The Shocking Truth About Ecollars

00:00 — Kati introduces e-collar training and distinguishes remote collars from veterinary cones.

Speaker 1: Welcome to Off Leash and Unfiltered Trigger Warning. I'm Kati Peppe, delivering the Truth in Dog Training.

Speaker 1: Hey guys, Kati peppy, Diamond Canine dog training back with another off leash and unfiltered. Uh, today I thought we'd talk a little bit about what is eco training. Um, so if you've followed me for a while, you know, if you've been listening to the podcast or certainly if you follow me on social media, you know that, um, I do a lot of eco training. And if you haven't been following me for a while, you may have no idea what I'm talking about. You may have no idea what an e-collar is. Sometimes when I say e-collar people, think of those big collars they give you at the vet.

Speaker 1: Like when your dog has stitches or just had some kind of procedure and <laugh>, they don't want them, you know, digging at it, biting at it. Um, they put that big collar on them. That's not what I'm talking about.

Speaker 1: I'm talking about an electronic collar, a remote collar. Some people call it a shock collar, uh, which it is, but it's not my favorite term because it kind of gives you the impression that we can only do one thing with it, and that is make the dog really uncomfortable. Uh, we certainly can do that, but that, that's not all it does. It, it does so many things. Um, and the reason I wanna talk about this today is for that reason, people, a lot of people have no idea what I'm talking about when I say eco and, you know, so a certain population doesn't even know what an eco is at all.

Speaker 1: And then if you take the rest of the population, the people that have heard of an e-collar, there's a big percentage of those people that have this preconceived notion, um, about what it is because there's so much false information out there.

Speaker 1: The narrative out there, uh, is primarily that ecos are, are bad and they're, they're harmful and that sort of thing. So most people are extremely, extremely ignorant when it comes to the eco. And I don't say that to be, to be nasty. Like people really just don't know. So it's like, let's talk about it a little bit so that I can kind of educate people about what an eco really is. And I think there's a ton of curiosity out there about it for the people that aren't sure. Um, but I wanna just talk to you a little bit about what the eco is, what we do with it, and how it can dramatically improve your life.

Speaker 1: So there's lots of different ways to train a dog, right? And one of the biggest fads in recent history is like the clicker training, right? And I'm extremely pro clicker for your information.

Speaker 1: Just so you, you know, clicker's amazing, but the clicker doesn't train the dog, okay? So people think that clicker training is like some kind of black magic, uh, that just makes the dog wanna listen and it is not <laugh>, it is not. So all the clicker is, and this is relevant, um, because I, I just want to talk to you a little bit about the different types of training here. Clicker training, all the clicker is supposed to really do in proper clicker training is point things out to the dog that they did correctly. Okay? So the clicker is essentially the same thing.

Speaker 1: When you click it, it's the same thing as you saying good or yes, or whatever your word might be, right? So just instead of using a word, you're using a click. And there are a lot of advantages to that and I'm not gonna get into why it's better in my opinion than a verbal marker.

Speaker 1: Um, but I just want you to understand that's what it does, right? So there's only one way to train a dog and that is to train it. There aren't really a hundred different ways to, to train a dog, right? You have to know how to increase behaviors and how to decrease behaviors, right? And it doesn't matter what tool you're using or tools, those are the things you have to know how to do. And it doesn't matter what you use to do it, but ideally, hopefully you use whatever the most effective tool is for you in your situation.

04:00 — Effective training requires increasing desired behaviors and decreasing unwanted behaviors, regardless of the tools…

Speaker 1: Um, and I gotta tell you, by and large, the most practical tool, the most efficient, effective, practical tool for the vast majority of people is an eco <laugh>. So, so it's not that you can't clicker train, right? You can. Um, but the other thing we have to consider is that the clicker is limited in what it can do.

Speaker 1: 'cause it can only point out things that the dog did well. Now you could also use it to point out things the dog did not well, but you can't use it for both. It has to have a clear meaning to the dog. Um, and then you follow it up with something. So generally speaking, we click and then we deliver food, right? And that points out to the dog what they did well and that food is coming. Um, and then we reward and hopefully increase that behavior. That's how that works. Uh, with an e-collar, we actually have the ability to both increase and decrease behaviors, which is special <laugh>, okay?

Speaker 1: So if you're using a really high end modern unit like we do here at the training facility, we use eco technologies models and that is the model that most trainers use. Not all, um, this particular unit gives you the ability to be super, super soft and gentle.

Speaker 1: You can whisper with this eco, which a lot of people don't know, but I can literally just very gently tap a dog on the shoulder with this. Um, it goes from level one to a level 100, okay? So a level one, most dogs don't even notice. I can't feel this unit on my own skin usually until a level 12, just to give you some perspective. So level 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11. I do not feel those. Okay? And then a level 12 just feels like a gentle tingle, almost like a fly crawling across your skin.

