Ed Frawley on Remote Collars vs. Animal Rights Extremists

What a WONDERFUL lecture! Thank you Ed~!~

Ed,

I am a relatively new, single purpose (narcotics) canine handler with a police department in Florida. My 7 year old chocolate lab was previously handled by another officer and was offered limited obedience training from his previous handler. Additionally, I received him with "bad habits" in is odor work and was given limited interdepartmental training before being "released" as a dog handler assigned to a narcotics unit. Feeling overwhelmed and a little lost, I looked outside the department for some help. Your website answered the call.

Your website is fantastic. Easy to use, clear, concise, and a ton of cool stuff to buy for your dog. But most importantly, you have amazing information.

I first ordered a combo pack of Basic Dog Obedience, Remote Collar Training for the Pet Owner, and Dealing with dominate/ aggressive dogs (my dog has a thing for mounting female dogs and posturing on male dogs until someone is upset) I found the information life changing.

This may sound dramatic but it truly was. I was familiar with the idea of markers but you made it even more clear in Basic Dog Obedience. Then I watched the E Collar DVD and, after the conditioning phase, saw amazing results.

My dog had a good understanding of the commands needed but used to refuse to recall or listen to anything off lead. After a few short (5 min) training sessions he is a different dog. As a result both our lives are better. I live in a metropolitan area and he now gets to exercise by chasing balls off lead where before he would need to be leashed due to being a flight risk. Not to mention, Im not embarrassed by having the worst behaved police dog known to man.

I am posting this here because I wanted to say how accurate your information in this video is. My dog did not bat an eyelash until my dogtra collar was at level 40 (it goes from 0-127) I checked the fit and ensured the collar was making contact a dozen times but he simply did not react until level 40. I have great success with him using levels 40 to 60. There is no verbalization, just a slight head twitch, and if he is REALLY distracted, all I have to do is turn it to 55 or 60 and nik him... no constant, just a short nik. I have even used it at level 65 on my own thigh, hand and fingertips. On my thigh, I felt a slight sting but on my hand. it simply makes your muscles contract. Your video is accurate. Bottom line, my dog has a better life now that he is being training with a remote trainer. Before the remote trainer, he rarely left the lead.

After seeing how amazing your obidience videos were, I ordered your nosework DVDs. You and Andrew Ramsey show and explain odor work in a very simple way that is easy to understand. I have created a training lab, schooled up my partner as a handler/training, and have seen more focused response after only 3 training sesions with my dog.

Again, you guys are amazing and I am very fortunate to have found this information. It literally has made my life better, my dog amazing and my job think I'm a superstar.

I could write about how great you guys are for hours (my partner at work says I won't shut up about dog stuff) but anyone who owns any of your products already knows.

Much Thanks,

Cary

Great video. If you start with reward based training, then introduce leash corrections, and then correctly introduce your dog to the e-collar by pairing it -- at low levels -- with the leash, your dog will have more freedom and your relationship with your dog will be better for it. One caveat to bear in mind: each stage must be taught correctly, using the appropriate techniques for teaching each and every behavior. Another caveat: it's important that you establish a sound relationship with your dog. Depending on your dog's breed, age, temperament, it may take months -- or more -- before it's appropriate to introduce the e-collar. One of my dogs is a fierce hunter. When I first got her she went after anything that moved above ground or underground, anything from voles to semi-trucks. Had I not e-collar trained her, her life would have been greatly diminished. She would have been restricted to a leash and/or a distraction free environment all of her life. Now that she's fully e-collar trained, I'm in the woods with her off-leash daily. If I tell her to Leave It or Come or Out or Wait she obeys immediately and enthusiastically; i.e., she's got a smile on her face, her tail is held high. I rarely have to use use the collar, even at low levels. She's at the point now where I can tell her to Wait when she spots a deer or a turkey, Free her to run after the critter for as long as I want her to, and then tell her to Come. She turns on a dime. That sometimes requires stimulation, but even that not all of the time. My point is that, properly introduced. as the final element of a balanced training program that included relationship building, reward based training, proper leash corrections (NOT punishment), the e-collar gives dogs more freedom. I tell every dog owner I meet -- especially the ones who let there dogs loose in the woods and then can't get them to Come -- that they need to do start a training program like Leerburg's that leads step by step up to e-collar training. Like Ed says, the e-collar is a tool, like all tools it can be misused, but it's inherently no crueler than a leash and flat collar.

Ed you are 110% correct on everything you covered here. As a dog person here in the United States it's scary when I see what has happened in other countries. We all need to be afraid of what is coming down the road in the future if we don't act now.

Thank you for this very informative video. I just hope your video goes viral.

This is a brilliant explanation of remote collars, Ed. Well done!! It's true that ignorance + remote collar can lead to abuse, but that is true of just about everything, sticks, leashes, as well as almost any kind of collar... heck, really ignorant people can manage to torture a dog in the name of "training" without any tools at all.

I would LOVE to get a remote trainer to "tap my dog on the shoulder to get her attention" when she runs ahead barking at something or someone... I was just ready to order one, but sadly the animal rights extremists have already managed to get just about everything banned in Switzerland (where I live) -- not only remote collars, but pronged/pinch collars, anti-bark collars that make a noise or squirt an unpleasant smell -- even the little anti-bark boxes are forbidden!!

And there are PLENTY of people ready to call the police if they see you using any of the above!

Clueless people should not be able to pass laws! Thanks for all your great work in education and training Ed (and Cindy!!)

Excellent video and great explanation! I recently began using an e-collar for the same "squirrel chasing" example Ed used. Absolutely not used for punishment, just for redirection. Kora has an extremely high prey drive, and yet I have only needed to use the "nick" (momentary) feature at an 8 (highest is 16). Thanks for posting.

Very informative video. Thank you.

Ed .. one of the best explanations I have seen yet. Thank you! I shared on my Facebook pages. I also use the mini educator collar and am perfecting the e collar training here at The Doggie Inn.
Thanks again for your great videos and input.
Lisa Anne Stella
thedoggieinn.com
Grafton Ohio

Such a great video. There is NO such thing as "all" positive if you live as a "balanced" human. Thanks Ed!!!