27 Myths about Ecollars

Those who are opposed to Ecollar use often come up with many reasons as to why they don’t want to use them. For the most part those reasons are as a result of poor use of them by trainers who either use them in the same way that they use a leash, or are locked into the way they were used long ago. They may have heard some horror stories or even seen the tool misused.

Here’s a collection of myths I've gathered over the years.


1. MYTH: You must have perfect timing, be an "expert trainer" or a “professional” to use an Ecollar

FACT: No one, not the best of trainers, has perfect timing all the time. Even the best trainer can only work for so long, usually a matter of minutes, before his concentration falls off and his “perfect timing” becomes merely “very good timing.”

If you have perfect timing, training progresses VERY quickly. If you have good timing, training takes a little longer. If you have so–so timing training takes longer still. If you have HORRIBLE timing, either no training occurs or the wrong training effect occurs. Just about anyone who can train a dog with a leash and collar can use an Ecollar effectively. Even many who aren't coordinated enough to give a correction can learn to use an Ecollar effectively. If you have HORRIBLE timing, sell your dog and get a goldfish. Timing isn't important with them.

2. MYTH: Ecollars are cruel and FRY the dog with electricity.

FACT: Most adults in modern countries have experience with electricity on some level. As a child you may have put a utensil into an electrical socket and gotten knocked across the room. As an adult you may have let your fingers slide down onto the base of a light bulb that you were changing and gotten a shock. In more urban areas you may have bumped into an electrical fence (also called a “charged fence.”) You've probably gotten a shock of static electricity after dragging your feet across a carpet and reaching for a door knob. Even if you haven’t had these experiences yourself, you've read in the paper or heard on the news about some one that’s been killed or seriously injured by an electric shock.

All of these experiences and stories have given you the idea that electricity in most forms is EXTREMELY painful and dangerous. Nothing has prepared you for the electrical stimulation that comes from a modern Ecollar.

Many people will have been to physical therapy and received some kind of Estim, "TENS" is an example, as a part of their rehabilitation. That is a good example of how an Ecollar works. Like an Ecollar the Estim during therapy can be turned up so high that it’s very painful. It can also be turned down to the appropriate level so it’s merely uncomfortable or it can be turned so low that it’s a pleasant feeling.

In my classes I demonstrate the stimulation to the participants. I used to do it with each participant but stopped because many of them will have felt a stim before coming to the class. For those who have not and want to, I have them place the Ecollar on their hand while I dial up the stimulation level until they can just feel it. Many of them jump when it first occurs. But they’re embarrassed because it wasn't as bad as they thought it was going to be. The most common comment is, “Is that all it is?” The level at which the dog first feels it is where I do most of my training, and is what this book is about. Almost universally they describe the feeling as a “buzz” or a “tingle.”

This adjustability allows a trainer to use low levels that are only uncomfortable (rather than painful) to the dog. This allows the trainer to help the dog become reliable, even under distracting conditions, with minimal discomfort.

Electricity is a bit like fire. It can burn your house to the ground or it can cook your food. It all depends on how it’s used.

3. MYTH: Ecollars scramble the dog’s brain and do nerve damage.

FACT: There have been many studies done on Ecollars since the late 1960’s when they were invented. No evidence of any such damage has ever been found. Most of these studies have been done by people who oppose their use and not one of them has shown any physical or psychological damage.

4. MYTH: Ecollars have a bad image.

FACT: In reality what has the worst image are methods of dog training which employ visible forms of force such as leashes and collars. The sight of dogs getting jerked around training fields has driven millions of dog owners to train with cookies and treats, using so called "kinder, gentler methods." Yet, most trainers believe that highly driven dogs will not be reliable under very distracting conditions if an aversive has never been applied for ignoring a command. They agree that training that uses a balance of correction and reward is best.

Ecollars have earned a bad name through the improper use of the tool, not from the tool itself.

People who have been training dogs for a long time may remember Ecollars of twenty years ago. They only had one very high setting. So those people may indeed have a negative image in mind. However, today’s equipment has many very low settings. Often, dog-owning members of the public become intrigued when they see the happy and well-behaved dogs trained with Ecollars. Used properly an Ecollar can help the dog achieve reliability with a minimum of discomfort.

5. MYTH: Ecollars can accidentally “go off” even if you haven’t touched the transmitter.

FACT: Some of the Ecollars from many years ago actually did react to interference from radio signals. Since that time, all electronic equipment has been improved and refined.

