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E-collar Training Articles

by Lou Castle

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Working With Puppies - Post #4060
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One of the most difficult challenges in working with the Ecollar is working
with a puppy. Puppies are the hardest because everything is new to them their
distraction level is nothing one second and then at a peak the next. There's
very little in between. Everything is new to them. This makes it very
difficult to find their working level.

They also tend to be highly reactive. They'll try to ignore the stim until
it's impossible for them to do so and then they'll jump and vocalize. I try
to make sure that I can see their faces when I'm pressing the button because
sometimes they'll just change expression or their eyes will blink with every
press, rather than some overt change, such as an ear flick.

Usually after they get bored they'll just lie down. If they're not facing
you, you'll need to move so that you can see their eyes. I suggest that you
lock the Flexi so that it doesn't exert the slight pull of the retracting
spring as you walk around them. Most puppies will have been walked on a
leash before you start the training. If they feel the pull coming from a new
direction they'll probably get up and walk with you. This means new
distractions will pop up as he moves along and you'll have to wait from them
to calm down again.

To find their working level I try to work them someplace that's familiar to
them so that they've explored everything already. Sometimes you have to
stand in one spot for 10-15 minutes before they stop exploring and settle
down.

Sometimes it's impossible to find the pup's working level with the usual
method even though you've followed all of the above advice and have crept up
and down the power levels. He may be one of those that ignore the
stimulation until it's impossible for him to ignore it any longer because
it's gone too high. In those cases I'll set the Ecollar just below the level
where almost all dogs feel it and start the training. On the Dogtra 1200
that's at about the letter "L" of the word "low." On the newer models that's
about the number "20." I'll set the dial about 1/4" below those levels. If
after about ten minutes he's not showing any response to the training, I'll
bump the level up a TINY amount and continue. When he start showing
progress, I've found his level.

It takes great patience to work puppies.


(C) Copyright 2003 Lou Castle

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THREE TYPES OF TRAINING WITH ECOLLARS
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There are three general types of training with the Ecollar.

The first is called "Escape Training." Escape training occurs when the dog
knows that it's his action that makes the stimulation stop. He will perform
faster and faster in order to make the stimulation stop because it's
uncomfortable. It's in his own best interest to do make it stop.

The second is called "Avoidance Training." Avoidance training occurs when
the dog has learned the behavior very well such that he's performing it every
time the command is given. Up until this time every time a command has been
given it's been accompanied by a stimulation, whether or not the dog complies
with it. At this advanced stage of training a command is given but no
stimulation is applied. The dog thinks that he performed so fast that HE
BEAT THE STIMULATION.

This is an example of what I call a "Dog Superstition" that is a part of
early training of dogs with an Ecollar.

You can't see it but right now I'm wearing a medallion around my neck. Do
you know what it does? It keeps tigers away!

Right now you're saying, "Lou you're in Los Angeles. There are no tigers
running around loose there."

I reply, "See it works!!!"

In the same fashion a dog sits so fast that HE BEATS THE STIMULATION. He
turns to the dog next to him and says, "Didja see that? I sat so fast that I
BEAT the stimulation."

The dog next to him says, "You bozo, your owner doesn't even have the TX unit
with him today."

Your dog replies, "See, it works!!!"

The last type of training with the Ecollar is called "The Guidance System."
It can be done with any brand of Ecollar or even a leash and collar for that
matter but the communication is clearest with the Dogtra Ecollar that has
continuously variable levels of stimulation.

In this system the dog is guided into the proper behavior by the variable use
of stimulation. My good friend Donn Yarnall, who founded the LAPD K-9 unit
and was it's head trainer for the next twenty or so years, until he retired,
developed this. He uses the analogy of teaching a dog to walk down the
middle of a street. (NOTE: this is not the object of the training and I
can't think of a reason why you would want a dog to walk down the middle of a
street, IT'S JUST AN ANALOGY. You can think of any behavior that you like as
I describe it.) It's a system of pressure on and pressure off from the
Ecollar.

Imagine that you have released the dog from the middle of a north-south
street. As he moves mostly south he wanders off towards the east curb you
turn up the stimulation on the Ecollar, making it more and more unpleasant as
he moves in that direction. At some point he'll discover that the east curb
is uncomfortable and he'll turn back towards the west as he also continues to
move south. As he does this he moves back towards the center of the street,
where you want him and you gently and slowly turn down the stimulation level
until when he's in the center of the street, where you want him, the
stimulation is turned all the way off.

He'll continue to walk towards the other, west curb as he continues to move
south. As soon as he leaves the centerline you gently turn up the
stimulation, continuing as he moves away from the centerline. He'll soon
figure out that the west curb is also an uncomfortable place and he'll veer
back to the center of the street. As he does you gently turn down the
stimulation a little at a time until, when he's on the centerline, it's off
completely.

He'll probably continue south but this time not so far east, since he'll
remember that moving in that direction brings discomfort. As soon as he
crosses the centerline and is headed towards the curb you'll turn up the
stimulation, reminding him of this. But this time he won't approach the curb
as far as he did the first time.

When he veers back towards the west curb you'll turn down the stimulation
until once again, it's off when he's on the centerline. If he moves towards
either curb line after that, you'll turn up the stimulation reminding him
that the center is the desired behavior.

You are using the "pressure" of the Ecollar stimulation to guide the dog into
the proper place or behavior.

(C) Copyright 2002 Lou Castle

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Dogtra has a video tape called the Guidance System that discusses it.
Regards,
Lou Castle, Los Angeles, CA

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WEANING THE DOG OFF THE ECOLLAR
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Gaining reliability

The reason that dogs don't obey all the time is that they are gamblers.
"Let's see if I can do what I wanna do THIS time!"

I recommend this method to ensure reliability. BTW either a dog is reliable
or he's not. Reliability means 100%. My bottom line is that if the dog is
off leash and he's not wearing the Ecollar you can't give him a correction
and therefore you can't guarantee reliability. Some people don't need
reliability but others, particularly those with Search and Rescue dogs,
Personal Protection dogs or Police Service Dogs; DO need reliability. But
just because you own a pet, rather than a working dog, doesn't mean that you
too, can't have a reliable dog.

