Pros and Cons of E collars for NEWBIES

This is a placeholder text
Group text

by beetree on 20 March 2011 - 15:03

I use an e-collar for our invisible fence only. My sister thinks her dog is trained because her whole house is wired. What is good advice for: When a dog really can benefit from using an e-collar as a training aide.
Thanks for your thoughts on this discussion.

by Duderino on 20 March 2011 - 18:03

Danger. First, personally I would never use an invisible fence. Second, electronic collars should not be sold to the general public. Too often they are used as an excuse to not train the dog. Dog training is not a video game.

by beetree on 20 March 2011 - 19:03

Dude, he'd be a dead dog without the fence. Have to disagree with you there.

by melba on 21 March 2011 - 00:03

The reason I personally don't like the invisible fence idea is because it may keep your dog in but it does not keep other dogs out. For some people and some dogs, they are awesome. For others, not so much. My Aunt had a Beagle who would stand at the point where the colar started beeping and wait until the battery ran down, then made his excape. (Yes, a BEAGLE!!) I have worked with a few individuals who refused to put the collar on properly (it does no good hanging down around the dogs chest) and could not understand that was WHY the thing didn't work.

They are not a cure all, end all device... just another tool. I would suggest a newbie seek an experienced trainer that is very familiar with the ecollar to receive instruction on its proper use before going it alone. I use and reccomend them with certain dogs and certain owners. Having said that, I don't think I've even charged mine up in over a year.

Melissa

by Niesia on 21 March 2011 - 03:03

I have to agree with Melba about invisible fence. I don't have fenced in yard but I don't use the invisible fence. Instead I thought my girl the boundaries of my property and I made sure they are visible. Most people going on a walk and passing my property think I have invisible fence. The fact is, that my dog is never unattended outside when I am not at home, so it works for me.

My husband knew a dog (Boxer) who would cross the invisible line set on the highest level with the clinched teeth and run away…

Regarding E-collars:
PROS: I believe that e-collars are great tools used by experienced trainer and on specific kind of dog. I believe they are especially useful when training dogs for task that are performed far away from the handler (i.e. gun dogs). I personally don’t believe that I have enough experience to use it, and I just wouldn’t want to risk my relationship with my dog.

CONS: E-collar in the hand of inexperienced trainer/homeowner may/will create more problems than it will solve.

Examples:
1) I know personally the Springer Spaniel (gun dog) totally ruined by e-collar. He was/is the perfect gun dog for everybody but his owner. The dog would totally freak out in his owner presence so I believe he finally gave it away.
2) Neighbor has a very low drive, calm and slow lab mix that wasn’t responding to commands “fast enough” – so he bought the e-collar. The dog was listening to him ‘fast’ when the collar was on, but he had to chase the dog around to put it back on. The dog would totally disregard him without it. So, poor dog ended up wearing the e-collar all the time.
3) Last time I was in Petco, some homeowner was buying an e-collar because his pit bull was not listening to him! Scary thought …

by jamesfountain98 on 21 March 2011 - 17:03

Niesa, why was buying an ecollar for a pit bull dog more scary than the other breeds you mentioned.

i have yet to see an example of an ecollar used on a dog by an unexperienced owner that caused harm to the dog.

Yes, the owner may ruin the dog's performance and may not listen without the collar because of lack of training. But to say a owner should not have the right to make that decision is a little extreme. using a e-collar by unexperienced owners is not much difference than an unexperience owner who uses a prong or choke collar.

All of them need proper training but should not be regulated by any authority except the owner.

by Niesia on 21 March 2011 - 18:03

jamesfountain98,

I didn’t mean to disrespect pit bulls. If you understood it this way – I apologize. I was commenting on a person who was buying the e-collar – that was scary. I didn’t have a strong feeling that this person will control his dog (any dog) even with e-collar.

I am pro using this tool by right people on righ dogs (i.e. I am not that right person) and in the right training. There is always a freedom of choice to use it or not – this tool is readily available (or any other tool). This however doesn’t make it right if it is used wrong.

There are a lot of different ways to train your dog, but most ‘owners’ use it as a quick fix. For me it’s a lot like smacking your dog with the belt when it misbehaves. You didn’t really ‘beat him’, but you just ‘corrected’ his behavior… The fact that you just pushed the button and it’s not you who inflicted the pain doesn’t make it any different. E-collar talks in terms of “level of correction” but isn’t really a “level of pain”?

by beetree on 22 March 2011 - 13:03

I agree, there are dogs that are not candidates for an invisible fence. I still don't leave my dog outside unless I am home. With kids and the right dog, though-- an invisible fence is great, especially if your property covers a lot of perimeter. I really don't worry about other animals coming into my dog's territory, generally I think most should be wary of him.

Any coyotes I have seen have just quickly passed through only, and at the very bottom of my property.

by Mindhunt on 23 March 2011 - 03:03

I have never been able to use invisible fencing with my dogs, I would watch my big male puff up like someone stuck an air hose up his butt and walk through the fence then bark at us (he was an evil genius that was the best dog in the world). My other male would have no hesitation between thought and act and would dash through the fence with a yelp as he chased a rabbit or something. My female would steel herself like my older male and run through (yes we spent time training them with the invisible fence). We always supervised our dogs when they were outside so we got to see the various escapes. We gave up after the first few weeks. I hear it works well with many dogs.

As for e-collars, I was always taught they were a last resort. Building a bond and establishing foundation obedience usually did the trick. That said, I have seen them used effectively and correctly in a few instances and I have seen too many instances of them used incorrectly. My favorites are the command accompanied by the zap (done simultaneously) or the other of zapping the dog whenever it does something the owner doesn't like but the owner never indicates verbally or otherwise that the dog is doing something incorrect, just zaps the dog (usually the comment is, "the dog should know right from wrong by now, I shouldn't have to tell him/her").

by clee27 on 23 March 2011 - 14:03

Hey beetree, I can only give you my experience and I'm no expert, ha! I found that the e collar was only effective for commands and such when it's on, what I mean is my dogs knew the difference and so I felt they weren't really taking the command from me. I like my dogs to listen to me with or without a collar on. I'm not bashing them, for me personally I just prefer training without. I imagine any training tool used correctly can be effective. I have found in 18 years of having GSDs that when my dog had a training issue, the real issue was with me, not my dog, lmbo! Take care, Jennifer

Contact information Disclaimer Privacy Statement Copyright Information Terms of Service Cookie policy ↑ Back to top

Pros and Cons of E collars for NEWBIES - Page 1

Pedigree Database