By Alden & Jennifer Little

Collar conditioning is one of the most important aspects of any dog training program. The purpose of the conditioning is to get the dog familiar with electrical reinforcement of known commands and to have him learn to remove himself from the pressure by giving the appropriate response. Once the dog has learned to deal with the pressure you will be able to see more speed and consistency in their responses. Regardless of the type of training you desire, you can help him reach his optimum level by using the collar in the correct and responsible manner.

We recommend using the Tri-tronics brand of training collars because they are long-ranging, waterproof, have a long battery life, and have adjustable intensity levels with a hand held remote. There are several styles available for all types of training and all levels of know-how. They stand alone in the industry with their commitment to excellence and their desire to provide a quality training tool for professional and amateur trainers alike.

The way to use the electronic collar in obedience training is referred to as "direct pressure". This means that the pressure, or "nick" from the collar will be given simultaneously with the command. The purpose of this training process is to eventually eliminate the leash or check cord and reinforce the obedience commands he has already learned. It cannot be stressed enough that the collar can only effectively be used when the dog already knows and can respond to commands. Obviously, if the dog doesn't understand what you want from him, a nick from the collar will only cause major confusion. In our program, the collar in introduced, but not actually used, early on in leash training. Place the uncharged collar, or even a dummy collar, on the dog during your beginning obedience training sessions. The point is just to get him used to the collar as an accessory. The dog should not feel any stimulation from the collar during the leash training period.

Once you are confident that your dog is sufficiently trained on leash in his obedience commands, you are ready to start using the collar. Always begin on the lowest setting and increase it as needed for your dog. As in any training program, dogs will respond differently. Some dogs will not need as much stimuli as others. It is of primary importance that you establish this proper threshold early on. Over-stimulating the dog will accomplish nothing. The response you should look for in your dog is a twitch of the ear or a shrug of the head. If the dog cries out or bolts, you are probably turned up too high.

Always start with SIT to help encourage stability in your dog. From the SIT position, begin walking at HEEL and suddenly stop giving the SIT command while simultaneously applying a nick from the collar. Go ahead and give a jerk on the leash as in your early training just to leave no room for doubt in the dog's mind of what you want from him. Repeat this five or six times for a few days until you are getting a consistently correct response. Be fair to your dog and never use the collar more than five or six times in any training session.

When working on HERE, start with the dog at SIT. Back away from the dog, facing him, the full length of the leash. Give a quick jerk on the leash while giving the command HERE and applying a nick from the collar. In our program, we apply another small nick along with the command when the dog is about half way to you. This may not sound right since the dog is coming back to you, but it does reinforce the dog's obedience and teaches him to move faster when given a command. Again, repeat this part of the program for a few days to ensure a consistent response.

For HEEL, begin with the dog in SIT. Give the command for the dog to HEEL, while at the same time applying a nick with the collar. After the dog comes to HEEL, start walking. If the dog tries to lag behind, walk a little faster repeating the HEEL command and the nick. Spend another few days on this task.

To accomplish STAY, start with SIT. Give the STAY command with a nick of the collar. Move away from the dog repeating the command. If he moves or gets up, you must move in quickly giving a medium nick giving the same command STAY. Repeat until you can move away and hide for a few minutes gradually increasing the time. Always go back and praise the dog once you have accomplished the command.

Keep in mind that all dogs are different and may need special attention in some areas of training. Do not rush through any one phase to get to the next one. It may be necessary to spend several days or up to a couple of weeks on one aspect of training before you can more on. Don't get discouraged and always train with lots of love, consistency, and patience.

We hope that this collar program will help you get through the basic obedience commands with little or no trouble paving the way to a totally trained companion that does not require leashes or check cords to perform commands.

Visit Mark's Outdoors for a full line of Tri-tronics collars along with helpful advice from his staff. If you would like more information on our training including a special collar conditioning program for Mark's customers, please contact us at (334) 366-4732 or visit us on the web at www.tru-line-retrievers.com. You may send inquiries to us via email through this site. We look forward to hearing from you.