Shock Collar

[queenmand]

* Please note - I don't mean to offend any one by this post, I am pretty ignorant to the whole subject actually, which is why I would like opinions on the subject, thanks!

I don't use a shock collar on my dog simply because I have held one in my hand and felt the shock and don't want to do that to my dog. I've never done any research on the subject, I just based my decision off that feeling.

Cash is a little difficult to train, he is "extremely strong willed" per the trainer. The trainer advised me from the very beginning that this will be a difficult dog to train. We do classes, we work with the trainer, He is not perfect, But every day, it gets a little better. One of the toughest things to train, is not to jump on people. He is the typical lab- very loving and gets SO,SO excited when people come over, sometimes that excitement takes over his training.

There are people who come over that don't like a big dog jumping on them and licking their faces. They have expressed that I need to get a shock collar to control him better since "my training is obviously not working". I feel that with patience and persistent training, he will learn with the methods I was taught through the training classes. I feel like a shock collar for that reason is the "easy way out" - any one can scare a dog into listening, I want to TRAIN him to listen. People say that I am babying the dog and that the collar is the best way to teach them.

I feel like, if you don't like it, don't come over. Am I being ridiculous? Am I "babying" him too much by not using this shock collar method? Are there really some dogs that just don't learn any other way?

Again.. please don't take this as offensive if you do use a shock collar. I am truly ignorant to the subject besides the feeling I had by using one on my own hand. I just want to get opinions from those who are actually experienced in training labs. Thank you!!

[voodoo]

cant help you, but here is a vid

[JenC]

I am perfectly find using a shock collar. Lab males are big dopey meatheads, yes, they feel the shock, but it's a second or two, no more. They quickly learn the "negative" reinforcement when they are wearing the collar, and when you say COME or DOWN when the collar is on, magically they KNOW the command.

When people come to the house, just crate the dog. When you have visitors, they probably don't want or need the dog around anyway, solve the situation by putting him away during their visit.

[Woody]

Posting a reply

[Snowshoe]

I had sussed out an Electronic Collar that did stim, page and tone for a different problem but managed to solve my problem (recall) in another way and saved myself over $300. My point is, I was certainly willing to try it and I had a trainer to work with.

I'm posting here though because Oban jumped too and one of our trainers when asked how to curb this showed us the yank 'em down method. A bit rough. My aged Mum, at 90, was one of those people who unwittingly encourage the dog to jump and I just could not have it. Oban was 8 months. I don't advise it on a young pup or a small dog of any age. If you think you cannot judge how much oomph to put into the yank and fear you might hurt your dog then don't try it. Try the more benign methods first, I did, they didn't work.

Two people, dog on flat collar and leash. Helper encourages dog to jump on them. Dog jumps and you yank him down and give your word. The poodle mix took one yank and no way would he jump again no matter how the helper tried to entice him to. The other Lab (the one who asked for help in the first place, yes, of course it was a Lab ) took two yanks. Oban took three. I had to do this again with Oban a few months later. The huge benefit of this is I can yell out FEET and don't have to be close to him and he won't jump. And it thwarts those people like my Mum who, intentionally or not, entice the dog to jump.

[charliebbarkin]

I would find a different trainer.

[BogeyBaby]

I used a shock collar on Bogey and I do not regret it one bit.

He used to chase my cats. I could NOT have him inside the house unless he was on leash or in his kennel. It wasn't fair to him at all. He is an indoor dog--hates being put outside despite being out there with Misty (who loves being out there, but is also an indoor dog).

I had a professional trainer come and show me the proper way to use the collar. It was simply amazing. Within a one-hour session Bogey begun ignoring the cats and even walked around the cats when they were in the room he was walking through. Life went back to normal after several weeks of nerve-wracking craziness.

When properly used it is a very good tool.

[xracer4844]

I train a lot of dogs. After reading your post, I would look for another trainer. NO GOOD TRAINER would ever say “your dog is going to be hard to train”. That is ridiculous. I can teach a dog to do ANYTHING. I work with a lot of dogs with aggression and dominance. I also work with a lot of awesome wonderful dogs. The only thing that changes is my methods…

There is nothing wrong with e-collars if they are used properly by someone who knows how to use them and what it’s for. I absolutely think that using an e-collar because you have an “extremely strong willed” dog is the easy way out. The only reason a trainer would say something like he is going to be difficult to train is a trainer that is way out of their element and has no idea how to handle that dog. Which to me is a real shame and a disservice.

I would love to help. And I would love to actually train your dog but unfortunately that isn’t a possibility. Can you tell me what kind of training are you doing? When the dog does these behaviours what do you do? I would need some more information in order to help you and offer you advice. I’d really love to help.