Dog Section: Corrections without Electric Collar/Prong Collars?

Question

My dog is 98-99% reliable on recall and obedience. I tell her to "Come" once (sometimes twice if she is distracted in a firmer voice) and and she comes, i can tell her to "Down" when she's metres and metres away and she will blah blah blah however i want to proof her recall up to 100%.

I don't want to use an e-collar or prong collar due to the fact that i have no idea how and when to use one and, also, i haven't seen any prongs in the pet shops within a 2 hour drive from where i live here in Scotland. I don't want to use the e-collar/prong collar because *i* am scared that i will use it incorrectly, doing my dog more harm than good. *i am not against them*.

So far my corrections have been my voice. I didn't use a long line to train my dog recall. If Tess doesn't come back when called she gets a very stern "here"- whether that can be considered a correction i don't know but it's worked for her recall. However i feel the stern "HERE" has only taken us so far and that she may need a harder correction because, as i said, she needs to be told twice to "come" if she is distracted by a bird or someone coming the other way (i always call her back when someone is coming simply because i know and understand some don't like/are scared of dogs) and i want her to "come" the very first time in this situation. So 2 questions:

Does she need a harder correction, then?
What can i use for a correction instead of an e-collar/prong?

*for those of you who are against e-collars/prongs answer if you like but i could care less what you think. Your opinions regarding tools such as e-collars/prongs have nothing to do with my question*

Answer 1

I have the exact same issue with my corgi mix. She's great on her recall, unless there's something really interesting like a bird or another dog running that she can herd. In that case, I have to call her once, she doesn't respond, then I start walking towards her and the little bugger comes running the minute she sees me heading over there. (I swear she can hear my footsteps even though she wants me to think she can't hear my command to come, the little snot...)



What I did:

I got a dog whistle and re-trained her recall with high quality treats (in Charley's case, broiled chicken breast) and two short blasts on the dog whistle. The whistle is the back-up plan. It's not silent, and its pitch carries over barking dogs, waves crashing at the beach, people running around, etc... The sound of it breaks her focus enough for me to get to her brain and get her to come.



Driven working breeds like Border Collies and Corgis sometimes just need to have their focus broken long enough to hear the command.

Answer 2

1

Answer 3

You can never get it up to 100%, because dogs arent perfect.

I'd recommend that you begin to work on some foundation behaviors, like name recognition or "name game." Name game is simply rewarding your dog when they look at you after you say their name. This is the first step in developing a great recall.



Then I'd recommend practicing this around things that move (but not squirrels just yet). Can you roll a ball across the floor or toss an object and still get your dog to look at you? These are the "muscles" that need to be developed to eventually ensure your dog pays attention to you (and your steak) when there is a squirrel in view!

Dogs can sometimes blind us to their weaknesses due to their whole range of skills and winning traits. The dog is at its most imperfect whenever recall issues make the dog very focused on everything, that is, except its master’s voice. How can dog owners use Labrador Training in responding to this possibly harmful habit?



First of all, at the root of getting dogs to respond to recall is food and a familiar sound that gets the dog on their bearings. The first can be achieved by even some signal word that hints of food, but the second can be demonstrated by the following. One trainer claims that whistling every time he sets about doing something good or productive with his lambs is the trick. He whistles before he feeds, he whistles before he does belly rubs, etc. In the end, the result of his mere whistling is that the dogs actually come running.



The following would be another great dog training plan. Visualize the dog park as among you and your dog’s top destinations eventually. Before you both head out to that place, you first need to have your dog 100% reliable in a quiet area. In your practices, make it a point to give a great reward if the dog comes to you, and give a correction if the dog fails (for example, if you are using a long line and practicing progressive recalls, try hitting the end of a line). Some owner respond to an error by grabbing the dogs by the collar, coming back up hauling them to the spot from where the dog was called, while the owner is saying I said Come. Upon coming to the spot, tell the dog Good come followed by a treat.



The point here is that the dog needs to know that in recall commands, away from the master is bad, with you is good and not coming to you ought not to happen. The preceding tip, coupled with treats in case the dog does come, helps the dog in non-distracting environments.



Other things to remember include exercising the dog’s recall through distractions. Lessen the recall distance every time a distraction is added. Once you were able to work on overcoming some mild distractions, try keeping the dog on a leash for a while once you get to the park; yet, even there at the park, it is still up to you if you want a couple more on-leash visits to get the dog comfortable to the idea of playing recall in the park. Practice recalls with rewards every time he gets it right. Make him comfortable and secure in the fact that his returning when you call does not mean that the fun will stop.



Indeed there is hard work ahead, but the dog will get it in the end. Do not forget to have treats with you, although if the dog is quite happy with praise, that will be good too.



Soon, you can actually enjoy letting your dog run off lead in the park, but you will get to enjoy the magic of dog training when you can easily call the dog off distractions in the form of people and other dogs.

Answer 4

My neighbors dogs would get out and jump my fence and attack my dogs. When I saw the neighbors dogs coming, I had seconds to get my dogs back in the house. I found if I could stay calm and use my make a fuss voice my dogs would come running. They didn't know what they had done that was right, they just knew the make a fuss voice meant they were going to get a treat and I gave them a treat when they were safely in the house. You might consider a clicker the next time you are in town and can pop by the pet store. They don't cost much. You click it and give Tess a treat, and click it and give Tess a treat and she learns that the clicking sound means she will get a treat. I would just stick with using the tones of your voice and your commands, but a clicker might help.

Answer 5

i don't know if your dog has had any obedience training but form your answer it sounds rather like a no (sorry if i'm wrong). So i assume he has not - you need to spend a lot of time teaching him who is the leader and training him to perform basic obedience commands. Read here https://tr.im/Oy0xT



To have a dog come to you - if you chase or move towards your dog, he will never come to you and he will see it as a game that you are tring to catch him. Have a yummy treat in your hand (like cooked chicken pieces) and let him know what you have. Once he is coming towards you to get his treat, say Come! and when he reaches you without running away, reward him. You can do this on a leash first, but dont use the command many times in a row as your dog will learn that he doesnt have to obey you the first time you say it.



Another tip is to tie ur dog on the leash, tie your leash to your waist and don't say anything to the dog, just walk anywhere like you normally would, and when the dog starts pulling the other direction, walk the opposite way so he has to learn to follow you. Do this for about 2 weeks as many times per day as you can, the longer the better, and after some time your dog will learn to follow you without the leash too.

are you taking your dog on daily long walks? or is he just in the garden the whole time? dogs need exercise, some more than others and when they have too much energy, you can't train them as they will not listen, so make sure you drain off some of his energy by a longer walk or a game and you can train him after he has calmed down.

Answer 6

I believe she needs a harder correction.



I do not believe you should EVER repeat the command.

When a dog earns a correction by ignoring the first command, never disappoint it by not giving a correction.



I like to say that if my dog was doing the Sunday Crossword and I call it, it better come, there is NO distraction that should cause my dog to blow off my recall.



The way we correct our dogs recall is the following.



We do use long lines, and it is a great exercise to have the line between your legs and when you call "come" have a friend take off with the line. That will encourage your dog to come and of course give a slight collar correction by your friend taking off.



The other correction is that when you recall your dog and it does not come, you calmly walk over to where it is and drag it back to where you recalled it. from.



Set up as many distractions as you can to proof this exercise.



ADD: I do this with a regular choke chain.

Answer 7

Well, i am against e-collars and prongs, but I also have a different suggestion.

There are human collars that spray water or a bad smell instead of a shock. You can research them online or ask about them at a pet store.

Answer 8

y