T
hese training articles should answer any specific questions you have regarding training. I hope they are of help to you.The protocols are written as they are, because they've been found to work after years of testing. If you're a beginner, this is very much a "read and follow the instructions carefully and closely" situation. If you're the type of person who doesn't read the instructions when you get a new toy, the Ecollar and these methods are probably not for you. If you're the kind of person who has great difficulty in following written instructions, this is probably not the best place for you to learn to use an Ecollar. Consider finding a trainer in your area who uses my methods. If you decide to skip a step or modify the protocol, you may get the desired result, or you may not. You may get what appears to be a good result only to find later on, that a problem has developed because you've skipped a step. In some ways dog training is like building a house. You need a good foundation or the rest of the project will come crashing down.
The articles do not mention praising the dog, except for a few situations in the training where it's specifically necessary. This is not the place to learn to give praise to your dog. This is where you can learn to use the Ecollar. Praise is an integral part of teaching, training and working a dog. It lets the dog know when he's done the right thing. Much Ecollar work is done by letting the dog discover for himself, that he's doing it the right way.
Different dogs need different levels and types of praise. Praise includes verbal praise, toys, treats, bump, tug of war and more. Use whatever works with your dog whenever he needs it. I suggest that you don't use so much praise during the work that your dog "loses his mind" and forgets what you're working on.
I recommend that you start your Ecollar training with the recall, then go to the sit.
If you get stuck, have a problem or think you're having a problem, the first step is to go back and carefully read the protocol. If you can't figure it out, feel free to email me by This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . You might think about joining the forum and asking the question there.
The results of using an Ecollar come very quickly, especially if you have good timing and good dog training skills. If you're a complete novice, they'll take a bit longer. If your timing isn't very good results, will come a little bit slower, but they're still faster than with most other methods. There may be a temptation for some people to turn up the stim level in the hopes that it will make things go faster - it won't. In fact, it will probably have the opposite effect. It will set your training back, and could cause you problems that you (at the beginner's level) can't fix. It will cause your dog needless stress and discomfort, things that we're avoiding by proper use of the Ecollar. Those problems can be fixed, but it will probably take an experienced trainer to do it.