• Judy B.

    Member
    April 29, 2016 at 12:27 pm
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    Playing within the perimeter you designate is absolutely ok and is good. If you choose to play with her outside of that set perimeter, I would create an alternate route to get there that does not involve crossing through the boundaries you have established. Making things very clear and black and white will set your dogs up for greater success. It will leave less room for error. When dogs know the rules and have a predictable environment, it causes them less stress and worry than an unpredictable environment would.

    As far as the e collar, start low and work your way up. If you are unsure, you can not go wrong starting at level 1. Some dogs respond to very low level stimuli while others have a higher threshold before the correction becomes a nuisance to them. Each individual dog is different. While one dog may respond to a level 8 or below another may respond at a level 50 or above. You will not know your dogs range until you start low and just work your way up. Then you will be able to tweak the level within sessions once you get a feel for how your dog responds. There will not be a single set number your dog will always be at. It may vary according to the situation and the dogs state of mind but generally you will find your dogs starting point and then will be able to go from there.

    Initially when you first start using the remote, it is best to use a low “teaching level” correction while still “helping” with the leash as needed. When you know the dog understands the correction and how to “turn off” the correction, keep the dog on the leash but now instead of helping the dog instantly with the leash, only use the remote and see if you get the desired response. If you do not, turn up the levels and repeat the command until you do get a desired response. If the dog seems confused/unsure and you are not getting the desired response, use the leash paired with the remote to help until the dog learns. Try not to get fixated on the number. In fact, I would try not to look so much at the number after the initial start. You will end up being more worried than the dog. I would look down at the level after you are done to see where you ended up after you got the desired response. This will help give you a guide to about where your dogs starting range may be and will help give you a gauge of where you may want to start off the next time . Always start lower than what you think you may need for the given situation you are in at the time.

    Another thing to make sure is that the collar is fully charged and fitting appropriately so that it is making good contact. It should be snug enough that you are unable to fit your fingers under the contact points but you are able to fit them under the strap. The remote collar should be placed below the prong collar. The contact points on the remote should be snug on the muscles on the side of the neck. This may need to be rechecked after the dogs neck “settles”. Sometimes after they run around or shake their heads the remote can become loose on the skin and may need to be readjusted. Make sure if you do have the collar on the dog you never leave your dog or remote unattended where someone else could gain possession of it. Also it is a good idea to rotate the collar every few uses between one side of the neck to the other or if it will be on the dog for an extended period of time. This will help prevent pressure sores. Some dogs have more sensitive skin than others.

    I hope this helps and answers some of your questions 🙂