Isn't it dobbsdogs.com?

Why try to fool a dog. A missed correction could set you back many steps in a training program. What we are trying to teach our animals is to be a member of our pack. Certain types of e-collars(in my opinion) allow this more easily. Dogtra as an example only, allows the level of correction specific to the dog. Many times we think of the collar as an end all, correct all, device. I have personally seen many dogs nearly ruined by it's over, or in appropriate use. The Dogtra merely allows for such small incremental corrections as to not knock a dog's drive to the floor on its every use.
A collar used on every deployment could be a relaxing effect for the dog as the animal does not worry about being wrong as it will only do what it is told and when.

Briggs

Leaving a collar or dummy on all the time is a very good solution. This can work for service dogs. I never took my police dog out on an incident without an e-collar on. LAPD does the same as does most department.

But if you are training for sport (Schutzhund) there needs to be some additions to the program. Obviously we have not got to the point where we can convince the rules comittee that the dummy collar is needed for balance when the dog runs.

Sport trainers should devlope a habit of rotating collars, the prong coillar, the e-collar and a normal collar. If possible - 5 times a day. The more the better. This switching collars becomes routin in the dogs mind. He doesn't associate any of them with corrections if this has gone on long enough. The important thing is that it is intermitent.

Remember the goal of good e-collar training is to teach the dog that its your voice that can give a correction and not an e-collar. But that is for other threads.

For those dogs that have had a poor foundation and know when the e-collar is on and when its off - a sport trainer can try a little trick that Bernhard Flinks tells in his seminars.

Every time the e-collar is put on the handler can put a little mustard on the hands and on the dogs chest. It does not take a lot. Every time the collar or dummy collar go on it gets a little mustard on this chest. Then on the day of the trial the handler makes a issue of putting the mustard on the dogs chest - they are not as smart as we sometimes give them credit for. THis works on most dogs.

Trainers in Germany used to put water on the dog - wet the dogs neck down. Then do the same just before a trail. The judges quickly learned that a dog that came onto the field who looked like he just got a bath was indeed getting a handler help.

Hence the mustard.

 Quote:

Originally posted by Ed Frawley:

But if you are training for sport (Schutzhund) there needs to be some additions to the program. Obviously we have not got to the point where we can convince the rules comittee that the dummy collar is needed for balance when the dog runs.

LOL... needed for balance? That is good, though I liked Josh's explaination of it being a GPS tracking device for the general public. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> I wish I could lie and keep a straight face.

A woman I train with actually modified a fur saver and hooked up the ecollar onto the fursaver (taking links out, making snug fit). Since you use fursaver's in trial, it has seem to help her dog out.

My 2 year old is very good and very smart. But, he does not like anyone in the house but family (we keep him in his crate when we have company. ) The main problem is on walks, so many dog lovers want to get close and talk to me or pet him. I always tell people he does not like people, but sometimes they still get too close and then his reaction is to lunge and bark. I try to read his body language and if I get him around the back side of me and sitting, he calms down. So anyway my question is do you think I can use one of the e collars to do a correction when he reacts to people in this negative way.?

Thanks Geri

Hi, Geri, all JMO:

There are definitely things you can do here that will give you great results. I never correct for fear (and anxiety over people getting too close is a level of fear). Corrections in the presence of the worrisome humans is perceived as even more reason to fear them. ("People coming over here = punishment for me.")

For right now, you (his pack leader and his protector) can be 100% firm about not allowing him to be accosted. It's causing him anxiety and he's reacting to it; it's your job to end that. I really don't care about the feelings of anyone who disregards my calm instruction (not a request!) to stay away from the dog: no look, no touch, no looming. But even more important is that I don't stop long enough to need that instruction. There are about a million threads here on walking right past such people with a quick "sorry; in training" and no invitation to debate.

A huge thing for him will be just the perception that you stand between him and his trigger.

And meanwhile, you can be spending some time every day on the very satisfying and bonding work of counterconditioning and desensitizing the dog.

