Caring for a dog involves more than just buying him food and feeding him once a day. A dog requires love, attention, playtime, and, depending on the dog, training to enforce good behaviors. E collars are a viable way to train your dog so that he not only exhibits these good behaviors, but is also safe from harm. However, there are several things that you should avoid doing if you’re thinking about implementing a training collar into your dog’s training routine and several things that you should do.
Do Purchase a Collar that Complements the Needs of Your Dog
There are many types of training collars for dogs out there. However, the two most common are obedience collars and bark collars. A barking collar has essentially one main function, to stop your dog from barking, especially if he does so incessantly. An obedience collar, otherwise known as an e-collar, works with the assistance of a handheld device that has a button the owner can push whenever the dog acts out of order. Think about the needs of your dog and which type of collar will be right for him before you make the purchase.
Don’t Cause Your Dog to Fear the Training Device
If you don’t use the e-collar properly, your dog may come to fear you whenever you bring out the handheld device. It doesn’t take dogs very long to realize the connection between the handheld device and the slight shock or sensation they feel shortly after. If you aren’t careful, the dog will soon lose this connection between the handheld device and the sensation and then connect the reaction with their owner. To avoid this, do your best to never bring out the handheld device where your dog can see when a shock is delivered.
Don’t Use Your Dog’s Leash with the Collar
A training collar is simply that, a training device. Because of this, it’s important that you don’t use your training collar in conjunction with a leash. These collars are designed to help your dog learn to behave when they are on their own. When a leash is being used at the same time, the owner is part of the equation, reducing the dog’s ability to learn on their own. In addition to this, using a leash and a training collar at the same time may not be safe and cause harm to your dog.
Don’t Purchase a Collar Before You Have a Dog
One mistake that many dog owners make is buying a training collar before they even have a dog. Although stocking up on other dog items before the dog arrives, like food and toys, is a good idea, purchasing a training collar before may not be the right way to go. The reason for this is due to the fact that the breed of the dog in addition to the training style of the owner should be the two biggest factors that determine what type of training collar is necessary for the dog.
By familiarizing yourself with these do’ and don’ts, you will find that your dog’s training collar becomes a source of positive reinforcement that deters your dog from engaging in negative behaviors.