Speaker 1: I know pretty gross. Not what you wanna think of, but that's kinda what it feels like. It feels like little tiny feet walking across your, your hand. Um, so it can be super gentle so I can whisper with this unit, I can yell with this unit. And it's so important if you really wanna be effective and be able to train a dog, no matter what their personality, no matter what the situation is, if they're in a situation where they're excited, they're in a situation where they're scared, um, that sort of thing.

Speaker 1: You need to have something that's adjustable. You need to have that wide spectrum of intensity so you can be very low, very gentle, middle of the road high, very high, um, just depending on what's going on and what kind of dog you have. So I love this unit for that reason. Um, is it gives us all that flexibility and versatility. It's an amazing, amazing unit. Um, and as a side note, it is also waterproof and comes with a two year warranty and their customer service is absolutely phenomenal. So <laugh> just wanna throw that in there.

Speaker 1: E call our technologies is amazing. Um, so all that being said, that's why this is such a great tool. The flexibility, the versatility. I can adjust my intensity to whatever I need. I can increase behaviors and motivate the dog. I can decrease behaviors by making, you know, attaching uncomfortable consequences to them.

Speaker 1: So this is an all around fantastic tool. You can train a dog with nothing else but the eco. Now I don't necessarily recommend doing that. I use food a lot of the time in conjunction with the eco, right? If you have a dog that's food driven, why miss out on the opportunity to naturally increase behaviors, um, and increase enthusiasm around doing the behaviors by using some food? I have no problem with that. I think that's great. Use food. But eventually you wanna move away from it because if you don't, you're going to be reliant on it.

08:00 — Kati describes the e-collar as versatile while still using food when dogs are motivated…

Speaker 1: Okay? So I use lots of food in the beginning when I'm teaching a dog how to do something. But at some point there needs to be an expectation that the dog does it, whether there's food or not, right? Because not only are you not always going to have food <laugh>, but if you're reliant on it, then you're ultimately going to put yourself in position in a position where you are in a game of tug of war with the environment.

Speaker 1: So the dog is always weighing food or squirrel, right? Food or other dog, should I get the food or go chase the chipmunk? So it remains optional. So you have to have the ability to use aversive control in conjunction with whatever positive stuff you might have done with the dog. Because without that, everything remains optional. And so this tool gives us the ability, um, to, and I don't like to use scientific terms, I really don't. I don't think it's important. I don't think most people understand it and frankly they shouldn't understand it because the truth is it doesn't make a ton of sense <laugh>.

Speaker 1: But if you wanna talk about increasing behaviors, right? We have the negative reinforcement ability with this tool. So here's an example. Now a lot of people think you can't use these on fearful dogs, right? But this is like the best tool for a fearful dog.

Speaker 1: So with proper training with a leash on the dog and an e-collar on the dog, I can put this e-collar on a very low level, right? Whispering. And I can teach this fearful dog who doesn't wanna come to me because they're afraid of me that this e-collar sensation turns on and I can pull my leash and when I get them to me, I can shut that e-collar off and now I can do that over and over again. And they can start to learn that when they feel this thing come on, they need to come to me and it shuts off.

Speaker 1: So now I become less scary, right? Because now this is still low, but it turns on when they're away from me, shuts off when they get to me. Now once they understand that and we've laid a foundation and we've done lots of repetition, I can now bump it up if I have to so that I don't have to keep yanking the dog with the leash.

Speaker 1: And now guess what? Now they're voluntarily coming to me, right? And I don't have to light them up like a Christmas tree because I have a hundred levels. I can just find whatever level is just enough to convince them they should come to me. So now I have a dog that was terrified of me who will come to me with no problem and then guess what happens? They're not scared of me anymore. <laugh>. So it's a really cool training tool with a lot more capability than people realize. Um, but the fact of the matter is, you know, without accountability you're always in a tug of war with the environment guys.

Speaker 1: And that's just normal. It's not because your dog's stubborn, it's just normal. So what we typically do with our eco training, like I said, a lot of times we use food early on in the beginning, right?

Speaker 1: First few days of a board and train. Um, but we do lots of repetition on those really low whisper levels. So we just start teaching the dog this turns on when I say sit and it turns off when your butt hits the floor, it turns on when I say sit, it turns off when your butt hits the floor, right? And we do that same thing with the down command and the same thing with the place command. The same thing with the come command recall, right? Um, and we tie it into heel as well. So when the dog's nod in heel position, it turns on, I'll guide them back to the heel position and I shut it off.

12:00 — Low-level repetitions teach dogs that stimulation begins with a command and stops when they…

Speaker 1: And dogs pick up on this very, very quickly. This physical layer of communication, it comes very natural to most dogs. They learn it super fast in most cases, right?