Does the dog have a much-loved treat?

With this kind of reactivity I work outside the trigger zone. The idea is that you are far enough from strangers (whoever) to have the dog comfortable with focus on you and your fabulous treats. If your dog is marker trained, you can do basic ob with HV treats.

Maybe the stranger is "safer" to your dog with back turned. That's a way to achieve the comfort zone. Or maybe you have to be 15 feet away, or have the person sitting, or whatever.

This kind of counterconditioning is done without the person approaching or making contact, and only gradually is the distance decreased.

Maybe I can find a thread detailing this and won't have to type it all out. It really is a pretty methodical and simple procedure, although not necessarily quick.

Tell us if you're marker training, and whether this is about all strangers, or just, say, tall men, or fidgety kids, or looming, or touching, or talking to the dog, or what.

CONNIE,

THANKS FOR YOUR TIPS.
FRAZIER SEEMS NOT TO LIKE ANYONE. DOESN'T SEEM TO HAVE ANY SPECIAL TRIGGER FOR HIM. I ALREADY DO ALOT OF WHAT YOU SAID IN YOUR E MAIL. AFTER ABOUT 1 1/2 YEARS HE HAS FINALLY GOTTEN A LITTLE CONFORTABLE WITH PEOPLE ON OUR 1 BLOCK DEAD END STREET. BUT WE STAY AT LEAST 5 FEET AWAY FROM ANYONE ELSE WHO MAY BE WALKING AND EVERYONE KNOWS NOT TO APPROACH HIM OR LOOK AT HIM. SO THAT HELPS. IF A NEIGHBOR STARTS TO SPEAK TO ME (FROM A DISTANCE) I WILL PUT HIM BEHIND ME AND TALK FOR AWHILE WITH THEM. THIS SEEMS TO ALSO WORK FOR HIM. IF SOMEONE IS WALKING WHO I DO NOT KNOW, I ENGAGE HIM AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE AND GIVE HIM HIS TREATS AND KEEP WALKING . MOST OF THE TIME IT WORKS. IF WE WERE IN TOWN I DO HAVE TO KEEP WALKING AND TRY AND STAY AS FAR FROM PEOPLE AS I CAN.
MY THINKING WAS MAYBE THE COLLAR COULD SPEED UP THE PROCESS OF HIM BEHAVING AROUND PEOPLE BUT I SEE YOUR POINT THAT IT COULD MAKE IT WORST FOR HIM.
HE IS MARKER TRAINED. I USE IT BUT MY HUSBAND DOES NOT. BUT MY HUSBAND DOES KEEP HIM AWAY FROM STRANGERS.
IN THE HOUSE WE JUST HAVE TO PUT HIM UP. OUR FAMILY DOES NOT WANT TO DEAL WITH HIM. Which is find by me.
I wish I has friends or family who understood dogs to help with this, but I do not. He's the perfect dog except with this one problem.
When we walk in town he also shows signs of stress. But I would like to desensitize him to areas that have lots of activity.
SO FOR HIM IT BOILS DOWN TO "DO NOT LOOK AT ME, SPEAK TO ME, OR GET CLOSE TO ME" AND THEN HE IS OK.
THANKS AGAIN

GERI

GERI, PLEASE DO NOT USE ALL CAPS! SEE HOW IT APPEARS THAT I AM YELLING AT
YOU!?



I would urge that you actually desensitize him outside his trigger zone in concurrence with protecting him from strangers stopping to talk.

(Again, an e-collar in this situation is not in any way indicated. I hope that you have stopped considering it.)

I'd strongly recommend that you open a thread in the regular training sections on desensitizing and also read the threads already existing. (We can help find them if you need that.)


" wish I has friends or family who understood dogs to help with this, but I do not. He's the perfect dog except with this one problem. "

We understand dogs. I would open a new thread and forget the e-collar idea for reactivity like this.

I'm closing this, because it's technically a hijack of a nine-year-old thread.

But please open a new one in a general category.

I can link it to your post here if you like.