When you start training there's a temptation to "Let's see if he's getting
it." That is to give a command and not give a stimulation. Usually, if
you've been following my protocol, the dog WILL perform. But you've just
taught him a valuable lesson, one that will cause you grief later on, even
though it's not apparent now. It just takes one of these "tests" (more
"tests" is worse) to teach the dog this lesson. This lesson is that a
stimulation doesn't always come when the command is given. When this occurs
before the dog has the habit of performing every time, it can end in an
undesirable result, unreliability.


Automatic Corrections

I recommend that people use "automatic corrections" that is they give a
stimulation EVERY time they give a command, even if the dog is in the act of
performing the movement, for the first two months of their training. That
means 60 days of working the dog, not 60 days, elapsed time. At the end of
those 60 days give a command but don't give a stimulation. As long as the
dog performs you're OK. Start a count and if you get to 30 days (of
training, not 30 calendar days) and you haven't had to give a stimulation
because the dog didn't perform, you can remove the Ecollar. But if just once
the dog didn't perform and you had to give him a stimulation along with a
second command, start your count over again.


Restarting Your Count

At some point later on, your dog will gamble. That is he'll be more
interested in doing what he wants to do than obeying your command. When he
does this put the Ecollar back on for a week of automatic stimulations. Then
you can start your 30-day count again.

For those working dogs mentioned above, Search and Rescue dogs, Personal
Protection dogs and Police Service Dogs I recommend that they wear the
Ecollar all the time, when they're deployed. For those dogs we often can't
afford nor have time for a second command.

How Reliable is Reliable Enough?

This is a question that only you can answer. If you don't mind having to
call your dog three times then neither do I. But it's not acceptable for a
police service dog and can cause serious problems with SAR dogs and pets as
well. If it takes three commands to get your dog to sit as he runs toward a
highway, you might find that he sits in the middle of the road.

If you have the dog wear the Ecollar as long as he's outside the home or
whenever he deploys you have the ability to correct him if he doesn't
perform. If the Ecollar is back home, you can't.


(C) Copyright 2002 Lou Castle

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CRITTERING AND DOG TO DOG AGGRESSION
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The technique outlined below works well to stop a dog from chasing unwanted
game, commonly known as "crittering" and for stopping dog to dog aggression.
If you're using it for the second purpose, just substitute a dog that your
dog is aggressive towards for the prey animal. Where the references are made
to "chasing game," "prey," or "prey animal," just substitute the appropriate
language for a dog to dog aggression problem

As with all the other techniques the stimulation level that's used for this
is the dog's working level, that is, where he first perceives the
stimulation.

Many people use a "leave-it" command when they see their dog start to chase
game. The problem with this is that many chases begin out of sight of the
handler. If the handler doesn't see the chase start, he can't give the dog
the command to stop. By the time the handler realizes that his dog is
chasing game, the dog may be out of earshot and won't hear the leave-it
command or the recall.

I use a form of behavior modification so that the dog doesn't even start the
chase. He sees the prey animal, realizes that chasing it is uncomfortable
and just goes back to work. No one, except the dog, even knows that a prey
animal was present.

There are three components to a chase of an animal. The first and least
distracting is the scent of the animal. The dog only knows this if it has
had a chase and makes the association between the chase and the sight of the
animal. The second is the sight of the prey animal. The third is the chase
itself.

If a dog has had a successful chase, that is he has caught and killed a prey
animal that he's chased it may be very difficult to break the dog of chasing
that animal. I'd suggest that if your dog fits into this category you use
the scent of the animal first in the behavior modification scheme. Since
this is relatively rare, I'll cover it last.

First let's discuss the dog that has had a few chases but hasn't as yet made
a kill while doing so. If you've done the recall work properly, you can call
him away from the animal if he sees it or even if he is actively chasing it.


But we want the dog to do the work himself, not in obedience to a command,
for reasons stated earlier.

To do this you'll need a cooperative prey animal. Some are easier to get
than others. Elk and moose are obviously fairly difficult to get but there
are ways around that. A cat works well and they are fairly easy to get. You
can't use the cat that lives with the dog, it has to be one that he'll want
to chase. You can trap a wild one or borrow one from a neighbor. I know
people that have adopted a cat for a day and then have taken him back when
they were done with the training, but I wouldn't advocate that. For a cat I
recommend a leash and a harness unless you know that he'll walk well in just
a collar.


The Process

Imagine yourself on a football field. You're going to need an assistant who
will walk the cat (or other prey animal) back and forth on the "other" 0 -
yard line. You and your dog, wearing a buckle collar and his Ecollar will go
to the other 0 - yard line, 100 yards away. (Actually you can probably start
on the 70 or 80 yard line but this will give extra insurance for those highly
driven prey dogs.)

It's important that your assistant keep the cat moving. A cat that's holding
still may not be of much interest to your dog. Keeping him moving at the
same pace and at the same distance provides a constant distraction to your
dog and makes the training go easier. If the cat stops and starts the
distraction level changes and the training is harder.

You're going to hook a 6' leash up to the D-ring on the buckle collar and
lead the dog back and forth across the field at your own 0-yard line, 100
yards from the cat. Don't give any commands just direct the dog gently with
the leash. You don't want the dog focussed on you and if you give him any
commands that might happen. If the dog doesn't see the cat by himself, have
your assistant make some small noise, a whistle perhaps, to draw the dog's
attention to him and the cat. More than likely at this distance your dog
will not show any interest in the cat. That's perfectly all right.

You're going to walk from sideline to sideline with the dog. Have your
assistant make the noise a couple of times to draw the dog's attention.
Don't have him call the dog's name, just draw the dog's attention.

If the dog shows no interest in the cat, next time you get to one of the
sidelines, walk diagonally across the field; such that when you get to the
other sideline you're at your 10-yard line. That is, you've moved ten yards
closer to the cat. Walk back and forth a couple of times at that distance.
Have your assistant make a noise to draw the dog's attention if he doesn't
notice the cat, just as before.