Modern Ecollars offer up to 50,000 random frequencies and do not suffer from accidental discharge.

6. MYTH: In a training group situation, it will be confusing for trainers to have some student’s dogs on Ecollars, and others not.

FACT: Ecollar policies vary. In a group situation, it may be best if all newer handlers in the beginning class are on the same page, using similar equipment approved by the club. This may help the instructor understand the reactions and needs of each dog, and assist those handlers.

However, knowledgeable advanced level trainers can use an Ecollar in class without causing any confusion at all for instructors. In all likelihood, the class instructor may simply note that in the right hands, an Ecollar dog is corrected less forcefully than a dog on a choke or pinch collar. The key is that the handler should be knowledgeable about his dog and equipment.

7. MYTH: Based upon seeing an Ecollar on your dog and the fast results, beginners may rush out to buy collars and use them improperly.

FACT: Like any other piece of training equipment, an Ecollar can be misused. In fact, there is no such thing as a tool that can't be misused or abused. Abuse isn't something that's inherent in the tool. It's in the user. Used properly, an Ecollar can yield a happy dog that will be reliable under distracting conditions.

Knowledgeable trainers recommend that beginners take lessons with trainers who are familiar with the Ecollar, use one of the several videos recommended for this purpose, or use the articles which can be found on this website.

8. MYTH: The Ecollar will hurt or scare my dog.

FACT: With the modern methods of introducing the dog to the Ecollar this doesn't happen. There may be a few moments of uncertainty but that will quickly pass as the dog figures out what is expected of him. The stim from an Ecollar is completely foreign to a dog so you may see some confusion but this will pass quickly. You may want to observe someone who uses Ecollars with modern methods so that you can judge for yourself what it is like.

You should not see anything forceful, harsh, painful or scary for the dog. In fact, most of the time, the demonstrating trainer will have to inform you when they are pressing the button, because even a trained eye will not notice. Many Ecollar trainers will use a "noisemaker" so that their students can tell when a stimulation is applied. When the Ecollar is used properly it’s difficult, if not impossible, to tell when a trainer is applying a stimulation to the dog.

9. MYTH: Ecollars are for aversion training only.

FACT: Years ago when collars only had one setting, and trainers used them only to stop behaviors such as chasing game, digging holes, getting into the garbage, or fighting. Today’s collars have many settings, some so low that they can't even be felt. They can be adjusted so that they feel like a "tingle."

They can be used to teach new behaviors with and this site has many articles that show you how to do that!

10. MYTH: Using electricity on a dog is just creepy. It reminds me of the electric chair.

FACT: Ecollar settings used by trainers today are even less irritating that a static cling shock you might get separating laundry from the dryer. They're less annoying than the shock you get after dragging your feet across the carpet and then reaching for a doorknob.

Introduced correctly, the dog learns that the stimulation indicates a “wrong” behavior, and he learns to “turn off” the Ecollar by substituting “correct” behavior. The dogs learn VERY quickly, usually in a few days, that it’s THEIR behavior, not a correction from the handler that brings the discomfort.

Any reasonable Ecollar trainer will show you that the Ecollar will not hurt your dog. They can show you by applying the Ecollar to their own arm and yours, that pain is not involved. Modern “proper” Ecollar use takes place at the discomfort level, not the pain level.

11. MYTH: If you use an Ecollar to train my dog, I'll have to use it all the time.

FACT: In this regard the Ecollar is no different than any other type of training device. If you want perfect performance all the time with leash training then you’d better keep the leash on all the time. If you want perfect performance with an Ecollar then you’d better keep it on all the time. But most people are perfectly happy with performance that’s only 99% perfect. And so after your dog is responding reliably to the Ecollar you can take it off until you notice a decline in performance. Then you'll have to do some refresher training to bring the performance back up. But this is no different than with any other type of training. There's an article on this site that discusses “weaning” the dog off the Ecollar and maintaining reliability.

12. MYTH: I want my dog to perform because he wants to, not because he afraid of getting a shock.

FACT: With modern use of an Ecollar the dogs aren't afraid of getting a shock because the stimulation levels used are so low that they aren't painful, they’re merely uncomfortable. They’re on the same level of discomfort of a fleabite. Dogs aren't afraid of a fleabite, it just makes them scratch.

