# Anti bark collars?



## mattjm1017 (May 13, 2013)

Our border collie has become a public nuisance with his constant barking all day long and the neighbors are starting to complain. He barks at anything that moves from cars to the wind and sometimes it seems he just barks to bark. Im looking into the anti bark collars like the ultra sonic or shock my wife wants the citronella spray one (which I don't think will work). Does anybody have any feedback on these things some are really expensive and they all have mixed reviews, so I figured I would check here for some more reviews. Also if anybody has any ideas on how to get him to stop barking that would be great.


----------



## begreen (May 13, 2013)

Good for you to be recognizing the problem. We had neighbors with constantly barking Airedales (in the middle of the night) that were right behind our bedroom. Drove me nuts.

These are working dogs. How much activity does your border collie get? They need to be active. If not they get bored. if you can exercise the dog hard, then keep it indoors when resting the barking issue may go away.


----------



## Augie (May 13, 2013)

Dogtra works great, I have the Field Collar and the Bark collar, Adjustable and safe(used it on myself first) 

and I agree I have a Heeler and if I don't get her enough exercise she is a terror too.


----------



## MasterMech (May 14, 2013)

begreen said:


> These are working dogs. How much activity does your border collie get? They need to be active. If not they get bored. if you can exercise the dog hard, then keep it indoors when resting the barking issue may go away.​


 
This is the primary cause of the problem. Your dog is bored. Borders are a personal favorite of mine but my lifestyle won't allow me to have one. I'd never be able to provide the life and activity level he/she deserves. Avoid the shock collars (best used under supervision of a professional trainer), the citronella ones work, they all have one drawback - without a lifestyle/activity change, your dog is likely to keep barking.

Borders are exceptionally intelligent dogs. Try upping the activity level with physically intense games like fetch or chase and go for at least one good walk a day. Might make all the difference.


----------



## Eatonpcat (May 14, 2013)

Hmmm...Maybe I could put one of those collars on the wife!!


----------



## mithesaint (May 14, 2013)

MasterMech said:


> This is the primary cause of the problem. Your dog is bored. Borders are a personal favorite of mine but my lifestyle won't allow me to have one. I'd never be able to provide the life and activity level he/she deserves. Avoid the shock collars (best used under supervision of a professional trainer), the citronella ones work, they all have one drawback - without a lifestyle/activity change, your dog is likely to keep barking.
> 
> Borders are exceptionally intelligent dogs. Try upping the activity level with physically intense games like fetch or chase and go for at least one good walk a day. Might make all the difference.


 
Bingo.  We have a winner.  

Do you have time to take him to an agility class or something similar?  Either that or buy 100 acres and 300 sheep...


----------



## Bret Hart (May 14, 2013)

We have several border collies here at the resort for goose control. They are both aging, over 10 years old, and aren't as active as they used to be. They are taken out many times a day for as much exercise as they can handle but their bodies just can't keep up with their minds any more.

Recently got the bark collars because they would bark at nothing or everything and it has almost stopped the unnecessary barking completely. Only took a few days too. No idea where they were bought from or the cost but they do work well.


----------



## Augie (May 14, 2013)

MasterMech said:


> This is the primary cause of the problem. Your dog is bored. Borders are a personal favorite of mine but my lifestyle won't allow me to have one. I'd never be able to provide the life and activity level he/she deserves. Avoid the shock collars (best used under supervision of a professional trainer), the citronella ones work, they all have one drawback - without a lifestyle/activity change, your dog is likely to keep barking. Borders are exceptionally intelligent dogs. Try upping the activity level with physically intense games like fetch or chase and go for at least one good walk a day. Might make all the difference.


 
I thought for a second you were against e-collars(shock collars) 

Yes, if used as a punishment tool by a lazy owner they can ruin a dog, or make things worse. The collars are meant as a reminder that you are talking to the dog, at a distance, not a punishment. Remember that and you will be 50% of the way to achieving the goal for the dog you have set. A good trainer or someone experienced in their use is encouraged, but not totally necessary. Just to a lot of reading before you begin to use the collar. Remember to train the dog in a fresh state at first, and then in a exhausted state after she is used to the collar, and be consistent. If 3 people in your house are consistent all it takes is one more to think that the dog needs a "break" to undo all of your hard work. Remember they are Dogs, they want to be in a pack, and NEED a strong pack leader(you). When they test you, and they will even with the collars, be firm and consistent. PM me if you want more info on training working breeds. 