If you make two passes at the 90-yard distance and the dog doesn't show any
interest in the cat, close in another ten yards, just as before. Walk from
the sideline diagonally across the field so that when you get to the other
sideline, you wind up ten yards closer, at a distance of 80 yards from the
cat.

At some point, as you get closer to the cat the dog will notice him. He'll
give the cat "the stare" that always precedes a chase. He's sizing up the
cat, wondering how much fun the chase will be, how fast he'll have to run,
how long the chase will last, and other doggie thoughts. When you see "the
stare" you're going to press the button on the Ecollar and step back, pulling
the dog away from the cat. Make sure that you step back, keeping the
distance between you and the dog a constant, rather than just pulling him
away from the cat and closing the distance between the dog and you. If you
just pull him towards you, you're reinforcing the recall, not teaching him
not to critter.

As soon as he takes a few steps away from the cat in response to the leash
pressure and looks away from the cat, release the button.

Walk back and forth a few times at that same distance. If the dog gives the
cat "the stare" again, repeat as above. It's very important that you walk
backwards to move the dog, rather than pull the dog towards you. Again, as
he goes with the leash pressure and looks away from the cat, release the
button.

Get closer to the cat as described above, by moving diagonally across the
field. This turns up the distraction level very gently and slowly, allowing
you to control it.

As you get closer the dog will again give the cat "the stare." Repeat as
often as is necessary.

The leash should always be slack for this until you're actually pulling the
dog away from the cat. You'll probably have to coax the dog to get him to
walk, but don't give him any commands. This is between the dog and the cat,
you have no part in this confrontation.

What you're after is getting the dog to think that giving the cat "the stare"
brings discomfort. If your timing and leash manipulation with this is good
you'll probably have to give the dog 5-7 stimulations as you close on the
cat. With most dogs I've been able to get them to walk within 2' - 3' of the
cat on the first time doing this. Some dogs have been able to step over the
cat and ignore him after one session of this.

With some dogs it may take several sessions to get him to see the cat, and
then ignore him for the rest of the session, without it taking any more
stimulations to get this.

A lot of how successful this is depends on the dog's history in chasing prey
animals. If he's had success it just takes more repetitions. It WILL work.


(C) Copyright Lou Castle

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PROOFING THE BEHAVIORS
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Each of the various behaviors (the recall, sit, down, place, etc.) that we
train must be proofed. The basic proofing is similar for all of the
behaviors; it just gets modified in its form slightly. You'll need at least
five dog toys. I use a tennis ball, a Kong, a K-9 Frisbee a large bumper and
a small bumper. Based on what you know of our dog you may already know which
of these toys is his favorite. If not then just toss all of them out at once
and see which one he goes for. That will be "Toy #1." Pick up Toy #1 and
put it away our of sight. Toss out all the toys again and see which one he
goes for now. That will be "Toy #2." Do this with all the toys until you
have them all numbered. Your dog's favorite toy is Toy #1 and his least
favorite is Toy #5.

This is referred to as the "Hierarchy of Toys" and will be used throughout
the training of all the behaviors. Be aware that the hierarchy may change,
it's not engraved in stone. If it does, just renumber your hierarchy.


Proofing the Recall

Before you start to proof the recall the dog should be at the start of what's
called "Velcro Dog." That is he should stick to your leg as if he's Velcro'd
there. When you walk away he should quickly turn to go with you. He may be
in the Heel position if you've been guiding him there. There are varying
degrees of this, the extreme is that the dog pushes into your leg so hard
that he pushes it out from under you as you move it forward as you walk.
You're forced to push the dog away so that he doesn't trip you. It's not
necessary to go that far to get a good recall but it may happen anyway.

To proof the recall you'll need an assistant to throw your Hierarchy of Toys.
You can't do it and handle the dog at the same time. You'll need an open
area with a minimum of distractions. You're gong to be supplying your own in
a carefully graduated method.

Imagine an isosceles triangle (one with two of the sides the same length)
with the base, the side between you and your assistant of about 20 feet. The
other two sides are about 30 feet.

Step One

Your assistant should stand about 20 feet to your right. This allows the dog
who, is going to be in a rough heel position, to see you in his peripheral
vision when he looks at your assistant. Where he stands is important to this
process.

For this training your dog should be on a six-foot leash. Give your dog a
"here" command, even though he's standing by your side. From now until the
end of the proofing, he's required to stand such that he's within one dog
body length of you. For very small dogs a couple of feet is the distance
that he's required to stay within. If he moves from this position you're
going to, at the same time, press and hold down the button and say "Here."
If the dog continues to leave your side, when he hits the end of the leash,
give the command again and guide him back towards you. As soon as he's
affirmatively moving towards you release the button. Guide him back to your
left side, a rough heel position.

Have your assistant get the dog's attention, show him the toy and then throw
Toy #5 the dog's LEAST favorite one, into a high arc so that it lands about
thirty feet in front of both of you. (He'll throw slightly to his left). A
perfect arc has the toy going about 20-30 feet into the air.

If the dog holds his "here" command give him some light praise. Not so much
that he breaks the command, just enough so that he knows he did the right
thing.

Again, have the assistant get the dog's attention and then he'll throw Toy #4
in the same manner as before. Repeat with the rest of the toys, ending with
Toy #1, the dog's favorite.

If the dog breaks and goes to chase one of the toys, have your assistant
retrieve that one and work at that distraction level a couple of times. If
the dog keep breaking the here command, either for one particular toy or any
of them, turn up the stimulation level SLIGHTLY. His perception is clouded
by the distraction and it will feel about the same to him as his "working
level" of stimulation.

If you work through the entire Hierarchy of Toys praise your dog, again, not
so much that he breaks the Here command but enough so that he knows he's done
well.

Step Two

Have your assistant retrieve all the toys and this time he'll stand about 20
feet to your left. This raises the level of distraction very slightly
because now, when your dog looks at the assistant you're NOT in his
peripheral vision and so he gets to do the work without the visual reminder
of your presence/

Have your assistant throw the toys as before, beginning with Toy #5 and
working down to toy #1, your dog's favorite. Your duties are the same. If
he holds the Here command Praise him warmly.