All dogs are subject to distractions. When something comes along that is a bigger distraction to him than his training level, he'll do what HE wants to do. I like to say that; “Dogs wanna do what dogs wanna do!” If the distraction is big enough, something to eat, chasing some animal, or playing with another dog, you may not be able to call him away from that distraction.

If you've seen a dog that’s working out of fear of getting a shock you haven’t seen Modern “proper” Ecollar training.

13. MYTH: You can ruin a good dog with an Ecollar.

FACT: You can ruin a good dog with any training collar or any other tool available for training dogs. A good trainer with an Ecollar can fix any damage that you do with an Ecollar, or any other tool for that matter.

14. MYTH: Ecollar training will make my dog robotic.

FACT: Ecollar training will make your training faster and will give results that last longer. Modern methods of Ecollar training will keep your dog happy as he works. As with any new training method (remember how your dog behaved the first couple of times you gave him a correction with a leash or clicked your clicker?) you will introduce a little bit of confusion. That will disappear in a few days as the dog learns how to shut off the stimulation.

15. MYTH: The Ecollar will cause a relationship of fear between the handler and the K9.

FACT: The Ecollar won’t do this any more than proper use of a leash and collar will create a relationship of fear. In fact, leashes are famous for establishing a relationship of conflict between dogs and handlers since, when you give your dog a correction with a leash, he knows where this discomfort came from. Dogs have been known to “climb the leash” to bite the handler after getting corrections that are too harsh. In Ecollar training the leash is present just to gently guide the dog into position while the Ecollar applies the pressure. There is no conflict between the K9 and the handler.

16. MYTH: Ecollars should not be used on “soft” or “aggressive” dogs.

FACT: With proper Ecollar training “soft” or “aggressive” dogs become more confident because they become responsible for their actions. Most “aggressive” dogs are really “defensive.” They’re afraid of being attacked and so they attack first. When their confidence increases they come to realize that they don’t have to bite first. For a success story about this refer to the article on this site entitled "Success Stories - Simon."

Click here to go to that article. Simon's Story.

17. MYTH: Ecollars should not be used on “fearful” dogs.

FACT: With proper Ecollar training “fearful” dogs become much more confident. They become responsible for their actions through the training. They're taught to recall and to sit and they learn that if they hold their position as the Ecollar trains them to do, that nothing bad happens to them even though they're in the same fearful situation that used to make them run away. They’re not permitted to go into “fight or flight” and so they learn that by holding their position they can survive and eventually assume a normal life.

18. MYTH: Ecollars can break and will give your dog stimulation until the batteries wear out or until you can catch the dog and remove the Ecollar.

FACT: Modern Ecollars and even those that are quite old, have a timer in them that shuts off the stimulation after 8–12 seconds.

19. MYTH: Using an Ecollar along with a choke chain, a pinch collar, or any other kind of metal collar can electrocute the dog.

FACT: Using any kind of metal collar in conjunction with an Ecollar won’t do anything to the dog. It can’t magnify the level of the electricity that the Ecollar puts out. It can interfere with the stim so it's recommended that your dog not wear it while Ecollar training is going on.

It is recommended that you remove any metal collar worn by the dog while using a bark collar. They can move against the bark collar and simulate the vibration from the dog's vocal cords, causing it to activate.

20. MYTH: If I use an Ecollar I'll never be able to get the dog to behave unless it’s on him.

FACT: This phenomena is called making the dog “collarwise” and can happen with any training tool if it’s used improperly. People often attribute a dog becoming “collarwise” to the Ecollar more than other tools. But it’s not inherent in the tool; it’s something that the trainer inadvertently teaches. Usually the problem is because trainers put the collar on, go training and then take it off as soon as training is done. Another way it can occur is when during training, a problem arises and is getting worse. The trainer brings out the Ecollar, “cures” the problem and takes it off. The dog quickly learns that he has to behave only when the Ecollar is on. You can get a “collarwise” dog by doing this with any training tool or even something as benign as a bandanna.

I recommend that if you’re going to be home that you put the Ecollar on the dog when you get up and take it off when you go to bed. Move it around every 3-4 hours to avoid causing a friction sore. If you’re not going to be home, put it on when you do come home and then take if off when you go to bed.

There will always be a need for management with your dog. It makes no difference how well the dog is trained or what tool you used to achieve that training, at some point the dog will want do what he wants to do rather than what you want. If you don’t have some method of reinforcing your command you'll need to backtrack quite a bit to get the reliability that you desire.

