When we start training, we teach the owner how to utilize a prong collar and an e-collar. Very quickly they realize how much easier training is when they have the appropriate tools and know how to use them. The more training the dog gets, the less the tools are needed on a regular basis. Over time the owner might recognize that they put a prong collar on for a walk, but they don’t hardly ever need to utilize the prong collar to correct the dog on a walk. That is normal. However, what if a person is on a walk with their dog and the dog sees a rabbit take off running. Is the dog going to ignore it, or is the dog going to try and chase it? If there is a chance that the dog is going to chase it, I want to have the appropriate tool to address the dog ignoring me and trying to chase after the rabbit. Things happen fast, sometimes you can’t get ahead of behaviors like lunging, and avoid the lunging from happening.

  

Why do we have a fire extinguisher in our home, if we never have open flames in our home? Well, stuff happens and even though we don’t ever expect a fire to happen in our home, we are going to be prepared just in case. Same thing with using a prong collar every time we put a leash on the dog. We just don’t know when a bad situation is going to happen, we need to be prepared as best as we can.  

When people ask specifically about when they can stop using an e-collar, my answer is when the dog has perfect recall. Very few dogs have a perfect recall. If my dog starts to chase a rabbit while off leash, and I call it back, will the dog stop on a dime and come back to me? If I can honestly say yes, then that is an example of perfect recall. If I had a dog like that, then I would consider having my dog off leash without an e-collar. If I think my dog might come back, or might come back 50% of the time, that isn’t perfect recall, then the e-collar is required. It isn’t about having a good dog or bad dog. It comes down to how much training time are we putting into our dog. 

Perfect recall is only achieved by people that are training all the time with their dogs. If you know anything about dogs for law enforcement, they train constantly. Dog handlers will usually go to training with the dog for upwards of 6-8 weeks, 40 hours a week. After that, they typically are doing some type of training daily or weekly. Those dogs typically have near perfect recall. A major factor is training is constant. One of the things I am starting to notice is law enforcement agencies are utilizing e-collars. Why? It goes to show how hard it is to achieve and maintain perfect recall. The average dog owner is not putting in anywhere near the amount of time it takes to achieve perfect recall.

I understand peoples desire to have a dog that they don’t need to use tools to assist in control of the dog. In a perfect world that would be great to not need a dog on a leash and have full control of the dog, it just isn’t achievable to most people. For the safety of the dog and the human, use the tools, they work great and show that you care about your dog enough to keep them safe.

If you are struggling with things such as jumping on people, pulling on leash, excessive barking, lunging at other dogs, lunging at people, ignoring recall, whining, resource guarding, destroying articles, reactivity, or aggression, the issue resolution for all these issues begins with a strong obedience foundation. If you are in the Olathe, Overland Park, Leadwood, Shawnee, Gardner, Springhill, and Kansas City area, we can help you build a better foundation with your dog. You can fill out the contact form at https://wwwkcdogtraining.com or by calling 913-708-3260.