Training Collars

[Amy and Annabelle]

So I finally signed Annabelle up for a group obedience class. She has only had a trainer come to the house and since her training was done over the winter it has all been indoors. We have never used a training collar during those training sessions. With the group class it is requesting a training collar. I am unfamiliar with them. I did do some research and I am not too keen on using a shock or prong collar on my baby. She is a mini and only weighs about 13lbs at 8 months. It sounds like they are leaving the choice of collar up to each person. Is there another option for me? Is one more popular than the other? Thanks

[Gwyndolyn Morasko]

Did they specifically ask you to get an e-collar?  Or did they use the term "training collar" to be generic?  If it is for an e-collar, I would be careful of a group class since you want to do things very carefully with lots of individual training attention for both you and the puppy.  If they meant a generic training collar, they might just mean a chain that you can pull up on during some training moves. 

[Kate, Mel, Tenley & Harper]

If you aren't too keen on using that one, find a different trainer. There are many different ways to train a dog, but what's important is you find one you're comfortable with.

Personally, you couldn't pay me to use a shock, choke, or prong collar on my dog unless there was some serious life/death behavioral issue that warranted it and all other methods had been exhausted.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I would question any instructor who recommends the use of shock collars in an obedience training class for any dog, let alone an eight month old. 

Prong collars are not painful when used correctly, and can actually be less harmful than jewel collars (often mistakenly referred to as "choke chains"). I don;t personally care for them and have never used one, but they are less likely to injure a dog simply because they don;t "choke", they pinch. 

I think you need to clarify what is meant by a "training collar". In most group obedience classes that I have attended, the first class is for owners without the dogs, and the equipment is shown and discussed then. If they are indeed leaving the type of collar up to the owner, you may need to find a different class or a different instructor. "Anything goes" isn't really the way a good, experienced obedience instructor works, lol. 

[Melissa]

I feel sure they don't mean an e-collar or "shock" collar.  We've done a lot of obedience and I love a small prong collar used correctly.  Try one on your arm and they are very gentle.  Our trainers have shown us how properly used it only requires a finger tug, nothing severe.  I don't like choke chains, and I haven't met a modern trainer that uses those.  If your pup is not pushy you can likely use a regular buckle collar.  

We've also been introduced to no-pull harnesses and there were folks training seeing eye dogs who use head collars.  Not something I've tried though.

[Amy and Annabelle]

It is a class through our community. It is Beginner Dog Obedience. The wording for the training collar is "properly fitting training collar(type of collar is dependent on each individual dog)". That is all that is said about the collar. She knows most of what they teach, I mainly just wanted her to be in an organized class with other dogs. She has no doggie friends. When we are on walks and she sees other dogs, she really wants to play. I thought this class would be good for her social skills.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

It sounds like this class is going to teach you to use collar corrections, so you do need a collar that will tighten and release. In the past, I used jewel collars (I hate the term "choke" chain or "choke" collar), but have since learned that a prong collar is in fact safer for many dogs. 

You might ask if a martingale collar is acceptable. Those will tighten if the dog pulls, but they are all soft fabric or nylon and might be more to your liking. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I'll also say that if you are going to class so that your dog gets a chance to play with other dogs, that isn't going to happen, lol. I would be very surprised if they don;t insist that you keep your dog from approaching other dogs and trying to play in class. 

[Adina P]

I doubt they'd use an electronic remote collar as non specifically as that. If everyone has a diff collar, how is the trainer going to have time to teach proper use of each kind?

[Deborah Brown]

I would not subject my puppy to any type of training that requires use of a collar or putting pressure on a pup's neck as a correction.  There are much kinder ways to treat your puppy.  I don't know where you live by try searching for a force free trainer in your area.

I see others here are supportive of collar correction but you need to decide for yourself what type of training to use. Go with your heart.

[Kathy]

If they meant a e-collar they should have made sure you knew what kind, like adjustable intensity or one that has vibration mode on it.  They also should have made sure you got one that fits right.  All of this makes me think they did not mean e-collar or they don't know what they are doing.  I do use an e-collar on my dog but it only goes to medium, she is a large dog, and I use the vibration mode 99% of the time (only using the shock if there is something happening that is dangerous).  Honestly if you have a trainer that knows what they are doing they can be very good.  I have tried it on my skin and it took twice the power we use on my dog before I even felt a buzz.  I know this is unpopular but with my trainer it worked out well.

[Amy and Annabelle]

The trainer that does the class has been doing this class for 20 years, I felt comfortable that he knows what he is doing. Hopefully he does. It was just the whole collar thing that had me confused, since I know nothing about them. But I agree if there are several types of training collars and everyone has something different, how will that work.

Even though she won't be playing with the other dogs, I thought just being around them would be a step in the right direction. Right now she sees a dog on the walking path and wants to play. I want her to learn not to do that. So far me saying no Annabelle is not working when it comes to her wanting to interact with the other dogs. She has selective hearing I think.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

You are right to not want her to do that, lol, and the class should definitely help teach her how to behave when she sees another dog on walks. :)