There are a variety of reasons people consider the use of an e-collar, but one that I hear most frequently is the desire to allow the dog off leash freedom while feeling confident that the dog will come back when called.
Even dogs considered very well trained by competition standards can use a bit of help. Case in point, Maddie, a Siberian Husky owned by Pat Robertson of Due North Kennels. Pat shared her story with The Truth About Shock Collars. Thanks Pat!
I had a Siberian that had a CDX and was very well trained. She was #2 Siberian in Canada in Competitive Obedience in 2006. But being a Siberian I never trusted her off leash. That is until I discovered ecollars. Then she was free to run with my Flatcoats. I once was out walking when my friend noticed my girl in full pursuit of a small herd of deer. Thanks to ecollars she was back at my side in a second. If anything could convince me of the value of an ecollar that was it.
Pat
Hi,
I have a 10month old Sibe (has been let off lots and been good but recently can be unreliable if there are other dogs around) so I whistle recall on and off a 100m long line and shes great but still not 100% if there are too many dogs/exciting distractions. I’ve just bought a vibrating collar and wondered how I would go about using it so she learns she must come back to the whistle 100% of the time, regardless of distractions? (she is very sensitive and believe it will work better than an e-collar) How soon should she be let off the long line with the collar on and continue training without spoiling training? How do I train so the whistle is still the cue ? any tips greatly appreciated! Many thanks
Hi Aimee,
It is my opinion that you would go about conditioning your dog to the vibration sensation the same way you would if you were using e-stim. (pairing sensation w/command and teaching the dog the sensation “goes away” when she comes to you, using a line to assist with the learning) This is what I demonstrate and teach in the Just Right video.
As for the whistle cue, you use that in place of the verbal. It doesn’t make a difference what cue you are conditioning with as long as you are consistent and help the dog understand what is expected when the cue/sensation is given. So in this case you would Simulataneously whistle+vibration+help dog move toward you with line…as soon as dog is moving toward you vib taps “turn off”= dog learns moving toward you when hearing whistle makes weird sensation go away. As the dog gets more reliable you wean off the sensation and essentially they learn to “beat” the sensation. Of course liberal use of rewards/praise are incorporated into all this.
If you have not done any training with this type collar before I would also suggest you find a pro in your area to guide you through with a couple private lessons.
My main concern is the assumption that because your dog is sensitive she will respond “better” with vibration rather than e-stim. It is an assumption humans make because we “think” vibration is less aversive than stimulation. This may or may not be the case for your dog and depends on the piece of equipment you have purchased and how versatile it is. I have found some dogs very startled by vibration because the sensation is not adjustable enough. By the same token many dogs will ignore it for the same reason. If you can only have “one temperature” to the water coming out of your tap how do you set the right temperature for for a bath?…you have to hope that temperature is the right one for your sensitivity of just right. You can read more here regarding my thoughts on using vibration vs. e-stim.
When conditioning a dog to any sensation vibe/e-stim or tone, the 2 most important aspects are to 1) help the dog understand what they are supposed to do when that sensation occurs and 2) use a sensation that is “just right” for the dog (rather than make an assumption based on what is right for the human)
Hope that helps some.
Robin
Hi, I’m from Iowa and i just took in an abandoned husky a week ago. She seems to be doing very well so far. She has a bit of separation anxiety but this isn’t my main concern. I have a dogtra shock collar that i have used for my other dog and it worked perfectly, so i decided to use it on my husky. I do have a fenced in yard but last night I wanted to go to my car to grab something and while I was opening the gate she got through and just took off. She had the shock collar on and it didn’t even phase her, she just kept running and wouldn’t stop. We found her 30 min later about a mile away and she came right to us then. How can I get better contact with my shock collar to where it will effect her when she wants to run off?
Hello Katie,
If you have only had this dog for only a week there should be no expectation that she has had adequate training to even understand what the stimulation means when you push the button. I would of Never suggested you use the e-collar in that situation. In order to use the remote collar as a prompt for a recall there needs to be a history of training and collar conditioning established FIRST.
