arturios
Forum Replies Created
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I must admit to stupidity but I must do it for the sake of everyone else reading this thread and especially their dogs. I have discovered the most probable main cause of my problems with teaching my dog to come using the remote. IMPROPER FITTING. It seams that most times the collar was too loose! So if you are using the remote and experiencing problems make sure that you fit the collar correctly 🙁
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Hi Mike!
Thank you for your thorough answer. It’s by no means confusing. As far as variable ratio reinforcement is concerned we’ve been using it for a long time now and it works great unless the lure of the distraction is more attractive than the possible reward. As far as the fixed punishment ratio is concerned it seems obvious but no one had told me that before so thanks for the enlightenment 🙂 I have a few new questions and observations:
1. There are times when my dog comes when called but does everything to prolong the coming. He won’t return in a straight but rather ‘meandering’ line. Here and there he’ll stop for a very short moment to sniff something or squeeze out a droplet of pee. And of course he’s not as fast as he could be. How do I use the remote in such a case? Or do I use it at all? I mean, he’s on his way back and I don’t want to punish him for it. I know some positive techniques which help but perhaps there’s something else I could do?
2. There are days when I don’t even have to say the ‘no’ but on other days he’s very stubborn and I have to turn it up for him to react. We castrated him chemically in March with deslorelin. It was supposed to work for six months. However, his testicles are only now beginning to reach their normal size and for a month or so he’s been clearly experiencing testosterone peaks. To what extent is his reaction correlated with his testosterone level? Or is there a different reason which would explain the variations in his responsiveness? He’s a 20-month-old border collie. It once happened that I thought that I had turned on the collar when in fact I hadn’t. I called him but he had found something more interesting, so at first I said ‘no’ and then repeated ‘come’ and started pressing the button. He, of course, didn’t feel anything but I kept calling and he finally came. Is it possible that that one incident when the ‘correction’ didn’t work was enough to cause him to start testing whether he really has to come?
3. How do I use the remote when he starts chasing roe deer or a cat? It seems reasonable to call him as soon as possible because the longer the chase the higher adrenaline level. However, when I start low he gets far away before I reach the level which he can actually feel. So, in this case, do I need to start at a higher level?
That’s it for now. -
Hi Mike!
Thank you for your reminders. Since the initial problems it’s been going really smoothly. My dog responds really well with most distractions even from long distances. I rarely need to use the remote – ‘no’ will do most of the times. However, there are certain things which need clarification. Under heaviest distractions when his adrenaline level goes really high I need to use higher levels of stimulation for him to even notice that he’s being corrected. Today, for example, a big homeless male dog kept following us on our walk. ‘Piorun’ tried to chase him away and I didn’t want a fight to start. So I called him back and I had to use as high as level 50 at times. With levels around 30-40 he came towards me a few meters (with me praising him all way long) and then turned back to look at the other dog so I had to give him a few impulses, then he continued on his way back to me, then stopped, I corrected, and so on, until he finally came.
My questions are as follows:
1. I know that when adrenaline is high, pain resistance is higher also but I tried level 50 on my own neck (my wife pushed the button :-)) and it really didn’t feel nice. It’s not very painful but the muscle contraction is extremely ‘inconvenient’. My dog didn’t show any signs of panic or fear but still I would like to use as mild correction as possible. I guess that most ‘positive’ trainers here in Poland would already like to impale me. So in your practice do you ever need to use levels around 50 or is there anything I could do to use milder corrections under heaviest distractions?
2. How do I go about situations like the one described above? I mean, when my dog is about to get in a fight or is already fighting with another dog, how do I use the remote? Should I use it at all? I know that using a pinch collar when the dog starts showing aggression can make the problem worse; is it similar when we use the remote?
3. How do you coordinate looking at the LCD display on your remote when turning the level up with looking at the dog to see whether he’s reacting? And when the dog starts coming back towards you and then stops on the way do you use the same level which you did to get the initial response or turn it down?
4. The ultimate goal is to control the dog off-leash without the remote under heaviest distractions. The question is when and how do I withdraw the use of the remote? -
I need some help on using the electric collar. After I have done the flexi come with the e-collar I started using it off-leash. My dog responds very well. However, when the distraction is ‘heavier’ and I’m further away from him and/or he doesn’t see me it takes longer and I need to turn it up to some 18-20(dogtra). I’m not sure if it’s because of the distraction being so attractive (e.g. my wife raking the lawn) or because he gets confused. So can you give me a few tips on lengthening the distance and calling when he does not see me?
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Hi Mike. I’m a beginner dog trainer from Poland. I have a 14-month-old border collie and I’ve got a question concerning onion chops. “Piorun” (Polish for “Bolt”) is not a bad puller in fact he’s making good progress in loose-leash walking. However, he simetimes tends to ‘overtake’ me or when there are distractions he tries to go left or right. I’ve never used a pinch collar and I would like it to stay this way so are ‘onion chops’ effective on an ordinary collar? If so do you have any suggestions on how to use them without a pinch collar?
arturios
