Remote Collars -- Why They Should Be Left On
By Fred Hassen
Since training people to use electronic collars is something that I
do as a profession, I am constantly asked questions such as, "Does
the collar have to always be on the dog?"; "Doesn't the dog become
collar wise?"; or "Shouldn't I just use it when a problem arises
that cannot be fixed by other methods?". Since collar conditioning
is a completely different subject, let's assume for argument's sake
that the dog is either "collar conditioned" already, or going
through the process presently. The first fact that is important to
accept is REINFORCEMENT NEVER ENDS! The quicker we accept this,
whether we are using an ecollar or not, the better off you will be.
My dogs never leave the house without an ecollar on. Is it because
they will not perform without it? Certainly not. Dogs are trained to
be off-leash, correct? I would assume that the dog is smart enough
to recognize that the leash is no longer connected; yet habit is
established. If you have ever watched a trained dog walking down the
street with its owner and it has on a choke chain, you certainly do
not see the owner tugging at the leash every second. With an ecollar,
it does not mean that you are pushing buttons every second either.
Let's stop for a second so I can make an analogy. In the work force,
people who have been at their jobs for any length of time, obviously
know their job pretty well. Whether it is cooking french fries at
McDonalds or working for an accounting firm, you would know your job
pretty well after a while. Even in those instances, they do not just
fire all of the managers, and let you pick up your check under the
door every Friday. Someone is still there to constantly oversee the
operation to ensure that it's functioning properly. Without that,
the organization would fall apart quickly. Dog training is no
different. I'm sure your dog was "trained" how to "sit" a long time
ago. Now, whether he always does it when asked -- well, that's
another matter.
O.K.--now that we have accepted that reinforcement never ends, we
can move on. The reason that the ecollar is kept on when moving
outdoors, is because as you step outside the house a lot of factors
enter into the picture that you have no control of. Loose dogs,
cats, kids on bikes, trucks driving by with dogs in the back, and
people playing frisbee are just a few. When your dog is 50 yards
away from you and he is creeping on a "down" command, a few
variables enter into the picture. To correct the dog, the time that
it takes you to get back there slows learning tremendously.
Also, it is very hard to not get emotional about it because you want
it to cease immediately, thus further creating another bad habit of
yelling at the dog. Another thing that happens is when you are
finally able to correct the dog, it has moved, and gotten away with
a fair distance before the correction can be applied. Obviously, a
drop on recall or while moving can be brought about much quicker,
and with much less correction and stress on the dog.
While using an ecollar, these problems can be dealt with
immediately, and unemotionally. If the level needs to be moved up or
down to suit the correction, it can be without any elevation in the
voice. It's as if you are right there correcting him, without the
yelling. He is, in effect, causing the correction on himself. HE
caused the collar to turn on.
People would say, "Well this may create a shy, timid, inhibited
dog". Quite the opposite. Electronic collars are used on hunting
dogs on a daily basis. They may want their dog to lie down at 200
yards away because a deer is running by, or to come back to them in
that instance. It is no different than you or I wanting our dogs to
lie down at a distance because a cat, or a dog, or a mailman is
passing. The only difference being that if he doesn't, we can
reinforce immediately. If he does -- great! The dog at least gets
another repetition in that he must comply immediately, or it could
cost him his life.
If electronic collars made a hunting dog too scared to do its task,
or diminish it in any way, hunters and field trial people certainly
would not be using them on a daily basis, and having them as an
integral part of their training program. Field trials are definitely
among the most difficult of all dog sports. It demands desire and
precision at great distances, and in 'non-patterned' formats that
make it all the more difficult.
Our Las Vegas K-9 unit recently went to electronic collars about two
years ago. They just took "top dog" and "top agency" at the Western
States Canine Trials, and obviously the dogs are not allowed to
perform with ecollars on. Recalls become quicker, smoother, and very
happily performed because the dog knows exactly what is expected.
"Out" commands have meaning everywhere and anywhere, and on
anything. I would definitely recommend that you attend an electronic
collar seminar and make up your mind for yourself. All you need to
bring with you is your pair of eyes -- the rest will take care of
itself.