote. Put your dog on a leash. I set the right amount of “stimulation” which is called a “nick,” by testing a few different levels. With your dog on a leash, give her a nick to see if she responds, if not, move up the level. She will respond by looking at the ground or looking around — there is not jolting her or making her whine or anything like that. These new e-collars are very safe. You can test it yourself — or as my kids did — on each other, just by hold it and clicking the remote.
Training:
Get a long line leash (30 ft leash) and take your dog to an area where there is lots of room. I took my dog to a regional park to chase some rabbits. Needless to say, it worked. It didn’t hurt her, the nick stimulation was only like me tugging on her leash and when she returned to me she got a tasty treat to “mark” her good behavior. She was happy, I was happy.
That first day we had such a good session, I walked around the expansive oak tree-lined grasses, keeping her on the long line. When my head was down, she saw a crow eating some garbage, and bam, I was flat on my face in the grass, reaching for that remote to give her a “nick” and a “no”.
But after that, and one more fall on my face the next day, she understood that I was in control, even at a distance. The long line is gone and I only need the e-collar when we are out there in the wilderness. My dog is happier too.
Training Sources for the e-collar or remote collar:
1. Here is a short youtube about the e-collar or remote collar and what the stimulation is like — trying it out on yourself: Low level Stimulation and the myths about Remote Collars
2. Another great youtube video on e-collar or remote collar training: Michael Ellis class on remote collar training
3. Pack Structure obedience video or why you need to be the pack leader.
3. This is the video I watched and highly recommend:
