Lab pup and training collar?
 

How old should a lab pup be before you start training with an electric coller?

RE: Lab pup and training collar?
 

Personally, I don't like using the collar until the pup is aleast six months old. I use it as a reinforment tool, ie. the dog gotta know why he's being corrected which ofcourse means he must know the command he is disobeying. I put it on my dog at nine months but circumstances forced it, if not I would have held off til a year.

It all depends upon the training program your following and the maturity of the dog. Used unwisely, and you can create problems.

RE: Lab pup and training collar?
 

Alot of people think of training collars as a fix it all. The dogs need time and attention, just like kids. If you spend the time with them, you will not need the collars. Collars do make great backup devices after the dogs are already trained. Good Luck!!

RE: Lab pup and training collar?
 

At least 7 months but I wait as much as possible.

RE: Lab pup and training collar?
 

i see no use for collar on LAB..i guess i am OLD SCHOOL..

RE: Lab pup and training collar?
 

Well, I am not an expert at training dogs, this is my first dog. I am sorry if my question is "dumb". I have taken the time to read a couple of training books for lab training, and also talked to many lab owners. I thought I was doing things right by researching this, and they all said to use a collar to reinforce training when they are difficult, and what not. I can't afford to send him to a pro trainer, so I have to train him myself. He is a very smart dog. He was retreiving on his own, no training prior to me picking him up, on the day I got him. In the first 2 days I had him (7 weeks old) I had him trained to sit.He picks stuff up quick, but he gets distracted easy. I don't want to rely on the collar, I'd rather not use one, but everyone I have talked to so far have mentioned using one, so I figured I would ask here. I'd rather not spend the money on one, cause they don't usually give tham away. If you have any good ideas to help me, let me know. I'm new to dog training, let alone a hunting dog.

RE: Lab pup and training collar?
 

I remember back in the early 80's ecollars were rather crude. I was handed one, tri-tronics, but I overcharged it. So, it only had a range 20' and only one setting, zap. I was like 15 years old and running the dog in the park. I was trying to call her and trying to make the ecollar work by continually pressing the button. But ofcourse she didn't listen. Then she ran into range. Zap, and she went straight up into the air. I couldn't stop laughing.

Alot of old-timers don't like using them but then again alot of old-timers will use a switch, bb gun, or whatever. We use to shoot the dog when it ran too far. Didn't hurt them but it would stop them as they would turn around wondering what's moving the grass and the sound would excite them. But every so often we would lose a dog over the horizon and it would hold up everyone's hunting or we'd have to change our plans when a loose dog would run through the field flushing all the birds.

Actually, everytime you press the button on the highest setting, you abuse the dog. It's an extension of your hand as you may reach out a cause pain. That's why everyone says be very careful or the dog can become funny, ie. suddenly aggressive or suddenly very timid. When I use it, generally, just a warning tone will make my dog obey.

I think eventually, the ecollar is going to be common place. Here we have only small spaces to hunt and everyone uses an ecollar so they don't bother other hunters or the dog doesnt go on private property.

RE: Lab pup and training collar?
 

"Age" doesn't have much to do with it. What it does have to do with is how far along the dog is in it's training.



.

RE: Lab pup and training collar?
 

i have yet to see lab that needs a collar..i never saw lab head over horizon..

other dogs i have, beagles,springers,but never LAB..

labs seem to understand hand signals better than most breeds i have seen....

RE: Lab pup and training collar?
 

Yes. Absolutely.

It is plain and simple a reinforcement tool. The dog has to know what that "shock" means. It means the same thing as you saying NO. If the dog does not understand the command SIT, then shocking it and telling it to SIT will not to a damn bit of good, other than make the dog afraid of everything.

I didn't start Dutch (my swamp collie) on the collar until he was over a year old. Mostly because I didn't have one. The trainer who put him through basic retriever obedience and force fetching started to condition him, and I finished the job myself.

If you have been reading about dog training, you have probably heard the writers/trainers talk about obedience drills and training. The importance of which cannot be stressed enough. Once your dog understands what all the commands mean, then you can crack down on him because he knows better.

