Buying and Using an Electronic Dog Training Collar  

If you currently own a dog that seems a bit hard to train then you might be considering buying an electronic dog training collar. While the idea of using an electronic collar may be appealing it is important to understand that it is just another method of training your dog. It is not the be all and end all of dog training, but used properly it can deliver very good results when other training methods just don't seem to work.

When you go to buy an electronic dog training collar be aware that you will find several different types that have differences in how they work. The type most people are familiar with is the electronic shock collar, which emits a low voltage charge that gets the dog attention. There are two other types of electric dog collars, one that works by emitting a high pitched sound that the dog finds extremely annoying and the other choice is a citronella collar that works by squirting citronella in front of the dog's nose. Dogs do not particularly like the smell of citronella. No matter which version you choose they all work by getting your dogs attention and annoying it in an unpleasant way. Dogs, much like humans, will do whatever is necessary to avoid these annoyances even if it means obeying their owner.

Using an electronic dog training collar is rather straightforward, but remember, it is only a tool to help you achieve the results you want with your dog. The collar won't train your dog for you; it is a tool that you use to reprimand your dog when it does not obey your commands. For instance when training your dog to sit give the command "sit", push gently but firmly on the lower back which makes your dog assume the sitting position. You must do this several times so the dog understands what you are asking it to do. Only after demonstrating to the dog several times what he is to do with a certain command do you try and give the command without any human intervention, ie pushing his but down. A dog that catches on quick and obeys should be praised and rewarded with a treat. If the dog refuses to obey this is the time to use the electronic collar. After getting your dogs attention with the collar start over by giving the command and pushing his hind end down into the sitting position and repeat the whole process over.

One of the more popular uses for an electronic dog training collar is the invisible fence. By running a thin wire around the outside of your yard the dog that sets off a beeping alarm whenever your dog approaches the property boundaries the dog learns to stay on your property and not wander off. If the dog ignores the beeping and continues to approach the boundary the collar will give a low grade shock that gets his attention. Soon the dog learns to recognize the beeping and what ignoring the warning means. It should be mentioned that while this method works with the majority of dogs if your dog is overly aggressive no amount of beeping, citronella, or electrical shock will keep him from running through an invisible fence boundary.

Using an electronic dog training collar is a good alternative to training a hard to train dog as long as it is used for its intended purpose. This type of dog collar should be used as a training tool that helps modify a dog's behavior. It should never be used as a way to punish or in any way inflict needless pain on a dog. Used correctly chances are you will only need to use it sparingly and before long your dog will learn to obey your commands without it.