Remote Training collars (aggressive, failure, puppies, best)

[Ron Cook]

I made the mistake of using a remote training collar to keep my dogs from straying over to other dogs while walking her. Now she gets aggressive toward other dogs when she is wearing the collar. I assume she feels as though the other dogs are causing the shock, so before they can do it she goes after them. How can I get her out of the behavior?

[Rottnboys]

Ron - how old is your dog? Why did you start using the remote-collar, was your dog lunging/reactive to other dogs? Are you completely off-lead using this method?

I'm glad you see that you likely cause additional training challenges for you and your dog, by giving her a stim, causing her to negatively associate the receipt of this, being caused by her being around other dogs.

I'd get back on the 6' leash and martingale collar, work on attention and heeling exercises, without any dogs - for a long period of time - positive only - mark and reward based training. A happy, upbeat "Good" and a tasty treat for offering attention and walking on loose lead.....

After she can do that 'on command' - take her to a park where she might 'see' other dogs in the distance, but not encounter them in close proximity. Again - call for attention and loose lead walking - mark/reward/release.....rinse and repeat....over and over and over. You can add 'sit/stay' to this exercise as well.

After she can do that on command with 100% reliability - take her near a park where she will be closer to dogs, but not have any direct access. Use the mark/reward/release....Repeat...over and over....

Then find someone with a well behaved dog, who can walk toward you - with both dogs on lead - as you pass one another, call for attention, even a 'leave it' might be needed initially - mark and reward good behavior. Continue approaching and passing one another until your gal has decided 'this dog' is a non-event......you'll likely have to work at this reconditioning of her behavior for a while - depending on how old she is and how long she has been associating a negative stim with 'seeing/being' around other dogs. Each new dog presents a new and different smell/energy, etc...

If you have someone who has a dog she does well with - I would suggest arranging a meeting, on-lead, where you two walk to a place separately, with your dogs, and allow the two dogs to meet, with control, on lead. Have this be a SET UP FOR SUCCESS meeting, where as soon as the dogs meet and it goes well, you mark and reward, then leave with your gal - so she associates that good things happen when she exercises emotional control around other dogs. Slowly - over time - with consistent and fair training, you should see her look to you around other dogs - seeking your direction - your approval and HER reward

Stay the course - you'll overcome this - it will just take time and patience on your part.....and good luck - thankfully our dogs are very forgiving of us and go on to learn proper behavior, once we learn how to teach it

[Trudysmom]

Yes, do some good training. Don't use a collar like that, pets are so very smart, they just need training.

[jimboburnsy]

Originally Posted by Ron Cook

I made the mistake of using a remote training collar to keep my dogs from straying over to other dogs while walking her. Now she gets aggressive toward other dogs when she is wearing the collar. I assume she feels as though the other dogs are causing the shock, so before they can do it she goes after them. How can I get her out of the behavior?

We've had a lot of these threads recently and they tend to go south quickly.

There is nothing wrong with using an e-collar, but the dog needs some mechanism to understand where the pressure is coming from.

If you haven't put the dog through some sort of basic training where the dog learns that pressure comes from you as a response to failure to comply with a known command or undesirable behavior, then the dog can associate the shock from the collar with anything; it could be the spot he was standing when he received the shock, it could be another dog, it could be a passing car, etc. etc. Just slapping the collar on the dog and, as far as the dog knows, arbitrarily administering shocks for behavior or actions that the dog doesn't understand to be "against the rules" is pretty risky. It's actually a good way to wind up with a dog that completely withdraws anytime the collar is on. This is why a lot of people have problems with the e-collar: improper application is ineffective and counterproductive at best.

My advice is to re-home the shock collar and start from scratch with a training program like Jackie Mertens "Sound Begginings". It is more geared towards puppies, but the owners of dogs that are basically without formal training can benefit greatly from the lessons therein. The collar isn't really for getting dogs to behave when they are close or on lead but rather for always being able to "touch" dogs that work remotely or off-lead.

Also, a dog isn't any happier on a walk if it is unrestrained...

[grannynancy]

Good advice from Jimboburnsey as usual.

Take home for anyone else. Don't use a remote collar WITHOUT the proper one on one training from a good trainer and before you do look at THEIR dogs with the collar on....Are the dogs happy and working good or are they "submitting" only and unhappy - - you CAN tell by watching the dog.