OH, one thing I would recommend if you live in a Subdivision is to take the dog for "walks" with a bicycle if you can. You can move a little faster and give the dog their required daily exercise in a shorter time. I have found that this works great for breeds that need more exercise with owners that aren't running 4-8 miles daily


----------



## MasterMech (May 14, 2013)

+1 on everybody in the house needing to be on board.  Can't tell you how much my wife complains that they put 2 weeks of training into a dog (full-time board & train) and only to drop it off to an owner that they know will never follow through.


----------



## lukem (May 14, 2013)

My BIL (and next door neighbor) has a border that is about a year old now.  That thing has copious amounts of energy.  It will lay in my yard all day waiting for me to get the quad out and take him for a run.  He tops out about 29MPH and can hold that for a good 90 seconds.  They really need something to herd...this one herds chickens and kids.  Pretty fun to watch.

I'm really tempted to get one of his pups in a couple years.  This is the best mannered border I've ever seen, by a long shot.


----------



## peakbagger (May 14, 2013)

Border collies get rescued quite often as most owners dont have the stamina to keep them busy. If you dont keep them busy they will figure out how to get attention be it negative or positive. IF the dog barks and someone yells or beats the dog thats regarded as attention by the dog. A friend had a similar active dog and her living circumstances changed so the dog wasnt active. It chewed through 10 k of furniture one afternoon. She brought it to Tufts in Mass and they prescribed "doggie downers" to mellow out the dog. Once the owner got active again the dog was fine.


----------



## yooperdave (May 14, 2013)

My neighbors don't give a rip about the noise their dogs make.  Three little dust mops that do nothing but bark whenever they are put out.  The only time they don't bark while they're out is when they are making P or ...
I commend you on realising that this a a very annoying problem and are taking steps to resolve it.


----------



## StihlHead (May 14, 2013)

I have raised and trained I do not know how many very large LGD livestock guardian dogs (Anatolian/Great Pry/Akbash crosses), but it is in the many 100s. I have also raised collies and shelties, which can be exceptionally noisy dogs. Citronella bark collars are useless, as are ultrasonic beepers. Shock collars will work for a time. Training works, but you must be persistent and consistent. If you have any variation in dog discipline among family members, the dogs will figure it out. Most dog breeds will also try to attain dominance in the family, including dominating all the humans... if you let them. Most people are clueless when it comes to training and living with dogs, but the dogs only take a short time to train effectively. Its the human training that takes all the time.

When we sold LGD dogs into city and suburban settings (some just never did well protecting sheep), I recommended training with a bark shock collar or getting them debarked. People do not like debarking dogs, as they feel it reduces the effectiveness as a deterrent and affects the dog. However, I found that the dogs were actually happier after being debarked, as they can basically bark their heads off and no one cares. People are also far more effected by seeing large dogs than hearing them bark. We had anywhere from 12 to 20 dogs in the pastures at any given time and people never came up to our house. They thought we were raising wolves, and I encouraged that rumor to good effect. The LGDs were very effective at stopping cougar and coyote predation and driving off encroaching bears. Theoretically they will prevent wolves from moving into an area as well, if they are located in a place before the wolves arrive.


----------



## Hearth Mistress (May 14, 2013)

I have had 1 shock collar for years. All of my dogs have been rescued jack russell terriers, with issues of course but nothing we couldn't train out of them. We have always spent time, money and energy training our dogs but it only ever took 1 wear of the collar, instant behavior modification.  I've had it so long now, the battery is dead but all I have to do is pick it up and they are perfect little angels in a second. Mine is a 1" bright orange reflector collar so it doesn't look like the collars or leashes we use.

I can't stress enough, as others have said, working breeds need a job or they get bored. I know it sounds stupid but on rainy days when my guys can't get outside to burn off the energy, I put on their doggie back packs with a little bottle of water in each side pocket. They now have a job, to carry water they don't need but to them, it's a job and they walk around the house all proud.

