Is the Remote Collar for me?- a matter of perspective and understanding.
In the world of dog training there are a few hot topics that really get people riled up. These topics include spaying and neutering, food choice, vaccination methods and training tools (to name a few). Few topics though rise to the level of heated argument that is seen with remote collars, otherwise known as the shock collar. We were assisting an another trainer at an event over this past weekend in another town. A lady walked up and asked what those boxes were on the dog’s necks. The trainer responded that they were remote collars. Mind you, these dogs were sitting on there place cots when she asked (just sitting there OFF LEASH). This lady spent all of 30 seconds at the booth and then went on a rant at the trainer in front of other vendors and guests at the event regarding the use of “shock” collars . She then went on to writing a very nasty review on that trainers Facebook page. All this was done with only her perspective on what she believes that remote collars are used for. She did not inquire as to how the training device was used nor saw any adverse reactions from the dogs. Yes, there will always be haters out there in all walks of life and in all manners of doing things. If I could have I would have had the following conversation with her:.
Take a few moments to suspend personal negative feeling and listen, really listen to what I am saying and then either continue your previous beliefs or open yourself up to a different, but effective means of training.
First, lets lay out some key ideas so that we are on the same page. The biggest term I hear being thrown around is the term POSITIVE. I hear how a particular trainer is a positive only trainer or we should all only use positive methods in our training. My question to this is, What do you think positive means? Does Positive mean”good” and negative mean “bad”. I am a Positive (good) trainer or a Negative (bad) trainer. Or do we mean positive methods and negative methods of dog training. Simply put, here is quick examples of various dog training methods:
Positive (means adding) punishment- for example, leash corrections -otherwise known as yanking and cranking the dog. I.E the trainer is adding in the correction to punish the dog for an action.
Positive Reinforcement- for example, providing praise or treats to reward a behavior.
Negative (means taking away) punishment- for example, taking the treat away from the dog when he is offering an undesired behavior.
Negative reinforcement- for example, taking the leash pressure off the collar when the dog does the desired behavior.
If the trainer means POSITIVE as far as good as opposed to bad, well that’s his or her own personal believe in their own abilities or of someone else. Or do they mean POSITIVE ONLY as far as the established dog training methods. In that case they believe in yanking and cranking with a leash as well as offering treats. And they will not do negative punishment which actually works very well. For example, your dog loves you and jumps on you. When he jumps, you walk away. The dog says “don’t go”, well then don’t jump on me (Negative punishment). Now the same dog approaches you and sits, a desired behavior, so we reward it (Postive reinforcement). Did you know that some trainers will starve a dog to make the dog desire the treats more? Unfortunately, we get hung up on certain words and beliefs so as to build ourselves up or to tear others down that have a differing opinion.
Second, I’ll will go over the idea of Inherency. Some things are inherently bad like the drug crack. There are those few that will say it is good for its affect on the person taking it, but in my mind it is bad with no redeeming features. Food, air and water are inherently good, but they can also be spoiled or fouled. A hammer is neither inherently good or bad. I can take a hammer and make something (good, although in my case that may not be true) or break something valuable (bad). A pen could be used to stab you in the throat to kill you or used by a knowledgeable person to perform a tracheotomy, allowing the patient to breathe. It comes down to the intent, purpose and knowledge of the person using the object that makes many items either good or bad.
Here is where the use of the remote collar comes in. I prefer calling it a remote collar or even a smart collar as opposed to a shock collar (make no mistake, it is one in the same) due to the perception of the word. Imagine going to a friends house and asking where the crapper is as opposed to where the bathroom is. Both refer to the same thing, however the perception for each is different.
The remote collar is a battery operated device that has multiple levels of stimulation ranging from levels that I do not feel to levels that make my hand twitch. High levels are not smooth and relaxing and they can be down right uncomfortable. The key is that the levels can be changed to suit the need of the dog and the situation. Another important point before I go on- The remote collar is based on the same technology as your Doctor’s Tens Unit. That’s the device that is put on your injured muscle to promote healing. My wife uses one due to injury from a car accident.
