To Shock or not to Shock? That is the question.

[whitey]

The e-collars if used correctly they are great, but a person should limit when you use them. The collar I have has a beeper that I activate prior to the shock,the tone of the collar is more often all that is required to correct the behavior. Good luck.. Tritronic collars are great collars

[sisu]

I have a big old no on the subject. I'll stick to what I do with my dogs: lots of training hours, lots of personal relationship, more training and I do believe in treats. They motivate the dog and they can be leaned out as the dog starts learning to love what he or she is doing.

[ICEMAN]

Thanks all, actually the dog is coming on fine..... even around gunfire. We had a "Turkey Shoot", 12 friends from work and myself out shooting at once, and the dog was not alarmed one bit from all the action. You would be up on the line shooting clays and the pooch would be up around your feet as though nothing was happening. Not gun shy, that is for sure. (Or deaf...)  Anyway, I will relay all this info to my friend, thanks.

[rookiehunter]

I believe all dogs can benefit from the use of an e-collar, the only difference will be how much each will benefit. The collar itself will not train the dog, it will only give you the ability to hold a dog accountable for its actions at a distance and to correct behavior instantly. At the earliest age of 6 months let the dog wear the collar around for a month.  At 7 months you can begin collar conditioning the dog to commands that the dog should already know. Like stated previously, you can ruin a dog with a collar but when used correctly it is very beneficial.

An e-collar is not a short cut way to train but a smart way to train.  By being able to correct a dog at the exact time necessary during any circumstance (close, far away, swimming, etc), you are able to limit unnecessary confusion and stress between you and the dog. Why wouldn't you want that?