E-COLLAR: COURSE SYLLABUS

Jan 11, 2022 | Uncategorized

This syllabus is for students of the Thriving Canine E-collar Fundamentals Course. I strongly believe that E-collar training should never be taught without in-person coaching, therefore, nothing I share regarding E-collars is intended to be used as a D.I.Y. training program. It is only intended to be food for thought or supplementary to in-person training with Thriving Canine. Before reading this, or anything else I share on E-collars, please watch this video to get a foundational idea of my E-collar philosophy.  Chad’s E-collar on Vimeo

Class Preparation – Read this before starting the class!

Concerns and Warnings  

Warning: This is not an ordinary obedience class. The E-collar is a very powerful tool which can be very easily misused, even by accident. Because of this, I expect students to make a commitment to follow instructions very carefully and have perfect attendance. I also reserve the right to dismiss anyone from class without refund for being careless with the E-collar in any way that I feel is intentional or disrespectful. 

Concerns: It is very difficult to be an advocate for E-collars because, no matter how hard I try to use the collar in the safest way possible, there will always be some negativity associated with it. 

  • People may judge me for being “inhumane” 
  • People may see the fact that I use E-collars as a green light to use one…without actually learning how I do it. 
  • People may take lessons from me and still go out and use the tool inappropriately. 

All that being said, I am offering these classes because the benefits of using an E-collar correctly are nothing short of magical. This class is jam packed with A LOT of information which can easily be misinterpreted, ignored or forgotten. Therefore, I ask that you PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE: 

  • Commit to it like a college level course that you need an A in. 
  • Show up every week and be mentally present.
  • Pay attention and take notes.
  • Do your homework – practice every day, read this syllabus in its entirety, including all the links provided.  
  • Take all the course quizzes, grade yourself and be sure that you understand all the correct answers. 

If anything is unclear, at any point, please let me know so I can clarify it for you.

Recommended Reading and Viewing

Prerequisite Training

  • Engagement – dog engages well with affection, treats and play. 
    • Technically, you could still teach Leave It without engagement, but engagement is an important element for obedience and relationship development. 
  • Intermediate-Advanced Obedience – good recall and Leave It commands. 
  • Familiar with Leash Corrections…preferably with prong collar 
  • WORN OUT LONG LINE – if you don’t have one, or it is still in pristine condition, you may not be ready for this class.

Open Mindedness and Commitment

  • Put Aside Preconceived Notions
    • NOT TO BE USED AS A “LAST RESORT”
    • NOT TO BE USED AS A “BIGGER STICK”
    • Hit the Pause button on any previous E-collar training you have tried, YouTubed, read about, etc. To get the most from this class you need to follow instructions precisely, with no additions or subtractions. 
    • In other words, do everything we are doing, only what we are doing, in the order we are doing it and do not do anything else…for now. 
    • If I am already aware of a technique and it is not a part of the class, it means I have either tried it or thought it through very thoroughly before abandoning it. Or, it may be something that we do at a later time, AFTER the skills taught in the beginning course are mastered. 
    • Attempting advanced exercises before mastering basic exercises is not a shortcut to high-level success, it is the fast tract to mediocrity. 
    • The foundation comes first, then the skyscraper. The decorations come last. The cherry goes on top of the sundae.
    • If I am unaware of an idea, technique or concept, I am always happy to learn. I will take it into consideration and may add it to the course curriculum once I am confident about it and my ability to teach it. Save this for the Q & A sessions. 
  • Commit to Perfect Attendance, Studying Course Material and Daily Practice 

Purpose and Mindset of E-collar Training 

  • NOT TO BE USED AS A “LAST RESORT”
  • NOT TO BE USED AS A “BIGGER STICK”
  • Freedom, Safety and Control 
  • Invisible Leash Pop 
  • Physical Communication, Not Just a Harsher Punishment. 
  • Physically more gentle than a leash but there is a very high risk of physiological damage. Hence, we practice patience and introduce the collar carefully. 
  • It is a magical form of communication (mental telepathy) that allows you to touch the dog from a great distance without a leash. 
  • It often does not need to be painful to be powerful.  
  • Avoids the conflict that often happens with a leash. 
  • Efficiency vs Shortcutting 
  • Not a “shortcut” as in a way to bypass training (see: Top 7 Mistakes)
  • Is more efficient, as in it can get the dog off-leash sooner, with greater reliability, BUT patience and training are still needed for pristine results. 
  • E-collar is a Very Powerful and Advanced Tool
  • Can easily cause more harm than good.
  • It will not make bad dog trainers better; it will only make them worse. 
  • It is dangerous to put high level tools in hands with low level skills. 

