E-Collar Introduction

[jchristen]

I've got my first gun dog puppy (11 weeks) and am thinking ahead to when I'll need to introduce the E-collar.

At what age or what activity level do you typically introduce the E-collar in your training?


john

[Cajun Casey]

Ours get an e-collar when we begin to take out the chase. Prior to that, they have yard work and sometimes have worked on the whoa post. We started Casey by driving him in with it because of his stubborn streak on coming in. He was around a year old. He hasn't needed it much on birds. His whoa post work involved dislocating the whoa post. They absolutely must be finding birds and be gunbroke to pistol and shotgun before they get any collar work.

[Ryman Gun Dog]

John,
In reality there is not exact age to start your gun dog on e-collar training, this has to due more with the maturity of the individual dog, each breed is different and
each individual dog matures at a slightly different rate. Learning to judge all this can take a life time of experience, if you are training many different dog breeds.
Here at our training facility in the Pa mountains, our pups seldom if ever have a training collar on them before they are 6 or 7 months old. To us its more important
for the pup to mature and to learn & understand commands fully. This should always take place prior to introducing the young dog to any kind of e-collar discipline. IMO its never a good idea to rush a young dogs training, especially when using any kind of electronics.

RGD/Dave

[gonehuntin']

From the time they're 4-5 months, they wear it every time they go outside, whether on a walk or play. When we actually start training, they associate only pleasant things with the ecollar and can't wait to get it on.

[4dabirds]

If you use an E-collar as a tool for avoidance training there is no reason to not introduce the collar early on in the dogs training regimen. Introduction to the e-collar can begin with the kennel command. If done right the dog learns to enter the kennel to avoid the stimulation. This sets the base line for all training with the e-collar. With this method the dog learns to avoid the stimulation by complying to your command. This is different than punishing for non compliance. When using the collar for punishment it can lead to elevated levels on the collar. A dog will take the shock to a level that is commensurate with the behavior the dog is trying to get away with. Getting the dog to heal may be at one level but chasing a bird may be much higher and may escalate with time depending on the dogs drive. I put an e-collar on my dog as a puppy to get him used to wearing it long before I plan on using the collar. This ensures that the dog does not freak out every time I need the collar . It becomes a regular part of the regimen. When I put the collar on him he knows it is going to be a good thing. Dogs learn by association so it is best to make a good impression at this time. Once the dog is collar conditioned each command is taught first then the collar is only used when the dog is complying 8 out of 10 times. George Hickoxs d.v.d. takes you through the collar conditioning and would be an invaluable asset.

[Maurice]

From the time they're 4-5 months, they wear it every time they go outside, whether on a walk or play. When we actually start training, they associate only pleasant things with the ecollar and can't wait to get it on.

I agree with GH. Let them wear it early so its becomes a good thing. If you strap it on only when you run into a training problem the dog will become collar wise.

Mo

[Sprig]

the e-collar is part of the obedience training process so it really shouldnt be "used" until the dog has been through that program, and most dogs that is about 5-7 months old or so but not a hard fast rule on the age. its more of a temperament kind of thing with the dog(mental development rather than age). you can however start the conditioning process earlier by having the dog wear it a little bit each day and not turning it on at all, when you are doing something positive like training or going for a walk, etc...this will associate it with good stuff so the dog will be accustomed to it when the actual e-collar training part starts.

[britspan]

I started using an e-collar on my brittany at 9 months. I didn't start any earlier because I didn't want to make her shy by using it to early. If I would have known how much of a difference that it has made I would have got it a few months earlier.