From what I gather, your dog is still a puppy (less than 6 months), but it sounds more like its still under 12 weeks. Right now...this is a critcal bonding time. Make everything fun. Lots of love, lots of praise. You can start teaching sit, heel, kennel and come...and most importantly teach the dog its name....but leave everything else for later. Once the dog knows its name, and once it accepts being walked on lead...thats the dogs way of saying...ok...I'm ready to start learning Dad. But when they are very young...they want to do what they want to do...and that is usually play, sleep and eat. Thats ok...thats what puppies do. After 12 weeks....most of the bonding is done...and you are usually accepted as the boss. Hardheadedness does happen though.

The collar for Dutch has been great. Most of the time, I could probably just put it on him and not even turn it on. He isn't afraid of it at all. And he knows what a nick is. I really don't have to go above his base level at all to be honest..unless there is a big time distraction like another dog around...then he needs a little bit firmer reminder.

There is nothing wrong with using an e-collar....you just have to recognise what its there for and what you can potentially do to your dog if you abuse it.

RE: Lab pup and training collar?
 

The e-collar is a GREAT tool if used properly. This is used for re-inforcement not for teaching. A e-collar should only be used, once the dog fully understands the commands. Further, it should only be used if and when, the dog understands how to get out of pressure. It is called collar conditioning. Let's say for instance, that you have fully taught the sit command. Then you would start to use a heeling stick to gently tap on the back end, to re-inforce the command. Once the pup has fully learned this, you can start to slip in a lownick on the transmitterwhile saying sit, in place of the heeling stick. Then you move on to heel and then here.Once they know what here means, use a long lead line and tug on it while saying here. Once this has been mastered, start slipping ina fewnicks on the collar. These should NOT be used every time. Just start slipping them in from time to time until the pup gets used to them. Most Field trial or hunt test or pro trained gun dogs start this anywhere from 6 to 7 months old. This also depends on the maturity level of the pup. Peoplewho say the collar is useless, doesn't fully understand it's capabilities whenused properly. Let's say that a dog is blowing you off on a 400 yard blind weather it be in a field trial setting or a dog chasing a crippled bird half way across a swamp. How else are yougoing to correct him or her? If you arein a training set-up, on land, by the time that you sit your dog and you run out there, the dog hasno idea on why it is being corrected. When used properly, it is aninvaluable tool. On the other hand, when not used properly it can ruin a dog. A good rule of thumb is, if you think that you are over doing it with the button, you probably are. Also, the new models are far and away better than those of yesteryear. They have all kinds of stimulation levels, from the faintest to a pretty heavy hit. You need to get a feel foreach individual dog and find out what kind of stimulation it takes to get the response that you are looking for. Start at the bottom and work your way up. Some dogs take very little to get your point across where other take quite a bit.Check out Mike Lardy's dvd onE-Collar conditioning. You can check this video and others out at totalretrievertraining.com. Good luck with your pup.

RE: Lab pup and training collar?
 

i guess i am very fortunate to have lab that does not need a e collar...
i see dogs all over fields with collars and a lot of times the owner is yelling or cursing the dog or collar, i guess..

to me, thats not a way to enjoy a day in woods.....

if i had collar on a dog, a beagle is one i would use it on but only to LOCATE him...

i can go into WILD areas with my lab hunting grouse, hunt until dark and come out in dark,rain or heavy snow and i dont have to look for my dog,he looks for me..

this has to be best hunting dog i ever had and i had over 15 but this is first lab.......

RE: Lab pup and training collar?
 

That's great you don't need an e-collar. A lot of folks who only upland hunt don't need one, because they hunt in close quarters. If you properly do your training for duck hunting or for field trials or hunt test, you will find it an indespenible item. Like when your doing the swim-by training or decheating work, the e-collar when properly used will makea much better trained dog. There are certain aspects to this game where a e-collar is very very beneficial. BUT, it's all in what game that you play. I duck hunt quite a bit, but do more field trials and a few hunt test than anything. My 2 young derby dogs that run AKC field trials, would not be where they are today if it wasn't for the collar. They don't hang there heads in training or pout. They know when they get a correction, #1) What it's for, and #2) How to get out of the pressure by doing the right thing. All of my labs (4) run with one speed, wide open on blinds and marks. They have a great time and really enjoy what they do. All of them have super great training attitudes. The collar has not bothered there desire nor made them collar shy. This is what it is intended to do. It can advance your dog to it's top capibilites when used right and make him a handling machine. There are ways to do this without the collar, but the collar is the fastest and easiest way. Good luck.