Ecollar - before you begin

Ecollar –

Acquire knowledge before you use

Prior to 1968, the use of collar’s to train dogs was unheard of as collar’s were not available to the general public. Which brings up the question – how did people train their dogs prior to 1968 without ecollar’s?  It is worth a dog owner’s time, energy, and effort to acquire dog training books published prior to 1968.  Many of these older books are topics specifically aimed towards training dogs in the Sporting Group, but not all.  For example, the Koehler Method of Dog Training books are aimed at training any dog in any group. 

You will discover that many of these older books do NOT use treat training as that method did not come onto the dog training scene until late 1960’s.  The study of dog training methods and understanding the psychology of dog training, is critical to a dog owner before they strap on an ecollar and zap their dog.  The use of an ecollar is a tool, just another tool like a Place Board, throw chains, or light lines, for a dog already trained with the foundational Novice obedience work. Without a solid prior obedience foundation, dog owners that strap on an ecollar and zap their dog, are downright cruel and terribly unfair. 

This is one reason part of your Lesson One will include putting the ecollar on the palm of your hand and increasing the levels until you feel it.  You need to know what your dog will be feeling before you start pressing any buttons and create pressure. “Pressure” is a theme in any dog training method even though the pressure can appear disguised as an absence of something. But the understanding of using pressure, of understanding tension’n’release, and the application/timing of pressure, are the tools that create an excellent dog handler/owner.

Here is a small list of books worth acquiring for your dog training library. Please note the copyright date, the method of dog training used, and the topic focus of the book. You may not buy all of these books, but each book is a valuable resource for any dog owner particularly for those wanting to understand dog training psychology, the use of pressure, and how to help their dog know what to do to succeed.

 

Here is a list of books worth acquiring.

Title of Book	Author	Topic/Method?	Copyright Date
Training Your Retriever	James Lamb Free	A classic, comprehensive step by step book on training a retriever puppy thru FC/hunting. Method? Patience	1949
Training Gun Dogs to Retrieve	David D. Elliot	A practical understanding of dog psychology,as well as what qualities the trainer must possess to succeed as a trainer. Method? Patience	1952
British Training for American Retrievers	Vic Barlow	Common sense British approach to teaching dogs to find birds. Method? Patience	1955
Gun Dog (multiple books by this author)	Richard A. Wolters	Revolutionary Rapid Training from puppy to hunting. Method? Patience	1964
Training the Retriever	J.A. Kersley	Thorough approach to knowing how/why dog behaves, day to day training puppy to FC/hunting. Method? Patience	1970
Utility Dog Training (multiple books by this author)	William R. Koehler	Psychology of dog training and step by step mechanics. Method? Patience	1977
Understanding Electronic Dog-Training	Dr. Daniel F. Tortora	Psychology of ecollar married to the training of dogs – 1st book addressing the use of ecollars	1981
Retriever Training Drills for Marking (multiple books by this author)	James B.Spencer	Field training psychology. Method? ecollar	2001
Training the Pointing Labrador	Julie Knutson	Comprehensive guide to training retriever as finished Upland and Waterfowl Dog. Method? Patience with layer of ecollar.	2005
Retriever Training (multiple books by this author)	Tom Dokken	Training from puppy to hunting dog. Method? Food treats to ecollar.	2009

*IMPORTANT* - Know how to use/operate/charge YOUR ecollar.