Welcome to Our Electronic
Dog Training Page.
Once people become familiar with
electronic training products and use them properly, they find the
methodology is proven, efficient, economical and ethical.
The type
of training in which an electronic aid is used is critically important for
it will influence the type of product and methods used. Is the equipment
being used to teach a new obedience command, correct some common
misbehavior or is it being used to reinforce another electronic training
methodology?
Factors affecting
success
Before an electronic training tool
is used, it is strongly suggested that the entire training situation be
re-examined. There are three major considerations in this
re-evaluation:
1. Does the owner know what he is
doing, does he understand the training process and can he apply proper
methodology to a specific situation?
2. Is the owner training the dog
properly, does he have a plan for this specific misbehavior and is he
executing that plan appropriately and correctly?
3. Is the dog trainable? Is the dog in
question stubborn, set in his ways or unintelligent?
(We believe that all dogs are
trainable. Dogs that seem stubborn, or unintelligent, have simply not been
trained properly, consistently or effectively.)
Of these factors, the first two are
most important. If training is not successful, in most cases it is because
owner education, preparedness, consistency or commitment is lacking. This
may be difficult for some owners to accept but remember that we have
invited dogs into our environment. It is our responsibility to teach them
in ways they can understand. This is incredibly important because, if an
owner has not taken the time or applied the appropriate techniques
properly and consistently, training with an electronic product will not
make a difference. It will only confuse even the smartest dog.
There are certain signals that
suggest a dog has not been properly trained. In these instances a dog
may:
- Resist when his owner attempts to
place a collar around his neck.
- Withstand correction, of any type, in
the presence of certain distractions.
- Control his owner by acting timid or
by ignoring his owner.
- Panic when he senses a
warning.
- Attempt to escape when receiving a
correction.
- Do anything except the behavior
necessary to avoid the correction.
Education is the key. If an owner
takes the time to understand electronic training - why it works, how it
works, how to apply the appropriate techniques - it can be a beneficial
tool.
Electronic training requires knowledge and skill
Why the concern for proper
education? Because of the largest variable in the equation - the owner.
Let us face it, humans are very unpredictable, as far as dogs are
concerned. The response of most owners to the need for correction varies
widely, depending on the dog, the training, the situation at hand and even
the mood the dog happens to be in at the time. This is not conducive to
effective training - of any kind.
In most cases, a dog exhibits a
behavior in response to some stimulus or distraction. Owners must be
careful not to create yet another, different misbehavior by misapplying
the correction or applying it at the wrong time. And, for the safety of
the dog, it is unnecessary to correct for every little thing. Owners must
be selective to avoid canine confusion. When applied properly, electronic
training can be done successfully. To help understand this, let us examine
how people respond to their dogs without electronics.
Dog owners
respond to their dogs in any number of different ways. They may reward
their dogs by petting, talking, providing food or treats, playing or
letting them sleep on the bed. The list is as long as there are owners on
it. These same owners also correct in various ways, including yelling,
hitting, throwing things, the use of a chain link training collar,
ignoring the dog, not providing food or treats, or isolation in a room,
crate, or kennel. This does not imply that all of these forms of reward
and correction are acceptable. Only that they are multiple, and that
training can be successful under some of these circumstances. So it is
with electronic training.
One of the greatest acknowledged
advantages of electronic training is that sophisticated electronics do
make us humans more predictable by enhancing human consistency, especially
as it relates to correction and allowing humans to easily and conveniently
apply appropriate corrections, even when a dog is not within range of
traditional (leash and choker collar) correction techniques.
Rules of electronic training
As was
mentioned earlier, electronic training operates on the same basic
principles used in all canine behavior modification: correction,
redirection and reward. Therefore, it is imperative that the dog
understand the basics before more sophisticated training
begins.
'Dummy Equipment Effect': Before electronic training
begins, the owner/trainer needs to be comfortable in the use of the device
and the dog needs to be comfortable as well. Thus it is very important to
create the 'Dummy Equipment Effect' before beginning.
