Most people who are familiar with my training methods would probably tell you that I am against the use of using electronic collars. The truth is that I am against the ways that many professionals and dog owners use them.
Professionals– many professionals, including those that run board and train operations, use the e-collar right off the bat to teach even the most basic commands. As far as I am concerned. doing so reduces the ability of the handler to bond with the dog. They are not concerned with creating a bond between themselves and the dog because it is not their dog. They are running a business and at the end of the day the number of dogs they train is what keeps the bills paid. Many have heard me explain that I have never trained a dog besides Odin, I train handlers. I am only one person, and I am a mobile trainer and currently do not have a fixed training location that I need to pay the rent/mortgage on. Maybe one day, but when I do, I won’t be training dogs without their owners. I am not saying that there is anything inherently wrong with using e-collars from the start, it is just that I prefer a personal relationship with the dog based on eye contact, movement, and touch without having something that interferes with that. Dogs (canines) have been with people (primates) for a long, long time. That relationship was formed with movement of all types.
It has also been my experience that when the dog comes home the owners just don’t feel good about using the e-collar, especially for basic commands, and it’s use tapers off.
The last problem that I have with them as a foundational tool is that they are electronic, and therefore the possibility for failure at the worst possible time is ever present. Many people use them in lieu of a leash. If they push the button and it does not work, all the yelling and repushing the button again will not stop a dog from running into traffic.
Use by owner– this is how the vast majority of dogs are exposed to the e-collar. Unfortunately, much of the time it comes as a last resort when people are at the end of their ropes with an unwanted destructive or dangerous behavior. Often this means that it is purchased and used out of emotion with its use being punitive. Over the last 25 years, I have taught many far-ranging subjects, many life and death, and one of the things that I can tell you is that purchasing an e-collar, reading the enclosed material, and watching video after video may educate you but cannot train you on its effective use.
Truth be told, I have never had a dog seek me out to be trained. They always seem to have a human bring them. That human is personally responsible for the behavior of that dog. There is no way around it, whether you believe it or not. They run into the street and get hit. You either lose them or pay the vet bill. If they bite someone, you will be on the hook for it. I am making this point to demonstrate the fact that as with all relationships if change is going to occur either one or both parties must agree change is needed and follow through to effect that change. A dog cannot dog, so their human has to. If not, there is no way for me to help them change that relationship. Every dog has got to have a primary handler even if they belong to a family. It is impossible to modify a dog’s behavior when an entire family is pulling in different directions without the dog knowing who will feed them and at what time. We love working with entire families and often there is a battle between the kids as to who the dog will choose as their favorite. I explain to them that it is up to them. Dogs are all about actions over words. I explain to them that whoever is the most consistent when it comes to feeding and moving with the dog will be the one the dog is most likely to favor above all others.
Once someone accepts responsibility of being the dog’s primary handler, we can begin. Just like our relationships with other humans, the words we say have little impact on us over all communication, and unfortunately communication in the canine and primate world are totally different.
Every tool you can pick up has its limitations, and e-collar is no different. The weakest part of every tool is the person using it. Knowledge is key. One of the foundational things you need to understand about dog behavior is that they have a 1-3 second window of association. That means a consequence whether positive or negative delivered after this time frame will not be associated with the behavior and therefore will not be able to modify this behavior. The primary issue with this is that for humans is that on average it takes us 1.25 seconds to respond to a known stimulus. Take for an example something that we experience every day, braking in response to brake lights in front of us. This is why so many vehicles these days have sensors that brake before you can process the danger. This is why it is so important to recognize and understand the antecedents with a given behavior. Otherwise, you are swinging after the ball is already in the catcher’s glove. A reaction is from a scale of 1-10. A 1 being right after the antecedent, and 10 being the full blown out of control behavior. Most people are delivering the consequence at 8-10 because that is where they are when becoming aware of it. It is all but impossible to effect change this way. Keep in mind that this is with a physical consequence. Verbal consequences just don’t work primarily because the dog’s reaction to what they see far overrides their response to what they hear (if they hear it at all). Look up auditory exclusion.
Keeping all this in mind, there are basically three times I will introduce the e-collar. In all situations, except for the last, only when all other methods have been exhausted. The model I use, like most, has beep, vibrate, and shock. The lowest level of each should always be used until it is not needed at all. Most dogs only require a low shock one time before the beep and vibration have the desired effect. With all behaviors, the goal is to fix the behavior and if that is not possible then we manage that behavior. If the handler is unwilling or unable to manage a behavior that cannot be fixed, the dog will usually be rehomed, surrendered, or euthanized. The e-collar should be used as a scalpel, not a machete. Its effectiveness is based on the ability of the user.
The dog is a danger to people– there is a difference between a nip, a bite, and an attack. If a dog severely bites or attacks a person to the point where they need medical attention beyond first aid, I would not recommend the use of an e-collar and euthanization may be called for. The other type of danger is when the handler is physically unable to control the dog. I have seen many people who love their dog so much that they kept them after being pulled down the street resulting in the need for reconstructive surgery.
The dog is a danger to other animals– cats and squirrels are one thing, but since you typically don’t take your dog to a cat or squirrel park…. the big thing that needs to be managed is dog on dog aggression. The same standard applies here as it does to danger to humans. In ALL cases, the totality of the circumstances must be taken into account.
Cost you a ton of money on vet bills to replacing property– this is usually when the dog eats stuff they are not supposed to like motorcycle saddlebags (true story), furniture, walls, etc.
The only way I can train someone to use an e-collar is to be in person with them, their dog, and the ability to replicate the antecedent and behavior.
Putting the final edge on a well-trained dog– just like us, dogs can get lazy, lackadaisical, and complacent. Odin, my service dog, and I have been working together for over 8 years now. He is usually spot on, especially for an Olde English Bulldogge. They are not known for their lightning-fast obedience. He is a very sensitive boy and a beep or the lightest vibrate are overwhelmingly effective for encouraging him. The key is that he knows a command that either results in going to a certain place or other physical movement that if given results in no beep or buzz at all. This is another huge issue with the untrained use of e-collars. The dog has to be taught and given a command that removes the need for the unwanted consequence.
What I have outlined above I feel to be well thought-out, methodical, ethical, and kind when it comes to the use of e-collars.
What prompted this article was that this week I will be introducing the e-collar to two clients. Both have done 3-4 sessions with little to no movement of the needle in relation to their dogs’ behavior.
The first is a huge Rott/GSD that is reactive to the point of being almost impossible to control. The other is a set of young siblings that are actually eating the client’s house from the inside out.
For me, in the majority of cases, the e-collar is the nuclear option for when all other methods I have used with a proven track record of success are not moving the needle…at all.
One last thing. It is very easy to ruin a good dog with punitive e-collar use. All dogs are either backward or forward dogs. If you have the handler with the dog in the heel position and lunge at them, an untrained dog will either go backward or come forward. It has been my experience that using the e-collar with a backward dog is almost always a bad idea.
If you are anywhere in the US and would like to host one or more of our 4-hour Love & Leadership Courses and receive free training for your dogs, please call us at 682-207-3820 or e-mail us at mcs521@gmail.com.