If you do need to remove the Ecollar for some reason; perhaps you compete in a venue where they're not allowed, then there is an article about how to wean the dog off the Ecollar on this site. Click here to go to that article. How to Wean Your Dog Off the Ecollar.

21. MYTH: An Ecollar can cause seizures, even in dogs that don’t suffer from epilepsy.

FACT: This is one of those “scare” myths that are spread by anti-Ecollar people. It’s a complete fabrication. As mentioned earlier, Ecollars have been studied, almost since their invention. None of those studies have ever shown this myth to be true.

An electric shock that passes through the dog’s brain CAN bring on a seizure but stimulations from an Ecollar don’t pass through the brain. The electricity only moves through the dog's skin between the contact points on the receiving unit. They’re only about 1 1/4 " apart.

22. MYTH: A bark collar can be set off by a car's backfire or another's dog barking.

FACT: This was a problem with very early versions of these tools. but modern versions of them don't have this problem at all. They have a sensor that sits against the dog's neck and are activated by the vibration from the dog's vocal cords when he barks. Another dog's bark or some other noise CAN NOT activate them.

23. MYTH: Ecollars put out thousands of volts of electricity. They will burn my dog’s neck.

If you put an Ecollar on an oscilloscope you'll find that it puts out thousands of volts. That’s what’s called a “no load” voltage and measures the voltage that’s produced without any resistance. That never occurs during use of the tool. It’s on the dog’s neck and so whatever resistance the skin puts into the system must be taken into account when measuring the voltage that’s applied to the dog. That resistance is commonly measured at 100 ohms. When you plug these figures into the equations that deal with electricity you'll discover that the actual voltage output is from three to twenty-five volts. With the small amount of amperage that available, it’s physically impossible for an Ecollar to cause burns or any other injury that’s due to the electricity that they discharge.

24. MYTH: Ecollars are perfect tools.

FACT: Ecollars have quite a few drawbacks. First and foremost is that they're expensive. The cost will keep many people away from them. Another is that they're operated (most of them) by rechargeable batteries. You have to remember to keep them charged up. (Of course with those that make use of user-replaceable batteries, you have to remember to keep spares on hand). Another is that you have to remember to turn them on. This seems obvious but you'd be surprised how often this gets forgotten. (Perhaps it's just me, but I've forgotten many times when teaching seminars. Probably it's because I'm distracted by questions. Yeah, that's it. LOL). Another problem is that if you have more than one you have to bring the proper transmitter to go with the collar you're using. This won't be a problem for those with only one Ecollar.

25. MYTH: An Ecollar caused an EDD (Explosive Detector Dog) who had swallowed some C4 (a military explosive) to blow up.

FACT: During a conversation about Ecollars on an email discussion list about dog training, an anti-Ecollar person made a statement about an incident that she'd heard about that had occurred in California in February or March of 2005. The author of the post wrote that an EDD dog was being worked while wearing an Ecollar. He had ingested some C4. She wrote that the handler kept stimming the dog who wouldn't recall. She ended her post with the statement "I leave it to your imagination as to what happened next!" hinting that the dog had exploded because the Ecollar had ignited the C4.

Knowing that this was ludicrous, C4 can't be set off like this even, if you touched the Ecollar contact points directly to it, much less by having the electricity travel through the dog to its stomach, (That myth, that the electricity travels anywhere in the dog's body, was earlier dispelled.) I immediately wrote to her asking if this is what she was hinting at. It took her three – days of making evasive statements before she finally confessed that she never meant to give the impression that the dog had exploded! By then the Internet was flooded with the myth. Several trainers in California had received phone calls from out of state asking if this myth was true.

26. MYTH: An Ecollar can lower your dog's resistance to disease by affecting his immune system.

FACT: This one popped up on a list for people who were beginning dog training. It was an obvious case of spam by a list member who was promoting his own dog training site. When asked for scientific studies supporting this absurd statement he failed to respond. If such studies existed those who oppose Ecollars would be presenting them with great regularity.

27. MYTH: Ecollar trainers must have the tool to train a dog. They don't know how to use any other tools or methods.

FACT: Of course this may be the case with some trainers who use Ecollars. But it's rare that Ecollar trainers don't know how to use or don't use other tools and methods. Usually they've explored many other ways to train a dog before coming to the Ecollar. Most use many tools and methods, whichever one is suitable for the behavior being taught and the dog being trained.

 

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© 2007 Lou Castle