Ecollars help

[Blitzkrieg1]

Its a pup bud, at least 1.5 years of craziness ahead. I would not use the E Collar to punish youthful exuberance. Get a crate, and EXERCISE the dog a lot. Work him in OB or sport if possible. Channel his energy and enthusiasm dont crush it. IMO if you raise him this way there is a good chance you will ruine his confidence and self esteem, leading to a shy insecure nerve bag.
I have strict rules in the house which I enforce with my voice and hands, but the dog MUST have an outlet for his energy. When in the home just crate, its really the best thing for pups.
The E collar is best for Recall and OB once the dog already KNOWS what he is supposed to do and has been introduced to the collar properly. I use it on my 11 month old pup when we are off leash works like a charm.

[julie87]

CRATE is a must if you want some piece in the house it is a safe place where the pup can relax and you can go about your things.I recentely bought mine for like $100 on amazon.com size extra large.. it took couple of days to get it...best money I ever spent on her.Now if I can't watch the dog I know she is quiet and safe in crate not chewing on the furniture and not destroying the house.. Shocking a puppy because he wants to play is ridiculous,would you punish your kid if it playful? You have to look at the puppy the same way you look at the baby,they don't know any better and they are troublemakers. And also if he is crazy in the house you really need to exercise him, tired puppies are very good puppies

[LouCastle]

Originally Posted by pshah0002

i have no experience with e collars and i am just affraid that using this will make Max scare of things that i dont want him to do. any advise on how to use this device and your experience will really appreciate. i dont want to use this device this everyday because i love max to death and i feel like i am actually huring him or his feeling everytime i shock him. please help!!!

I'd suggest that you take a look at my articles to learn one way to use the Ecollar. Home It's essential that you show the dog how to turn off the stim. I think that the tool is best used at the lowest level of stim that the dog perceives. I also suggest using a tool that has at least 15 levels, more is better, and I recommend the two collars that have at least 100 levels, the Einstein brand (100 levels) and the Dogtra brand (127 levels).

Your dog should be at least six months old before you consider using the Ecollar.

[LouCastle]

Originally Posted by Bear L

I will say, the first introduction to my dog where I used the pager, it depressed her for hours. She refused treats the first time ever in her life. After that, she went back to normal and turns out to have quite a bit of tolerance for the stims.

Many people want to use the vibe feature on their Ecollars. They think that they're "being kinder" to the dog than if they were to use the stim. But that's a bit of anthropomorphism that often doesn't hold true. Many dogs find the vibration more aversive than the stim, and since it's not adjustable, there's little it can be used for if your dog has that response. It seems as if your dog does. I've seen some dogs panic when they feel the stim. I've seen many dogs show some curiosity when they first feel it and then they ignore it, making it just as useless.

There's one brand of Ecollar that has adjustable setting for the vibe, but they've been bought out by one of the big box stores and I expect that the quality will drop. I no longer recommend them.

[Bear L]

Originally Posted by LouCastle

Many people want to use the vibe feature on their Ecollars. They think that they're "being kinder" to the dog than if they were to use the stim. But that's a bit of anthropomorphism that often doesn't hold true. Many dogs find the vibration more aversive than the stim, and since it's not adjustable, there's little it can be used for if your dog has that response. It seems as if your dog does. I've seen some dogs panic when they feel the stim. I've seen many dogs show some curiosity when they first feel it and then they ignore it, making it just as useless.

Thanks for this explanation. After that initial encounter, the buzzer is now useless on her. She's learned it's not "real."

[Bear L]

I believe the OP's dog is over a year old.

To the OP - sounds like your dog may just need more exercise and general training. A growing GSD can take up a lot of time to train and exercise properly. If you take Max out for walks or play in the park for 1 hr each day and train for about 10 or 15 min at home on something, plus teaching him what is acceptable and not acceptable throughout the day, the dog will settle better at home. It seems like the dog just needs a release for his energy. For the problems you are describing, I think you can work on it without the ecollar. Otherwise his energy will continue to build and just suppressed.

Can you teach the dog "leave it" so that it's not taking your socks? For every behavior you don't like, teach the dog what you want it to do instead. Don't just say no to everything, if that's what you're doing. All this do take a lot of time initially but in the end you'll have a very very nice dog.

Feel free to message me privately if you'd like to talk further. I'm no professional trainer but I understand your frustration!

[RocketDog]

Originally Posted by GSDElsa

Please thoroughly review how to use an e-collar before you start going around zapping your dog. They are a great tool when used correctly (which you most certainly are not) and can cause a LOT of issues when used poorly.

Originally Posted by Sunflowers

This.

These kinds of replies, (while I agree with the sentiment) are frustrating to people because they offer no actual help. No links to books or dvd's to check out/buy, no sites to visit, no suggestions of where to find a trainer, or even a basic premise of the training theory behind the ecollar. I understand people's reluctance to offer training advice with this over the internet, but simply saying to "review how to use one" isn't helpful to someone who's posted in the first post that they DON'T know how to use it and are looking to find out.

[pshah0002]

WOW!!!. I was really surprised with the replies. Nobody actual gave me suggestion or provided any help instead you all just went off and made me feel like i hate my dog and ii am ttrying to punish him. I love my dog more than anyone love their dog(s) on this site. Max is my first ever dog in my family. All I wanted to know was should i use this? is this a good tool? Safe to use? how to use it? but rreplies were shocking. By the way, i am returning my e collar back to amazon.com and I will see what other things i can do to make Max a happy family dog.

[Sunflowers]

Originally Posted by RocketDog

These kinds of replies, (while I agree with the sentiment) are frustrating to people because they offer no actual help. No links to books or dvd's to check out/buy, no sites to visit, no suggestions of where to find a trainer, or even a basic premise of the training theory behind the ecollar. I understand people's reluctance to offer training advice with this over the internet, but simply saying to "review how to use one" isn't helpful to someone who's posted in the first post that they DON'T know how to use it and are looking to find out.

Well, thanks for the critique, but I actually took the time to PM Lou Castle and linked this post, telling him that someone could benefit from his expertise.

You never know what happens behind the scenes, and can't tell if someone did or did not actually do something to help in addition to what you see posted.

[onyx'girl]

Originally Posted by pshah0002

WOW!!!. I was really surprised with the replies. Nobody actual gave me suggestion or provided any help instead you all just went off and made me feel like i hate my dog and ii am ttrying to punish him. I love my dog more than anyone love their dog(s) on this site. Max is my first ever dog in my family. All I wanted to know was should i use this? is this a good tool? Safe to use? how to use it? but rreplies were shocking. By the way, i am returning my e collar back to amazon.com and I will see what other things i can do to make Max a happy family dog.

Instructing anyone *HOW* to use an e-collar on a forum is not wise! Look at Lou's site if you want more info on the proper intro/use of it.

Nobody is saying you hate your dog...you just don't know what you are doing with this tool and it is not going to "HELP" your dog!
Better to know now than before you mess up. We are in it for the dogs well-being only.
Because this is your first dog, find a good trainer to help you with your issues. I'm sure there are many around that would be willing to help you.