Step Three

This time your assistant will stand 20-30 in front of you. He'll throw the
Hierarchy of Toys in a high arc, directly over your head, so they land about
20-30 feet behind you. At the top of the arc they'll be 15-20 feet over your
head.

This is the hardest for the dog. At some point he'll probably turn his body
to follow the travel of one of the toys. This is OK as long as he stays
within a body length of you (or a couple of feet for a very small dog). But
according to the old saying when a dog's body moves, his mind is free to
follow. If he turns his body to follow a toy's flight, as it goes over his
head, be ready. He's very likely to break on the next toy because it's
closer to his favorite and his body has already moved. If he holds his
position, praise him warmly.

Additional Comments

It's now up to you to take your dog to his favorite distractions and proof
the recall off those. Cats, squirrels, deer, porcupines, skunks the
neighbor's dog. I'd suggest using the Flexi leash for this as it give the
dog the opportunity to leave your side but still gives you the restraint if
he doesn't recall.

As we've been doing all along. Walk along with your dog after having given
him the "Here" command and give him the opportunity to make a mistake. If he
does, do several things at once. Walk directly away from the distraction,
press and hold the button as you guide him back to you with the leash. If
one of the distractions is a dog behind a fence, approach the dog's yard so
that you are on the other side of the street from the dog. As soon as your
dog starts to walk ahead of you and opens up the distance between himself and
you, do an about turn, press and hold the button and guide the dog back to
you with the leash. As soon as he's moving affirmatively towards you,
release the button.

Approach the distraction again and this time you'll probably be able to get
closer. If the dog wanders towards the distraction, repeat as above. Soon,
often in a matter of minutes, you'll be able to walk past the other dog so
that your dog is inches from the fence, and he's ignoring that other dog.

Keep in mind the essence of Ecollar training. Apply the stim and then use
gentle guidance to show the dog how to shut if off.

(C) Copyright 2002 Lou Castle

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THE SIT
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Before we start remember to look for signs that the dog is getting stressed
by the training. If so, end on a success and continue later, after the dog
has calmed down.

Teaching the sit is usually the next step to getting the dog to be "collar
literate." That means that the dog understands that it's his compliance to a
command is what makes the stimulation stop. It means that the dog realizes
that he's in charge of his destiny. HE is the one that controls when the
stimulation stops. Once this is learned, great strides can be made in the
training.

Tools for the Sit

To teach the sit, which also incorporates the sit-at-a-distance and the stay,
you'll need a few pieces of equipment:

1. A six foot leash,
2. A buckle collar that won't slip over the dog's head,
3. Some doggie treats,
4. A piece of rope about 20' long with a bolt snap on each end and
5. An assistant who is either familiar with dog training or can follow
instructions.

Some eye-hand coordination will come in handy but it's not essential. You
can use a correction collar if you don't have a buckle collar but the leash
is going to be used for gentle guidance as before, we don't want the dog to
get a correction.

The Process

Usually the dog will have learned the recall and will be at the "Velcro Dog"
stage. This training will put him back into balance and will shatter the
superstition that he may have, that there is a safe place at the handler's
side. That superstition has only existed for a day or so, so it won't be too
traumatic to the dog.

At one point during this training you're going to do four things at once. I
recommend that you practice this before you actually go do it so you can get
the timing and coordination down perfectly before you start working with the
dog. The four things that you'll do at once are:

1. Say the word "sit."
2. Press the button on the Ecollar.
3. Move the leash straight up over the dog's head to pull him gently into a
sit.
4. And press gently on his hips to push his butt towards the ground.

One more thing you'll practice but it happens a moment later. That's lifting
you finger off the button when the dog's butt hits the ground. It's
important that the dog complete the movement. If you lift your finger off
the button too early he'll think that he's done right when he's only squatted
down, not for the full sit movement.

Practice the entire movement with the test light or the radio noise maker on
the Ecollar. Most of the units come with a test light, but some don't, you
can make one easily.) If you don't have a radio noise maker. Refer to the
appendix)

Put the Ecollar on your dog along with the leash and buckle collar and take
the dog to your training location. You're going to use a bit of food to lure
him into a sit position from a stand. Give the command "sit" and show the
treat to the dog. Then move it slowly back over the top of his head in the
direction that his head moves when he sits. It's back and slightly up.
Don't let him grab the treat out of your hand. If he tries, you can make a
fist so that he can't get to it. When his butt hits the ground give him the
treat and praise him verbally. Make sure that he sits straight, rather than
on one hip. If he's a young puppy, he may not be able to do this so take his
age and bone structure into account. After doing this four to five times
you're ready to add the Ecollar stimulation to the mix.

I prefer to hold the leash and transmitter in my right hand. I put the leash
across my palm and then put the transmitter on top of it, helping to hold the
leash there. Walk the dog around a bit and then stop. If he's had some OB
training, out of habit he may try to sit. Just place your hand in his groin
area to keep him standing. Don't give any commands at this point. After a
few seconds do the four actions described above all at once. Say the word
"sit." Press the button on the Ecollar. Move the leash straight up over the
dog's head to pull him gently into a sit. And press gently on his hips to
push his butt towards the ground. As soon as his butt hits the ground
release the button on the transmitter.

Most dogs will settle into a sit. If he pops right back up that's OK. At
this point in the training "sit" doesn't mean "stay." Some dogs will freeze
up for a moment, resisting the pressure of your hand on their hips. This is
completely normal. Think about your dog's superstition at this moment. He
thinks that as long as he's by you, he's safe. No stimulation occurs as long
as he's there. But suddenly that changes. A little bit of confusion is
normal. Don't worry, it will fade in a few moments.

If he resists, just keep up the pressure of your hand on his hips. You might
move the pressure of the leash from straight up to back a little bit to help
him get into the sit position. Whatever you do, don't release the pressure
on the button until he's in the sit.

Some dogs will try to move away from this spot. They're recalling the
earlier training where, if they moved away from the spot where they were
feeling the stimulation it stopped. You prevent the dog from moving forwards
or backwards with the leash. He can't go to the right because you're in the
way. But he can go to the left. If he does let him go. Don't try to use
your hand on his hips to hold him in position, you'll just make him
uncomfortable. Next time you try to guide him into the sit, go stand so that
on his immediate left is a wall or a fence of some kind. That way he won't
be able to move away from you.

