I have a totally new dog...and I love it!

[Tripmomma]

Just thought I would give you guys a little update on Kitsune. At almost 9 months she is now 45 lbs...and her attitude has really come around. We did keep up with the toy distractions, but also added in the e-collar, and I can't tell you what a difference it has made in her 90% of the time. It is AMAZING. We had a back yard birthday party with over 50 people, half of those being kids 8 and under and for 6 hours she was out mingling and happily chasing down her ball when anyone threw it for her. I have noticed she feels a lot more comfortable out in big open spaces, she is still pretty protective in the home and car, and when strangers come up...which I am happy with...but she now listens when I tell her "enough" and gives people a chance. She has also been introduced to our chickens and totally ignores them, we don't let her out there alone, but she has zero interest. We bought 10 acres up in Washington and will be moving in a week...she will become a true farm dog soon
All this new sweetness has not killed her drive at all, we are about to get a little more serious with her IPO training too. For a while there I was really kind of down about her attitude, she had everything else I wanted but the temperament had me worried...now I have THE PERFECT dog and I am so proud of her.

We are doing a little remodeling on our new house...Kitsune has been very helpful LOL.

[Owned-By-Hendrix]

YAAAAAAAAAY Kitsune!!!!! and lol with that last pic - love it!

[Tripmomma]

Oh man she was having too much fun...you know when fun can turn to frenzy, we ended up having to take her outside and distract her during the rest of the demo LOL.

[centrop67]

[Dutchringgirl]

Fantastic !!!!!!!!!!! I would not , though, allow her to put anything in her mouth that is not supposed to go in there.

[LyonsFamily]

Glad it's all coming together for her. I love the way these dogs respond to low level ecollar work. One thing I've learned by having DS is that an ecollar can be a really effective tool and doesn't have to be used on high level stimulation for correction only. I used to consider them a last resort option, but now I think they're the most humane training tool for a lot of issues when used properly. That's what I used for Elli to get over her dog leash frustration.

[tofflemireally]

Does the e-collar work for barking? Do you think its more humane than the prong collar? Does it make your dog squeal or scream? Does the collar need to be used over a long period of time or a short amount of time only? Was a trainer involved in that process? Do you leave that collar on your dog at all times?!? Im just thinking about future messes already.... Just curious, what was your reason for using the e-collar?

[Dutchringgirl]

Does the e-collar work for barking?

the ecollar is for training only, there are bark collars.

Do you think its more humane than the prong collar?

they are both humane if used by a trained hand and inhumane if used by a heavy hand

Does it make your dog squeal or scream?

Yes if you dont know how to use it properly

Does the collar need to be used over a long period of time or a short amount of time only? Was a trainer involved in that process? Do you leave that collar on your dog at all times?!? Im just thinking about future messes already.... Just curious, what was your reason for using the e-collar?

I dont think you should worry about an e collar yet, you are too green

[Raven]

A shock collar, IMHO, is not a go-to--nor is it a replacement for knowledgeable, respectful training.

Concentrate on developing your handling skills.

[MultiPurposeK9]

I agree with Raven and Ringgirl, an E collar is not the answer in your case. There is an extremely steep learning curve with this device and more harm can be done than good in the hands of a novice. Dutchies are so smart, with positive reinforcement and negative punishment I am quite sure you will be able to shape the dog you want.

[LyonsFamily]

In my case with Elli, the ecollar is a better choice than a prong because she's handler sensitive, but I don't use them in the same sense that they're comparable on a humane scale. Of course she doesn't scream or squeal, the stim is never high enough for that. The most she's done is flicked an ear. Low level stim work is much more precise than just positive punishment training i.e. leash corrections. It's about communication and marking correct behaviors, along with interrupting before redirecting. There are also rewards involved (treats, toys, etc). It's not something that can be learned by taking a collar out of a box and putting it on the dog. There's also a period of desensitizing before the stim is ever applied.

No, the collar isn't worn all of the time, not if you're doing it correctly. The dog shouldn't know the difference if the collar is on or not because you should always follow through with proper reinforcement or punishment, regardless of the tool present. My dog wears hers at different times and some times just for fun. It can be used to help with training a dog not to bark, if you also address the cause and provide an alternative option. Bark collars don't stop barking either, they just punish while they're on. I've used both for different scenarios, but never to just leave on a dog and correct away the barking.

If you want to learn more, there are plenty of seminars out there. Robin McFarlane does a lot of low stim work and offers seminars frequently. Michael Ellis covers ecollars as well, but I believe he uses them in the proofing/correction stages yet still at very low levels. It's really something you need to learn from a professional before going out and getting one and it isn't something to put on a fearful dog, especially with the issues you've described in another post.