Using the Long Line 

  • Rule #1 in dog training: Never Give Unenforceable Commands. 
  • Failure to use the long line is the leading cause of the dog’s failure to respond correctly to the E-collar. 
  • Your dog cannot be disobedient if you don’t say anything…this includes saying something with the E-collar. 
  • Allowing the dog to blow off the E-collar should be avoided as much as possible. There is no tool to save you after this. Don’t screw it up. 

Low Level Conditioning vs Working Levels

  • Done correctly, conditioning with low levels is very helpful for reducing/avoiding the negative side effects that can easily happen with E-collars. (see: Top 7 Mistakes)
  • Low levels, while not painful, can still cause uncertainty, fear, anxiety, depression, confusion, etc. This is commonly seen in YouTube videos due to the current trend of using continuous stim over commands such as “Come” and “Place.” We will ABSOLUTELY NOT be doing this. 
  • Low level conditioning is not meant to enforce commands or stop unwanted behavior. It is merely a gentle method of introducing the dog to electric stimulation in a way that avoids freaking the dog out.
  • You will need to dial up to unpleasant levels (shock)…at some point. The key is to avoid dialing up prematurely. ​​​
  • Working Levels are the levels that actually “work” to get your dog’s attention or interrupt unwanted behaviors in realistic situations. We don’t start with these levels because we don’t know what they are or how the dog will respond emotionally.
  • DIALING UP PREMATURELY IS THE #1 ROOKIE MISTAKE.

Signal vs Punishment 

  • Signal = Teaching the dog that the stim is a signal that means “pay attention” or “look at me.” 
  • Deaf dog training 
  • Pair with rewards to create a positive association. 
  • The stim itself is not a reward but it leads to a reward. 
  • Dogs should be in a normal, happy, engaged state…not acting “weird.” 
  • By creating clarity and a positive association, even after a “zap” the dog should look at you with a smile, anticipating a reward and immediately “bounce back” to a normal state. 
  • Punishment = Teaching the dog to avoid correction (shock) by obeying commands or altering their behavior. 
  • This comes later, first we start with low level conditioning to create a positive signal and get a sense of what levels are appropriate for the dog.   
  • We are NOT teaching the dog to “turn off the pressure” 
  • This is the most common thing I hear coming from YouTubers, Influencers, Content Creators and clients who have been to trainers that have already been improperly “Influenced.” 
  • That whole mindset is something I disagree with for many reasons that we can discuss at length…or you can just take my word for it. 

Belief in Magic vs Collar Wiseness

  • We DO NOT want the dog to be aware of the E-collar transmitter or receiver.
  • Don’t point it at the dog to threaten them, don’t be obvious about using the transmitter (see: Homework)
  • We want the dog to believe in “Telepathy Not Technology”.
  • We want the dog to believe in magic or have the superstitious belief that certain behaviors don’t feel good. 
  • Beware of accidental, unwanted superstitions or confusion 
  • Fear of certain places, dogs, people, etc. 
  • General uncertainty, anxiety, depression, learned helplessness. 

Why E-collar’s Don’t Always Work 

  • Imperceptible: Level too low, collar too loose, contact points not making a connection, dead battery, not turned on. 
  • Ignorable: Level too low, insufficient or improper conditioning, going off of the long line too soon, skipping ahead on distraction levels. 
  • Endurable: The “It’s worth it” factor. Level too low. The dog is so adrenalized and committed to something that even the highest level will not stop them. Late timing. Going off the long line too soon. Dog has practiced and built a tolerance for blowing off the collar. Dog was not trained to a decent level in the first place. The dog doesn’t cooperate well enough with lower level distractions. Someone is trying to “shortcut” the training process.  