Dogs are
highly intelligent and certainly smart enough to know the difference
between the different types of collars being used. They look different.
They smell different. They exert different pressures on the neck once they
are applied. Even the owner/trainer acts differently with the different
collars. In some cases, the owner/trainer is there; in other cases, he is
not.
Because all of this is true, it is important to eliminate the
equipment itself from the learning process. Here is how:
Before
beginning to train with an active electronic collar, the dog should first
become accustomed to a deactivated collar (i.e., take the battery out).
Even if the dog trainer or dog owner is under pressure to train the dog
quickly (e.g., the neighbors are complaining), he still needs to teach the
dog that the collar is not something to be feared.
The last thing
someone wants to see is the dog cowering when being approached with a
training collar, electronic or otherwise. By spending just a few days
introducing the dog to the collar, other problems can be
prevented.
Perhaps the one most essential general rule is to work on
only one behavior at a time.
General Rules: All of the general
rules of obedience training apply to electronic training as well. In fact,
they are probably even more important in electronic training. These
guidelines include:
- Do not train the dog for extended
periods of time.
- Limit the number of corrections the
dog receives in one training session and in one training day.
- Be sure that corrections are properly
balanced with reward.
- Always give the correction at the
same time. That is, do so only when the dog is actually misbehaving, not
before the misbehavior occurs or after the misbehavior has stopped. This
is important because it gives the dog a chance to learn, (i.e., to
understand what causes the correction in the first place).
Finally, the beginning point of
most electronic training includes the use of a leash, which serves to help
redirect the dog away from escape and other inappropriate responses. This,
in turn, makes it increasingly important not to correct arbitrarily or out
of frustration. As a dog trainer or owner, it is necessary to be as
disciplined as you want the dog to be.
The
importance of redirection and reward
Electronic training combines several
different techniques. Applying a correction is only a small part of a
training program. Redirection and praise are far more
important.
Why is this methodology important? Suppose there is a
dog in a containment system, but every day he charges away and barks at a
jogger who is running along outside the established bounds. What should be
the desired correction? He should come when he is called, stay in the yard
and stop barking at the jogger. But chasing and barking are perfectly
normal in a dog's natural environment. Only in the human environment are
they inappropriate.
Therefore, if the owner/trainer really wants to
train the dog under these circumstances, he must first correct at the
appropriate time, and consistently. He would do so using an obedience
command. So, before beginning more complicated electronic training, it is
important that the dog understand basic obedience commands. The
trainer/owner must build from a solid foundation provided by these
training basics.
In this specific instance, as soon as the dog
takes off running, he would be given the 'Come' command. That way, when
applying correction, it is because the dog did not come on command, not
because he is chasing a jogger. Conversely, when the dog does obey
immediately, he is praised for responding to the command, not for breaking
off his pursuit. This is called redirection.
The risks in
electronic training are the many variables. This same situation, handled
improperly, can have the opposite effect. It could train the dog to attack
joggers. A correction at the wrong time may cause the dog to identify the
correction stimulus with the jogger. Dogs are known to have fight or
flight responses to such threats. If the dog's response is to 'fight',
joggers beware!
Reward: Unfortunately, some dog trainers/owners
put the emphasis on correction. Even in this article, the information is
weighted in this area. This is because correction is the area where most
training problems occur. Reward is a much easier concept to understand and
apply. During training, the dog should constantly and consistently be
given a deserved reward - preferably praise and petting - for behavior
that meets his training objectives. Again, timing is critical. The dog
must be able to make the connection between the reward and the appropriate
behavior.
Gratuitous reward is also a no-no. The dog trainer must
reward the dog only when he is behaving properly. Do not worry; there will
be plenty of opportunities to do so. Unless, of course, the dog
trainer/owner slacks off and chooses to reward inconsistently or he breaks
down further and treats the dog to praise, petting and food, even if a
behavior is inappropriate.
