Having been in dogs many years and using various trainers with various degrees os sucess I have come to believe that the e collar should be used to reinforce training that has already been done with the dog. There are some trainers who use it to train with from the start but my successful dogs have always been introduced to what is wanted from them by exposure to the exercises and then correction done by the collar after they know what is wanted of them. It just seems that they get it and keep it without too much problem.

I was very much against using an E-Collar for ANYTHING except to break a dog off of running deer or coyotes until I learned the CORRECT way to stimulate, NOT SHOCK a dog, and as the commentor before me said, it was only for reinforcement of what one has TAUGHT a dog, and once one is sure that the dog understand what they should be doing.BTW I learned this in a Rick Smith Seminar. One of these seminars will really open your eyes to what training a dog is about. HINT: It's never about brute force.

My comments here are merely my opinion, and are in no way intended to insult anybody or to suggest that trainers are completely wrong to use e-collars. I have the greatest respect for Rick Smith and all of the excellent professional trainers out there, but I have to say I have been and always will be against the use of e-collars. I understand why they are used, and in the right hands they are effective and mostly humane. I always have to ask "How were the Germans able to train such incredible pointers before the advent of electricity?"

The answer I think, lies in time and patience. E-collars are a great time saver, but in my opinion, they are no more effective at training a good dog than simply taking the extra time and being very, very patient with your dog. I have trained several German Shorthaired Pointers (an energetic and difficult breed to train), yet all of them turned out to be amazing bird or field trial dogs. All without the use of e-collars.

The biggest problem I have is with people who use the collars with absolutely no concept of their true purpose, or how harmful they can be when used improperly. I have actually seen a professional trainer repeatedly bring a dog to its knees with the use of a shock collar, simply because the dog was headstrong and the trainer had no patience at all. I challenged him to try the collar on himself. He hasn't used one since and is producing some truly amazing dogs. My lesser problem lies in the belief that many trainers are looking for shortcuts to training and don't want to spend the time and patience needed to effectively train a dog. It really does take time to train a good hunter, and the europeans managed it for hundreds of years without e-collars.

In summary, I believe e-collars can be an effective training tool, but ultimately they are merely time-savers and are simply unecessary if you take the extra time with your dog. But it does take a lot of extra time. If you must use an e-collar, wait until you have laid a very solid foundation before introducing the collar.

they are a wonderful tool if used correctly. I think more dogs have been ruined than improved with the ecollar. I learned how to use mine from the Hickox CDs intro to the ecollar. I still treat it like a loaded gun. to quote the Green Book from NAVHDA " an ecollar in the wrong hands is like giving a straight razor to a monkey" when I think of Joe Bagodonuts who buys one, straps it on and starts punching buttons (and you know it happens), it makes me wish they had never been invented.

and why they are used, and in the right hands they are effective and mostly humane. I always have to ask "How were the Germans able to train such incredible pointers before the advent of electricity?"

The answer is that the Germans never needed to reach out 500 yards to correct a dog, since they hunted on foot and the dog was always nearby. If you are a horseback field trialer with a dog that "blow and goes," how else do you make a correction?

It sounds like the collar that trainer was using was very old. Modern collars have very low settings that you can increase in intensity until you get your dog's attention.

While I agree that the e-Collar is dangerous in the wrong hands they can be a great tool if used properly. The issue is that most people don't read the instructions, don't learn from someone that knows how to use them or just thinks it is a great toy. But I digress.

Put the collar on early but don't turn it on. This gets the pup used to the feel of the collar. Use a command lead or piggin string, short lead with a choke collar or a pinch collar to get the pup started on the basics. I am not going to endorse any one particular approach but I put them in the order I prefer. Once the pup knows the proper behaviour you can use the eCollar at very low settings. I have not used the tone mode but I am seriously considering that with the next pup.

If you haven't trained a dog or two with a check cord, don't start with an eCollar and go to a class. There are some great DVDs out there but I think that a live seminar is a good way to start. I have trained under about 4 professionals and they are all different but they are also very much the same.

I never thought I would ever use such a collar on any of my dogs (Weimaraners/German Wirehair Pointer) but last summer I purchased three collars. I can honestly say its the best training tool I have ever bought. Our GWH tends to roam far afield, but is very obedient to come back when whistled at. The problem was my 2yr Weimaraner would roam with him, one evening Addy (Weimaraner) didn't come back, we had just moved that day when this happened. Luckly, she found her way home, tongue dragging the ground and tail tucked behind her. Fearful this might happen again I purchased the collars and have found them invulable!
But I caution anyone considering buying one ... if you don't already have the time and patience for your dog and its training then stay away from them. Take the time and learn the patience your dog will teach you ... that is the best training tool you could give yourself.
GhostPoint Weimaraners

No matter how old the dog is MAKE SURE HE OR SHE KNOWS WHAT YOU WANT HIM TO DO before you use the e-collar..and most of that is yard work and check cord work before you use the collar....and you always want to use the lowest settings on the collar to start out with and see how the dogs takes it...if the dog is doing ok with it but still not doing what your asking then move up to the next setting....its called conditoning the dog to the collar....at some point the dog well understand....most of the time 1 or 2 on the collar will be all you need....only if the dog is a hard head would you have to go higher....

I believe that an e-collar should be introduced to a pup AFTER you have properly introduced and trained the dog to the first command (sit, stay, heel, whoa, etc.). With that being said, I also believe that the pup should wear the collar without it being turned on well before you plan on starting the stimulation. This will acclimate the pup to the weight and bulkiness of the receiver. In my personal opinion, I would say proper low level stimulation can begin between 4-5 months of age as long as the time and patience is put into the first command. Remember an e-collar is simply an extension of the checkcord.

To those who might be looking to buy an e-collar, I would recommend the Tritronics Pro 100 G3 (for single dog) or the Pro 100 G3 EXP (for up to 3 dogs). It has 6 intensity levels. You can choose between low, medium, and high continuous stimulations which allows you to really "dial in" the intensity from dog to dog. Also has a tone/accessory button to A.) control a low tone through the receiver to use as an alternative to stimulation or B.) control the Tritronics Accessory Beeper or the new Tritronics Tracer.

Overall, the e-collar is an extremely useful training tool as long as it is used properly and wisely!!!

It depends on what you want to get done. Bark collars work without preconditioning, and are also excellent devices to introduce a dog to the e collar, as they learn the cause and effect e collar process without human contact or proximity. You're dog will come to the understanding that he/she controls the process without you even being there, which is half of what you need to teach them. If you are teaching a specific command, always ensure your dog KNOWS AND UNDERSTANDS the command before reinforcemnet with the collar. GO LOW, GO SLOW.

A good owner/trainer MUST be able to read a dog. An E-coller should only be used AFTER a dog has learned the command and refuses to take direction from the owner/handler.then use the least amount of " E" to get the desired results. Remember, bird desire is put into a dog by genetics, however, to much " E " can remove that, then you end up with a couch potato.