Homework

  • Wear Out Your Long Line: Do long line exercises with your dog every day. 
  • Please do not watch or listen to other trainers during this course. (see: Top 7 Mistakes)
  • Too many cooks will spoil the soup. 
  • If you can’t help yourself, and think you have found something good, please share it with me before trying anything. I will be happy to analyze it and explain why we are not doing what they are doing. 
  • Bring your E-collar, long line, treats (human and dog) and notebook to class next week 
  • CHARGE E-COLLAR THE NIGHT BEFORE CLASS!!! 

WEEK 1: Human Training  

Roll Call and Handouts

  • Roll Call 
  • Set Up E-collars: Continuous and Vibration.
  • Take Quiz #1

Shocking Yourself – Finding Your Levels 

  • Find Your Perception Level (noticeable but not painful)
    • What’s the lowest level that you can perceive? May vary slightly so move the collar around a bit and give a range like (8-10)
    • Use Momentary and Continuous stimulation 
  • Find Your Working Level (noticeable when distracted, startling, mildly uncomfortable)
    • What level would be good for getting your attention during everyday activities. What level would you need it to be if it was a super important message that you absolutely don’t want to miss? Might startle you, might sting slightly but not unnecessarily painful. You’re still in a cooperative state but are busy and distracted. Give a range like (12-24) 
  • Find Your Correction Level (negative consequence, unpleasant, slightly painful)
    • What level would be enough to interrupt you if you were not being cooperative because you were doing something interesting or active? Give a range like (30-40)
  • Find Your Punishment Level (painful, aversive)
    • What level would make you stop something you were really committed to doing?
    • What is the MAX you will be willing to take during our Leave It exercises in class today? Give a number like (58) 
  • Take Notes
    • Write these down in your notebook to share with your training partner. 

Name Game – Orientation Reflex (Training Your Human)  

  • Name = Look, Pay Attention. 
    • Does not mean Come. 
    • Put a comma after it.
    • “Rover come” vs “Rover, come!”  
    • “Rover, good boy, come!”
    • Punctuation kills.
    • “Let’s eat Grandma.” vs “Let’s eat, Grandma.”
  • Use the Momentary Button or manually nick the Continuous Button. Do not hold the button. 
  • Demo with a Human Volunteer at Each Phase

Simultaneous Phase

  • Purpose: Less distracting and natural coordination
  • Timing of Stim: Simultaneous with the verbal
  • Timing of Praise: Immediately when their head turns towards you, followed by encouragement and a rewarding event. (treat, high five, compliment, catch, etc.)
  • Level of Stim: Vibration, Perception and Working Levels 
  • Talk To Your Partner 
  • Ask questions, give each other feedback, have fun!

Predictive Phase 

  • Purpose – pager, deaf dog, silent call, collar fluency
  • Timing of Stim: Before the verbal
  • Timing of Praise: Immediately when their head turns towards you, followed by encouragement and a rewarding event. (treat, high five, compliment, catch, etc.)
  • Level of Stim: Vibration, Perception and Working Level 
  • EXERCISE: Silent call from playing a game of catch – humans are being cooperative, just testing their working levels. 
  • Talk To Your Partner 
  • Ask questions, give each other feedback, have fun!

Consequential Phase 

  • Purpose: Once the dog has a fluent understanding of the E-collar, we start using it for enforcement when dogs are distracted or being stubborn.  
  • Humans pretend that they don’t feel it or that they are being stubborn. 
  • Try continuous stim and dialing up to find a good correction level. 
  • Timing of Stim: After failure to respond to verbal command or lower level stim
  • Avoidance training = response to the call avoids correction. 
  • Timing of Praise: Immediately when their head turns towards you, followed by encouragement and a rewarding event. (treat, high five, compliment, catch, etc.)
  • Level of Stim: Working or Correction Level (for some dogs this can also be Vibration) with the assumption that they actually heard you. 
  • This requires making judgement calls when working with dogs. 
  • Did the dog just not hear you, or not feel the lower stim, or is the dog blowing it off? 
  • Is this just a secondary signal or is it a negative consequence? 
  • Talk To Your Partner 
  • Ask questions, give each other feedback, have fun! 

“Leave It!”

