In my dog training business, CommuniCanine Inc., I meet all sorts of people.  Although I meet dog owners from a wide variety of backgrounds there is one underlying factor that unites them all.  They all love their dogs and wish to do what is best for them.

As such I am often asked about my stance on dog training electric collars, sometimes called e-collars or remote trainers.  Some of my clients are for them, some are indifferent, and others are vehemently against them.  I wanted to use this blog post to touch on the truth behind e-collars.

In order to train a dog you need to use proper corrections

There is much debate on the use of corrections for dog training.  Some dog trainers are a little nuts and recommend that the firmest you should ever correct a dog is by telling him ‘no’ (pretty silly when you consider dogs don’t understand any word unless you associate an action with it).

Whenever asked about my philosophy on corrections I always reply that my stance is to be ‘firm but fair’.  What I mean by that is that I like to use a lot of motivation to get my dog to obey.  When it comes to my methods to discourage disobedience, however, I use corrections that are just firm enough to act as a deterrent for misbehavior.  Anything firmer than that is not fair and can be classified as abusive.  Anything less than that and you wont be able to effectively change behavior for the better.

The same philosophy is used to change human behavior.  If the only consequence for you being rude in social settings is a $.05 fine, your behavior is likely to never change.  If the consequence, however, is that you no longer get invites to parties and people don’t return your calls, your behavior just may change.  That is what I mean by firm but fair, you have to find a level of correction that is just enough, but nothing more. 

The use of an electric collar may be the most humane way to give corrections

So I have already established that proper corrections and proper motivation are a necessary tool for molding dog behavior.  So what is the most humane way to administer a correction?

Notice in the above heading that I said that using a remote collar may be the most humane way to give a correction.  The reason I say that is that in the wrong hands an e-collar is the most in-humane way to train a dog.  In the wrong hands this collar is used at high levels and is not used as a tool for teaching, but rather a tool to punish indiscriminately.

In the right hands, however, an electric training collar is the most humane way to give a correction.  If used properly the e-collar is used for teaching purposes.  I advocate only using this collar on low levels.  You would be shocked (pun intended) to know how low the level of stimulation actually is on an e-collar.  I always have my clients feel the collar before using it.  Most of my clients can’t even feel the collar on the levels I use and their dogs can only barely feel it.  In this way the collar acts as a tool for teaching behavior rather than just for punishing.

In order to train like this, however, most people need the aid of a professional trainer that has experience using the collar on low levels.  Seek out a good, qualified trainer and you will find that your ability to train humanely and at high levels has no limit.