Emotional and energy outlet: Appropriate
emotional outlets also bear some discussion in this context. Obviously,
electronic training is designed to stop a dog from exhibiting misbehaviors
and help reward him for what the dog trainer/owner considers appropriate
behavior. But if a dog cannot leave the yard, no reward can replace the
freedom he has lost. In such cases, a dog must be given other appropriate
outlets. This is why activities like running with the dog or playing with
him are extremely important.
Redirection: Redirection is equally
important, if not more so. In many electronic training situations, the dog
trainer/owner needs to provide an alternate behavior for the dog. This
redirection provides a known behavior pattern that the dog can fall back
on, enabling the dog trainer/owner to reward him. A good example of such a
behavior pattern is the 'Sit', 'Get your ball' or other command the dog
already understands.
Have a plan: Overall, what one tries to do
with redirection and reward is build better behavior in the dog. But when
building anything, it is useful to have a blueprint - a plan that outlines
specifically what to do under an array of circumstances.
Because of
all the variables involved with electronic training, the dog trainer/owner
needs to have such a plan. He needs to know exactly what he is going to do
before a situation arises. Because, when it comes to training dogs, he
needs to expect the unexpected. But if there is a plan in place, he will
know exactly what to do.
The best plans are the simplest - the ones
that ask the dog to do something basic. Pick something the dog has done
many times before; perhaps a 'Sit' and 'Stay' command. Reliance on an old
habit can bring a misbehaving dog - even a frightened or frazzled dog -
back into the comfort zone. This will enable the dog trainer/owner to
reward the dog, or regroup, should this become necessary.
Electronic Training - It Isn't About Pain
First, let us state that we have the utmost respect for
those pet professionals that believe that a dog can be trained with
reward-based methods only. However, we must disagree with some of them on
the use of electronic training equipment.
What many of them do,
essentially, is to reject -- out-of-hand and with no clinical research or
unbiased field experience -- a proven, effective and humane training
methodology.
Still, we know how they feel. We used to feel the same
way. But once we tried these products, we found that they do much more
good than harm.
Today's electronic training aids are designed so
that they do not have the power to inflict pain under any circumstances.
Also, most have an "over-correction protection" or time-out feature that
doesn't allow misguided owners, or trainers, to provide continuous
correction for an extended period of time.
While it is true that
there is some misuse of electronic training equipment, we have found these
examples to be few and very, very far between. Further, the people who do
misuse the equipment fall into two categories:
1) Those who have
absolutely no knowledge on how to use the equipment, and
2) Those
who would be inclined to hurt their dogs whether it is with traditional
training methodologies, like the chain link training collar or a gentle
leader.
In fact, for every bad example that is described, we can
list hundreds of documented positive results. In reality, most of the
minority which condemn these devices have never tried the
devices.
Reward-based trainers advocate an admirable ideal. While
we do agree that their preferred methodology can be effective, we must
state clearly that -- in our experience -- this is rare when it is the
only methodology used.
All you have to do is look at the social
structure of the dog in its natural environment to understand why. Pack
behavior is hierarchical. It is based around a leader; usually the
strongest and smartest of the group. But this position is ever-changing as
the group evolves because there are physical challenges to this leader all
the time.
Now, take the dog out of its natural environment and put
it into an alien human social structure. It can only be expected to
understand the pack mentality so there will be frequent challenges to that
leadership: the dog's owner or trainer.
Millions of loving, caring
pet owners and trainers are realists. Yes, we believe in the concept of
reward, but as a part of a larger behavior management plan that accounts
for the challenges to the limitations we must set. This means that
"correction" is a necessity of training.
We recommend traditional
techniques -- like a gentle leader -- as a proper starting point. (Keep in
mind that the ending point -- or degree of training -- will vary widely
from owner to owner, and from sporting dog to house pet.) But we have
found that basic obedience training will aid in the adjustment of any dog,
gun dog or domestic pet, to the 'unnaturalness' of the human
environment.
