Equipment Q&As

Hello, my name is Cindy, as well. Anyway, we have a 37 lb. 3 year old Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever we adopted last year a sporting/hunting dog. She is well behaved, well balanced and a joy. Our problem: We love to hike and love to do so with our Nicky off lead? Although, she is balanced, well behaved and she knows her basic commands, off lead is way too much of an enticement to do what she was bred to do, run and follow a scent. What kind of e-collar would you recommend if...

Hi Ed, I have purchased your dominant dog collar, e-collar, and dominant dog videos and was wanting to know what would be the best e-collar for my great dane of one year. He has a bad habit of lunging at other dogs on our walk. I have fixed the problem mostly by spraying him with compressed air if he doesn't obey the 'leave it' command', but I think an e-collar might be a better solution with other uses also. I have attached some pictures of him and my other dog over ...

Hi, Thank you for reading my email. I have purchased many of your videos and have great success. My question to you is I have conditioned my dog to the E-collar and he is doing great. The problem I am having is he keeps scratching him self on the neck and is making it raw I never leave it in the same spot I have also tried to keep it looser but then I get intermittent connection sometimes. I thought you could tell me how to cure this problem because I am sure you have run into this...

I'm just looking for some quick guidance on the electronic dog collars. I will be ordering your training video and the collars from your web site. However, I'm not sure if I should buy two separate units (one for each of my dogs) or one two-dog model. I have a male 100 lb+ Pit Bull mix and a female Border Collie mix. Both are rescue dogs and both have become very aggressive when they see other dogs. My dogs never fight with each other during rowdy play or over toys or food. Howeve...

Hi, I recently got a two-dog Dogtra electric collar set from you with the e-collar training DVD. My dogs are Siberian Huskys, and following your instructions on setting the stimulation level, neither dog reacted with any setting up to the maximum. I expect that their fur (especially now that it's getting cold) is interfering with the electrical contact. Should I shave a small patch on the dogs? necks for the electrodes, or get the longer ones? My concern about cutting int...

We have a 6 month old spayed female Brittany that we selected (at 10 weeks) from a litter of proven hunters. Bea is a house dog first and will get ample opportunity to bird hunt. Bea has done well in our basic training but is very stubborn at times, occasionally sitting and looking at you when you say 'come' (most of the time she runs to you at full speed) and an insistent desire to nibble or gnaw our hands despite our 'NO BITE' response. Our biggest concern is her apparent fight for domi...

Hi Cindy, Your advice worked out very well. My GSD pup is now 16 weeks old and I have come back to you to ask for your gracious help with another problem. The pup is very "mouthy" on me and on inappropriate objects, i.e. he trys to eat sticks, rocks, grass, and even dirt! I judge him to be of extremely high prey drive. I have been studying your DVDs ("Your Puppy 8 weeks to 8 Months," "Basic Obedience," "Establishing Pack Structure For the Family DOG") and learned that you often move...

I Bought a Dogtrot 1900NCP Field Star Electric Collar & some DVDs from you about 10-15 days ago. We love it and it was a real blessing for our 2.3 year old trained German Shepard "MAX." He was trained earlier for the older couple who owned him before us, then shoved outside when their other small breed dog objected to him being in the house. When we got him home we brought him inside and he's been great except for the fact that the trainer let him jump up on people. That was one o...

In your opinion will the Dogtra 175NCP be sufficient for use on a relatively submissive 2 year old adult Doberman? Regards, Josh

Hi Cindy, I'm attempting to help yet another friend e-collar train her dog to perform the recall. I've got a couple of questions concerning this: Is it a mistake for a dog owner to skip sit, stay, and down using the ecollar, and instead teach the recall first? I suggested to her she first do all of the obedience/e collar/dominant dog videos by watching your videos I loaned her, but I'm afraid some shortcuts were taken by her thus far. This dog knows the sit, but when the recall wit...

Hi Ed & Cindy! Before my question I'd like to let you both know that we switched the dogs to a raw diet and they are THRIVING on it. Their tummies actually do worse on a non-raw diet now, who'd have thunk it? ;-) Had a question or two on the e-collar: I'd really like to start using it with the dogs (two huskies). Is it an appropriate training tool to introduce them to the cats in the house? We've had to keep them separated for far too long but they have such HIGH prey d...

Hi, I've learned alot from your videos and appreciate all that you to to help poor handlers become better pet owners. I have a 5 month old, 15lb, male cockapoo. He has always been very nippy, or as I prefer and believe it is bitey. I can go into his mouth to pull something inappropriate out, I can go near his food and play with it and he'll do nothing. But it seems to me that out of the blue he will jump up, grab hold of my clothes, rip them and bite me. We could be on a very pl...

Hi Mr. Frawley, I have been watching your DVDs and making some good progress with my fun-loving big labrador (he's 18 months almost). He is now quite good on walks when other dogs are leashed, he is able to control himself well in stores like Pet Smart, etc. But I also love letting him run free on the trails. We have some beautiful trails around here where all the dogs are off leash and the people are friendly, dog-loving types. Everyone gets to know each other, and the dogs kee...

Dear Cindy I have a 7 month old female GSD which I am trying to train by your excellent videos. Most of the problems I am having with her (biting, jumping) are handler problems. I can still hold her, but soon she will be stronger than I am! I have free range chickens, and since this dog was first acquired at 6 wks, she has been fascinated with the chickens... not to watch, but to CHASE! I keep a 20 ft leash on her, but at times she gets away from me. Recently she chased a ch...

We have a 6 month old goldendoodle male dog. He is a relatively good natured dog, with many puppy characteristics still; i.e. barking at new people, jumping up at new people, nipping. He has also within the last month or so been bearing his teeth more, mainly at my 8 year old son, but also at the rest of the family, sometimes my husband and myself included. Never where I feel like he is just going to necessarily bite, but it is a behavior I don't like. So we are exploring the d...

I possess a 280 Platinum Dogtra Collar. Is there any significant advantage in going in for a more advanced model like the 3500, for instance? I need the collar for a Police service / Protection dog. Thanks.

Hello, I receive your monthly email and order things from your company and enjoy your website so much. This months email hit home with one of the questions and answers regarding the Pit Bull. This question and answer also hit home for my best friend who I train with. We each have the opposite problems. Mine is lack of respect from my dog on the "recall" when distracted and hers is "prey drive." I'm taking private lessons regarding my recall issue using a pinch collar and my friend ...

I have bought many of your products and have some questions? When a dog is OVERLY excited, I have been told, not to use an ecollar because it can make them aggressive! Do you agree with this? It makes plenty of sense. I have and old dogtra 1200, it goes from low to high and I have never used over 60 and I never did that but once. It goes to 100. The numbers are very small and hard to see and I am thinking of replacing it. Why do you recommend a 280 instead of a 190. I think the 280 is fro...

Cindy, I recently purchased the E-Collar for Pet Owners video. My plan had been to use an e-collar at about the one-year mark, after achieving a firm foundation in basic obedience. However, when reading the Discussion Forums a user alluded to a difference in the way an e-collar is used for a pet and protection work. I plan on training my dog in protection work and would like to understand what (if any) are the differences in the way an e-collar is used for pet owners as opposed to ...

Hi Ed and Cindy: I have two dogs, a 40 lbs. Chow mix and a 35 lbs. Border Collie mix. I wish to take their training (obedience even around distractions) to the next level. I have never used an e-collar before and have a couple of questions: My dogs are used to wearing a dog harness as their only leash attachment device (not a sled pulling harness or 'no pull' harness, just a simple harness like pet stores sell). They have never worn a simple collar. I'm concerned that conditi...