  • Purpose: Dog is engaged in or committed to something unwanted or that is causing failure to obey commands. 
  • Correction, avoidance training, real world functionality, safety, lack of micro-management, long term reduction of unwanted behavior. 
  • It is meant to create an avoidance response to the item or behavior, not to you. (See: Common Mistakes)
  • Be the Good Guy, Not the Zapper 
  • “I tried to warn you.” vs “I told you I was going to zap you!” 
  • Verbal is a warning that whatever they are doing or attempting to do will not feel good. 
  • Verbal is not a warning that you are going to shock them, it’s a warning that they are going to get shocked by something else.  
  • Level of Stim: Correction or Punishment Level.
  • Start by doubling the low end of the working range, then double the high end of the working range, then adjust as needed into the correction and punishment levels. DO NOT EXCEED YOUR HUMAN’S MAX LEVEL without consent. 
  • It should be at least mildly aversive; it is a negative consequence. 
  • Timing of Stim: After failure to respond to verbal. 
  • Response to verbal avoids punishment. 
  • Verbal can be removed for stopping unwanted behaviors such as barking or counter-surfing but timing needs to be spot on, in the moment. 
  • Timing of praise: Immediately after they stop whatever they were doing when you said “Leave It”, followed up with encouragement and a rewarding event. (treat, high five, compliment, catch, etc.)
  • Praise may fade as training advances or when stopping certain misbehaviors. 
  •  Talk To Your Partner 
  • Ask questions, give each other feedback, have fun!
  • Leave It Contest 
  • Put money across the room and see if the person will take it. 
  • Continuous button, drop the money or put it in your wallet.

Using Continuous Stim

  • Before Dialing Up: If they don’t respond to a nick you can try holding the continuous button for a second or two rather than dialing up. 
    • DO NOT HOLD THE BUTTON FOR MORE THAN 1-2 SECONDS
  • Long Line: If you are holding the button and the dog doesn’t respond or seems confused, pop the line for clarity and let go of the button. 
  • Do not allow the dog to ignore your voice or the stim. 

Homework 

  • Collar Wiseness Avoidance: have your dog wear the Dummy Collar for several hours every day without it being turned on. 
  • Put it on before walks, before going into the yard, etc. 
  • Just have them wear it but for no more than 6 hours at a time. 
  • Wearing it too long creates sores. 
  • These are not burns but people often think they are. 
  • Please do not use the E-collar on your dog this week. Dummy Collar only. 
  • Wear Out Your Long Line: Name Game with the long line and the E-collar on your dog but TURNED OFF. 
  • Praise at the head turn. 
  • Fitting the Collar: Should be snug and contact points should be on the muscle on the side of the neck, not on the throat. If it is easy to slide around, it is too loose. 
  • Read the owner’s manual completely, play around with the collar on yourself and practice on friends and family. 
  • Please do not watch or listen to any other trainers during this course. 
  • Too many cooks will spoil the soup. 
  • If you do, and think you have found something good, please share it with me before trying anything. I will be happy to analyze it and explain why we are probably not doing what they are doing. (see Common Mistakes)  
  • Bring your E-collar, long line and dog treats to class next week 
  • CHARGE E-COLLAR THE NIGHT BEFORE CLASS!!! 

WEEK 2: Finding Dog’s Perception & Working Levels 

Roll Call 

  • Take roll wearing E-collar, check everyone’s timing: stim and praise.
  • Check Collars: Charged and turned on. Set to momentary, continuous and vibration. 
  • Proper Fit: Should be snug and contact points should be on the muscle on the side of the neck, not on the throat. If it is easy to slide around, it is too loose.  
  • Brush neck on long coat dogs
  • Take Quiz #2

Explore and Settle  

  • Walk dogs around the area on long line, let them explore and settle down
  • Start with zero stim
  • Dogs should be turning to their name, coming, following, eating treats, playing with toys, enjoying affection. If not, E-collar is not the answer. 
  • If a dog is requiring a lot of leash pops or not engaging, we need to lower the distraction level or let them blow off some more energy before continuing.  
  • If your dog is doing well, we will begin adding E-collar stim. 

