How many seconds does continous stimilate when pushed?? From what I read it sounds Like I am doing things wrong I have been using the Nick button during training... Which my 9 month male GSD has been responding to pretty good. Actually I have not even tried the continous button yet.
Thanks,
Joel Jarvis

The continuous button will probably go for at least 8 seconds or longer.

There are different opinions on how to use the
E-collar, but first you want to find your dog's working level. Some people like to use the continuous in a guiding method, and others like to use it like an invisible leash. If your using the Nick Button, then it sounds like your using it like an invisible leash.

Joel sit down with the Ecollar and a stop watch and time it. Usually TriTronics Ecollars go for about ten seconds and Dogtras usually go for 12. But there's no substitute for timing your own Ecollar.

You can achieve much success by using the Ecollar in place of a leash, as you've been doing with the nick mode. But you can go much further by using continuous. It allows for much clearer communication with the dog and that results in very fast learning.

Take a look at the articles on my website for some advice on how this is done.

Lou,

If the dog has already learned by leash and knows what to do, then would you say to use the Nick Button when off leash to reinforce? That's how I've been using my Dogtra 1200, as an ivisible leash.........the only exception to that is your Crittering Protocol which I've had good results with.

John there's nothing wrong with using the nick as an invisible leash it's just that it's limiting.

Here's an example. Your dog starts chasing game (BTW glad that you had success with the Crittering protocol and for the sake of this example please pretend that you haven't done it) and you give a recall command which he ignores. So you repeat the command coupled with the nick. If the level is high enough for him to feel he'll likely slow down and gradually make the turn back to you. The turn is "gradual and slow" because the game still holds interest for him. He want to obey your command to avoid getting another nick but he also still wants to chase the game, so there's a push-pull going on. You can help this with praise as the dog heads back to you but you really shouldn't nick the dog again, since he's complying with the recall command.

If you're using the continuous mode for your training here's what it looks like. He takes off after the game and you give the recall command and press the button. You're on the working level of stim, where the dog first feels it, when this occurs. In all probability he won't feel that stim level because his prey drive has come up. And so you hold the button down, sending out a continuous signal for the stim to be delivered as you SLOWLY turn up the dial on your Ecollar. Some people like to repeat the command here and I agree even though the general rule in dog training is not to repeat commands. But since the dog is in drive, I'm not sure that he even heard it when it was first given.

At some point you'll see a change in the dog. His head will come up a touch and his ears and tail will change. Some dogs will give a more pronounced indication that's he's now feeling the stim. At this point he'll start to slow down and start the gradual turn described above. But instead of the stim stopping as with the nick, you hold the button down and very gradually turn down the stim level. As the dog makes the turn, his level of distraction will decrease because he's not in "chase mode" as deeply and he'll feel the stim level more and more. But since you're turning it down as he makes the turn and his distraction level lowers, he still feels the stim but it's decreasing in its intensity. By the time the dog is headed straight back to you the stim is either very low or too low to be perceived any more.

This is the guidance system developed by Donn Yarnall. At each step of the movement the dog is being rewarded (negative reinforcement for the OC inclined) as the stim level drops. Dogs trained in this fashion speed up their performance because they want to shut off the stim. This is a leap ahead of the escape system of training where the dog performs to escape (make it stop) the stim.

BTW you've got the perfect tool, the Dogtra 1200, for doing this. It can be done with other Ecollars but it works best if you have continuously variable stim.

One last comment, all quality Ecollars, yours included, have a built in timer that shuts off the stim after about 10-12 seconds of it being on. Sometimes you need to stim longer than this, this scenario is an example. If you do you can use a technique called "the bounce." It's where you lift your finger off the button and get back on it as quickly as possible. With practice the off and on will be so short that you dog won't notice the interruption. But the timer will be reset and you can give, in effect, a stim until your batteries go dead.

Lou
Did you see my dog out this morning. Thats exactly what happened and I have been using the nick method. Wish I would have read this before I went out. Look forward to trying it.
One question, when you change the intensity (mine has 10 levels and auto shut off after 10 seconds)
does the 10 seconds start over or will I have to bounce it while increasing levels?
Thanks, always find your advice helpful.
Bob

Thanks for the Info... I think I might have this figured out now.... I usually use 2 words with my dog in the house and they are leave it and stop it. When I use those commands and he does not pay attention I Nick him,and he always stops his action. So now from the example from above I understand how the cont. will work.
Thanks,
Joel

Thanks for the detailed answer Lou

Robert asked: when you change the intensity (mine has 10 levels and auto shut off after 10 seconds)does the 10 seconds start over or will I have to bounce it while increasing levels?

+++ The timer is independent of the level of stim. That is, the clock is running no matter if you change the stim level or keep it the same.