Do you need some in help in “getting through” to your dog? Perhaps your precious puppy has habits that you would like to break. Why not take advantage of modern technology and start using a remote dog trainer to help curb unwanted behaviors?
What is an eCollar?
Firstly, an e collar and a remote trainer are one in the same.
An eCollar consists of a handheld unit and a collar that your dog wears that has a special receiver on it. Your dog’s collar receives a signal that comes from the handheld remote, and the collar reacts accordingly.
There are many brands and varieties of e collars on the market, designed for dogs both big and small. The best remote dog trainer has buttons you press to correct behaviors as well as a tone only mode that can be used for positive reinforcement.
How Does a Remote Trainer Work?
A dog remote trainer allows you to correct unwanted behaviors in a dog, from a distance. Here is how it works. Let’s say for example that your dog particularly enjoys jumping up on your house guests.
You have just opened up your front door and here comes your dog, so excited and ready to jump up on his new found friend and lick his face. If you are ready, you have your dog’s remote training collar on him (or her).
Now, when your dog jumps up, that is when you press a button on your remote trainer. What happens then? He or she gets a mild, static shock which is delivered through contact points on the dog’s receiver collar to his neck.
Teaching Basic Commands
eCollar training often includes reinforcement of verbal commands, such as “come, down, or stay. When the dog follows these basic commands, you can use the tone along with treats or praise to reinforce positive behaviors.
Are e Collars Safe?
Most veterinarians agree that e Collars are safe to use. The static stimulation that the dog feels is irritating, but not painful to the dog. With this being said, The Humane Society recommends to not leave the ecollar on your dog for an extended period of time.
Any more than 12 hours a day is not advisable. If left on for too long, the contact points that touch your dog’s neck can cause a condition called pressure necrosis, which is similar to bedsores.
Most ecollars have an automatic shutoff feature. This means that the stimulation gets automatically shut down after 8-10 seconds, even if you were to continue holding the button down.
How to Choose the Right Remote Dog Trainer
With so many remote trainers on the market, one might not know where to start. Here are some aspects to consider to make sure you choose the best ecollar training device.
7 Questions to Consider:
- Are you training just one dog, or multiple dogs? Do you want to be able to train more than one dog at a time? Be sure to order a remote trainer that comes with the appropriate number of collars for your dogs.
- What goal is a remote trainer going to help you reach with your dog? Are you going to be using it for correcting unwanted behavior, positive feedback or both? If you are going to use it for reinforcing positive behaviors as well, make sure the trainer has a tone only mode.
- From how far of a distance do you need to correct your dog? Are you going to be using the ecollar out in the field, or just within your backyard? Be sure to select a collar that has an appropriate range.
- Size matters. Is the size of the collar appropriate for your dog? Also, consider the size of the handheld transmitter. Do you wish to hold the remote in the palm of your hand, around your neck, or in a holster for example?
- Rain, rain go away. Do you plan on training your dog in wet conditions, or near bodies of water? Better make sure that your transmitter and collar are either water-resistant, or waterproof and submersible if need be.
- What type of batteries do you prefer? Some folks prefer rechargeable batteries, whereas other prefer a replaceable battery. Generally speaking, waterproof systems have rechargeable batteries, and replaceable battery units are just water-resistant.
- What stimulation modes do you need? Electrical stimulation is a given, on most trainers. Do you want tone only? How about vibration? How many levels of intensity do you need?
Now that you have taken all of those things into consideration, you should be able to pick out the perfect ecollar for your dog!