Some dogs will try to rear up to get away from the stimulation. This is also
OK. Gently allow him to come back to the ground but maintain the straight up
leash pressure and the pressure on his hips to guide him into the sit.

When he does go into the sit remember to release the button. It's fine to
give him some praise at this moment as well, but not so much that he forgets
what he's doing.

If he stays in the sit, that's OK too.

If he stays in the sit, give him a release command walk a few feet with him.
Then repeat the 4 actions again, guiding him into the sit. If he's tried to
avoid the sit he'll calm down and soon he'll be going into the sit without
any fuss. Continue to give him the release command, walk him a few steps
(mix up the number of steps that you take) and guide him into the sit again.


A few sits after that you'll discover that as you go to press down on his
hips they "fade away" from beneath you. What's happening is that the dog has
come to understand what's expected of him and is trying to shut off the
stimulation a little faster. CONGRATULATIONS! You've just stepped into
"escape training" which is just about as close to magic as we get in dog
training! This is where the dog performs faster and faster in order to make
the stimulation stop sooner. The dog is self-motivated to shut off the
stimulation.

Next time you tell him to sit you're not going to guide him either with
pressure on his hips or the leash. This time you're only going to do two
things at once, say the word "Sit" and press the button on the Ecollar. Be
prepared for him to hesitate. Your body language is a bit different this
time. A moment ago you were bending over him and touching him. Now you're
just standing there. If he hesitates, guide him with the leash and pressure
on his hips. REMEMBER, if he goes into the sit, release the button as soon
as his butt hits the ground. Next time try the same two actions, press the
button at the same time that you say, "Sit." If he hesitates, guide him,
this time using only the leash. If he doesn't go into the sit, the press on
his hips to guide him.

After a few of these when you say "Sit" and press the button he'll go into
the sit without the guidance. This is a signal to you that he understands
what's expected of him. Now you want to get ten perfect sits in a row
without guidance from you. After each one give him a release command, move
him a few feet and give him the sit command again. If he hesitates or
otherwise doesn't go into the sit, guide him with the leash and pressure on
his hips until he does. If that occurs, start your count to ten, over again.
When you get to ten perfect sits without any guidance praise your dog
heavily. He's done a good job!

Your dog has probably modified his "next to you is the safe spot"
superstition and you're going to make it go away even more with the next
stage of training.

Next you're going to give the dog and leash to your assistant who, hopefully,
has been watching. Your assistant is going to be doing the guiding wit the
leash and pressure on the dog's hips while you give the command and press the
button.

With the dog in a standing position you want to move so that you're about 20'
from him. You're going to press the button on the transmitter at the same
time that you say, "Sit."

Expect that the dog will try to move away from your assistant and towards
you. His new superstition is that as long as he's next to you, he can stop
the stimulation. Your assistant should be prepared to use the leash to stop
the dog from moving towards you. This is part of the guidance. It's
identical to what you did earlier when you started the training.

Your assistant should lift up on the leash gently and at the same time apply
gentle pressure to the dog's hips. As soon as the dog's butt hits the
ground, release the button, turning off the stimulation.

Have your assistant give the dog a release command and move the dog forward a
few feet. Then repeat this. After a few of these your assistant will notice
the same thing that you did, that the dog's hips "fade away" from the
pressure of the gentle guidance. Try about 3-4 more sits with guidance and
then on the next time you give the sit command your assistant shouldn't use
any guidance at all.

REMEMBER to release the button as soon as the dog's butt hits the ground.
You've just broken one superstition and replaced it with another one. Now
the dog understands that If he's "by a person" and gets a sit command, he has
to sit to make the stimulation stop.

You want to get ten perfect sits without your assistant guiding the dog. As
before if sometime during the count the dog needs some guidance, start your
count over.

After ten perfect sits, praise your dog warmly. If he's not stressed, move
to the next step. This will depend on several things. How good your timing
is and how good your assistant is.

Next you're going to take the 20' rope and attach one end to the dog's buckle
collar. The other end will be attached to some immovable object. You can
use a tree, a post, a street light, or anything else you like that the dog
can't uproot.

Attach the rope to the object and lead the dog to the end of the leash.
(Here's a little leash handling trick that will make the training a bit
easier. As you walk to the end of the rope hole it up so that it makes an
inverted "V." Slowly let the dog pull it snug. The idea is not to just let
the dog just hit the end of the rope. If you do that and he's had
conventional training, he'll think he's getting a correction and you want to
avoid that because it may introduce confusion.) You want to walk straight
away from the dog. If you drew a line using the rope as a guide, the line
would point straight at you.

You're going to press the button and say, "Sit" at the same time. More than
likely your dog will try to approach you. His superstition that he has to be
"by a person" makes him want to do that. But he can't because he's backtied.
Expect to see some confusion on his part. Be ready for what you'll probably
have to do. As soon as you see that he's confused, continue to hold the
button down and approach him. As you do, repeat the word, "Sit" over and
over. I've found that the ideal rate is a little faster than one command per
second. As you approach the dog think of using your body to "push" him into
the sit. You're not actually going to do that, but think of doing it. That
will help you assume the body posture that will make it easier for your dog
to sit. KEEP HOLDING DOWN THE BUTTON.

If you get to the dog before he sits, and you probably will, use the rope as
a leash and your hand on his hips and gently guide him into the sit. As soon
as his butt hits the ground, release the button. Praise him lightly verbally
and back up to the 20' distance. Stand there for a moment and then give him
his release command. Don't be surprised if he doesn't move from his sit. If
he doesn't just go to him, praising as you do, so he realizes that he's doing
the right thing and lead him out of the sit. Move him slightly to the side
of where he was sitting and then walk straight away form him. Remember the
thing about not letting the leash pop him. Again you want him to be at the
end of the rope so it's snug between the post and him and you want to be
straight in line with it. If you're off to one side, when he tries to walk
towards you he'll be pulled to one side. If he does, he could learn to take
a few steps to one side before he sits and you don't want that.

