The following dog training video contains a straightforward opinion of using an electronic dog training collar to train your dog. A veterinarian brought his 7 month old chihuahua to Sit Means Sit for dog training classes. During a quick intermission during his second lesson, we got a chance to ask this veterinarian a few questions about his experience training his dog with a remote dog training collar.
Veterinarians around the United States have been training their personal dogs, and recommending Sit Means Sit dog training to their clients for years. Safety is a big concern for many pet owners considering training their dog. Nobody would put a dog training collar on their dog if it was going to hurt them. Certainly, not a veterinarian with a 7 month old chihuahua. The truth about electronic dog training collars disturbs many people who want to see these tools banned. Those people are usually the ones that relay myths about ‘the collar will shock your dog’, or share a story about a dog that had his neck burnt by a remote dog collar. The fact is, remote dog training collars cannot burn a dog. It is physically impossible to use these devices to damage your dog’s body using the electrical stimulation.
Sit Means Sit firmly believes in safe dog training. The technology we employ is 100% safe for dogs and humans. The Sit Means Sit dog training collar uses state of the art digital technology to control the output from the collar to prevent it from harming your dog. The technology that is utilized in the construction of our collar is similar technology to “electronic muscle stimulators” and “TENS” units. You may be familiar with the use of these devices in the medical field (they are very common in the Chiropractic and Physical Therapy fields) or perhaps you’ve seen devices advertised on TV as “electronic muscle massagers”. These devices essentially use low-level, adjustable electronic stimulation to create muscle contractions. In the medical field, they are used as tools to help alleviate pain, promote blood circulation and encourage healing.
In the dog training field, specifically Sit Means Sit dog training, remote dog training collars are used as a tool to provide a remote controlled cue. The cue is designed to neither cause pain nor to disrupt the dog’s emotional state, but rather to function as an adjustable “tap”. The approach used by Sit Means Sit trainers is to treat the “tap” from the collar as a cue for the dog to pay attention. This is no different than tapping a person on the shoulder to gain their attention. The goal of tapping them on the shoulder is not to hurt them or cause emotional distress, but rather to let them know that you want to communicate something to them.
The “tap” delivered from the Sit Means Sit Collar is a highly adjustable sensation that can be set to levels that are often imperceptible to people. Obviously the adjustable nature of the dog training collar is necessary because some dogs are sensitive, while others are quite tough. There is no way to determine what levels your dog will respond to until you begin to train them with a collar. Another reason why the collars are so adjustable is because distractions from the environment are never consistent. Relate this to training with a treat. How many times will that treat work perfectly indoors, but fails to maintain your dog’s attention when a cat is running by. Sit Means Sit has found that dogs can be taught to pay attention around extreme distractions very effectively. Just check out our dog training video portfolio to see for yourself.
During the fundamental Sit Means Sit dog training, the dogs and handlers are taught how to condition their dog to the collar in a constructive and positive manner. By adjusting the level of the collar appropriately for the dog and the situation, as well as linking the tap from the collar with an item of high value, we can effectively teach the dog that the “tap” from the collar is related to something of value. This approach to fundamentals allows for a smooth transition into distraction training and off leash control through attention to command. Read our dog training article “The Art of Attention” by Sit Means Sit CEO Fred Hassen and Sit Means Sit Trainer Toni Drugmand for more information.
Any dog can trained using the Sit Means Sit dog training collar. With variable intensity, and our special small dog adapter, the Sit Means Sit dog collar can be adapted to any dog of any size, breed or coat type. Watch the video below for a veterinarian’s opinion on using an electronic dog training collar and the Sit Means Sit dog training method.
Check out this article featuring Dr. Kathy Allen, DVM on the use of electronic dog training collars in your dog’s training.
Do you have an opinion on training your dog with an remote dog training collar? We’d love to hear it! Please Contact Us.
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