I have a choclate/redbone pup who is just about 5 months old and teething. He shows intrest in retrieving alittle ADD though...haha. Anyways i've been thinking about getting an e-collar for him. Just curious what ya'll think about them and where would be some good information on HOW TO TRAIN with the collar. The last thing i want to do is mess him up and make him scared to do anything wrong. Ya'lls input is very appreciated!

So glad you acknowledge that the wrong approach to an e-collar has the potential to ruin a good dog. Most e-collars do come with instruction books and many good books on dog training have a section on the e-collar. But broad base foundational advice is treat it like a very long electronic leash, not a means of punishment and that will be a good start.

I will say that once my dogs are conditioned to the e-collar, I don't have to use the stimulation much, if at all. Usually just the tone to remind them that it's there, or as a warning... and they are marching to the beat of MY drummer.

Thank you so much for the input...do you think going on five months is too early to introduce him to one? and do you mind recommending a title of book that has a section on the e-collar. I have "Water Dog" and it is great, but doesn't have anything about that due to the fact it's from the 60's i believe

Jakebrake,

Go slow with the collar. For the first two weeks just let pup wear it around without using it while doing fun things like walks and retrieving. I would suggest Mike Lardys e-collar DVD. Or Evan Grahms Smartworks e-collar DVD. 5 months is fine as long as the dog is not too soft. Also you should get the "Game Dog" book it is much better than "Water Dog", or even better the "Fowldogs" 3 DVD set. Good Luck and happy training!

thanks huck! I do have "Game Dog" as well...and i will check into those DVD's!

While age has something to do with it - the dog does have to be mature enough - the bigger issue is whether or not the proper foundation has been laid. Does the dog know and obey all the basic obedience commands? Does the dog understand correction associated with "no"? If the dog is not already obedient on lead and close by off lead, then the proper foundation for e-collar isn't there yet.



Huck made some great suggestions here. Also, I agree with the idea of letting the dog wear the collar for a couple weeks turned off. I don't have my dogs wear it all the time - I put in on just like I would for drills, only I leave it turned off. Then it becomes the signal that we are going to run drills or hunt and the dogs do a 'happy dance' and line up like "Pick me! Pick me!" when I pull out the e-collar.

As far as basic commands: He is okay at best. Like I said before he gets very distracted, wants to sniff EVERYTHING, and no he does not do very well on the lead, and he knows what "no" means but likes to test the waters with things such as biting. What i don't know is of a way to reinforce these things to "make him" per say act well on a leash and follow basic commands. Like i said before the last thing i want to do is mess up a dog by punishing him too soon.

Well, I am a firm believer that the e-collar is a tool to enhance what it already trained into the dog, not a training or 'fixing' tool in and of itself. So, what I'm driving at is that you should first get those behavior issues resolved before moving on to the e-collar. The things you describe would fall into the 'maturity' that I mentioned earlier - he doesn't seem to have gotten there, just yet. But the bigger issue is patience and obedience - he's not yet learned them and he needs to. Those are the foundation of a solid hunting dog... well of any solid dog/canine citizen, at all.

The way to "make him" do any and everything you have trouble with right now is to decide on a correction and stick with it. The rule of thumb is very simple: Make the wrong thing difficult and the right thing easy. When I coach people, I give them three keys: INsistent, PERsistent and CONsistent. Dogs understand that and even the most willful dogs will ultimately give in if you maintain these three keys.

Thank you so much for your help with this! And i will defnitely take your advice regarding the e-collar being an "enhancing" to rather than a "fixing" one. What would you reccomend as far as corrections to his maturity issues here. Obviously he can't really help it should i just use a different tone of voice or "show" him what not to do. Again thank you so much for you input!

Teach him patience NOW. We begin to teach our pups patience when they are just a couple months old. He needs to learn that he is not in charge - YOU are. If he fights the lead, tie him to a fixed object so he'll learn it's fruitless to fight it. Crate him. Don't indulge him in things he wants. Don't allow him to jump - at all... on you, on furniture/counters, at the end of the lead. As for sniffing and investigating everything, I teach pups that there is a time for being a dog "free dog" and a time for being MY dog "heel." Heel is not just a positional command, but an attitudinal one, as well. My dogs learn that "heel" doesn't just mean to align physically, but mentally, too. Attention should be on you and taking cues from you. Reinforce this by catching him off guard every time his attention wanders, whether he is veering out of position, looking around, sniffing... whatever. Remember, first the eyes go, then the head, then the dog. When you see the eyes wander, it's time to intervene.

I used this one and it was a big help.

Please get with someone or watch a video. Watching a true pro use one and how they teach collar conditioning could be a huge benefit to you.

Thank you all very much for your help i will defnintely be taking everyones advice on this!

Man, that is some good info right there! You should write a book...

Thanks for the helpful info. I am getting a pup from Bigworm and will be re-reading this in a couple of months.

Iron Spike always gives AMAZING and much appreciated info and tips.

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One thing none of you all addressed is that he is half hound and
a hounds brains are in his nose...not anywhere else...Redbone's
can tend to be more agressive is some instances than say Blueticks, B&T's, but in a cross it will be his gene's that determine which side wins....he may never retrieve...however, the
best dove dog I had when I was a kid was a Catahoula Cow Dog..and
he'd set by me at the gravel pit and retrieve the birds and put
them in my shell bucket..The individual dog and his genetic disposition will determine if you have a retriever..DD