How to use an E Collar properly – Dog Training with America’s Canine Educator
so the biggest thing with the e-collar
is to understand that it’s not an
aversive tool could it be sure but you
know so could vehicles you know for you
didn’t use them right and so what I’m
doing when I introduce the e-collar
is I’m associating the commands but more
importantly my voice with the e-collar
[Music]
so it’s kind of like a Pavlovian
conditioning thing which means there’s a
sound and then there could be an action
after or something happens immediately
after the sound so what I’m doing is
when I say these will do this I’m
tapping the remote at the same time that
level like I was showing you guys last
time is something that you could put
directly on your face and not feel it
you know like I always tell people I bet
your hundred bucks if you can feel this
and like I’ll have them put it on and
I’ll be tapping and then I got go I’m
like I am and so like that’s how I know
it’s genuine that people really can’t
feel it dogs can feel it because they
have more sense like senses around the
muscle of the neck and stuff but it’s
not a correction like we think it is and
so the biggest misconception is is what
people used to do with them back in the
day which is interesting because just
like everything else back in the day
that we used to do in America is not
what we do now so like the problem is is
dogs don’t have voices to say no it’s
cool I get it like I understand so
anyway when I asked him to do something
I’m simply just tapping the remote
that’s it and so it’s at a level for the
e-collar has a hundred and thirty about
a hundred and thirty levels but again
one of the things when we start with the
e-collar is is handlers will be
reluctant to hit the remote they like oh
I didn’t even have to hit it but I want
you to hit it because it’s not
correcting the dog it’s not like we’re
the prom collar or the sub collar a
gentle leader anything like that is
pegye t’v pressure so it’s it’s it’s
it’s kind of a correction with the e
collar it’s not a correction it’s a
communication does that make sense okay
so I’m saying something I’m tapping the
remote and it’s going a little buzz to
him a little buzz to him a little
to him so it’s not a vibrate it’s not a
shock
it’s a stimulation if you’ve ever been
to the chiropractor it’s that little
sensation it’s a sensation that’s all it
is right so basically again going back
to the pavlo nyan thing is if I had a
sensation like on a remote to you and I
said hey every time I you feel the
sensation turn around and I’m gonna
throw you a football right and I said
but if you if you don’t turn around
you’re the hit football’s gonna hit you
so I would go tap and you turn boom tap
you turn boom
so the sensation is remotely telling you
to turn around does that make sense the
open and so here’s here’s the whole
process is when I do that I say tap you
turn boom tap you turn boom now if I
didn’t tap it and through that you would
hit in the back of the head you bake
what the heck you didn’t tell me what
you wanted me to do you didn’t do the
thing right and so then what happens is
is if I use that same controller to you
that I’m using here and I and I have you
go you know half a mile away you’re not
gonna be able to hear me but you’re
gonna feel it and you’re gonna turn and
wait for the ball right same thing so if
you’re here tap boom tap boom and you’re
like okay when I feel this sensation
you’re gonna do that to me right and so
that’s the same thing with the e-collar
is as soon as the dog gets away I say
diesel come tap and he goes oh you’re
talking to me and he comes to me
so it’s the same transition I think
honestly the the reluctancy that we have
is just because people use them wrong
that’s it you can use anything wrong I
always tell people that so anyway the
tool is a communicative tool and still
even with all the education that we I
tell people there’s still people that
are like it’s cruel it’s this that’s
like sure you know but I tell people to
like this has 130 levels our vehicles
also say 120 hundred – but we don’t go
120 everywhere right we don’t we don’t
use those we don’t use those things
because we don’t have to we stay 2030
right it’s all we need we don’t you know
we don’t need to use those things so
that’s what is this yeah cool so again
when I tap him because
because of the size of the dog I’m just
gonna tap it diesel yes good boy and as
soon as he looks at me I shut the remote
off so I’m basically getting his
attention with the remote go back to the
football right
pop pop pop he’s like hey is that you
and then it shuts off right so come good
boy so I tapped the remote diesel sit
good good job and so instead of giving
him leash pressure right I’m using the
e-collar
sit does that make sense so this it’s a
great question and I was just having a
conversation with the gentleman that
came in before your prom caller for a
dog this size is gonna be your first
line of defense like when you’re out and
he goes hey cuz you’re not gonna have
time to go oh gotta get my you know
right so you could like when you’re out
walking you can have your your flat
collar or your prong collar your sub
collar on and that’s no problem and your
e-collar no big deal it’s physically
impossible to like turn this all the way
up and like have this like burn the dog
or anything like that it’s a sensation
so it the sensation just gets more
intense as the levels go up that’s all
it is it’s not this like electric thing
so it’s not gonna have anything to do
with this prong metal either so like
what I would do is I would have him out
heel and I would be using using the
e-collar
so when I do II call our sessions I try
to move away from this okay this is
landline dial up right this is Wi-Fi
okay
and so I’m slowly trying to move away
from this when we ask a dog to sit with
pressure with the prom caller we simply
say sit if they don’t we give him a
correction and pop them up now with this
I’m going to simply just say diesel sit
I’m gonna hit the prong collar or I’m
sorry the e-collar
diesel sipped and then I turn it off
yeah good boy you
because he’s a great day and he’s gonna
lay down every time I ask him to do
something so that’s okay
diesel sit good boy good boy so I use
the e car instead of this Q does that
make sense so far that’s all I’m doing
so and again I could bet you hundred
dollars this is the level that he’s at I
could give to you guys and it’s not that