Speaker 1: If you have a more nervy, anxious dog, sometimes they need more repetition and that's okay. You can do all the repetition you need to, but uh, it's a very, very effective training tool. And then once we've got that foundation laid, that's what we call the conditioning phase again. Now we have a tool that when we need to, we can just bump it up a little bit, right? So now you say place dog ignores you and you look for the level that is just enough to motivate them to prioritize you, right? So maybe they see the cat playing with something on the other side of the room and they pay more attention than that to that than going to their place cot, right?

Speaker 1: So now you look for the level that your dog goes, oh yeah, what did you want me to do? <laugh>? And then you can help them if they need help, right?

Speaker 1: So I'm not gonna try to teach you how to do the full eco training on a podcast. That would be silly, but I want you to have an idea of what it looks like. 'cause so many people have no clue what it is, or they think it's bad and it's not right. And even once you start bumping your level up, it doesn't necessarily mean it's gonna be uncomfortable. It might be sometimes it's going to be why? Because sometimes your dog isn't going to listen unless you make it uncomfortable not to listen. And that's just the truth.

Speaker 1: And that's what I do. I tell the truth, so sue me <laugh>, okay? But a lot of the time that's not the case. So for instance, I did a go home session yesterday.

Speaker 1: Dog dog's actually kind of a higher dog. So he's usually working in like the teens, twenties, maybe low twenties. Um, but so let's say we're in the teens and we're on a 15, when things are calm, things get a little more exciting and we're out at the park or whatever. I now might need a 35 to a 40 for this dog in most cases. Um, and it's not because I'm trying to be more meaningful. It's not because I'm trying to make him uncomfortable. It's because when we're in that environment, a 40 feels the same to him as a 15 did at home that morning when things were quiet.

Speaker 1: So that's the nature of it. It adjusts to the dog. That's eco training. We listen to the dog. So as your dog becomes aroused or excited, your level has to go up or they will not notice it. So, and it's different for every dog. Some dogs have a very tight window and it doesn't change a ton, but a lot of dogs have huge peaks and valleys. Huge contrast, right? So maybe single digits when things are calm. And they might be 40, 50, 60 when you go to a Home Depot, especially if they're uneasy and they're anxious and nervy.

Speaker 1: So that makes the number go up too because the dog is so concerned about that noise over there, that guy over there that they don't feel the physical sensation of the eco, right? So it's not that we're turning it up to fry the dog, quote unquote, right?

16:00 — Higher settings are intended to overcome environmental distraction, not to indiscriminately intensify stimulation.

Speaker 1: Because that's what people will say. It's like no, you turn it up to break through the distraction and the dog will tell you what that level is. And then yes, of course we do punish things with the eco too. So I get a lot of dogs in for resource guarding. I get a lot of dogs in that barking growl at people. Guess what? I punish those behaviors with the eco. I mark those behaviors with a no. I turn my eco up to something I know will be very uncomfortable to that dog and I tap the button and usually after doing that two, three, maybe four times, those behaviors go away.

Speaker 1: So people can tell me I'm mean for doing that. And you know what? I don't care. I don't care at all because I see the good that comes out of it. I see what's on the other side. I just take it all for granted because I know I've done it so many times. And the thing is, once you do that, just like the fearful dog scenario that I described and getting that dog to come to me, you know, if you have a dog that's nervous, a strangers and barks and growls at them and you put a stop to that behavior, well now you can actually have that dog around strangers.

Speaker 1: And I'm not suggesting that you should let them put all kinds of pressure on the dog or touch the dog, but now you can actually put that dog in situations that are gonna get him used to it so he can learn to be more comfortable and confident around strangers.

Speaker 1: And you can't do that if they're losing their mind and barking and growling and lunging at people, right? So this tool guys makes lives better and it can make your life better. So it's my recommendation for nearly everybody. I mean, I just don't see any benefit to not using it, you know? And when I do occasionally I don't get a lot of these people, but when I do get someone that says, oh well you know, do you have any training programs without the eco, you know, or I'm not real comfortable with the eco, can we use something else?

Speaker 1: The answer is just no. And it's not that I have a problem with training without the e-collar. I just don't wanna do it because why would I wanna do that? It's like if I built houses for a living and someone asked me to do it without a drill or a power saw, I would tell them to go to hell <laugh>.

Speaker 1: So this is the same thing, like there's no amount of money you can pay me that makes me want to do that, okay? It's not 'cause I'm lazy. This, this tool requires skill, it requires repetition, it requires that you show the dog what to do. It is not lazy. It is very effective. It it very efficient. That's not lazy and I don't know why you would wanna do things any other way, you know? And like I said, you can combine it with any number of things. So I still use other tools, I still use food.