When asked, I explain my use of remote collar in this way. You are watching TV and I come up behind you and tap you on the shoulder. When you turn to see what I want, I give you $20. I got your attention and I rewarded you. I do that again and again you get your reward. Was the tap good or bad, it was good. I got your attention and you received your reward, so your PERCEPTION was a good one. Now if I tapped you on the shoulder with the same manner and when you turned around, I hit you. Well it would not take very long to have a bad PERCEPTION of the tap. Same tap just different outcomes. Now let’s say that your husband is watching a boring program on TV and you tapped him on the shoulder lightly. You would probably get his attention because he could feel the tap based on his current situation. Now lets put him in front of the TV during the Superbowl. Now try to apply that same tap to his shoulder, good luck. You might need to tap him stronger to get his attention, but you are not going to hit him with a 2×4.
My idea of the remote is that when PROPERLY used it can help achieve some fantastic results when used in conjunction with other tools like leash, collar, treats, body language. Remote collars allow the PROPERLY trained person to get their dog’s attention when otherwise would not or could not. When used PROPERLY it can be used on dogs that range from aggressive to very submissive because they learn that when they feel that tap, their mommy or daddy wants their attention and when they give that attention they will receive their desired reward (praise, treat etc).
There is a joke about dog trainers, that use varying styles of training, that I want to share. Put 5 of them in a room and they will all agree that the other trainer is wrong about something or another. In my opinion, the remote collar when used PROPERLY is one of the best tools that a dog trainer can place in their “tool box”. To harbor ill will toward a tool because of how some untrained person IMPROPERLY uses it is a detriment to all those that can benefit from its proper application. Let me close with this story. I get this from many of my clients. “Why does my dog like this shock collar when I put it on” they ask. I respond, “please call it a remote collar as it is a better term, but yes it the same thing. Explain to me what you do when you put the remote collar on”. The owner then states something like “well, I use it like you showed me and rewarded the dog when they were right. When they were wrong in their behavior, I just showed them how to offer the correct behavior and then I rewarded that behavior” They would go on to say things like “I can finally walk my dog even around other dogs or people, I can have people come to my house because the dog is listening to my commands and doing what I want them to do” The Remote Collar in and of itself is not the panacea to all problems. It is a valuable tool that can offer amazing results. When used PROPERLY, the way we at Sit Means Sit teach it, you also will see those amazing results.
Would this conversation have changed her mind? Probably not, but that’s okay. I don’t mind people having a differing view point then mine. What I do have a problem with is when others force their view point on me or berate me for something that they do not have an understanding about. Then again, that was her perception, what is yours?
PERCEPTIONS can be changed when the proper facts come to light. Harboring ill will about a tool like the Remote Collar does not serve those that can benefit from its PROPER use. Then again, people are always afraid of what they do not understand or can control.
The true purpose of this writing is not for that lady at the event. When it comes to the use of a Remote Collar, I see the world in basically three groups of people. The first, are those that recognize the value of this training tool and utilize it with their training. I must admit that even among Remote Collar trainers, there is a number of different approaches. Secondly, there are those who are polar opposites and will not use Remote Collar for their own reasons, beliefs and perceptions (the un-silent minority). Thirdly, there are those who are caught in the middle or on the fence regarding its use. This article is for this last group. The first group needs no further encouragement and the second group probably would not even let me finish my explanation of its use. This article is for you, if you are in that third group and are not sure what to make of this training tool. My advice, read and research the issue. Contact a trainer that specializes in the use of this tool and be open to their style. Ask yourself these questions 1- Do I believe this trainer can help me and my dog 2- Do I understand their style and can I see myself doing this training 3- Do I see the value in how this can change my life and my dog’s life. Then make YOUR OWN DECISION. Want to know more about the PROPER use of a Remote Collar? Contact your local Sit Means Sit Trainer http://www.sitmeanssit.com