DOG TRAINING COLLARS

The dog training collar is used primarily for hunting dogs and a good dog training collar can make all the difference to you and to the success of your dog. There are several models on the market today and you need to find the product that suits you and your dog. I am not an expert but I can tell you that we have two excellent bird dogs and we have had great success with the collar we chose.

All dog breeds can benefit from the dog training collar but before I go into the specific dog training collar lets look at some dog training ABC's. There are 5 basic steps in dog training that you should practice without fail.

***FIVE BASIC STEPS IN DOG TRAINING***

#1 - A young puppy at 8 weeks old is ready, able and more than willing to please you. So start your dog training early. You'll be surprised at how much a young puppy can learn.

#2 - You need to have perfect timing. Praise at the exact time your puppy does something correctly is when you need to pile on the praise. Get excited and let him know how happy you are. But remember, the timing has to be perfect!

#3 - Patience, I say patience is as important as anything when you are training your puppy. If you get upset and impatient your puppy won't want to spend time in training. This is not play time but he has to be enjoying the dog training.

#4 - Consistency. If you say sit one day and down the next he won't know what you want. Sit has to be sit every single time. Choose short one word commands. Say them crisp and clear.

Sit should mean sit, down must mean lay down and off must mean stay off, whether that is on the furniture or a person. Off is off. Again, I must say, use short one word commands.

#5 - In the beginning you must praise all correct behavior not only with words but also with treats and petting. Be enthusiastic, let him know how happy you are. As the weeks go by you can start eliminating some of the treats but always praise your puppy when he has correct behavior.

Now, back to the dog training collar. When you are first training your dog you will want a light weight nylon collar that snaps on and off very easily. You will also want a nylon leash. These items will help you with your dog training and one of the things you will want your puppy to do well is walk on a leash. You certainly don't want to be pulled through the park!

At about 4 months old we got a hunting dog collar for Jack. This collar would give him a shock if he needed one or it would give a beep if you needed to locate him. Your dog can easily get lost in the tall brush while out in the pheasant hunting fields. There are some collars that continually beep while on your dog but I don't favor this type of dog collar. We chose the Dogtra dog hunting collar. The controls hang on your neck, so you can easily beep or shock, whichever is needed, and you have your hands free for hunting. You can adjust the level of shock but once the dog knows that if he misbehaves he is going to get a poke you will rarely need to use that button. We have two dogs and they each have there own hunting dog collar and the one remote operates both collars. This hunting dog collar is rugged. Our dogs have been in the water, snow and mud with their collars on and they still operate like they were brand new.