While it is possible that you had poor or no contact established it is even more likely that the dog had no idea what the sensation meant, and therefore does not know how to respond appropriately. Please see my website for a contact in Iowa to help you with the training. If you can not travel to one of us, then at the very least get my dvd’s so you can learn how to do the collar conditioning exercises properly before this happens again. I am very glad to hear you found her and she did not get hurt when out on the loose.
Hi I am from Toronto and I have a 12 month old sib/husky. She is spayed and well train (sit, stay, lie down, bow…) and I have had a couple instances where my fiance and I let her off leash and she will just run till she’s exhausted, only if another dog is around will she actually be still enough for us to monitor her. We have been debaiting an e-collar/shock for the last two months as she almost got away. My question is once I train her, will she always need the collar? I understand the length 3/4 inch and specific training methods (command quickly followed by the shock) do siberian huskies remember that they used to wear an e-collar and always listen there after if you removed it and walked them off leash?
Hi Michael,
First let me comment that I don’t recommend that you start your e-collar conditioning by using the stimulation AFTER command. I recommend that you do the two simultaneous in the beginning and then fade the stim out as the dog gets better and better understanding. The dog learns “to beat” the stim and therefore is taught they have control over the sensation by listening to your first command.
As for will she always need the collar? That is a question that depends on several factors. One it depends on the dog herself. Some are far more biddable than others. Second it depends on how much practice and proofing you put into it. If you allow a dependence to develop on the e-collar than you will have a hard time trusting her when it is not on. That is a training problem some create because they don’t follow through and remain consistent with their expectations when the e-collar isn’t on. Basically some end up teaching the dog to only listen when the collar is on.
Here is a past post that addressed that issue: http://www.truthaboutshockcollars.com/715/e-collar-training-what-is-the-verdict-on-collar-wise/
The advise we give our clients here at That’s My Dog! is that we expect your dog will learn to listen in most situations with or without the e-collar IF you do the work and remain consistent through the training period. HOWEVER, if you are going to go out into a situation where you have no control over the environment, then it would be a wise idea to have the e-collar on IN CASE you need it to get your dog’s attention. What this means in my own personal situation is that my dogs no longer wear their e-collars as a routine part of their day around my home, but if we are going to go for an off leash romp in the woods or neighboring field, then I put the e-collars on. I may never have to push the button when we are out there and the vast majority of the time my dogs listen very well. However, they are dogs and they are subject to powerful distraction at times, it is then I LOVE having the e-collar as a way to prompt my dogs and get them attentive and listening to me again.
Hope this helps. Let us know if you decide to pursue the training and how it goes.
I have a two year old husky of sum sort he is also not nutered. I have set up several electric fences in my day around different rental property me and Samson have lived at and he has done great with that. He learns the yard and associates the beeping and vibrating that he is about to get shocked. So he has never even really been shocked by this newest fence. But wherever i go i cannot have him off the lease he will be gone just like that. I was trying to see which e-collar would be best for my case. I wanted one with the longer prongs as that is what i have now for my fence collar. Also wanted alot of range and the option to just beep and vibrate. Just tryin to get a better idea of what i need specifcally for the husky breed.
Hi Ed,
There are a number of good manufacturers on the market, however, to my knowledge there is not a collar that offers both vib and tone in addition to the stimulation features. So you will probably have to compromise and select which is more important to you. Do make sure you can get at least 3/4 inch contact points for the receiver, this will give you good contact with the skin through that thick coat. If you take a look at our store you will find both Dogtra (offers vib) and Tri-tronics (offers tone) available. Most all of the collars have at least 1/2 mile range which is what I recommend. Let us know if you have other questions.
http://www.thatsmydogstore.com/SearchResults.asp?searching=Y&sort=13&cat=3&show=10&page=2
Thanks, Robin. Will do.
Thanks Robin…..I will order the DVD right now.
Gus comes on command. I’ve used a sport’s whistle and blow 2 short calls along with saying, “come”. I started with a long lead, used those calls and slowly pulled him in and praised him when he arrived. Now he comes without being on the lead. I also put a bell on his collar. There is no problem when we’re in the wilderness until he sees any other animal and must be our collar is not strong enough because it didn’t work. I retained my info from my dad who had trained Brittney’s with e-collars since I can remember and has had tremendous success.