Nonetheless, there are some dogs for which these
traditional training techniques may not work. Others may not have been
trained properly. For still others, unusual circumstances may have caused
inconsistent, or (to a human) inappropriate behaviors that traditional
techniques have not corrected -- or cannot correct.
Under these
circumstances, electronic training equipment can be an excellent
alternative. But as with many other relatively new concepts or
technologies, electronic trainers are misunderstood. This confusion is
centered on the correction methodology, which most people assume is
painful.
But pain is not the active ingredient in electronic
training. Again, you only have to look back to the pack to find out what
makes remote trainers so effective. When the leader of a pack is
challenged, he maintains his leadership the old-fashioned way - by winning
a dogfight. The confrontation is over when one dog puts himself in a
position to mouth, or grab, the other's throat or trachea.
But in
the vast majority of cases, this is not a fight to the death. These dogs
recognize that they need each other in order to survive. The tracheal grab
or "collapse" is only temporary, just enough for one dog to send the other
a simple message of domination.
So what does this have to do with
electronic training? Everything. The correction is applied in the same
area. The one that dogs use on each other from the time they're pups - the
throat. This same correction -- applied to any other area -- would not
have the same effect, at any intensity of correction.
These
corrections are not harmful. They do result in a feeling similar to the
static "shock" you receive after rubbing your feet on a carpet, and then
touching the wall. This may be uncomfortable, but it is not
harmful.
The true purpose of the correction is to startle - to get
the animals' attention so training can commence or continue. These
products enable you to gain, or regain, control of a situation. And to
establish, or re-establish, your position as the "leader". In fact, not
all electronic trainers use electronic correction. Some startle using an
ultrasonic tone, which canines exclusively hear, while others use a
"spray" technology, that emits a quick startling mist -- usually
citronella -- to dissuade the dog. All can be very effective.
They
are all relatively affordable -- most are in the price range of $100.00 to
$350.00 - but they do differ in quality and some features can add cost.
Just make sure you choose products that have safety built right in. Look
for those that are UL approved. This kind of acceptance should offer
trainers and owners alike additional peace of mind.
Also, make sure
the product you select includes very good training materials such as
manuals and customer service representatives, which instruct owners about
the proper use of their equipment. It's unfortunate that all this
confusion has kept the discourse focused on correction. That's only part
of the story. An electronic trainer is nothing more than a tool. It needs
to be used with common sense, and as a part of a broader plan that uses
generous amounts of praise and petting.
Actually, the training
programs suggested by most of the reputable manufacturers place a heavy
emphasis on redirection and reward. And, in almost all cases, these
products also feature a warning tone that enables owners or trainers to
send the right signals to a dog before getting into trouble. The ultimate
goal of using a remote training collar is to eliminate the improper
behavior and then, through reward and redirection, create or expand on
proper behavior.
These devices are not right for every dog, every
owner or every trainer. But they can be helpful when used properly and in
the right context.
In 1998 alone, over 300,000 remote control
electronic trainers were purchased in the United States and another
200,000 internationally many of which were probably purchased by
professional trainers. Most, though, are owners -- who love and truly care
for their dogs. But the dog himself receives the biggest benefits of all.
First, he'll learn his parameters in a language he can understand, because
of his pack mentality. That means the lesson will be better retained. This
leads to a healthier lifestyle. At the same time, he will gain more
"freedom" because his owner will trust him more.
Finally, it gives
those few dogs with misbehaving owners (frustrated as they may be) a
chance at all.
PetSafe is the #1 Dog Fence System in the
World! Our Underground Dog Fences outsell all the other dog fences
combined! In fact, 8 out of 10 people buy a PetSafe brand dog fence over
any other.
Please contact us at help@acornpetco.com
with any questions or for more information. Thank you.
Our toll free voice mail can be reached at 1 (800) 318-9039. Please leave us a detailed message and we will call you back as soon as possible.
Any item being returned must be shipped back to the warehouse from which it was shipped. Prior return authorization required.
AcornPetCo - Your source for dog fencing, pet fences, training collars, shock collars