You may also want to check Groupon for deals on doggie day care. Some around here offer 50% off deals all the time.

Good Luck!


----------



## mattjm1017 (May 14, 2013)

Wow thanks yall! We ended up getting the BC because the people that had him couldn't handle him. He had bit one of the kids we believe he was herding them and just nipped like he would a sheep, I also believe that the barking was a part of the problem. Im certain that a big part of the problem is that hes bored and just barking out of boredom from being stuck in the back yard. We don't live in a neighborhood exactly just on a street with a couple neighbors he has about an acre out back to run around in which has been a lot better for him than the tiny backyard he was stuck in. We get outside and play fetch with him as much as we can but we do have to leave and he is stuck in the yard all day from time to time and that's when the problems start. I would like to be able to curb his barking during the times we are not home. Before we moved to where we are now we had talked to a lady that has border collies and trains them to herd sheep but we moved away and weren't able to go out with her. Right now hes getting a kick out of chasing tractors up and down the fence. Ive talked to the feed and seed down the road and they carry the bark collars Im going to go talk to them about what they have and do a little more research.


----------



## BrotherBart (May 14, 2013)

We will probably have to delete this for copyright infringement but it was yesterday's Dilbert cartoon.


----------



## fossil (May 14, 2013)

Had a sweet dog, part Border Collie, part whoknows, when we lived in Virginia.  The squirrels up in the trees (we had lots of both) just drove her crazy.  She would bark, bark, bark, at the squirrels all summer long.  Nobody ever complained to me, but it drove me crazy.  I got one of those anti-bark collars and put it on her.  She went out and when she wanted to do her normal bark at the squirrels, it was like a "b-OW!".  I listened to her do that maybe a dozen times, but then I couldn't stand it anymore.  I felt so sorry for her that I took the dang collar off & threw it away.  She's long gone now, but I hope Ginger is barking at all those squirrels up there in the dog heaven trees whenever she wants.


----------



## Hearth Mistress (May 15, 2013)

Just thought of another "busy" job.  I take 1 cup of all natural peanut butter, 1 really ripe banana and 1 cup of oat meal (soaked ith just enough water to get the oats soft) mash everything together and stuff it in a kong, hoof, butcher bone, etc wrap in plastic and freeze.  When the dogs are getting antsy or I'm hosting a directors conference call that can easily be 2hours of needed "quiet time" (I work from home) I take them out of the freezer, let them thaw about 30 mins and give them to the dogs.  They will spend hours trying to lick all that peanut butter out.  Be sure to damped them with a little water if you don't thaw them so their tounges don't stick to the frozen surfaces!


----------



## mattjm1017 (May 26, 2013)

Well its been a couple of weeks and I thought an update would be appropriate for anybody that's interested. I ended up buying the anti bark collar it has 18 levels in three groups of six. Each group starts at the lowest and moves up from there so far I haven't set it above the first group and half the time I don't turn it on. His barking has gotten a lot better. He doesn't bark at all when he's wearing the collar and is barking a lot less when he's not wearing it. We only leave it on him for a couple hours a day when we have to leave him outside. I think that it is a good training tool and he seems to be perfectly fine with it.


----------



## loon (May 29, 2013)

mattjm1017 said:


> Well its been a couple of weeks and I thought an update would be appropriate for anybody that's interested. I ended up buying the anti bark collar it has 18 levels in three groups of six. Each group starts at the lowest and moves up from there so far I haven't set it above the first group and half the time I don't turn it on. His barking has gotten a lot better. He doesn't bark at all when he's wearing the collar and is barking a lot less when he's not wearing it. We only leave it on him for a couple hours a day when we have to leave him outside. I think that it is a good training tool and he seems to be perfectly fine with it.


 

Good for you guys matt 

What i did is train Murphy and Emma with small bells on the shock collar which didnt take long and then just use a dummy collar with a bell on it. Works great and saves on batteries 

They were just playing in this picture 

loon


----------



## mattjm1017 (May 29, 2013)

loon I love those dogs my neighbor down the road has one and he is the biggest and friendliest dog Ive ever met. I like the idea of the bells I might give that a try sometimes we leave the collar turned off and he wont bark but every now and then he has to test it and if he finds out that its off he will start barking a lot.


----------



## Hills Hoard (May 30, 2013)

mattjm1017 said:


> Im certain that a big part of the problem is that hes bored


 
This is the only problem mate. You've taken on a working dog and haven't provided the right stimulation for him. And if your idea of stimulation is "playing fetch with him" you need to do more research on looking after dogs...That dog is going to need daily exercise...lots of running....lots of different games to keep its mind active...I don't mean to be a downer, but i think it sucks when people get dogs, don't stimulate them, then wonder why their dog is playing up, then slap a bark collar on them.


----------



## mattjm1017 (May 30, 2013)

Hills Hoard said:


> This is the only problem mate. You've taken on a working dog and haven't provided the right stimulation for him. And if your idea of stimulation is "playing fetch with him" you need to do more research on looking after dogs...That dog is going to need daily exercise...lots of running....lots of different games to keep its mind active...I don't mean to be a downer, but i think it sucks when people get dogs, don't stimulate them, then wonder why their dog is playing up, then slap a bark collar on them.


 I fully understand now what the problem is why hes running back and forth and barking hes bored yes we don't work with him enough yes. He was adopted looking back maybe we shouldn't have gotten him we had no idea what we were getting into but were learning. For the time being the bark collar will have to do but we are looking into ways to help stimulate him and not just have him outside running around. Were thinking about getting a couple of goats and theres a lady we met that works with border collies and trains them to herd sheep so were going to talk to her and see if we can get him involved with that a couple times a month and also maybe set up some kind of agility course in the back yard.


----------



## mithesaint (May 30, 2013)

Go with sheep.  Goats might not take well to being herded.  An agility class would be a better idea than a course in the back yard, at least initially.


----------



## Hills Hoard (May 30, 2013)

mattjm1017 said:


> I fully understand now what the problem is why hes running back and forth and barking hes bored yes we don't work with him enough yes. He was adopted looking back maybe we shouldn't have gotten him we had no idea what we were getting into but were learning. For the time being the bark collar will have to do but we are looking into ways to help stimulate him and not just have him outside running around. Were thinking about getting a couple of goats and theres a lady we met that works with border collies and trains them to herd sheep so were going to talk to her and see if we can get him involved with that a couple times a month and also maybe set up some kind of agility course in the back yard.


 
Fair call.   I do admire you for adopting him, and good work in trying to address the issue.  Some people just dont care.  Im no expert on dogs, but am a firm believer in  exersize, discipline, and affection and in that order.   (some dog trainer said that)....

PS, I love your avatar pic thing.   Brings back awesome memories of being in Thailand.


----------



## loon (May 30, 2013)

Its born in them gang!  When Murphy was here and Emma followed i ran them 600 acres all the time and they still came home a barking? 

Me and Emma still do our run on the farm and she will still bark when we get home. Squirrels/Birds/Leaves..She is a very good girl but has to let everything around her know that she is on watch 

Keep it up matt..you guys will be fine 

loon


----------



## mattjm1017 (May 31, 2013)

Hills Hoard said:


> PS, I love your avatar pic thing. Brings back awesome memories of being in Thailand.


 Yeah I wish I could go back today. I might not come home.


----------



## mattjm1017 (May 31, 2013)

mithesaint said:


> Go with sheep. Goats might not take well to being herded. An agility class would be a better idea than a course in the back yard, at least initially.


 Yeah we are talking about the class and also setting up some stuff in the yard to work with him between classes. I didn't mean we were going to get goats just for him to herd around but he might be entertained by them that's still on the backburner though well have to see how things go, one step at a time.


----------



## Sprinter (Jun 6, 2013)

mattjm1017 said:


> Yeah we are talking about the class and also setting up some stuff in the yard to work with him between classes. I didn't mean we were going to get goats just for him to herd around but he might be entertained by them that's still on the backburner though well have to see how things go, one step at a time.


Agility is a great outlet for Border Collies (or any active dog). We have a mixed breed shepherd that I'd swear must have some BC in her somewhere. I want to build an agility course here. I figure I'd take her to a basic agility course and see if she has any talent for it. If so, maybe I'll pursue it. If not, a course on our place would be good exercise for both of us anyway. Meanwhile, I throw frisbees for her every day and she's almost fanatical about it. I have a couple of soft but extremely durable frisbees called Jawz http://hyperflite.com/ that are weighted for distance, and that can keep her running hard as long as my arm holds out. We also take her for off-leash runs in the woods around here.  We're fortunate to have that.

Someone mentioned mental stimulation. BC's are especially smart and need that too. There are a lot of mental stimulation games for dogs.


----------



## BobUrban (Jun 7, 2013)

I agree with however many have responded with more exercize and do not forget to exercize the mind.  A dog can get more tired thinking than running - especially a young dog.  I have a healer, have trained many rescue dogs with big issues(two island ferels from Tobago in the mix) and I use a Dogtra e-collar at times.  Great tool if used correctly and I think the bark collar or e collar can be great tools if not used as a catch all in leu of proper exercize. 

Working breeds need to run but even taking them on leashed walks where you are in charge and your dog remains at a proper heal will do wonders - the longer the better.  Not allowing them to pull, sniff or lead you will force them to think and thinking tires them out.  Change direction a lot and do not use voice commands - make them pay attention to you.


----------



## Sprinter (Jun 7, 2013)

BobUrban said:


> I agree with however many have responded with more exercize and do not forget to exercize the mind. A dog can get more tired thinking than running - especially a young dog. I have a healer, have trained many rescue dogs with big issues(two island ferels from Tobago in the mix) and I use a Dogtra e-collar at times. Great tool if used correctly and I think the bark collar or e collar can be great tools if not used as a catch all in leu of proper exercize.
> 
> Working breeds need to run but* even taking them on leashed walks where you are in charge and your dog remains at a proper heal will do wonders - the longer the better. Not allowing them to pull, sniff or lead you will force them to think and thinking tires them out. Change direction a lot and do not use voice commands - make them pay attention to you.*


Right. On-leash walks as you describe are an important part of the equation. Dogs need and _want_ the discipline of such exercises complete with the healing and direction changes. They love it and it strengthens the bond with you as alpha. For some breeds, that may be enough if the walks are long enough. For working dogs, they need the extra intense workouts as well.

I just got an ecollar to correct some behavior issues, mostly jumping on people (she's way too friendly), running to other dogs or people to play, chasing small animals, and ignoring our calls when she gets too focused on those things. It works. We've only just started with it, but it seems to be very effective. It doesn't take much correction to get her attention back onto us and I think eventually it will be unnecessary to use it at all anymore. We use it in conjunction with the regular "come" command and she gets the idea.

Some well meaning folks view ecollars as some kind of torture device and I suppose in the hands of a sadist, it could be used that way, but properly used, they can be a great training tool. For me, it's a way to get the dog's attention back on you when it gets diverted.


----------



## BobUrban (Jun 7, 2013)

set it on as low a setting as will garner the dogs attention in "full" I am ignoring you mode and use it liberally to get the point across that my comand means something.  ONCE the something begins - be it sit, stay, come, etc... let off - TIMING IS SUPER CRITICAL!!  -  this way they do not know where the sensation is originating but if they do as you ask - WHOLA - the correction stops.  If your timing sucks so will the training - it takes work and not all dog owners of stubborn breeds are willing to put in the time. 

If done correctly the collar will be a placibo as the command will take over.  Dogs are simple but that works two ways.  Give an inch... you know the rest. 

Another great program with a strong dog or breed(or any pack animal for that matter) is using a NILF philosophy as in: nothing in life is free!!  Your dog should never enter a doorway ahead of you - including going from one room to the next.  Not walk in front of you - ever.  Do not give meals w/o garnered respect and only to a calm dog and so on to the infinite.  This seems tough but in no time it becomes second nature for you and the dog and both of you will be much happier.  Simple but consistant is the key - if someone in the home is not 100% on board with the plan it will not be effective.  Kind of cheesy but the dude is amazing - watch Ceasar Milan - on the animal planet and mimic his techniques.  As mentioned above - he trains owners and rehabilitates dogs.  If your dog is naughty go look in the mirror.


----------



## Sprinter (Jun 7, 2013)

These devices should always be used in conjunction with positive reinforcement, too.  I look at these ecollars as delivering a kind of a non-harmful nip that wolves give their young in a pack to teach them the rules and boundaries.  That's all it takes for them.  No hitting, no yelling, no meanness is necessary (or desirable).  In fact, my ecollar has a vibrate mode like a cell phone.  She's getting to respond to that in many cases, so we try that first sometimes, then the "nick".  Then reward when she responds correctly.  Sometimes it's praise, other times a treat.  We only use an ecollar nick for a problem, and that thankfully is not too often.  Some people use them as part of an overall training program.  I'm not sure that's necessary, but maybe in some cases it helps.


----------



## Lake Girl (Jun 15, 2013)

We acquired a year old german shepherd who had no training except to stay off the couch.  For the most part, training has been going well during the three months we've had her.  She gets good exercise with some time off leash on old logging roads nearby.   

I have been contemplating a training collar as we still are having trouble with the come command - especially when she's following her nose or she wants to visit the neighbor's dog when I've tried her off leash at home (haven't got a fenced area to work with her yet). 

Mixed feeling on getting a collar especially as I've seen the neighbor dog's reaction.  Had Schatzi off leash and walked up the drive to our garage, back to the house, then she took off to see the neighbor's dog.  Their dog Roscoe let out a couple of barks and was playing with Schatzi when I got there. As soon as the neighbor walked out Roscoe made a dash for his dog house with his tail down. The neighbor told me I needed to get a leash (had one in my hand) -  a total reverse of the conversation we had this winter when we had fox and wolf in the yard.  He like the fact that my old dogs would patrol the area close to our  houses and kept critters at bay.  His attitude now is their dog is never off the leash (only met them out walking three times in the last year).  They bought a collar to control the barking.     I don't want the neighbors ticked off and followed her as soon as she took off but I'm not sure their methods are the best either ... 

Advice?


----------



## loon (Jun 15, 2013)

Lake Girl said:


> Mixed feeling on getting a collar especially as I've seen the neighbor dog's reaction.


 
Not sure how often the neighbor activates the collar Lake Girl?  But Emma was very fast at learning what the collar meant as i think she has been zapped maybe a total 3 times in 3 years  We have around 5 acres here and the underground fencing is about 2 1/2 acres with only the road front buried. She can see the wires all around the property through the trees as that would of been a ton of digging for the goofy owner 
She was taught with a bell on the e-collar and now we just use a 'dummy' collar on her and it works very well..

Would this neighbor maybe loan you their collar for an hour? As i know if you rigged up a bell on it and then just used the fake collar you guys would be fine...Dogs do not forget anything 

Oh Ya..I've zapped myself a half dozen times  just rigging it up and testing the thing and its not that big a deal.

The bell works for both barking and to keep her in the yard 

Terry


----------



## mattjm1017 (Jun 15, 2013)

Lake girl there are a lot of people out there that overuse/abuse these training collars. Sounds like your neighbor is one of them. We haven't been putting ours on the BC very much here lately and hes still barking but not nearly as much as before I think well just be putting it on if were going to be gone for a while and leave them outside. As far as training them the come command I found that with our dogs it works best to start on a longer leash. Does your dog do sit and stay good? If so have her sit stay and walk backwards to the end of the leash making her stay where she is then tell her ok come she should come to straight to you and then you should reward her verbally and physically ( Im not a fan of always rewarding with a treat I believe they should do what you tell them cookie or not) This method has worked for me it takes a little time but you can slowly go further than the end of the leash and then try walking away in another direction. I don't think that the anti bark collars will really work with anything other than barking as they are automatic there are training collars that are controlled by you and there are the fence collars that set up a boundary in the yard I think that's what loon has.


----------



## Lake Girl (Jun 15, 2013)

The bell and collar approach is pretty interesting - Skinner behavior mod at it's best!

