September 21, 2012

I have a 5 month old 2 ½ pound Yorkie. He’s been barking and he won’t stay away from the cat food. Can you recommend an ecollar for him?

Full Question:
Cindy,

I have a 5-month-old 2-1/2 lb male Yorkshire Terrier. I attended a local puppy kindergarten 8-week session for obedience training, and am planning on attending additional obedience training sessions with him. Everything with that is going fairly well, but after spending the last 2 months with my puppy, there are a few behaviors he refuses to listen to me concerning, namely barking and staying away from the cat food. I have been very consistent with him in teaching him "no" and even clapping sometimes to get his attention, but he continues to push the limit with me. My dad purchased an e-collar from you in the past and has had very successful results in training certain stubborn behaviors out of his golden retriever. I was looking on your website last night at what you have to offer in e-collars for small dogs, and couldn't decide between three that you have to offer:

The Einstein ET300 Mini Remote Dog Trainer - this says it's for dogs as small as 5 lbs...but my puppy is 2-1/2 lbs, would this fit my puppy?

The Dogtra iQ Electric Collar - this says it's for dogs as small as 10 lbs, and doesn't give neck sizes, so would this be too big?

Innotek Microsized Lap Dog Trainer Electric Collar - says it fits collar sizes 7-8" but my puppy's neck measures 5-1/2 inches. And is this one rechargeable? I can't tell from description. I would like a rechargeable one. And it looks like may be it doesn't have as many options, but I'm not sure if I need all the options for what I want???

I am not interested in showing my dog or competition level training, I just want a well-behaved companion/pet. Would any of the above e-collars work for my puppy? Or is there anything else you can suggest if none of these will work for me?

Thank you for your time.
Cindy
Cindy Cindy's Answer:
I'm sorry but I can't recommend any ecollar for such a small dog. He's just too tiny!

At only 5 months old, I would simply supervise his free time (i.e. don't let him have access to the cat food). I would much rather recommend that you teach him through rewards what kind of behavior you expect. I'd HIGHLY recommend the video Establishing Puppy Pack Structure.

Using an ecollar on him at this point in his life simply would be unfair, he's just being a puppy and he needs to be shown how to behave. Ecollars are great tools and I use them on my own dogs but not for normal puppy behavior. I use it later on to reinforce things the dog already knows.

We also have a number of eBooks, which include topics that may help you.

Cindy Rhodes
User Response:
Hi Cindy,

Thank you so much for getting back to me. I think you are right...I think my puppy is exhibiting normal puppy behavior. I think I was overtired last weekend and just felt at my wit's end, and my pup was being particularly ornery that day and it was the straw that broke the camel's back! Both of us are doing much better today.

Thank you for your suggestions and advice. I have watched a couple of your DVDs already and will keep this information handy...I can't tell you how much I appreciate your help! I know you know what you are doing! It's nice to have feedback from an expert! :D

100% (8 out of 8)
respondents found this answer helpful
Did you find this Q&A helpful?
Expert Dog Trainer Cindy Rhodes
100% (8 out of 8)
respondents found this answer helpful

Did you find this Q&A helpful?

Recommended Products
Scroll to Top