Name Game (orientation reflex) – Finding Dog’s Perception Level

Simultaneous Phase 

  • Timing of stim: Simultaneous with the verbal and/or long line. 
  • Timing of praise: Immediately when their head turns towards you, followed by encouragement and a rewarding event (affection, treats, play, etc.) or a simple direction change. (Let’s Go)
  • Level of stim: Vibration and/or Perception Levels  

Finding Your Dog’s Perception Levels 

  • Vibration Test 
  • If the response is zero or barely seems to notice, we can start with vibration.
  • If the dog is jumpy, startled or fearful of Vibration then it is too strong, do not use it at this time. 
  • Start with Momentary Stim or Nick of the Continuous button. 
  • DO NOT HOLD CONTINUOUS BUTTON.  
  • Start with level 1-6 looking for very subtle signs of perception. 
  • Stay in the single digits for a while and just assume the dog feels something. 
  • Most dogs can feel it but often don’t show any signs. 
  • Wait for Chad’s assistance before going to double digits. 
  • Use Vibration with dogs that are not afraid of it. 
  • At least we know for sure that they feel Vibration, even if they don’t show it. 
  • Alternate between Vibration and low level stim. 
  • DON’T FORGET TO BREATH 
  • Take breathers in between calling your dog. 
  • Only call every few minutes.
  • Give them time to explore
  • Do more direction changes “Let’s Go” 
  • Allow them to use the whole 50’ feet of leash
  • Use The Long Line
  • If the dog does not respond to the verbal command, pop the long line and the remote simultaneously. 
  • Take Notes: write down your dog’s reactions to the different levels. 

Predictive Phase 

  • Purpose – pager, deaf dog, silent call, collar fluency
  • Timing of Stim: Before the verbal or long line
  • Timing of Praise: Immediately when their head turns towards you, followed by encouragement and a rewarding event. (affection, treats, play) or a simple direction change. (Let’s Go)
  • If their head turns before you say their name, mark and praise without saying their name. 
  • Level of Stim: Vibration, Perception and Working Level 

Finding Your Dog’s Working Level

  • Predictive Timing: Start dialing up, gradually, while looking for obvious signs of feeling the stim. 
  • Neck twitch, ear twitch, eye blink, looking at the ground, etc. 
  • Write these levels in your notepad.
  • DO NOT GO OVER LEVEL 20 – Wait for Chad’s assistance before going over level 20. 
  • If your dog seems to be afraid, nervous, jumps, vocalizes, won’t wander off, sticks by you unnaturally, etc. the level is too high and/or you are calling too often. 
  • Write these levels in your notepad, these are probably going to be your dog’s Correction Levels.  
  • If the dog is distracted by the stim rather than responding by looking at you, use the long line and the stim together. This will provide clarity.  
  • May need to dial down and/or go back to Simultaneous timing. 
  • When in doubt, stop pushing the button and ask for assistance. 

When To Use Continuous Stim

  • If the dog doesn’t respond to a predictive nick, you can try holding the continuous button for a second rather than dialing up. 
  • Hold the button, call the dog’s name, release the button when you see a turn in your direction, praise and begin your reward event. 
  • DO NOT HOLD THE BUTTON FOR MORE THAN 1-2 SECONDS
  • If you are holding the button and the dog doesn’t respond or seems confused, pop the line and let go of the button. 
  • Do not allow the dog to ignore your voice or the stim. 

Homework 

  • DO NOT GO OVER LEVEL 20 THIS WEEK (unless advised by Chad, then do not go over whatever level was advised.)
  • DO NOT USE STIM AROUND DOGS, PEOPLE, TOYS, ETC. 
  • If your dog is interacting with a person, dog, toy, etc. do not use the E-collar.
  • This will be fine later, but for now we need to avoid social superstitions. 
  • Continue having your dog wear the collar several hours a day without pushing the button. 
  • Put the E-collar on at least 30 minutes before pushing the button and leave on for at least 30 minutes after the last time you pushed the button. 
  • Assuming it went well today, practice with low-medium distractions. 
  • Mix it up: don’t stim every time you call
  • LONG LINE: Do not practice without a long line!  
  • When in doubt, stop pushing the button.
  • Remember to let the lesson breathe, not too many reps too close together! 
  • Bring your E-collar, long line and treats to class next week 
  • BRING LEFTOVERS FOR LEAVE IT EXERCISES NEXT WEEK 
  • CHARGE E-COLLAR THE NIGHT BEFORE CLASS!!! 