Underground fencing would not work well in our situation as the property is very oddly shaped with shared driveway(different neighbor) connecting two segments.

Treats get mixed reviews - sometimes she gobbles the cookie type treats, others she'll lick them and ignore.  She loves Beggin' Strips but their garbage with lots of additives and I don't want an obese and unhealthy dog.  We've been working more with verbal/physical praise but slow going. 

Previous dogs seemed to be easier to train because we've had two dogs for many years (slightly older dog with younger one) and the kids were all home - lots of playmates to interact with.  Our rottie passed away about two years ago but the encroaching wildlife changed my mind on being dogless.  When at the vets with the cats for shots, asked me if I wanted a dog ...  Schatzi.  All our pets have been rehomed/rescued but she has been the oldest "pup"  with virtually no manners.

Any recommendations on brands of training collars?


----------



## Sprinter (Jun 15, 2013)

Lake Girl said:


> I have been contemplating a training collar as we still are having trouble with the come command - especially when she's following her nose or she wants to visit the neighbor's dog when I've tried her off leash at home (haven't got a fenced area to work with her yet).


This is exactly why we got our ecollar. That and friendly jumping on people. I think what happens is that they get so determined and focused, that they just don't hear you sometimes (or don't want to). The ecollar is meant to get their attention back on you and it often doesn't take much for that. Start at the lowest setting that she can feel and work your way up slowly from there to use only the amount you need. Sometimes you may have to increase it if she doesn't respond, but there will be a setting that she will respond to. Use it along with your "come" command and she will get the idea. If higher settings are required, it becomes a negative reinforcement, but she will soon learn she must come. Often we only have to use the vibrate mode now.

Chances are that she will learn quickly enough that eventually you will hardly have to use it at all.

As for brands, they all work pretty much alike.  We have the newer Einstein model.  TriTronics, SportDog, and Dogtra are also well reviewed.  The most basic collars work "up to" 1/2 mile and are fine for local areas.  Others go up to 1 -2 miles for hunting dogs, etc.


----------



## Lake Girl (Jun 15, 2013)

Since I'm always out in the yard with her, the shorter range should work fine.  Like the idea of vibrate mode to get her attention as she progresses.  Any concerns with water since we live on a lake and seems to love soggy places?

Time for a little research I guess and hope I can get a good one locally.


----------



## Sprinter (Jun 15, 2013)

They're all waterproof if that's your concern. Look on Amazon for reviews. This is where I got mine: http://www.gundogsupply.com/dog-training-collars.html It's a very good online seller and ships fast (like same day). There are some youtubes, but most of them seem kind of lame to me...

One thing I like about the Einstein is that it has a button for normal use, usually set on the lowest useable setting, but also a second button which delivers an increased level if needed which means you don't have to fiddle with the knobs. That increased amount can be programmed.

Most of the units have a continuous mode and an intermittent mode. For this kind of problem-solving training, you probably don't even want to use the continuous mode. The Intermittent mode delivers a "nick" and that's what you want for this kind of thing.

If you can't find one of the major, well reviewed brands locally, then get one online. Take your time to learn to use it properly.


----------



## loon (Jun 15, 2013)

Emma has a thing for squirrels and chipmunks but you wouldnt know it in the second pic  and when she gets a bead on one she is nonstop barking/chasing.

She is a Pyrenees so its born in them to protect "something" and Mrs loon says i cant get her a couple sheep to take care of 

Let us know how ya make out lake girl 

We have collars for everything matt  But still just need the bell collars 99% of the time..


----------



## Sprinter (Jun 15, 2013)

That's a great pic, loon.


----------



## loon (Jun 15, 2013)

Sprinter said:


> That's a great pic, loon.


 

Thanks Sprinter, she was busy with the little fella that day  It got away without any problems


----------



## Lake Girl (Jun 15, 2013)

Your Emma reminds me of our Bouncer ... he used to lay down near the guinea pig when we put him on the floor.  He did the same thing with the stray kittens we had (Momma had kittens on the neighbors porch just before they left to run their fishing lodge - brought them all to our house once we heard the owl in the back woods ).  The kittens imprinted on him and he was "Papa".  He was a Newfie mix.


----------

