Shock Collar?

[REDBOAT]

I'm having some trouble getting Mudge back when he gets away from me. thinking of getting a shock collar to help slow him down.. anyone use these? pro? cons?

[splitshot]

I've had good experience with them, but it does depend on the dog. I live on a busy highway and coming when called is a must. It only took two "corrections" with my daughter's blue heeler and he comes every time I call now (that's with no collar). I have used them on several others with very good results. You MUST use it along with a training program though, and not as a punishing tool. Anything Tritronics brand is good. Get one that has a beeper also. Also get one that has adjustable settings. Many dogs only require the lowest setting.

I pop myself with it to get a "feel" for the settings. I can tell from your posts that you care about your dog! Good luck!

[brhunt]

If used correctly, they can be very helpfull......Do Not over use one! I would also recomend one with a "tone" option. Had many dogs that only had to be corrected once and the tone done the job after that just as a reminder. I highly recomend Tri-Tronics.

[REDBOAT]

Thanks! He's my buddy for sure! He's just big AND at that age where he's hard headed... Last night we came back from our walk and there was a cat on my boat.. Well I was not paying attention and he got away from me... when he does this he'll end up coming back shortly but he'll sit down at the end of the driveway.. if you approach he'll get up and maintain about 20 yards distance... This will go on for hours..

[ncnat]

All good advise and I'll have to agree with the Tritonics. I used mine to teach my dog that no meant no. After that no would correct any bad behavior with out any stimulant.

[Frank C]

get a tritronics or dogtra. you have to condition your dog and see what his tollerances are start on low . i would put collar on dog and use a long rope let him run arround call or use a whistle to call him in and use rope to get him to come then repeat and give him a nick with the collar ( not on continous ) . keep repeating this training only using collar once every 5 times you call him in. I would use the whistle to train that way i does not matter who calls him in it will be the whistle he is coming to.

[crappiefarmer]

My Cell phone is my shock collar and My wife uses it quite often. Is very affective too unfortunately.CF

[buzzbait]

I purchased Invisible Fence Brand from a company out of Raleigh. Put the flags up and took her to each one. I think she got zapped 1 or 2 times. Long story short I don't even keep the collar on her anymore. I can take the flags with us when we go camping and she will not go pass them. I don't think he is to old to train. Just don't make him mad. I would hate for him to end up on top of you. I know how big he is.

BUZZZZ

[Whompus Cat]

train the dog, without treats. use praising for a reward. start out making him sit, start out short periods of time, and extend the time period as you work with him/her. then move on to a 25' leash ( a piece of rope will work). make the dog sit, step back a few feet and give the command to heel or come. gently tug on the lead and praise the dog once it gets to you. back up further each time. once the dog is doing good at 25' start training without the lead.

Once the dog will sit and come, work on "heeling" use a choke chain, keep it high on the neck right behind their ears. Pace around the yard saying heel and keep it's head at your waist. Just a gentle tug on the choke chain will pinch a pressure point if the chain is high on the neck. Use a 4' stick or pole to tap the dog on the rear to get it to line up with you. Dont let the dog get ahead and keep im right beside you. Work every day for no more than 20 minutes at a time. In two or three months there will be no need for a shock collar. It takes a little effort but it's very rewarding when you can take your dog anywhere and not have to worry about it messing up or gettin killed. I could tell my dog to sit, go to the store and come back and he'll be in the same spot I left him. If I take him somewhere I use a 6' leash and he'll stay right beside me with no pulling and acting up.

If a shock collar isn't used properly it can make the dog worse. You really need to have a dog trained before a shock collar will even work to begin with.

[FishCrazy]

Long time ago I had a Irish Setter that was very high strung if you kno wwhat I mean. That dog just loved to run. The only thing that she loved more than running was riding in the car. If you let her out in the morning to do her buisness then she just did not want to come back to you. She did like her freedom. Mudge sitting at the end of the driveway reminded me of that dog. She would just sit and look at you from a distance but would not come for love or money. But if you open the car door she would be in that car before you could hardly blink. Try it if mudge likes to go for a ride. It may just work for you till you get him trained.