[piscator]

I'm a dog trainer and I hate this topic!

E-collars are great when used properly. If the dog shows anything more than an ear twitch while it's being used, you're doing it wrong. If the animal winces, noticeably, you're REALLY doing it wrong. The goal is training, not discipline. Using the collar at any higher level defeats the purpose and only makes the dog rebellious. As it would you!

The e-collar is a training tool, NOT a discipline tool. It's a stimulus, like a treat, clicker, praise, whistle, etc. Theoretically, all stimuli are potentially equal in training, (See B.F. Skinner, Pavlov). In practice, different dogs respond to different stimuli. For example, many dogs are praise oriented but not food motivated. Some are oriented to toys. The key is to find the stimulus that works best with a particular dog.

A very effective method is to 'stack stimuli' that is use more than one in a given instance. Teaching a dog 'recall' (come back to me) I put the dog on a twenty foot lead, back up twenty feet and -- call the dog -- that's stimulus #1. Simultaneously, I activate the e-collar (set so he feels it as no more than a nudge) that's stimulus #2 I may have to give a brief tug of the lead, stimulus #3. And of course, treat and praise when the dog follows the command successfully, that's stimulus #4 and #5.

With difficult behavors, particularly with sporting dogs, the e-collar is a God-send and sometimes the only thing that works. It has to be used correctly.

Also, different tools need to be used in different settings. Clickers mark a moment in time for the dog and are great for agility training. They don't work well when the dog is 100 feet away. And yet, I still know trainers that swear clickers are the 'only' way... sheeesh!,

Keep in mind that proper training is essential for the health of the dog and the people around it. The e-collar can be very important to insuring all parties well-being.

Lastly, the budget e- collars typically found in big box pet stores are worse than using no collar at all. DON'T buy one. They are imprecise, making them FAR more susceptible to being turned up too high and banging the dog with voltage. Defeats the purpose. Best by far are the Garmin products. I have no relationship to this website, but these folks are great:

gundogsupply.com

Good luck, Robert