Using an electric collar to fix cat aggression
Comments (3)One of the primal urges and drives of many dogs is to chase, capture, and/or kill prey. In many cases this takes the form of going after the household cat. But how can you fix an urge that is hard wired into the head of a dog? The key is using the proper tools and techniques.
Those that read this blog know that I am a fan of electric collars (sometimes called e-collars, remote trainers, or shock collars) only when they are used properly. This dog training tool should never be used in anger or as a means of ‘getting revenge’ for a dog that is misbehaving. Most of the time this tool should be used on low levels and used as a means of communicating a training principle.
In the case of fixing cat problems I recommend using it a bit differently. In a case like this I recommend using it on medium levels. For most cat chasers the drive to get the cat is so strong. Because the drive is so strong you have to use a higher than normal level to fix the issue. The following are some steps to keep your cat safe.
1- Condition your dog to the e-collar by having the dog wear the collar for several days before using it. No, not several days straight. But for several days put the electric collar on at random times and have your dog wear it for several hours at a time. You don’t want your dog to associate his displeasure with cats with the collar. You want him to believe that cats are inherently negative.
At this point you have to keep your dog separate from cats because it is not time to train yet.
2- Once the dog is accustomed to the collar it is time to start training. Have your dog wearing the collar and on a leash. Keep the collar on a medium level. Allow him to be around a cat. The second he starts to show any interest in the cat at all (looks at the cat, barks, lunges, ears perk up in the direction of the cat, etc.) immediately give a quick stimulation. If the dog continues to show interest in the cat continue giving quick taps on the button. DON’T HOLD THE BUTTON DOWN, simply give a few taps until he starts to look away. Throughout this whole process don’t say anything to the dog. Don’t say “No, bad dog, no cat” or anything of the sort. Continue giving the stimulation until the dog no longer is looking at the cat.
This style of training is called avoidance training. The idea is to form a negative association in the mind of the dog with respect to the cat. For that reason you don’t give a command, you want the dog to believe that cat itself is a negative object. If you give the dog a command to stop going after the dog that means that his obedience is relative to you. Normally that is fine for most behaviors but in this case you want the dog to really dislike paying attention to the cat.
3- When the dog continually looks away from the cat it is time to move on to the next step. Allow the dog off the leash so he is feeling more open and free. Repeat the same step as before. The second the dog even looks at the cat give him a stimulation.
4- At this stage your dog should really dislike even looking at the cat. Your dog is just about fixed of his cat addiction. Now the only step to complete is keeping a close eye on him. You will probably catch him taking quick glances from time to time at the cat. Make sure you can consistently correct him for his interest in the cat and you will soon have a cat-proof dog.
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Using common sense in dog training
Comments (2)I am in a position where I hear dozens and dozens of dog training questions every week. I field questions through this website and I also do a call in radio show where I hear all sorts of problems that dog owners are having with their dogs.
There are many times, however, when the questions border on the crazy and I’m left asking myself, “What happened to common sense?” There seems to be several questions that I get all the time:
“Every time I take my dog to the park and let him off the leash he runs off and/or gets aggressive with other dogs and/or people. What do I do?” Why do you take your dog off leash at the park?! He’s not off leash trained, obviously, so why would you continue doing something like that?
“Every day my puppy sneaks away from me and pees on the floor. What do I do?” Why do you keep letting your puppy get away from you. It happens every day yet you keep letting it happen. Don’t let him get away from you!
“Every time I open the door my dog bolts out. What do I do?”
“Every time my dog sees a cat he bolts.”
“My dog chases cars every time he’s off leash in the yard.”
Now I can understand that the reason more people aren’t fixing these problems is that they don’t know how to communicate what they want their dog to do. I get that. But if you know that your dog is going to do something wrong EVERY SINGLE TIME, you can’t just let it keep happening. You have to put an end to it now. If you don’t know how to stop the behavior at least prevent it from happening in the first place and then your dog wont get in the habit of doing the bad behavior.
Preventing bad behaviors is the name of the game. Dogs are creatures of habit so if you never allow your dog to get in the habit of bad behaviors you can have the dog of your dreams.
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