Adapting E-Collar Use to Different Situations
By Charlie Jurney

If you use an electronic collar to train your hunting dog, and you’ve tried to educate yourself about how to do so properly, you’ve probably been advised to find your dog’s “level.” This refers to how much stimulation you need to apply to get your dog to respond. All dogs are different. Some require more pressure than others. That’s why today’s e-collars come with instantly adjustable stimulation levels.

But there’s a catch: The same stimulation level won’t work in all situations. If the distraction in front of your dog is large enough, you will probably need to increase the stimulation level. This is very common when you move away from training around your home and start using the e-collar in new areas. Your dog may have been a textbook case of perfection during yard drills but acts as if the collar is turned off when you correct him in new locations.

It’s not uncommon for a dog to adjust his tolerance of the e-collar to the distraction in front of him. For example, if your dog is comfortable on a Level 3 in the yard, it would not surprise me if he required a Level 4 or 5 to stop him from chasing a deer. This is one reason why you have variable intensity levels located on the transmitter instead of on the collar. Do not let your dog’s level of stimulation be etched in stone. Instead, go with the flow by paying attention to how motivated he becomes with each distraction and most importantly to how your dog accepts the new level of stimulation.

At some time, you will get to a point where you feel like your dog no longer needs to wear the e-collar because he never makes a mistake. Congratulations on a job well done! However, your dog should always wear the e-collar when in environments that contain distractions. Would you drive your car across country without any automobile liability insurance? You should think of the e-collar as your insurance policy in case you and your dog get into a wreck. It gives your dog a way out of trouble in an orderly fashion that he understands even when his instincts are telling him to do something else.

What does it hurt for your dog to wear his e-collar when you go to the park, Grandma comes for a visit, he needs to go to the vet or a million other unknown distractions? You taught him that the e-collar means the two of you are getting ready to do something fun, so keep his e-collar on.

Training with an e-collar is a process, not a quick fix. An e-collar should be easy for your dog to understand and accept as long as you proceed in an orderly and comfortable pace. So, take your time and have a little fun along the way. Keep your dog’s tail wagging with plenty of rewards. 

If you’re new to e-collar training or simply want to learn more, be sure to visit www.sportdogbrand.com where you’ll find dozens of archived articles from me and other professional trainers.

Charlie Jurney, owner of Beaverdam Kennels in Terrell, N.C., is a professional retriever trainer. He is the author of the Finished Dog training manual and CD-Rom. For more information, visit www.finisheddog.com.

Cutline for photo: Different training and hunting situations will probably require different e-collar stimulation levels, regardless of how well you’ve trained your dog.