Ecollars Podcast: Recent Episodes
Robin MacFarlane and Steve Snell
- Collar wise: Avoiding tool dependency/weaning off What is collar wise? Why does it happen? Other examples of “enforcement wise”. (Movement toward the dog, second/third commands/other tools like prong, head halter) Tips for avoiding Need for consistency in expectations. Consequences = Follow through with or without collar on Examples in human world that help people understand dogs can’t be held to a different standard of “trained” = auto pilot (traffic cops/managers at work and consequences) How to wean back on using stem so there isn’t a dependency on cueing
- Pressure Necrosis - Do remote collars burn or cause harm Do remote collars generate heat? Why not If they can’t burn, why the images of sores and injury on dog’s necks What causes pressure necrosis & how to prevent it Wear time Fit & Placement rotation (should you clip fur to get better fit) Moisture (rain/snow/swimming) Types of collar straps Maintenance of neck (brushing, visual check) Treatment of sores & veterinary intervention
- Common Mistakes and how to fix them (plug for 1st Basic obedience dvd) Not starting on a leash/long line = increased potential for wrong response Not taking time to collar condition Not well fitted collar Coat/neck size differences Not Turned On Not charged Not enough pressure for the dog to feel when environmental situation changes
- Confusion vs Distraction vs Disobedience. How to tell the difference. Body language of each. What to do to work through each of those. Making the call for disobedience and the need for increase in pressure. Why good collar conditioning PRIOR is needed. How the dog will respond confidently IF they are well conditioned. Ie. They go harder/faster INTO behavior if they are well conditioned.
- Basic equipment need to start E-collar training Collar (both e/collar and flat) can you use a harness? can you use a choke or prong? Importance of a leash & longline. Do you need both? Place board/target Importance of having a reward system
- Collar Conditioning and 3 action intro What the 3 Action intro is? Who came up with that concept? Why it is important IF we want a well conditioned dog that comprehends a variety of concepts Examples of how each action is used in various commands
- E-collar Features: Momentary vs Continuous How they differ, various ways to use and why Pager/Vibration - how it functions/ways to use it Tone - various ways to use and why Periodically testing your collar functions
- Understanding Stimulation levels Finding initial level, body language cues Idea of a “working level” Changing level as needed, ability to be fluid, Pros/cons of rheostat vs clickable Is there a time and place for using a high aversive level When NOT to do that
Pressure - what is it, how do we train with it, why is it valuable (necessary) to train with it = build resilience Why do we call it pressure? Examples of pressure and how it creates behavioral change. (Both humans and dog examples that point out it is part of life) - possible tie in/mention why the “all positive” movement is not accurate and potentially shorts the pet owner into believing the wrong things How does it create a more stable/resilient dog? https://ecollars.com/ https://www.dogtrainingdigital.com/store
- E-collar training DVD series - what it is, why we did it, what people will learn from it. Reason for Robin’s interest in e-collar education, Reason for Steve’s interest in e-collar education and how that lead to collaboration. What we did with dvd’s (dogs, filming, limited editing so that mistakes are show and fixed = better for consumer learning Goals of going through program: basic manners (jumping/dropping items/leave it) basic obedience (recall/place/sit/down/walking on leash) Off leash control
1: Robin and Steve discuss why you should use a remote collar? Is it right for you and your dog?
Topics include Off leash ability, Distance control
Working dogs: Hunting ,Herding etc
Just being able to call dog in from the yard, large properties
Even urban dogs that may spend a good part of their life on leash opportunity when at parks, trails, beach, travel
Leverage for individuals that lack physical capability (older clients/disabled/children)
Easier for people to project unemotional communication via tactile cues is often better for the relationship.
Easier on the dog for learning due to consistency, non emotion
Timing as an interrupter (distance) with no command from handler versus command enforcement for obedience. (Example: poop eating & garbage raiding)
- Remote collar history - Where did they originate from, how has it advanced. Dates back to when? Retriever training - Rex Carr Intensity and what techniques were used prior to remote collars Where we have advanced to Jim/Phylis Dodds, Alice Woodyard, Brian Mowry (work with patrol and detection dogs) How advancement in tech has lead to advancement in training. (And yet the misconceptions and lack of education remain…which is what lead us to do the projects we’ve done Where do we think the future will take us?