Repeat as before. You'll probably have to guide him 3-7 times. Don't forget
to hold the button down and keep repeating the command. After a short time
he'll go into a sit as you're walking towards him. STOP! DON'T APPROACH ANY
FURTHER! You're trying to break the "by a person" superstition. When he
does this REMEMBER, release the button as soon as his butt hits the ground.
Praise him lightly, not so much that he stands up, and back away to your 20'
distance. More than likely, next time you won't have to approach him quite
as close as last time before he sits.

After a few repetitions of this your dog will probably sit without you having
to walk in at all. When he does this praise him warmly and stand your
ground. Don't walk in at all. You'll probably notice that the sit has also
become a "stay" without you having to give any new command. I prefer that
the dog sit until given a release or another command without being given any
further commands.

Wait a few moments and then move him to another location on the same tie out.
Continue until you get ten perfect sits in a row. As before, if he misses
one, start the count over again.

When you get ten perfect sits in a row, praise him extra warmly. Next move
him to a different location and repeat until you get ten perfect sits. Then
move to a few more locations until you get ten perfect sits at each one. Be
sure to mix up the locations and the surfaces. Have him sit-at-a-distance on
grass, on asphalt, on cement, on gravel, on dirt, you get the idea.

As you do these sits, start moving back so you increase the distance from 20'
to 30' to 50' to 100' and more. Mix up these distances, moving in and out so
the dog gets to sit with you at various distances from him.

Don't forget the essence of Ecollar training, press the button, gently guide
the dog and release the button when he's done right.

(C) Copyright 2002 Lou Castle

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THE RECALL
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This chapter assumes that you've already set the Ecollar on the dog's
"working level." Throughout this section I say to use the "continuous
button." But if you've found that it's too high for your dog and he needs
repetitive use of the nick button or the tap mode, that's what you'll use.

Tools for the Recall

To teach the recall, you'll need a few pieces of equipment:

1. A retractable leash, such as a Flexi. I use a 13' model.
2. A buckle collar that won't slip over the dog's head and
3. Some doggie treats to destress the dog, if needed.

Usually the first movement taught to the dog with an Ecollar is the recall.
This is the most requested behavior from pet owners and one of two bombproof
commands that SAR workers need. It is also the command that often cures most
other problems that dogs have such as barking digging, destruction in the
house, etc.

I use a Flexi leash to teach this. Some prefer a longe line but I find that,
especially for beginners at this kind of work, it tends to get tangled up in
the dog's feet and legs and slows down the training immensely.

I clip the Flexi to a non--correction collar, such as a buckle collar that's
snug enough so that the dog can't back out of it. I prefer not to clip into
any kind of a correction collar because I don't want the dog getting a
correction. In this training the leash is just used for gentle guidance. If
a dog has the habit of pulling very hard on the leash and you lack the arm
and hand strength to restrain him, you might consider using a pinch collar at
first.

While the Ecollar strap has a D ring on it I recommend that you NOT clip the
leash into it. If you do you'll pull the contact points to a different place
on the dog's neck every time he pulls on the leash and this could result in
the dog feeling what he may perceive as different levels of stimulation.
This is because different areas on the dog's neck are more or less sensitive
than other areas.

Once the Ecollar is adjusted to the proper tightness and the dog is on the
Flexi you're ready to begin teaching the recall.

I prefer to use a different command than has been used in the past to avoid
confusion to the dog. I usually use "here." But you can use whatever word
you like. This command will only mean "come near me and stay here." It
doesn't mean come to a heel position and it doesn't mean do a come-fore,
where the dog comes to the handler and sits directly in front of him.

It's used to bring the dog towards the handler so that he can check the dog
or do something such as adjust a piece of equipment on the dog, the dog
himself, or to redirect the dog to a new area.

You can train this, or any other behavior, in an area where there are lots of
distractions but it's easier on the dog and handler if you can keep them down
to a dull roar. Take the dog to an area where there is plenty of open space
available. I recommend that you do this during the day so that you can
better see his responses to the stimulation.

Let him wander out to the end of the Flexi and then press the continuous
button. For the purpose of this exercise imagine that you're standing in the
center of a circle whose radius is the length of your Flexi. No matter what
he does, use the leash to gently pull him towards you. How hard do you pull?
About as hard as you'd push on a baby carriage to get and keep it moving.
That is, just hard enough to get the dog to move. As soon as he starts to
walk towards you, that is, he takes 4-5 steps in response to the pulling
pressure of the Flexi, release the button.

More than likely he'll think that the ground over there was hot or that
something bit him (one of those superstitions) and he'll run past you and go
to your other side of that circle that you're standing in the middle of. As
soon as he settles down and is at the end of your Flexi, press and hold the
button again. Gently pull him towards you again. As soon as he takes 4-5
steps towards you, release the button. It may take a few minutes before he
wanders out to the end of the Flexi again. If you stand around for more than
5 minutes and he hasn't gone all the way out, gently walk away from the
direction that he's facing such that you move away so he's at the end of the
Flexi again. Press and hold the button and guide the dog towards you again.
When he's taken those 4-5 steps towards you, release the button.

After a few minutes of this you may find that the dog comes and stands by you
and doesn't wander off again. His superstition at this time is that "out
there" at the end of the Flexi, the ground is "hot." He knows that it's
uncomfortable and he doesn't want to be there. He may think that the center
of the circle and/or near you is a "safe spot." That's OK for right now.

Next you do several things at once. Practice these without the dog
beforehand. I'd suggest that you have someone else hold the Ecollar with the
test light on it so they can tell you if your timing is good or not.
Practice until it is. You're going to turn and walk away, at the same time
pressing the button. It's important that you walk in the opposite direction
from where the dog is looking. Part of this is teaching him to pay attention
to you and walking in another direction from where he's looking will assist
in this. A couple of things may happen. One is that he'll just sit there.
He'll probably show a bit of confusion because what's happening now is in
conflict with the superstition that he's just learned, that the center of the
circle is the safe spot. If you reach the end of the Flexi continue walking
and pressing the button. Remember that you may have to "bounce" on the
button to keep the stimulation going. If you reach the end of the Flexi,
keep walking and pull the dog towards you. As he increases his speed in
response to this, release the button and stop walking. He should get to your
position and stop.

