Training Collars

As i have a 11week old GSD x Inuit i am now wanting to start proper training, i.e. stay,down,leave etc and was looking at various collars which say they help, i also watched Don Sullivan's the perfect dog http://www.thane.com/products/promos...ccessories.php

And seen him use his Command Collar to good effect, what do other think of this way of training. I bought a Half Check Collar but haven't used this yet.

I don't like the look of the Pronged Collars so i won't be going there, and don't know if a choker is good or harming the dog..?

Obviously the idea is to fully train the dog so she can have more freedom.

I know alot say about using treats to reward dogs and i have done some of this myself, but what about the part or letting your dog know she has done wrong, what is the correct way of doing this during training.

Thanks for any advice.

I agree that prong collars are not the way to go. Nor a choke collar.

You can easily let your dog know when they are 'wrong' simply by a verbal 'reprimand'. A firm 'no' or 'ah ah' will suffice.

I have an extremely big, strong, excitable Labrador and when I adopted him he was bouncy to say the least. The only training collar I use is a headcollar which allows me to remain in control and then reward for calm behaviour.



RE YOUR LINK


Is this 'command collar' a shock collar...???

I tried to read through all the babble on that site but frankly gave up as there is so much of it! All it keeps saying is that this collar 'emulates the mother's natural corrective process' etc etc. But by doing what precisely???

You do not need any special collar to train your dog - try clicker training instead, it can work wonders.

I also recommend the wonderful book THE CULTURE CLASH by Jean Donaldson.


edited to add

OK apparently not a shock collar. Nevertheless, I do not agree that any dog, however well behaved, should be off leash around busy roads full of cars.

In my humble opinion, this trainer is highly irresponsible for promoting the walking of dogs OFF leash near busy roads etc.

No it's not a shock collar it's one where you pull down in a small jerking motion and it acts like the pronged collar but without the metal progs and is plastic.

Rule of thumb, even by the most aversive trainers, used to be to never use aversives on dogs under six months old.

Nowadays that goes further and the more advanced (IMHO) trainers now realise that there is NEVER a need for physical aversives to be used.

The collar (from the very scant information given about it) looks to be no more nor less than a plastic pinch collar so a physical aversive would be applied every time the lead was taught if my thinking on it is correct.

My advice would be to find a good training class in your area that utilises reward-based training. You'll very quickly have a well trained, well behaved dog.

The collar uses pain to control the dog & is a variation on the pinch collar, however it is not used in the same way a pinch collar is. I certainly would not use any of this TV trainer's methods or"tools"

What is wrong with a normal collar for your dog & using a clicker & treats to train your puppy. Anyone who needs to use a punishment collar on a young puppy, shouldn't even have a dog.

Reward based training sets the dog up to succeed & rewards good/acceptable behaviour, using a clicker makes the dog use it's brain to work out what behaviour is acceptable. No need for punishment

Google Karen Pryor for lots of clicker advice & help with getting started

Sorry but I really think this collar is a gimmick. And with such a young puppy no way should you be jerking on its neck or 'correcting' as the site you link to suggests.

It's clear on the site you've linked to that this 'trainer' frowns upon positive methods and all he bangs on about is 'respect'. He seems to be from the Cesar Milan school of thought - but more vague and deceitful about what he's actually doing.

Honestly, find yourself a good training class, and read up about clicker training and other positive methods.

The best trainers and the best trained dogs do not NEED collars to be trained. There is no need for any special collar to train a dog of any breed. I know many Ob Ch, WT Ch, Ag Ch, FT Ch who have no need of a "training collar"

Many of us do the vast majority of our training "hands free"

The opposite of positive reinforcement is not punishment but non reward!

Dogs do not know right from wrong, and the reason the majority of dogs get punished (wrongly) is a) because they have been insufficiently trained and/or b) they are confused because their trainer is not consistent.

Dogs only do what works, so it is up to us to demonstrate what does by reinforcing what we want and ignoring what we don't!

Well thats why i asked here before doing anything really as i want to get it right and not do anything that is wrong. As i have never trained a dog before and want it to be rewarding for both of us, as i am really excited about the training and so far we've had so much fun, So thanks for all your advice and i will continue with treat/reward training. And will chek out some local trainers.

Great that you're having so much fun with it - sounds like you are doing a fab job so far

Try the book 'The Culture Clash' by Jean Donaldson - there are some great training ideas and exercises in it, really helpful!

Let us know how you get on and do you have any pics of your dog? I'm sure we'd all love to see them

Thanks i will have a look for the books and info posted, i have posted some pics in the my dogs pictures section about 2 weeks ago, but i will update them with more that i now have in the next day or 2.