Training Collar- or - Hunting Collar????

[Swack]

Rnd & Hunt'Em'Up,

I'm with you guys! I'm an upland hunter and never hunt my dogs with an e-collar. I never train with one either! I never saw the need for gadgets. It's a dog, not a remote controlled airplane! I guess I'd rather have a working relationship than fumble for the remote control.

I'm not saying I'm against electronics. You are all free to train and hunt as you wish. I'm just a Frank Sinatra dog trainer . . . I Did It MYYYYY WAYYYYY!

Swack

[Rnd]

Rnd & Hunt'Em'Up,

I'm with you guys! I'm an upland hunter and never hunt my dogs with an e-collar. I never train with one either! I never saw the need for gadgets. It's a dog, not a remote controlled airplane! I guess I'd rather have a working relationship than fumble for the remote control.

I'm not saying I'm against electronics. You are all free to train and hunt as you wish. I'm just a Frank Sinatra dog trainer . . . I Did It MYYYYY WAYYYYY!

Swack

A time and place for everything..... I agree Jeff

[Scum Frog]

Rnd & Hunt'Em'Up,

I'm with you guys! I'm an upland hunter and never hunt my dogs with an e-collar. I never train with one either! I never saw the need for gadgets. It's a dog, not a remote controlled airplane! I guess I'd rather have a working relationship than fumble for the remote control.

I'm not saying I'm against electronics. You are all free to train and hunt as you wish. I'm just a Frank Sinatra dog trainer . . . I Did It MYYYYY WAYYYYY!

Swack

I kind of lean along these lines as well. Still debating with myself on using an e- collar with my new pup when the time comes. Still unsure at this point.

[Rnd]

I kind of lean along these lines as well. Still debating with myself on using an e- collar with my new pup when the time comes. Still unsure at this point.

Don't get me wrong....I absolutely believe in the collar as a training tool.

I just don't think it needs to be used as a tether, leash, or stick....As far as that goes it's not a crutch either. IMO

[Shawn White]

Don't get me wrong....I absolutely believe in the collar as a training tool.

I just don't think it needs to be used as a tether, leash, or stick....As far as that goes it's not a crutch either. IMO

So ,what your sayin' is you go both ways ?!

[Rnd]

So ,what your sayin' is you go both ways ?!

No Shawn,

What you seem to be missing is the difference between training your dog and a TRAINED dog....

1# I take this as your dog is /was a nervous wreak when you threw the collar on him,so you assume no dog can relax with a collar on due the ways you used the collar when you train


2#Neither ,we are hunting,when I say neither I also mean both relaxing while we hunt and be ready to take advantage of a training scenario while hunting


3#All of the above. It can change from minute to minute,working ,relaxing,training,and it is all pleasure.

I think the collar is a tool......No more no less...

At some point you have to take off the training wheels...........or not!

To each their own...Like I said your dog...

FINISHED retriever regards.............

[Shawn White]

I put the collar on my dog every day I hunted I beileve ,But used it at least 3 time and no more than 5 . Once was the first hunt of teal session,second was early goose season (which she had never hunted field geese) and again while on a lake and white caps (wind dead at our back) that made it where I could not see her in the bottom of the wave when We hit a cripple that was a heads up swimmer and gaining ground away from her at around 250 yds (apx) I tried to whistle her in as she was dedicated to the bird, I dont think she could hear the whistle and if she could she didnt care (generally unlike her),the boat was about 300 yds down the shore in a cove and I was in a layout blind with waders,I "corrected" her because I was out of options and yes ,it was a safety situation. I'd say I used the collar 2 other times hunting this year.

Dont get me wrong ,I was the worst with collar corrections when We started this journey ,and I'm still filling holes. I focus on being the opposite now,I try to take one back before I give a correction now.

She is a "TRAINED 'dog with an owner that made a mistake and she was once again giving 110 % to do what she had been trained to do ...get birds.

Even the best bike riders crash after they "take off the training wheels" ,thats why they wear helmets.


So you started this thread to give you some self glory of not hunting with a collar?

Humbleness can come quick and be life changing.

[Mary Lynn Metras]

I put the collar on my dog every day I hunted I beileve ,But used it at least 3 time and no more than 5 . Once was the first hunt of teal session,second was early goose season (which she had never hunted field geese) and again while on a lake and white caps (wind dead at our back) that made it where I could not see her in the bottom of the wave when We hit a cripple that was a heads up swimmer and gaining ground away from her at around 250 yds (apx) I tried to whistle her in as she was dedicated to the bird, I dont think she could hear the whistle and if she could she didnt care (generally unlike her),the boat was about 300 yds down the shore in a cove and I was in a layout blind with waders,I "corrected" her because I was out of options and yes ,it was a safety situation. I'd say I used the collar 2 other times hunting this year.

Dont get me wrong ,I was the worst with collar corrections when We started this journey ,and I'm still filling holes. I focus on being the opposite now,I try to take one back before I give a correction now.

She is a "TRAINED 'dog with an owner that made a mistake and she was once again giving 110 % to do what she had been trained to do ...get birds.

Even the best bike riders crash after they "take off the training wheels" ,thats why they wear helmets.


So you started this thread to give you some self glory of not hunting with a collar?

Humbleness can come quick and be life changing.

RND question was: "So I guess my question would be; Is Hunting relaxation or training?? Work or pleasure??Train to hunt??? Or hunt to train???"

I still would put the collar on if necessary and have fun hunting! who cares??IMHO

[KwickLabs]

Frankly, I read this thread three or four times. I even went back to view some posters' posts on other threads....just for some perspective. My intentions were to come up with a logical and fair justification without any bias to support my use (or not) of the e-collar. I mean with an "either/or" proposition you can't be right with everyone.

Suddenly (well...I guess not so fast), I figured it might take at least a thousand words to make my point......and then it came to me in a flash of lightening (no pun intended). There are pictures that are worth a thousand words.

I feel better already.

[gdgnyc]

Shawn White Post #27

Shawn, do you think that maybe you shouldn't have sent the dog? Would you consider going out in your boat and sending the dog from a shorter distance? Also, how would you have handled this if your dog wasn't wearing a collar?

I was hunting with a friend one time on Fire Island when we dropped two geese, one cripple and one strong swimmer. My dog picked up the dead bird but my friend's dog went after the cripple. The bird swam at least 350 yards, maybe 400. The dog went out, got the bird, came back but at about 100 yards started to falter. This is open water adjacent to the salt marsh. We had no boat. I actually waded out and met the dog and helped him back. Bottom line---dangerous retrieve.

The question now is how are you hunting your dog differently than if it weren't wearing a collar? I think that knowing that you can always correct the dog allowed you overlook conditions to send the dog on an unsafe retrieve. You know that there is such a thing as collar failure---battery fails, current leakage, lost transmitter (do you carry a spare?), etc. I think one of RND's point is that for many the collar can give a false confidence as to how reliable the dog's trained behaviors are.

For the record---I have trained with and without and I have hunted with and without.