Anonymous wrote:
OP here.
Thank you, PP, your experience is very interesting! My dog has had plenty of positive training. All to no avail in situations where another dog gets all up in his face.
My dog has a super thick ruff of fur around his neck, and I worry about prong placement: if they're not in contact with skin, and I don't know it, I could unintentionally dial up the shock level too much and hurt him if the prongs move a bit and touch his skin. A hit or miss kind of issue. Have you come across advice for that?
PP here. I purchased the Mini Educator:
https://tinyurl.com/yxhovcxh
There are two extra sets of prongs included. One set has shorter than average prongs for smooth-coated breeds, and one set has longer than average prongs for thick-coated breeds. I’ve raised Samoyeds, and I would—for instance—use the longer prongs in that instance.
Realizing that my dog was at the point where she was at risk of doing damage, which would lead to us having to euthanize her, was what led me to continue my search for training options. I was thoroughly opposed to e-collars but I can’t describe how effective it’s been.
We have a “working level” with her of only 5 (out of 100), and it feels like a small tens unit (your trainer will have you demonstrate the device on your own body). The working level is designed to alert your dog to the fact that she needs to return/attend to you. I rarely use it because she’s so attuned to me now, and she’s not fearful or any less the awesome, loving pup that I adore (my DH was worried this training would affect her demeanor).
Then there was an aversive level that the trainer used exactly 2 times, and that’s all. The aversive level was at the lowest point that my dog reacted, and she didn’t reacted with a yelp or anything demonstrating pain. Instead, her ears went back and she stepped away. That was it. The reaction to the e-collar can be so slight that an entire training session is typically devoted to finding your dog’s working level, simply looking for a sign that the dog even notices the collar.
My dog was sleeping on the ground and wouldn’t stir until we got to a pretty high level during her first-ever training session.
Once she understood the sensation, we were able to get her to the working level of 5. Again, I rarely activate the collar at all. It’s been only 6 weeks of training and she’s done remarkably well.
Caveat: My dog is undeniably brilliant.
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