So, one last question before I order the DVD….what brand of collar would you recommend? We will order it right away. Are there one’s especially made for bigger, tougher dogs?
Thanks for taking time for my questions, Robin.
Val
Valerie,
It may not be that you need a stronger collar, but that you need longer contact points to insure good contact with the skin. Husky’s can have such thick coats that you may not have a good fit with the collar. Write to me at Robin@ThatsMyDog.com and we will see if we can figure a solution.
We are taking care of our grandpuppy, Gustav, who is a Sib/Husky. Very well mannered, sweet, leash trained, (sit, stay, free dog, etc.) Probably 16 months old. We will have him for at least 2 years. We live in MT and have wonderful wide open places where I have run my other dogs, off leash, for an hour at a time and have never run into another person or vehicle. A perfect place to teach Gus to run but stay close by. A normal shock collar does not work on him and I’m wondering what an e-collar is and if you think it could work for Gus.
Our dogs are a part of our family and I get tremendous satisfaction training them. My desire is to let this beautiful dog RUN! What do you think?
Thanks so much for your time everyone.
Hi Valerie,
An e-collar is an electronic collar. Unfortunately some people still refer to them as a shock collar. I am not sure how to advise you unless I have more information. If the collar is malfunctioning in some way it needs to be replaced or repaired. If your dog is just not responding correctly to it then it most likely a problem with the technique being used to train the dog. If you have not received help or instructions on how to train with the tool I would suggest finding a professional in your area to help you. You can check my website for a list of people that have studied with me http://www.ThatsMyDog.com look under the graduates tab. Or if there is no-one available try my Just Right DVD to guide you through the steps of how to properly fit the collar, find a level appropriate for your dog and how to teach a solid recall.
Robin
Hi I have a 3 year old siberean husky very smart. Doesn’t sneak out of places, but when he has the chance to be free he does, and he deff. doesn’t come to me when I call. Eventually he comes back to me after a couple hours of running around the neighboorhood, and he knows hes in trouble.
any advice, so I don’t have to chase my dog around the neighboorhood anymore? I was thinking about getting an e collar.
Hi Derek,
A remote collar is the fastest way to achieve a reliable recall. However, if you are not familiar with how to use one, get some help. You can check my website ThatsMyDog.com to try to locate a trainer near you or check out my dvd’s. Of course if your dog is outside unattended, the e-collar is not the solution, you should have a good fence to fix that problem. The e-collar is great though for working with dogs who like to bolt when they get the chance or for having an “invisible leash” when you want to give the dog supervise off leash time and hikes.
My dog comes on command off leash if there are no other dogs around. She sees a dog and off she goes. She will come eventually. I’m thinking of getting an e-collar for her. Do you use it when they don’t follow a command?
Thanks.
No, generally that is not the way we encourage use of the e-collar. It is preferable to collar condition the dog by using the stimulation AS you give the command and the stimulation stops as soon as the dog begins to comply. However, it is VERY important that you use a leash when to help the dog understand what it is you want. Don’t make ANY assumptions that the dog should understand. Even though she has some idea of a recall with no distractions it is different when you add them in and the stimulation is a new sensation for the dog as well, so she will need help learning what you want. I strongly encourage you to find a trainer help you introduce the collar to her. You can find a trainer at http://www.thatsmydog.com/trainers-school/graduates or you may want to purchase my DVD Just Right Training which can guide you through the early steps. You can purchase the DVD here, http://www.thatsmydogstore.com/SearchResults.asp?Cat=5 Let me know if I can be of further help.
heyy, i have a sibe that i don’t trust off leash and i am thinking of getting a shock collar, but i will only use it if nessercery (if i don’t think she’s going to come back) would you recommend it for me ?
Hi Luca,
The remote collar can work very well for building a reliable recall. I have trained many Siberian Huskies and other northern breeds this way. If you chose to get a remote collar make sure you get on with contact point long enough to get through the thick coat (usually 3/4 inch) and then get some help in learning how to use the e-collar properly.
Find a trainer to help you or feel free to try my dvd which can guide you through the basic obedience, including the recall.
all the best,
Robin