WEEK 3: Finding Your Dog’s Correction Levels – “Leave It” 

Roll Call

  • Take roll wearing E-collar, check each person’s timing: predictive stim and praise.
  • Check Collars: Charged, turned on, set to momentary, continuous and vibration, proper fit, brush neck on long coat dogs. 
  • Take Quiz #3

Explore and Settle 

  • Walk dogs around the area on long line, let them explore and settle down
  • Practice Name Game with Simultaneous and/or Predictive Timing 

“Leave It!”

  • Purpose: A warning or “stop what you are doing” signal. When the dog is engaged in or committed to something unwanted, or that is causing failure to obey commands, we will use the “Leave It” command and higher levels of stim than when simply calling for the dog’s attention. 
  • Correction, avoidance training, real world functionality, reducing need for E-collar. 
  • It is meant to create an avoidance response to the item or behavior, not to you. (See: Common Mistakes)
  • Be the Good Guy, Not the Zapper 
  • “I tried to warn you.” vs “I told you I was going to zap you!” 
  • Verbal is a warning that whatever they are doing or attempting to do will not feel good. 
  • Verbal is not a warning that you are going to shock them, it’s a warning that they are going to get shocked by something else.  
  • Level of Stim: Correction or Punishment Level.
  • Start by doubling the low end of the working range. If that’s not enough,  double the high end of the working range. Adjust as needed into the punishment levels. 
  • It should be at least mildly aversive because it is a negative consequence. 
  • Timing of Stim: After failure to respond to verbal. 
  • Response to verbal avoids punishment. 
  • Verbal can be removed for stopping unwanted behaviors such as barking or counter-surfing but timing needs to be spot on, in the moment. 
  • Timing of Praise: Immediately when they stop whatever they were doing when you said “Leave It” followed up with encouragement and a rewarding event. (affection, treats, play)
  • Praise and rewards may fade as training advances or when dealing with certain misbehaviors. 

Homework

  • DO NOT STIM DOG AROUND DOGS, PEOPLE, TOYS, ETC. 
  • If your dog is interacting with a person, dog, toy, etc. do not use the E-collar.
  • This will be fine later, but for now we need to avoid social superstitions. 
  • Continue having your dog wear the collar several hours a day without pushing the button. 
  • Put the E-collar on at least 30 minutes before pushing the button and leave on for at least 30 minutes after the last time you pushed the button. 
  • Assuming it went well today, practice with medium-high distractions. 
  • Mix it up: don’t stim every time you call
  • LONG LINE: Do not practice without a long line!  
  • When in doubt, stop pushing the button.
  • Remember to let the lesson breathe, not too many reps too close together! 
  • Bring your E-collar, long line and treats to class next week 
  • CHARGE E-COLLAR THE NIGHT BEFORE CLASS!!! 

WEEK 4: Consequential Phase & Going Off-Leash  

Roll Call

  • Take roll wearing E-collar, check each person’s timing: consequential stim and praise.
  • Check Collars: Charged, turned on, set to momentary, continuous and vibration, proper fit, brush neck on long coat dogs. 
  • Discuss boost settings for E-collar Technologies collars.
  • Take Quiz #4  

Explore and Settle 

  • Walk dogs around the area on long line, let them explore and settle down

Name Game – Consequential Phase 

  • DOG MUST BE FLUENT WITH PREVIOUS PHASES
  • Purpose: Once the dog has a fluent understanding of the E-collar, we start using it for enforcement when dogs are distracted or being stubborn.  
  • Timing of Stim: After failure to respond to verbal command or lower level stim. 
  • Avoidance training = response to the call avoids correction. 
  • Timing of Praise: Immediately when their head turns towards you, followed by encouragement and a rewarding event (affection, treats, play) or a simple direction change. (Let’s Go)
  • Level of Stim: Working or Correction Level (for some dogs this can also be Vibration) with the assumption that they actually heard you. 
  • This requires making judgement calls. 
  • Did the dog just not hear you, or not feel the lower stim, or is the dog blowing it off? 
  • Is this just a secondary signal or is it a negative consequence? 
  • At this point, there should not be a lot of “need” for the E-collar because your dog should be listening well by now…unless they are highly distracted. However, it is a good idea to practice Predictive Stim (silent calls) once in a while, just to make sure your dog stays in tune with the stim. As we get into higher levels of distraction we will most likely use the “Leave It” or “No” command before calling the dog. Either way, if you have called your dog’s Name or given the Leave It command, the E-collar is now there for enforcement…ASSUMING THE DOG RESPONDS APPROPRIATELY TO STIM.  

