Dogtra E-Collars Where Do You Start
Posted on 7th January 2023 at 15:11
Knowing What Level To Use With Your Dog!
Many people ask me "How do you know what level to start with"?
This is what I do an it is really not rocket science. Firstly, READ THE INSTRUCTIONS. Next handle the collar, familiarise yourself with every control, what it does and how it works. Use the test light in the box, go up and down the levels and see how the light changes in intensity. Try it on yourself, put the contacts on the soft skin of your wrist or thigh and see what it feels like.
Then when you are familiar with how it all works put the collar on your dog, nice and snug and go let your dog relax. Now when I say relax that could be mooching around the garden and watch from a window but the gold standard is relaxing on a bed or having a snooze. What you don't want is you don't want your dog fixated on you. Now for some people it will come as a shock but your dog gives off body language. If you are used to wattching your dog you can see the minute changes in body language they throw off when on a scent trail etc. But in this case we are looking for smaller changes in body language.
So your dog is wearing the collar, everything is switched on and your dog is relaxed and not fixated. I will ue the 640C pictured to the right as an example. I would have it turned right down to zero and then I will start to go up in 3 degree increments / levels. I watch my dog closely and I will go 3 press the continuous button for a second, no change in body language? So I go 6 press the continuous button, 9 press the continuous button, 12 press the button. I think you can see a pattern here. I am going up in 3 degree increments and I am watching the dog very closely.
What you are looking for?
Basically you are looking for a minute change in your dogs body language. You know how your dogs skin twitches if a fly has landed on them or they shake their head because they have an itchy ear? Well you are looking for something like this. Something very slight that tells you your dog can feel something and it is feeling that something more than once. With my own dog for example who is a Belgian Shepherd with very pointy ears, here ears twitch. That is it! Your dog should not and must not look worried or distressed by the sensation. If it does YOU HAVE GONE TOO FAR!
For illustrations sake let us say your dog showed a change in body language at level 15. It could equally be 6 or 36, every dog is different. Most dogs when mildly distracted will respond to a command within about 5 degrees of this starting level. So if your dog can feel the collar at 15 then I would leave it set between 15 and 20. That way, if your dog is sniffing down a rabbit hole, you call it and it does not respond, then when you press the nick button your dog will feel a sensation akin to being flicked. The flick / nick is enough for your dogs head to come up and at that point you make yourself nice and happy and inviting and the best doggy mummy or daddy in the world and you encourage your dog back into you and you lavish it with rewards, praise and attention and you leave it in no uncertain terms that it is the best dog in the world.
Then, if you can and if it is safe to do so, you let your dog go again and let it enjoy its walk or whatever until you decide you want it's attention again. Now, you may call your dog and it responds withing the flick, in which case it is the best dog in the world. You might have to use the flick, you get your dog back into you and you treat it like the best dog in the world!!!!
We / You do not use these collars as ARSE KICKING DEVICES. They are a training aid to enable your dog to live a happy and fulfilled life off leash.
Tagged as: Dogtra Collars England, Dogtra Collars Scotland, Dogtra Collars UK, Dogtra Collars Wales, Dogtra UK, E-Collar Training, Shock Collars
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