Speaker 1: I use a bonker sometimes to punish behaviors instead of the eco, right? So I'm not married to only using the eco, but especially if you wanna take the leash off, boy, why would you ever trust a dog off leash without an e-collar? I don't care how good your dog is, they're a living organism. They make their own decisions and it only takes one bad decision. It only takes one moment in time.

Speaker 1: So I'm not comfortable with that. No way. I'm not taking the leash off my dog without an eco, especially off property somewhere, right? God forbid, like I said, only takes one second one bad decision. Even if they're normally very good. Behavior isn't set in stone. Behavior changes, okay? The environment is unpredictable, other people are unpredictable. And to an extent, whether you realize it or not, your dog is unpredictable. So they might do the same thing a hundred times in a row and then do something different. And this gives you a safety net, okay? Now you can tap your dog on the shoulder from a half a mile away.

Speaker 1: You can whisper to your dog from a half a mile away. You can yell at your dog from a half a mile away and you don't have to say anything. You essentially have a leash on your dog without a leash.

Speaker 1: If they've been properly trained with the e-collar, which is important, you can't just slap the collar on and think that your dog is going to know what to do with it. They won't. Okay? Now, if you've got some nuisance behaviors you wanna knock out, that's much easier. There's still a correct way to do it, an efficient way to do it. And there's a wrong and inefficient way to do it. Um, but much, much easier, much less training involved. You just have to know how to form an association between the behavior and the consequence. Super easy.

Speaker 1: But if you're trying to get your dog to respond to the eco by doing something in particular like coming when called, that's a training process, guys still not super complicated most of the time. But it is a training process. So we do teach the dog about the e-collar and what to do with it.

21:00 — She explains that e-collars require training and discusses their beep and vibrate functions.

Speaker 1: Now the other thing about the e-collar right, is most of them have vibrate. They have vibrate, they have beep, and everybody wants to use those 'cause those are nicer. Okay, well, let's just clear something up. Heres, I don't use vibrate, I only use electric stimulation, okay? Sounds so mean. I know I'm the ice queen <laugh>, but, so I'm conditioning the a dog to an e-collar and we're doing lots of low stimulation and I'm teaching them how to come when called and, and sit and lay down on command. And I'm using these low levels just to teach them what it means, right?

Speaker 1: And we're working one day and I accidentally hit the wrong button and I hit vibrate. Guess what happens? Dog hits the ceiling. Guys, <laugh> dog jumps right outta their skin because vibrate is like serious stuff compared to this low stem. So get off your high horse thinking your vibrate is nice. You're not nicer than I am, fool <laugh>.

Speaker 1: Okay? And the, the problem with vibrate besides that is that it's just, it's monotone. It doesn't go up and down. You have one level, it just vibrates on or off, right? So remember what I, I talked about your level and your intensity needing to change depending on the environment, depending on how your dog feels, depending on their state of mind, it's gonna go up and down, up and down. You can't do that with vibrate. So it's gonna be wrong most of the time. It's gonna be way too much sometimes, and it's not gonna be nearly enough when your dog chases the bunny or the deer or the other dog, whatever the case may be.

Speaker 1: So you really need the flexibility of the stimulation. So I just don't use vibrate. Now the beep comes in handy for a couple of things. You can use it as a marker before you correct your dog.

Speaker 1: Um, but I actually use it to teach a recall, and I really like that. So it doesn't replace the accountability, right? If I beep my dog's collar and they don't come, there's a consequence for that still, right? Beep is not a consequence, just a noise. So I just teach the dog when I hit beep, they come to me. Great. That's cool. I have no problem with that. That way I don't have to yell. That's awesome. Um, but if they don't come, there's still a consequence, just like there would be if I called my dog verbally.

Speaker 1: So, but lots of interesting ways you could use the beep, I suppose. Uh, and that's it. So I hope this has filled you in a little bit on eco training and, and kind of what we do with it and what it looks like and why I think it's so great.

Speaker 1: Um, and why I really just don't train without it. After a dog's five or six months old guys, like they're ready for more. They're ready to learn this language of eco and, and tie it into everything they know. And man does it really improve your bond and your relationship with your dog? You get to know them in a different way. You become more relevant, you start doing things together, right when you're out together instead of like the dogs in their own world. It's so cool and I really recommend it, uh, whether you use me or or somebody else, you know, make sure it's somebody with a good reputation.

24:00 — Kati says e-collar training can strengthen the handler-dog relationship through shared activities and increased…

Speaker 1: Like, you know, someone that's used them. Look at their videos, they should show their work, right? Speaking of, you can check out my videos on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, uh, Diamond Canine dog training. And uh, if you have questions on anything, send me your questions, shoot me an email. I'm happy to answer your questions. All right guys, I hope you're all given some thought now to eco training and, uh, I've enjoyed this episode. Thanks for listening and I'll see y'all next time.

Speaker 2: <silence>.