Release The Hounds – Going Off-Leash: This should be the first time you have used the E-collar without a long line since the class began three weeks ago. If your dog is not responding correctly and consistently to the E-collar, you will still need to use the long line. 

  • Individual Testing: Take one dog at a time into the field and test their off-leash responses to the E-collar. 
  • If responses are stellar, remain off-leash.
  • If responses are less than stellar, go back to the long line. 
  • Pack Walk Testing: Take all dogs for a pack walk around the field and test their responses.  
  • If the individual test was off-leash, remain off-leash. If not, use a long line. 
  • If group test responses are stellar, remain off-leash.
  • If group test responses are less than stellar, go back to the long line.

Don’t Forget Rule #1: Never Give Unenforceable Commands. 

  • Your dog cannot be disobedient if you don’t say anything…this includes saying something with the E-collar. 
  • Allowing the dog to blow off the E-collar should be avoided as much as possible. 
  • There is no shame in using the long line. 
  • Failure to use the long line is the leading cause of the dog’s failure to respond correctly to the E-collar. 

The Boost Setting and Locking Function 

  • Boost: Once you and your dog are getting the hang of things you can set your Boost level. If your collar is set to Momentary and Continuous, the Boost function works by pushing the black and red buttons at the same time. If you set the collar to the Continuous setting, it will make all the buttons provide continuous stim and the red button becomes a Boost. The Boost can be set to add whatever amount of boost you want. 
  • You should have a very good sense of your dog’s levels before doing this. 
  • WARNING: It’s very easy to hit the red button on accident.  
  • Locking: If you feel like you have a stable setting that works most of the time, you can use the locking function by pressing the dial down and holding it for a few seconds. 
  • The Upside: You have your most commonly used Name Game and Leave It settings at your fingertips. 
  • The Downside: You can’t adjust the levels quickly for uncommon situations. 

E-collar Limbo: How low can you go? 

  • Once a dog shows E-collar competence, meaning they will respond to silent stim, see how low you can go.
  • You will probably be surprised at the low levels your dog can feel once they understand it and are tuned into it. 

Advanced E-collar Class: 

  • Off-leash field trips: beaches, hiking trails, lakes, etc. (may not be legal) 
  • E-collar for advanced obedience: off-leash heel, down in motion, down on recall, highly distracted stays and recalls, etc. 
  • E-collar for behavior modification 
  • General off-leash practice and play groups
  • Q & A 
  • Other suggestions? 
  • Please send us an email if you are interested. 

Homework 

  • USE CAUTION WITH STIM AROUND DOGS, PEOPLE, TOYS, ETC. 
  • If your dog is interacting with a person, dog, toy, etc. use caution with the E-collar.
  • This will probably be fine at this point but test the waters with Perception or Low Working Levels, which are less likely to trigger a defensive (fight/flight) reaction. 
  • Continue having your dog wear the collar regularly. 
  • Put the E-collar on at least 30 minutes before pushing the button and leave on for at least 30 minutes after the last time you pushed the button. 
  • Name Game: mix it up, practice predictive timing but don’t stim every time, also practice calling without stim. If the dog doesn’t respond, follow up with a consequential pop with E-collar and/or long line. 
  • Leave It: Practice “Leave It” with random medium-high level distractions, don’t wait until it’s an actual emergency. 
  • LONG LINE: Do not practice without a long line until you are really confident in your dog’s response to the E-collar.   
  • When in doubt, stop pushing the button and contact Chad for help.
  • Remember to let the lesson breathe, not too many reps too close together! 

Thank you very much for taking this course! I hope it was helpful for you. Please stay in touch and keep me posted on your progress. – Chad 

Chad Culp, Certified Dog Trainer, Canine Behavior Consultant and Owner of Thriving Canine.

© Thriving Canine 2022

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