Would someone with experience please give me some advise on using a shock collar on our dog?

My first piece of advice is to use a shock collar that has the option of a 'warning beep'. It is a button on the owner's remote that will make the collar give an audible beeping noise when pushed. Before you shock the dog, press the beep button while saying your command. The goal of this is that the dog will hear the beep, which will get his attention, and he will then associate it with the command you are giving him. If the beep fails to get the dogs attention, you then shock the dog. Use the same series of steps everytime you use the shock collar. Beep and command, then shock if needed. Eventually, the dog should not need the shock as it will associate the beep with the unpleasant result. When the dog listens and gives the appropriate behavior, even after the shock, praise should always be given. This is so that you counter the negative outcome of the shock and reward the behavior you want the dog to repeat. It is also important that your dog not be allowed to wander on his own, especially until he comes when called. A tip to keep your dog in the yard incorporates a bit of leash training as well. Put your dog on his leash and walk him along his boundaries. After a few laps, praise the dog. This will show him where he is allowed to go without you. Be sure if you take him beyond this point, that you are with the dog and he has your permission to wander around a bit'. This is how we trained all or our dogs while I was growing up and it worked everytime, especially with our hunting dogs.

It is also important that you don't get frustrated when training your dog. If you stay calm and assertive, you appear as more of an authority figure and your dog will listen to you better because they perceive you as the alpha dog. Getting aggravative, yelling unnecessary at the dog, or flailing arms in frustration confuse the dog, make the dog anxious and therefore adds distraction from the desired behavior.

Now, some information on the shocking aspect. Some people say that using a shock collar is inhumane, but this is only if misused. You should never use the shock collar as a punishment, but rather an attention getting tool. This means that you need to carefully set the shock to the right level. The effect on your dog should be noticeable in the sense that you can tell something got their attention. However, the shock should never be set so high that the dog pulls his ears back, tucks his tail in fear (slight tail tucking may occur in some dogs as this is a sign of submission as well) and the dog should never yelp in pain.

If you have any other questions you can email me at bodab8231@gmail.com. Good luck!

I read this question awhile ago but read it from my phone and wanted to answer this on the computer instead. First I think it is GREAT that you rescued a dog from a shelter. You don't state how long you have owned the dog for though, which I think is pretty important before you use a shock collar. All dogs in a new home take at least 6 weeks to adjust and to get to know their true personality. I do believe shock collars work if used properly and for the right reasons. I am not sure a Dobie should be shocked for the two reasons you are stating. They are bred to protect and with that we have bred them to bark. Ultimately what you will be doing is shocking him for something us humans bred him to do. I understand that you had 4 others that did not behave this way but who knows what he was taught previous to you. I would suggest that when he is outside and barking out of control to bring him immediately back in the house. You will have to be very consistent and you will need to do it right away not let him bark for 10 minutes and than bring him inside. If he is inside barking spray him with a water bottle and tell him NO bark or quite. If you do this for at least 30 days I think you will see a huge improvement. As far as using a shock collar for him to come when called it will NEVER work. He will learn to associate that shock with your voice and he will learn to go the opposite way. I would get a lead that is very long and attach it to him. Have small treats or whatever motivates him. (It can be a toy or pet) Start out letting him go a bit out in the yard and say come. When he comes reward immediately if he does not come you pull him in and reward. As he gets better and understands what you want let him go further and recall him. If you practice everyday he will learn his recall. Whatever you do don't use come and punishment at the same time. Don't even say come in an angry tone or you will not be able to teach him this command. Dobies are smart dogs and although stubborn it will not take long if you commit to training him.

Dr. Bruce Fogle states that "canine punishment should be to reveal your power, not inflict pain". That's the way punishment is seen in the dog's mind. A shock collar should only be used for the most serious dog crimes such as sheep chasing.

If you are not experienced and are unsure about how to use a shock collar then DON`T.

You could do more harm than good by using it without any prior experience.

They are for the experts to use on Red Zone cases.

Training is the answer in cases like yours and I would find a good trainer and put in some needed work on this dog.

