Like anything in life, there is a good and a bad side. And lets face it, that whole “would you do that to your child” line is sooo old and over used. I wouldn’t crate my child, but I do crate my dogs. And I don’t put a collar and leash on my child either (well I did use a hand holder when I took toddlers into a mall or store) but I do on my dog.
I have two rescued pitbulls and now a puppy Alapaha Bulldog. Both breeds are full of energy, dynamic dogs that require a strong but fair leader. I hate choke chains, and though pinch collars are effective (again, they must be used correctly), they can be harsh and take the spirit out of a dog. So I really didn’t want to use them either. And with any training collar, the dog can get “collar smart”. Peter for example; he is the best behaved boy when he had on his training collar. But take that collar off, and he was a brat. Not really a bad dog, but just a brat. Sorta “come on chase me” kinda brat. But it was enough to make me worry, what if he saw a cat or a small dog?
Peter loves to play catch. I live in a small gated community that is fearful about dogs – specifically my favorite breed. About the same time I moved in, another pitbull in the neighborhood hurt a neighbors little dog. (I am pretty certain there was a human to blame, but the dog can’t speak to defend himself). So every time I took Peter out to play ball, I get a lot of flack about him being off leash. How can I play catch with my dog if not off leash? And I won’t take Peter to a dog park, but thats another story. I needed something to help me keep Peter under tight control off leash. Enter the remote collar.
Prior to introducing the remote collar to Peter he was already fully trained in the basic recall, down, stand, sit, back, wait and heeling. And I worked him into advanced training with hurdles, long distance work (40 foot leads are a pain) and beginning protection training.
The remote collar was the perfect tool to tighten his recall, long distance work is a breeze, and I never – did I say NEVER lose his focus. The trick is to use the collar ALL the time. Playing, working, walking etc.. the collar is used all the time. So instead of it being a negative, its just communication between me and the dog.
The collar is used at the lowest possible setting. Its not a shock, its a tap on the shoulder. And if the distraction does escalate, then I have room to go up a little on the collar. But as soon as I have his attention again, the level comes back down.
People need to understand the collar is not supposed to be a punishment, its freedom for the dog. No longer is he curtailed to 6 foot leash. He is free to run about up to what I feel is safe distance for him.. and for Peter that means playing ball on the green in my complex and I knowing I have proven to my neighbors that I have control of Peter regardless the distraction.
He has quite the following when we are out playing catch. They come out to watch his spectacular hops, leaps and sprints to catch his ball and Frisbee.
I will say that I’ve trained many dogs on a remote collar; those that already knew basic commands and those that did not. I have had good results in both situations. It really boils down to the trainer knowing the dog and their client.