If he continues to walk past you, immediately reverse your direction, and
press the button. If he keeps going in the same direction he was headed
he'll soon reach the end of the Flexi. Be aware that you'll probably have to
bounce on the button so that the timer in the Ecollar doesn't shut off the
stimulation. If you reach the end of the Flexi, use it to pull him towards
you. When he take 4-5 steps towards you in response to the pull, take your
finger off the button. Repeat this until he's turning to move with you every
time you step off. At this time you can introduce the "here" command.

There's nothing magic about the word "here." If your dog has some training
already and responds to the word "come" by coming to you, I suggest that you
use a different word. Otherwise you're liable to cause some confusion.

Now you're going to do several things at the same time. The next time that
you turn and walk away, press the button and say, "Here" at the same time.
Three things happen at once. You turn and walk, you say "here" and you press
the button. The dog should turn and walk with you. If he doesn't, you've
gone a bit too fast. Back up until he's walking with you reliably.

When the dog has started responding to the "here" command I like to guide the
dog onto the my left side because that very quickly turns into a "heel"
command.

How will you know when your first session is done? You'll either have Velcro
dog (that probably won't happen on the first time you try this because you're
timing won't be perfect) or your dog will show you he's had enough. Any
learning, no matter what the method or tool used causes stress in a dog.
You'll notice after 30-40 minutes of work that you dog's tongue is hanging
out and he's panting pretty hard. You haven't run him enough for him to be
this hot. This is stress showing itself. If the dog starts putting his
tongue out to the side of his mouth he's trying extra-hard to cool himself
off. Now is a good time to stop. As with any other type of training end
with a success then reward your dog.

I don't think that a SAR dog needs to learn a perfect heel. I think that a
"walk by the handler on a loose leash" is plenty.

Proofing the Recall

Before you start to proof the recall the dog should be at the start of what's
called "Velcro Dog." That is he should stick to your leg as if he's Velcro'd
there. When you walk away he should quickly turn to go with you. He may be
in the Heel position if you've been guiding him there. There are varying
degrees of this, the extreme is that the dog pushes into your leg so hard
that he pushes it out from under you as you move it forward as you walk.
You're forced to push the dog away so that he doesn't trip you. It's not
necessary to go that far to get a good recall but it may happen anyway.

To proof the recall you'll need an assistant to throw your Hierarchy of Toys.
You can't do it and handle the dog at the same time. You'll need an open
area with a minimum of distractions. You're gong to be supplying your own in
a carefully graduated method.

Imagine an isosceles triangle (one with two of the sides the same length)
with the base, the side between you and your assistant of about 20 feet. The
other two sides are about 30 feet.

Step One

Your assistant should stand about 20 feet to your right. This allows the dog
who, is going to be in a rough heel position, to see you in his peripheral
vision when he looks at your assistant. Where he stands is important to this
process.

For this training your dog should be on a six-foot leash. Give your dog a
"here" command, even though he's standing by your side. From now until the
end of the proofing, he's required to stand such that he's within one dog
body length of you. For very small dogs a couple of feet is the distance
that he's required to stay within. If he moves from this position you're
going to, at the same time, press and hold down the button and say "Here."
If the dog continues to leave your side, when he hits the end of the leash,
give the command again and guide him back towards you. As soon as he's
affirmatively moving towards you release the button. Guide him back to your
left side, a rough heel position.

Have your assistant get the dog's attention, show him the toy and then throw
Toy #5 the dog's LEAST favorite one, into a high arc so that it lands about
thirty feet in front of both of you. (He'll throw slightly to his left). A
perfect arc has the toy going about 20-30 feet into the air.

If the dog holds his "here" command give him some light praise. Not so much
that he breaks the command, just enough so that he knows he did the right
thing.

Again, have the assistant get the dog's attention and then he'll throw Toy #4
in the same manner as before. Repeat with the rest of the toys, ending with
Toy #1, the dog's favorite.

If the dog breaks and goes to chase one of the toys, have your assistant
retrieve that one and work at that distraction level a couple of times. If
the dog keep breaking the here command, either for one particular toy or any
of them, turn up the stimulation level SLIGHTLY. His perception is clouded
by the distraction and it will feel about the same to him as his "working
level" of stimulation.

If you work through the entire Hierarchy of Toys praise your dog, again, not
so much that he breaks the Here command but enough so that he knows he's done
well.

Step Two

Have your assistant retrieve all the toys and this time he'll stand about 20
feet to your left. This raises the level of distraction very slightly
because now, when your dog looks at the assistant you're NOT in his
peripheral vision and so he gets to do the work without the visual reminder
of your presence/

Have your assistant throw the toys as before, beginning with Toy #5 and
working down to toy #1, your dog's favorite. Your duties are the same. If
he holds the Here command Praise him warmly.

Step Three

This time your assistant will stand 20-30 feet in front of you. He'll throw
the Hierarchy of Toys in a high arc, directly over your head, so they land
about 20-30 feet behind you. At the top of the arc they'll be 15-20 feet
over your head.

This is the hardest for the dog. At some point he'll probably turn his body
to follow the travel of one of the toys. This is OK as long as he stays
within a body length of you (or a couple of feet for a very small dog). But
according to the old saying when a dog's body moves, his mind is free to
follow. If he turns his body to follow a toy's flight, as it goes over his
head, be ready. He's very likely to break on the next toy because it's
closer to his favorite and his body has already moved. If he holds his
position, praise him warmly.

Additional Comments

It's now up to you to take your dog to his favorite distractions and proof
the recall off those. Cats, squirrels, deer, porcupines, skunks the
neighbor's dog. I'd suggest using the Flexi leash for this as it give the
dog the opportunity to leave your side but still gives you the restraint if
he doesn't recall.

As we've been doing all along. Walk along with your dog after having given
him the "Here" command and give him the opportunity to make a mistake. If he
does, do several things at once. Walk directly away from the distraction,
press and hold the button as you guide him back to you with the leash. If
one of the distractions is a dog behind a fence, approach the dog's yard so
that you are on the other side of the street from the dog. As soon as your
dog starts to walk ahead of you and opens up the distance between himself and
you, do an about turn, press and hold the button and guide the dog back to
you with the leash. As soon as he's moving affirmatively towards you,
release the button.

