If you’re new to e-collars, referred to at Lugaru K9 Training as remote collars, you might feel a little overwhelmed when first opening the box and looking at the device. It can seem like a lot of bells and whistles for a first-timer, but rest assured that the device in front of you is a powerful tool in giving you – and your dog – the freedom you both deserve. Here we’ve compiled some tips for those of you just getting started with your new remote collar.
#1: Stayin’ Large and In Charge
This might seem like a no-brainer, but it’s important to charge you new remote collar regularly. The best of us fall victim to forgetting to charge our device every once in a while, which causes us to end up either running collar-less or delaying our training sessions until we have enough juice to get going. When you’re actively training a dog, neither of these situations are ideal.
I recommend designating a special station for your remote collars where you’ll always remember to charge them when not in use. For some people, this is near the dog’s crate. For others, it’s where you store the leashes or by your bedside. For me, I have a closet to organize pet supplies and equipment, with a spot to store and charge my personal dogs’ remote collars. Find a place that works for you, and keep it ready to go.
#2: Check Your Levels Regularly
Remote collar controllers tend to get abused in the day-to-day life of dogs and humans living their lives together to the fullest. We hike and run, the controllers get placed in bags and pockets and holsters, and end up exposed to water, dirt, and lots of movement.
Because of this, it’s a good idea to either lock the level or regularly check the level to make sure it wasn’t boosted up or down during the course of the day. Locking the levels (learn to do this in your owner’s manual) prevents this, but can also come with drawbacks in that you can’t quickly adjust the level in response to a higher motivator or momentary reduction in contact to your dog’s skin. We tend to recommend not locking your unit’s levels, and just getting a good idea of where your dog’s working level usually is, and adjusting as needed from there in the day-to-day.
Make sure that when you take out your controller that you just take a quick check that the levels are where they should be, so you can avoid giving a stim that is too hard or too soft for the needs of the moment.
#3: Use the Right Contact
Your remote collar comes with two sets of contact points: one for long fur; and one for short fur. These will usually make do for most dogs. However, there are a lot of options to choose from that can make your connection more consistent or more comfortable for your dog.
If you have a dog that has a very dense undercoat, like a husky, pomeranian, or samoyed, you might need extra-long contact points or a wing-tip to really get through all that plush fur and ensure that your dog is receiving the messages you put out.
If you have a very small dog, like a chihuahua, Boston terrier, or papillon, even the smallest contact points may be too imposing on their skin. In cases like this, you may be better off with a comfort pad, which uses shorter, blunter contact points, and distributes both the physical pressure and the stim over more surface area for a more comfortable fit.
Take your dog’s needs into consideration when deciding which contact points to use.
#4: It Only Works When It’s ON
Each time you put your remote collar on your dog, make sure the remote is ON and the receiver is connected. To do this, simply hold the back button on your remote until the screen shows “ON” then place the dot on your remote to the dot on your receiver. They will blink green to indicate that they are properly connected, but it’s also a good idea to test the connection before each use by either using the tone function or placing the receiver in your palm and using the vibrate function. When they’re on and connected, they are ready for use.
#5: Remove and Reposition
At Lugaru K9 Training, we encourage dog owners to make the most of their remote collars by making it a consistent communication tool in their daily lives, just like food, praise, and your voice.
Doing this means that your dog might be wearing their remote collar a lot, like on camping trips, long walks in the city, and other adventures. It’s important that if your dog is going to be wearing the remote collar for longer than a few hours, you are repositioning the collar every few hours. This is to ensure the comfort of the dog and avoid skin irritation from prolonged contact with the receiver’s contact points.
Remote collars are incredibly safe for the dog, but like any worn tool can cause irritation if left on for a very long period of time. To keep your pets comfortable and living their best lives, simply take a moment every few hours to turn the receiver to a different spot on the neck.
