In this department you will find a collection of articles and resources on electronic collar training.  Information here includes: e-collar training, bark collar, citronella collar advice and much more.

Electronic Collar Training 

I have read lots of your articles, and value your opinion.

My dog, Chunk, is seven months old and we are looking for a training program for him. I met with what seemed like a great trainer yesterday, who uses e-collar training. I'd appreciate your advice on training my dog using this system.

Should I try group classes first that practice leash training, or go straight to e-collar training?

It's my understanding that this trainer offers strictly e-collar training, not leash training. It's rather expensive, but I've always believed that you get what you pay for, and don't want to waste my time going to group classes if they are useless like you noted. Please advise. Thank you, Ami. 

Dear Ami,

To see what you are paying for, ask to sit in on some lessons, whether they are in a group or private one-on-one instruction. Watch how the trainer interacts with both the dog and owner, how the dog reacts to the trainer, and (if possible) how the owner works with the dog. This will give you a good idea of what you're paying for.

Your only reason to hesitate is that this trainer only uses electronic collar training. Be aware that a well-rounded professional has all kinds of tools in his kit for working with different dogs with different problems. If you like what you see and are willing to pay for results, there is nothing wrong with that.

E-collars, when applied properly and fairly, have a very good success rate. But are generally used as ONE TOOL in a trainers bag of tricks, and not the ONLY tool.

Bark Collar or Electronic Collar - Which One Is Best For You

I have a dog, BIG dog, that barks at birds, squirrels, little children riding on bikes, etc.

He is 1/2 Labrador, 1/2 Springer Spaniel with plenty of energy, almost 5 years old. He sounds mean when he barks, but not a mean dog. I have had a PetSafe shock collar for him, and he seems to wear out the batteries quickly--possibly due to poor contact as it loosens easily.

I'm looking for a shock bark collar with a remote control, water-resistant, and definitely rechargeable. Would the Dogtra 200NCP be a heavy-duty enough, adjustable collar and shock strength for my dog, who is 105 lbs and doesn't seem fazed by the current PetSafe basic model, or would the Dogtra 2000NC be necessary to train him not to bark so constantly? Which collar would you recommend?

If we don't get his barking under control, (and he is not a mean dog, just loud) the sheriff may have to remove him from our home--we have a neighbor with a very low tolerance level for dogs and their barking. Thank you so much for your advice! Sue

Dear Sue:

The 200 is powerful enough. But this is not the tool that you want, as you're going to be inconsistent in not making sure that your dog receives a correction when you're not home. A good bark collar is an amazing thing! But what you need is a QUALITY bark collar.

The Petsafe products (from what my clients tell me) are mostly junk. So it doesn't surprise me that yours doesn't work very well. Go with the Dogtra bark collar, or the Tri Tronics Bark Limiter.

-Adam

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