Approach the distraction again and this time you'll probably be able to get
closer. If the dog wanders towards the distraction, repeat as above. Soon,
often in a matter of minutes, you'll be able to walk past the other dog so
that your dog is inches from the fence, and he's ignoring that other dog.

Keep in mind the essence of Ecollar training. Apply the stim and then use
gentle guidance to show the dog how to shut if off.

(C) Copyright 2002 Lou Castle

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FITTING THE COLLAR TO THE DOG
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When fitting the Ecollar on the dog it must as high on his neck as it can go,
just beneath his jaw. The strap must also go very high, just behind the
dog's ears. A dog's neck tapers as it joins to his shoulders, that is, it
gets bigger. If the Ecollar is put on too loosely it will fit further down
on his neck. If this is done, when the dog puts his head down as when
sniffing the ground, the Ecollar will move towards the dog's head, loosening
and the contact points won't make good contact with the skin of the dog's
neck. Arcing may occur and this greatly raises the discomfort level of the
stimulation and should be avoided, as it's not repeatable.

The strap must be snug on the dog's neck. If the dog starts to wheeze, the
strap is pulled too tightly. SNUG is the operative word. If the dog shakes
his head (such as when shaking off water) and the box containing the
electronic parts moves to a different position on his neck, it's too loose.
If you can easily grasp the box and move it to another location, it's too
loose. But even if the Ecollar is put on snugly, if it's too low on the
dog's neck, it will slide up and loosen when the dog lowers his head to the
ground.





HOW TO FIND YOUR DOG'S WORKING LEVEL OF STIMULATION
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You want to work the dog at the lowest level of stimulation that he can just
perceive. Put the dog on a leash and take him outside. Let him settle down
so he's not fixated on anything or highly distracted by anything. With some
dogs it may take a few minutes for him to settle down. If he's sniffing the
ground, he's distracted. If he's looking at something and his ears are
standing up (for dogs whose ears do this) he's distracted. When his ears
relax and stick out to the side rather than straight up, he's ready to check
his level.



For the Dogtra Ecollars which have the continuously variable stimulation, set
the dial on "0" and press the button. Hold it down and very slowly turn it
up. After about 5-6 seconds release the button then press and hold it again.
Continue to SLOWLY turn the dial up until you see some sign that the dog is
feeling the stimulation. There are many such signs. One of the most common
is that the dog will sit down and scratch as if a flea is biting him. Some
signs are subtler than that though. They include an ear flick, a quick look
at the ground directly in front of the dog, a pulling back as if a
grasshopper landed on the dog, a rearing up, moving to another place, locking
up (rigidity of the legs). Sometimes all that is noticeable is a furrowing
of the dog's brow.

The technique is just a little bit different for any other brand of Ecollar
because of the different way that the stimulation level is set. For the
TriTronics series of collars that offer continuous stimulation set it on the
lowest level available. Press the button and check for a result. For those
Ecollars that have three buttons that give you a low for one button, medium
for the other and high for both together, press the "low button." If the dog
doesn't respond, go to the next level on the dial and press the "low button."
Use only the "low" button until you find the dog's level. This allows you
to use the medium and high buttons when the dog ignores you later in the
training.

If you use another brand or model of Ecollar you'll have to adapt how they
work to this philosophy and method. The idea is to be able to stimulate the
dog at a very low level, where he just feels it.

You may find that your dog vocalizes and rears up when he gets a stimulation.
There are two reasons that a dog will vocalize with an Ecollar stimulation.
One is that he's in pain. Since I'm using the continuous mode, if this is
the reason that a dog is vocalizing, he'll continue to vocalize as long as I
hold down the button. If this is occurring YOU'RE TOO HIGH. Another reason
that a dog may vocalize is from surprise. Think of yourself sitting in a
theater watching a scary movie. Someone taps you on the shoulder and you
jump and involuntarily make a noise. This is not from being hurt; it's from
being startled. I think that the first reason given for a dog to vocalize is
unfair, especially at the teaching phase of using the Ecollar but the second
reason is acceptable. The dog isn't being hurt; he's just being surprised.

One giveaway that the dog is surprised is that he only vocalizes for an
instant, even though continuous stimulation is being applied. If he was
being hurt, he'd continue to vocalize as long as the button was being held
down because it would continue to hurt. If you're using the nick or tap mode
and the dog vocalizes each time the button is pressed, YOU'RE TOO HIGH.

Be aware that some dogs are just plain vocal and will make noise, "just
because." These dogs will make noise before the Ecollar is put on, while
it's on and after it's taken off. Their noise has nothing to do with the
stimulation since it's not coupled with it. But if the dog starts vocalizing
ONLY when the button is pressed, you may be too high. Keep a close eye on
the dog and if this is happening, back off a bit. You can always go back up.
But also be aware that if you're using the continuous mode he's vocalize
continuously as long as the button is held down as described above.

When the dog shows you that he just perceives the stimulation level, you've
found his working level. This may change slightly up or down. Some dogs
become used to that level and it will need to be shifted up a touch. Some
dogs become sensitized to that level and it will need to be turned down.

You may find that the continuous stimulation button is too intense for your
dog, even just a slight movement from the "off" position of the rheostat.
It's rare but it does happen. If your dog reacts very strongly, usually
shown by constant vocalization and rearing up, you may have to go to the nick
button to work him. This can be done but the communication isn't as
effective. AND you'll have to keep pressing the Nick button while others are
just holding down the Continuous button.

Your dog's working level may change from day to day. You should verify that
it hasn't changed by checking it every time you take him out to work him.
Start out just a bit lower than where you normally work him. Wait till he's
not distracted and press the button. You might find that today, he's working
at that lower level. If he makes no sign that he feels it; you can go back
to his usual level. If he's ignoring you completely, you might need to go a
touch higher.

(C) Copyright 2002 Lou Castle

UnclLou@aol.com

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