oh yeah kind of hurts or no no you
wouldn’t even feel it and so again it’s
same thing as a football thing I was
talking about my communication is now
with this instead of this but the
biggest difference is is this goes a
half a mile
this goes four feet right so when he’s
way off in the field and you say his
name you hope you hope he comes if he
doesn’t have the econ but if he doesn’t
there’s nothing you can do about it and
so for me when people say I would never
use an e-collar I’m like well then
you’re missing out because it’s way
safer to have a piece of equipment on a
dog that’s wireless then if you drop the
leash he runs away and then all of a
sudden you see a you know skunk
porcupine other dogs squirrel car
exactly that’s the idea is just being
able to literally communicate to him
wirelessly but of course and and like
that’s the thing is like his fruit you
can unhook the leash and away he goes
and then you’re like okay these will
come and you tap and he’s right back and
then if he but the the the defying thing
there is is if he doesn’t because that’s
the thing is like you can say well why
don’t you just do that with food because
what if you the key component here is
what if he doesn’t listen that’s the
thing people don’t realize is like I can
do the same recall with my dog with food
with chicken with steak with long line
I’m like let him go
and then tell me what you’re gonna do if
he decides I don’t want the chicken I
want the squirrel that’s running across
the road then you’re in trouble and it’s
your responsibility that if you want
your dog to be wild and free and off
leash great they should be but it’s also
your responsibility to make sure that if
they don’t comply off leash for their
safety that you can tell them to get
their butt back it’s that simple
great come good yes you are so I’m gonna
do with the place okay so it’s something
I really like doing with the e-collar
because it it’s very clear so think
about it like the ground is lava type
thing where I basically turned the
e-collar on he’s like huh what’s that
place place and he’s like oh I know
place and it shuts off and he’s like
wait a minute I think you’re like yeah
they’re together so the kiss so then he
gets off and I say oh good he’s a place
remote turns on and he’s like hey
there’s that thing again
and I’m like place and he’s like okay
and I shuts off and eventually what he’s
gonna do is he’s gonna be wait you are
controlling that and then I’m also
controlling it by complying that makes
sense that’s why I like doing the place
command with the e-collar because it
makes it really clear okay so these a
place tap shuts off yeah good boy diesel
sit shuts off good that’s his go-to
position you like the down buddy so
that’s there’s there’s two different
functions and most collars there’s a
momentary and a continuous the momentary
is just you tap tap tap tap tap to think
about it like almost like a like a like
a semi automatic versus an automatic tap
tap tap versus pop up up up up up up
right like a paintball or something
however you want to look at it but the
point is is when you tell him to do
something the momentary like I can go
he’s a place and then when he goes there
I can diesel sit good brick or the
continuous would be the the semi-auto
would be the automatic you just hold it
and it goes until he gets there so if I
hold the continuous it’s gonna go to him
until he gets there the momentary is
boom boom boom boom boom boom boom
continuous boop boop boop does it make
sense so I’ll do the continuous now very
simple diesel place hold yes good boy
brake
good that make sense so that’s all I’m
doing good question it depends on the
dog like he’s a Great Dane
so like he’s not gonna be like a lab or
a Border Collie that’s like next next
next next like he’s just like okay can I
lay down now and so for him you could
use either like if it was a dog that was
like super like ah I use continuous
because it’s me it’s a little bit more
consistent so like if they’re like okay
we’ll be able to do next one I’m like
Boop yes but with him you can use
momentary like he’s a place yes good boy
brick or lay down whatever it’s your
decision buddy does that make sense yeah
what I’m doing so no harm no foul and so
the objective here guys is is at the end
of the day when he understands that that
stimulation is coming from me so like
that’s why I just did that exercise as I
told him to get on to his bed or get on
to his place
and I said tap tap tap tap it’s just
like if I were to tell you guys like
I’ll do it in a minute but basically as
soon as he understands that I’m
controlling that stimulation we’re good
so this is the vibrate so he’s not
feeling the vibrate he’s feeling the
stimulation the this vibrate like your
phone is probably ten times as intense
as the stimulation I’m using with him
right now super intense like that that’s
just a vibrate so I want to just show
you the timing okay so the momentary
would be like this okay do you place
[Music]
good shut off okay continuous which
would be the bottom button there’s only
momentary and continuous continuous
would be the bottom button it would be
these a place
[Music]
good I know
do you understand though that’s it okay
so you have basically like a manual and
then you have a constant and the timing
is important too so making sure that
like when you say place and you go and
he gets there he’s like wait a minute
I didn’t shut off what do I do right so
you got to make sure that when you tell
him the command likes it good voice good
right and so the pressure of the
e-collar shuts off immediately when they
can block when they comply into the
position but then also the pressure from
my voice gets better so I give them a
positive for compliance oh I say place
good and it may even give him food as
well just like anything like you would
never go out and buy like if you never
like worked a chainsaw you never go out
and buy one and just like try to figure
it out cuz you get hurt and you wouldn’t
probably get anywhere right
but like same thing with eCollege people
who you can go buy one and Petsmart for
$30 and like it’s like alright I don’t
see anything happening and they turn it
up and then the dog squeals and they’re
like oh I’m never using that again
that’s a guy so you know what I mean so
that the goal is is to be patient and
understand that when you use the
e-collar it shouldn’t be a negative it
should be a communication that’s all it
is so that’s what we’re doing
