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
What is the best e collar for a Siberian husky?
Hi April,
There are a number of good collars on the market. I would recommend though that you get something with a min of 3/4 mile range and one that you can change the contact points. You may need longer contact points if your husky has a thick coat and plenty of range is needed if you are going to be off leash in wooded or hilly terrain. Additionally get something with a large variety of levels to choice from. That gives you the most versatility to be able to fine tune the stimulation setting to your dog’s sensitivity.
If you purchase from my friends at GunDogSupply they will also send you a free DVD to help you get started with the training.
i have a male siberian husky and a female the female barks all the time scratchesat the door and digs shes a year and 2 months my male on the other hand is almost five and jumps the fence and wont come home for atleast four to five hrs and we have a huge fence its a 8 ft fence and he clears it like its nothing any advice?? i work with him every day take them both with me every where idk what to do
Hi Curtis,
I do believe doing some more training and adding an e-collar to your toolbox would help with these issues. As always though, I recommend you find a professional who is experienced with the tool to help guide you. Please take a look at our list of participating trainers and see if there is someone near you.
http://www.truthaboutshockcollars.com/find-a-trainer-in-your-area/
If there is no one within a few hours drive then consider getting my Just Right dvd’s to help guide you through the basics.
http://www.thatsmydogstore.com/SearchResults.asp?Cat=86
good luck,
Robin
I’m glad I found this. I have a Siberian that is 15 months old. She has been through basic obedience from very reputable trainer with me. She did quite well, but like lots of puppies, huskies in particular, got distracted. She does quite well when we work late at night on a long lead in the park and no one is around. My trainer was very impressed with her on lead recall and felt confident that we could have a reliable off lead recall. We do have an off lead recall, but not reliable for sure. She had given me one of her published articles on e-collars for reference (I hate them being called shock collars too). That was several months ago and since then my wife gave birth to a new little girl and training has been less than consistent for sure. re. Well, I finally started back with her recently and ordered an e-collar the other day. I was introducing it to her yesterday to find out the correct stimulation. I basically just let her do her thing like normal and started at the lowest setting and increasing til I noticed she noticed it. It didn’t take much. However when I started working with her, there were times where she didn’t respond at all to the stimulation. She’s pretty stubborn so that could be it, but I think it wasn’t making good contact. I have the long prongs on it to go through her fur. Anyway, we were heading to an unfenced area, and before I could do anything she bolted from the gate and was rapidly getting smaller down the street as she ran. I started with the stimulation we were working with to no avail. So I cranked it up desperate to get here attention. Pressed the momentary stimulation and nothing. Pressed the continuous several times until all the sudden she most definitely responded. Stopped her dead in her tracks for a second, and then off she went, so I stimulated again. Stopped in her tracks again, and recalled to me in a hurry (yay). I feel somewhat bad for using such strong stimulation but I was just trying in the heat of the moment to get control. However, before the first time I used it on her, I did test every setting on myself. When back under a more controlled environment I dialed the stimulation to less than what stopped her and to where I noticed before. This worked most of the time but still seemed somewhat inconsistent. But after 15 minutes or so, she most definitely stayed near me and recalled with stimulation. Do you think I have a contact problem with her thick fur? After the one bad incident I really snugged up the collar to quite a tight fit. Also is the e-collar acceptable for training her other commands besides re-call? How would you implement it for a stay command? And would it be a suitable way to discourage certain behavior that doesn’t necessarily have a command with it…like don’t put your head in the garbage can or don’t jump on people (behaviors I don’t want her to ever do.) Thanks for your time and all your previous responses to other readers. I think of the e-collar as a way to free her, not punish her. With a predictable outcome and control, she will be much more welcome and safer in many different environments rather than being contained to a back yard.
Hi Ryan,
I’m glad you got the dog to stop and return to you. It sounds like you did not have a long lead on her when you were first introducing her to the stimulation? If so, I want to make sure I point out is it critical you work her on lead first (and usually for several weeks around LOTS of varying distractions) before you go entirely off lead. Having the long line on is the only way to insure you can help her understand what the stimulation means and of course it would of entirely prevented the bolting problem.
As to your other questions, yes, you can use the e-collar as part of the training for all of those things. I would suggest you consider my dvd, Just Right, to teach you how to do these things (unless you have a professional who can guide you through the process)
I also think you likely had a contact problem. The collar strap has to be very snug, in order to insure a good fit. Otherwise it is easy for the contact points to loose contact when the dog lowers her head to sniff…thus she may not feel anything at all. Plus once she goes into drive (bolting) her adrenaline spikes and she doesn’t feel the stimulation at the normal level. This is why really solid conditioning is so important…if done properly you will not end up in those situations of her bolting and you needing to go really high on the dial.
Let me know if I can be of further assistance, but check out the dvd’s, I think they will help you considerably.
all the best,
Robin
Thanks for the response. Letting her out without a lead was completely unintentional. She saw an opportunity while the gate was open (my hands full) and seized it. She has spent lots of hours on a lead, but that drive that so many huskies have got the best of her.
However on a very positive note, the e-collar has been great. I’m talking dramatic improvement in behavior after just a day or two. I feel she actually enjoys wearing it too because of the attention and freedom she gets to “explore”. Her response time to commands is almost immediate even without stimulation now just a few days in. And not once did I find that the collar was cruel or even unwanted by the dog. To be fair to anyone else that reads and thinks its a miracle cure, I have spent many hours with my girl before the collar with fundamental commands. Sit, heel, come, down, and place. But it really did give me a lot more trust and confidence with her.
While the collar was somewhat expensive, I have already found its value and continue to do so. And I do hate that they are portrayed negatively by others that haven’t done the research and just assume its barbaric. And in the meanwhile leave the dogs contained to a small space and very limited environments in order to “control” behavior.
Hi Ryan,
I totally understand how accidents happen. From your first post I wasn’t sure that she was on leash. Glad to hear you did have her on one and weren’t making that mistake of training without. (big pat on the back for you!) It does make a good point though that stuff happens…which is why the e-collar is nice security.
So glad to hear things are going well. Please let me know if you have other questions. all the best.
Robin, I love your analogy of the bath water temperature in regards to the vibration feature of the collar. And, your point is right on, that it’s what the humans “think” may be kinder rather than the dog when it comes to the vibration feature. I find that many dogs are freaked out by the vibration, others don’t care about the vibration and only a few find it to be the just right level to be used effectively. And, for the dogs whom the vibration level is just right in some situations, the owner has no where to go with it when the distractions increase. Whereas, with the stimulation they can always be at the “just right level” no matter the presence or lack of distractions.
Thanks Michael. To me that is the perfect example because we all sense tactile sensation so differently. Unlike what the anti-remote collar campaigns would lead people to believe that a “shock is a shock”….you and I know that is not true. And anyone who has had treatment with a TENS unit knows it is not true. Stimulation that is highly adjustable on a well manufactured e-collar like a Dogtra is no comparison to “shock”.