BowHunterFett

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

Mite

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.

Woodline Bucks

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!!

camelcluch

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

sproulman

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

BowHunterFett

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.

Mite

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.

Doc E

"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.



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sproulman

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....

SwampCollie

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.