We were to the point of thinking about giving Achilles away, because we couldn’t take him for walks without fighting with him the whole time, he wasn’t aloud outside by himself because he would run right over to the neighbors house, and ignore us when we call him back. We would have to put him in his crate before we have guests because he would jump up, and be constantly at them, among other issues.
Then we thought what if we had a child that wasn’t doing what he was told and acted like he ruled the house would we give him away too? We began to look for an alternative solution.
After the first 10-15 min in the intro class, Duke Ferguson from Unleashed Potential K9 worked with Achilles.
We could not believe the difference, he wasn’t pulling on the leash, he was paying attention to what was going on, he was obeying commands. By the end of the session, Achilles would come and sit when told by us and the three kids. Now at home, he stays beside me when working him, comes and sits when told and he lays down when told. This is only since our first lesson.
For the first time in months we are happy to have a dog, we enjoy working with him and seeing the changes and it has only been two days so far.
E-collars. FROM OLD SCHOOL PUNISHMENT TO A MODERN DAY COMMUNICATOR.
Sadly, there is too much controversy about e-collars, remote collars, shock collars….what ever you want to call them in the dog training world.
E collar haters say they are inhumane and abusive and that they send a jolt through the whole body of the dog. Some say the dogs only work because they are scared to be shocked. There are a few blogs and websites that bash e collars and make them scary to others but the fact is most of these people have never felt one and don’t have any idea what they are really talking about. Then there are some of the videos of idiots turning collars wide open like something you would see on the movie Jackass and stimulating themselves wide open? There are too many people who view an e collar as the last resort to any training IF they were to use one.
Because of the lack of education and knowledge about e collars, I feel this ignorant way of thinking comes from way back in the days of e- collar use when the technology was poor and the use was quite harsh. Many years ago in the beginning days of e collars there was only one level possibly 2 or 3. They were meant for 1 thing. STOP the dog. ZAP!!
People need to wake up and realize that technological advances have made leaps and bounds since those days and things are different now.
When you go to physiotherapy and they put a tens machine on you or a muscle stimulator, are they brutally shocking you? NO! Are you scared and in pain? NO! In fact its just the opposite and there are medical benefits and pain relief in the application. The thing is, the therapist is using the tool properly. Can the Tens machine be unpleasant? Sure! If the person using it does not know what they are doing?
It is time to stop being so narrow minded in the thinking that a remote collar can ONLY be used as a tool of punishment or correction, this is simply not the case
The problem I see today, with an e collar is that to many people can buy one with absolutely no idea how to use or apply it. This becomes a problem created by the uneducated handler and does not mean the tool is bad or inhumane.
With today’s modern e collars there are many different levels of stimulation that gives us many options when training just like a tens only not as strong.
Do you realize now we can use a the remote collar gently as a prompt or a cue for attention? Its true!! Just like tapping someone gently on the shoulder. The physical touch of the collar tap is very effective to break through distraction and re direct attention when the dog has focused his attention somewhere else, and yes of course when the dog redirects the attention back to the handler you can give positive reinforcement with a treat. The collar tap does not have to be a high level stimulation in order to work.
The only thing I see that makes this so hard to understand amongst trainers is personal emotional feelings and narrow mindedness. This is very Sad!!
I have trained all over North America training with many different dog trainers and have gone to many professional training schools that teach the complete opposite theory and I see dog trainers disagree and argue on topics way to often. It gets very hard on the head after a while.
Take a Clicker trainer, a traditional leash trainer and a e collar trainer that are set in their ways and put them in a room together. Ive been in this position before and it is stressful to say the least. They do not agree on very much at all and what they fail to see is that they all have pros and cons to their methods if used narrow-mindedly. They are not wrong they are just limiting their ability. In today’s society, IN THE REAL WORLD, trainers need to open up their minds to understand each other and to learn to use a balance of both positive and negative motivation. We seem to fear what we don’t understand so to better ourselves open the mind and get educated.
Here are some links to a couple of videos in relation to this blog post
All comments welcome
Duke Ferguson, ABCDT, CMT. Owner of Unleashed Potential K9 Academy.
We have Dog Trainers currently serving All of PEI, Halifax ,Nova Scotia,
Duke,
I just wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for all your help. When I came to you my 2 shih tzus (Tanner 6 and Cooper 2) were running my house. I was at my wits end!!! They barked constantly(especially when people came to the door), jumped all over people, pulled on the leash during walks, 1 had aggression issues and barked and nipped us when he wanted to play. Life at home was not pleasant at all.
You were my last hope for these dogs and I put off calling you because if it didn’t work the dogs probably had to go!! I had been to obedience class with my oldest dog Tanner and he graduated top of the class. He was perfect in class but when we got home he turned into a nightmare again. I also tried choke chains, prong collars and no pull harnesses… none worked and I felt horrible using them.
Then you arrived on my doorstep and changed our lives. Within the first 10 minutes the dogs had their collars on they were healing loose leash and staying while one of your dogs ran in front of them… I was amazed and even had a tear of relief in my eye.
It has now been 9 months since we started training and we have been doing great. We have had a few bumps along the way but each time I would e-mail you and most times within minutes you replied with a new idea for me to try or corrected what I was doing wrong. That to me is the best part. You are always there with ideas, support and help. The dogs and I love going to group class, it is so much fun!!
Now in the morning when I get the collars out both dogs are sitting at my feet with tails wagging. For anyone that thinks the collars are cruel, my dogs now get to go places they never could before, walk without coughing and gagging from pulling, enjoy having company instead of wanting to eat them, play outside off leash and get lots of exercise and are SO loved!! When we are put walking people constantly comment on what good dogs I have.
Duke, we are SO lucky to have you living in P.E.I. I have total faith in you and thank you from the bottom of my heart. To anyone thinking of training with Duke…. DO IT you won’t regret it!!!
Thanks again Tracy MacKay and Tanner and Cooper
