I've come almost full circle on e-collar usage..
E-collars, in the old days, were punishing tools. Their most effective usage was for "trashbreaking", or running unwanted game, and for that job they were very effective, because that is the area where high levels of stimulation are necessary. And that is where the first generations of e-collars delivered. The originals were non-adjustable.. just prodigious doses of electric delivered to the dog's neck..
Later, collars were available with interchangeable "chips" that could vary the stimulation sent to the collar. Still imperfect, as the handler could still only work within the range of the chip inserted in the collar.
Modern e-collars overcome all the shortcomings of the early designs by providing a means of altering the range of stimulation at the transmitter.
This makes the e-collar a highly effectivev tool for enforcing known commands.
I started with checkcords... also an imperfect too because of all the violent jerking involved. An improperly used checkcord can turn a dog off to trainiong almost to the degree that an improperly used e-collar can!
Once the e-collars improved, I moved to the electronics for more than just running off game.. I was happy for a time, but I still found the e-collar to be an imperfect tool, at least to my mind, for working around birds.. An unintended stimulation, or a mistake in applying it, can cause setbacks..
So, I'm back to the checkcord for foundation work, and apply the e-collar for finishing touches.. Low levels of stimulation are all that is needed here.. And I wopuld not apply anything to my dogs without testing it out first on myself..
The lowest levels are not even perceptible to me, so I have no qualms about applying it for corrections to the dog..
Obviously, not everyone feels the way I do, and there is much disinformation and misunderstanding concerning e-collars and their proper use.. To raise sentiment, most literature that takes issue with their use still refer to the tools as "shock collars".. This is usually a tipoff that the imformation is decidedly biased..
This is an example of an article that is totally wrong in it's information and it's intent.
Give it a read and post comments as you give it some thought..
For an appropriate use of an e-collar... look here...
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