At 4 years old he has probably picked up some bad habits but with patience and proper training you should be able to turn this dog around.

Never chastise him or lose your temper when he does eventually return to you after running off and practise re-calls in a well fenced area. Always reward him with praise and a treat when he returns to you at any time. There are loads of websites on training dogs (not all are good).

A good book on training would help better than going on a website.

Good Luck.

did you not like the answers you got yesterday?

I support the kind of collar you got. I only use it to get the dogs attention with the vibrate. It only took a few small shocks for him to understand that humping and any level of aggression at the dog park were unacceptable. If you have the same kind I have (can't think of the brand right now) it has a range of close to a football field in length. Check yours to see.

You can use the vibrate as a good-job signal too. Start that with treats at the same time for something done well in very close proximity. Think about clicker training and use this vibrate function that way.

Shock collars are not bad, just some bad, uninformed people use them.

You use a shock collar for positive punishment or negative reinforcement.

+P: essentially, you shock the dog as he's doing / as he's just finished doing the "wrong" thing. If timed correctly (and the "wrong" behavior has nothing to do with fear / self defense / etc), the the "wrong" behavior should decrease.

-R: essentially, you shock the dog continuously until he does the "right" thing. If timed correctly (and the "wrong" behavior has nothing to do with fear / self defense / etc), the the "right" behavior should increase.

One problem that you MUST watch out for is poorly timed shocks. This will undermine any efforts you have put forward to train and build a bond with your dog. Another problem you MUST watch out for is too harsh of punishment, which depends on the dog. Administering too harsh a punishment will make your dog fear you, the collar, etc. This will make it worse. Another problem you MUST watch out for is your level of frustration. If the dog isn't doing what you want, it can get very frustrating, and it will be easy to take it out on the dog since you are just pushing a button. This will degrade your relationship and may teach your dog to go into a state of learned helplessness.

The best thing to do here is get a professional to help you. The best trainers are all primarily positive reinforcement now, so they may not want to work with this tool. If you feel like you NEED to use this tool, make sure to screen potential trainers. Do not work with people who are obsessed with "dominance." Dominance theory and positive punishment is a great way to teach your dog learned helplessness.

If you use the shock collar respectfully and have excellent timing and your dog has a "hard" temperament, then you may end up getting the behaviors you want. If any of these are not true, you are likely to make the situation worse.

I'm am all for shock collars when used properly by someone that knows what they are doing. The problem is you don't know what you are doing. Enlist the help of a trainer who is trained in the proper use of the shock collar (watch them work first before allowing them to work your dog as sadly there are trainers that claim to use shock collars that use them inappropriately as well) You will do more harm that good using a shock collar when you don't know what you are doing

It would really depend on the type of collar. Is it a training collar which you control or a bark collar which will activate when he barks excessively?

You could also check the package for a customer service number or email address for questions on its use. You want to make sure you know 100% how to use it correctly to prevent harm.

If it is the kind with the remote/clicker thing that you control(which is the best kind to have)

you should make sure the collar is on a low shock setting it doesnt need to be on high, and when you use it on him you could also use a simple appropriate command "NO" or "Stop" & it should be just like training him to do anything else, as long as you only use it to stop the barking. I would suggest taking it off when no one is home with him. Also by taking it on and off after time you shouldnt even need to shock him anymore, he'll eventually learn that when its on he's not supposed to bark. Not everyone thinks so but when he is good it can't do any harm to reward him with a treat here and there.

A shock collar works by giving a dog a slight shock when it begins barking or performs an undesirable behavior. The collar is a form of aversive training, which means that unwanted behaviors have negative reinforcement

Humane Carolina, an animal advocacy group, warns dog owners that shock collars can malfunction and administer a constant shock to the dog. They also warn that dogs can receive noticeable injuries from a shock collar.

A shock collar may prevent your dog from uncontrolled barking, digging, chewing on furniture or jumping on houseguests.

my dog had one but we took it of him because we felt mean. but he barks all day (: x

#1=FENCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

#2=REAL bark-collar-automatically corrects!

Does NOT "need to hunt"...needs an owner who'll CONFINE & train it.