Dog Training Collars: Friend Or Foe

March 5th, 2010

Do you have a rebellious dog? A shock collar can be exactly what your looking for.  The internet is filled with articles on how you could train your pet more quickly and successfully using such a collar, but you might still be hesitant if you want to go into this more severe form of discipline with your pet. 

Even if you are positive you want to try such a collar, you may have questions concerning which style of training collar is best.  There are essential details you should know about dog collars before you utilize them on your dog.

Collar Style
The first thing to know is, how many styles of collars there are. There are 3 main types of training collars available.  The best known is an e-collar.  This system sends a small electric correction to your dog when they perform a negative behavior.  The next type is a spray collar.  This type will squirt a jet of citronella based fluid at your dog’s nose to stop their inappropriate actions.  The third uses a high pitched noise that pets are meant to hear but should be inaudible to humans. 

Some collars combine two of these functions.  Every training system should come with a remote control hand held so that you can control when they should and shouldn’t get corrected.

Weight Matters
Each collar is extremely different in many different ways. Therefore its vital that you select one suitable to the weight of your dog.  It shouldn’t take a great deal of thought to understand that a system appropriate for a Great Dane would be overkill for a Toy Poodle, especially if it is the shock type. 

In order for the collars to help, they need to be put on snuggly just as his standard collar.  Any type of training receiver should not be used on dog 3 pounds or smaller and on dog less than 5 months old.

Popular Accessories
Dog training collars frequently come with a variety of accessories.  Some systems come with a lanyard or a transmitter to put on the counter to discourage from hopping on the table tops.  Be sure to check all the features on the training system. Some might not have this feature. 

Most training systems can expand to two and three pets so that you can train more than one dog at a time.  These can also be paired with tracking collars for those outside hunters.  Do a little research and see what exists before you purchase.

Training Involves YOU
Regardless of the system you decide on, you, the owner, have to be heavily involved in the training process.  If your dog needs the correction, be sure to give him verbal instructions, such as “no”. After he listens make sure to give him a treat or praise him enthusiastically.  You should never use a receiver as a replacement for suitable, one-on-one training.  It is also important that you don’t use a collar for more than a few hours a day. 

Dogs should be able to run and play freely for a significant part of their day.  The dog training system should not substitute your important role in your dogs life.

Related posts:

1. DT Systems Shock Collars A Must Have Hunting Dog Supply
2. SportDOG Dog Training Collars
3. The need of Training Collars for Dogs
4. Dog Training Collars
5. Dog Training Supplies – Dog Collars