E-Collar Training
These are the tools of the trade
E-Collars are without a doubt
the best thing since sliced bread.
E-Collars have been around for a number of years. Bird hunters have been using them to train and control pointers and sitters for as long as this old man can remember. E-Collars have been refined and improved over the years and have now become very popular with most beagle owners.
While most of us obtain E-Collars to break our little hunting buddies from running trash, we soon learn that these collars can and will do much more than stop a deer chase. Any hound wearing an E-Collar is a hound on a long leash. Just as you can get the attention of a hound attached to a six foot leash you can also demand and get a desired response at a great distance from hounds fitted with an E-Collar.
$$$ E-Collars are
not Cheep $$$
Like everything else these days,
to get a good set of collars you will have to turn loose of some bucks.
You may need to have a yard sale or get a second job this summer.
What ever it takes they will be worth it!
SOURCES:
There are several excellent
E-Collars to choose from. You can buy units that have from one to
six collars and come with all kinds of neat and useful features.
New units will come with warranties and some refurbished collars may even
have a limited guarantee.
A good place to explore many
of the major brands is the Collar Clinic.
http://www.collarclinic.com/dog_e-collar_specialists.htm
At the top of their list, you will find the reliable and highly recommended Tri-Tronics collars.
Then come’s my personal favorite,
the Dogtra Collars.
While the Collar Clinic is just
one of many sources for E-Collars, this is a good place to start your research.
You may choose to buy from some other provider or direct from the factory.
You may elect to buy new or refurbished collars. You may even get
a great deal buying a set of used collars from some hunting buddy that
has decided to give up his hounds and take up golf.
What ever you decide, here is few words of advice to consider:
1. Buy the best you can afford. (Remember, money can’t buy you love, but it can get you some fine E-Collars.)
2. If you think you only need one collar, buy two.
3. If you think you need two collars, buy four.
4. Buy collars that have warranties and available repair service.
5. Buy collars with rechargeable batteries that can be replaced by you when needed.
6. Spend lots of money on your wife, just before you order your New E-Collars.
Using E-Collars
I wish I had all the answers to share about how and when to use E-Collars to manage our little hunting buddies. The truth is this is something that you must learn by doing. With a little practice I have been able to learn how to use these collars to keep my hounds in line and move them through the woods with ease. Here are a few commonsense rules that I try to follow:
7. Always make sure that the collar is properly fitted onto each hound. Not too tight, but not to loose either. The unit with the prongs should be under the dog’s neck with the prongs firmly against the dog’s skin.
10. The first time you use the E-Collar on a hound, you may want to have then in an enclosed training pen. You never know how they may react, and you do not want them to take off to parts unknown with your new collar.
11. Young hounds should have had lots of yard training before they are ever introduced to an E-Collar. This way they will know what they should do when and if they get bumped for not responding to a command.
12. Always start off with the lowest power and work your way up the scale until you get the desired results. Some hounds are very sensitive and will not need much of a shock to do your biding. Others will take a little more of the E-Power before they decide to line up. My Dogtra Collars has a scale of 1 to 8 and most of my hounds respond well to a 1 or 2 and then it is just a bump. I never hold it down, unless they are doing something very bad. (Running trash or about to enter a busy road).
13. You may want to use a dummy collar to get your hounds use to wearing it while in their pen. I never have used a dummy collar. I put the E-Collars on my hounds as I take them from their kennels. Once I start a hound using an E-Collar, they wear it every time they hit the woods. Most will continue to wear the E-Collar for two or more years. When I consider them to be trash proof and easy to handle, then and only then are they allowed to hunt with out the collar.
15. I got my first E-Collars, primarily to keep my hounds from running trash but have found that they serve a much greater purpose. I use this fabulous tool to keep my hounds hunting with me and for me. And when the day is over all dogs are there ready to load up.