Introduction to the Low-Stimulation E-collar Training Method
With this method, you will be teaching your dog that quick compliance with your commands will stop the discomfort of the e-collar stimulation. You will not be hurting your dog, but will be making her uncomfortable. Although this method works for all dogs, it is particularly suited to training "soft" dogs. I normally introduce the e-collar between 5-6 months of age. I do not believe it is appropriate to use it on puppies less than 5 months old, because a certain level of maturity and self-control is needed. You'll know the time is right to begin training with the e-collar when your dog begins to ignore your command to "come."
To help prevent your dog from becoming "collar-wise" (she only behaves when wearing the e-collar), have her start wearing the e-collar on a daily basis for approximately a month prior to employing this training method. You must be able to physically control your dog at all times during this training, so it is important to keep your dog leashed.
For this training, you will need an e-collar with very low continuous stimulation levels. Most newer models have at least one such level, but many older models do not. You cannot use this training method with an e-collar that is too "hot" or does not have continuous stimulation.
Fitting the Collar
Position the collar above the dog's regular collar, nearest to the head. Do not use a metal (i.e. chain) collar in combination with the e-collar. The collar's prongs go on the dog's throat. The collar needs to be snug, but not so tight that it's painful or makes it difficult for the dog to breathe. You should be able to put your finger between the prongs and the dog's neck. It needs to be snug enough that it does not rotate out of position when the dog shakes her head.
Determine the Correct Stimulation Level
  1. DO NOT GUESS! Using the correct level of stimulation is critical to being able to train successfully using this method.
  2. Place the e-collar on your dog and allow her to walk around freely, while keeping her close enough for careful observation.
  3. Set the e-collar transmitter on the lowest continuous stimulation level. For most dogs, this will be the correct stimulation level. Momentarily depress the continuous stimulation button and watch your dog carefully for a reaction. The reaction should be very subtle. The stimulation should not be painful. All you want is for your dog to feel the stimulation. If your dog jumps and/or yelps, she is receiving too much stimulation. Try loosening her e-collar so the probes don't press so hard into her neck. If you are using long probes, try replacing them with short probes. If you cannot get the stimulation low enough, you will not be able to use this type of training with that e-collar.
  4. If you do not detect any reaction on the lowest stimulation level, increase to the next level. Momentarily depress the continuous stimulation button and watch for a subtle reaction. She should be able to feel the stimulation at this level. It is very unusual for a young, undistracted dog to need a stimulation level higher than 2. If she does not, you probably need to tighten her e-collar.
The "Kennel" Command
This command is the easiest one to use to teach your dog how to turn off the e-collar stimulation, because you can quickly force compliance, and you do not need a helper. You will not be using the e-collar to teach the dog the "kennel" command. She must already know the command before you can proceed with this training.
  1. Confirm or teach your dog the "kennel" command using a portable kennel/dog crate.
    1. Put your dog on a leash and give the "kennel" command.
    2. If she does not voluntarily enter the kennel, give the "kennel" command again and force her inside.
    3. Some dogs will really fight being forced into the kennel. It's very important she does not "win" this first round, so give it all you've got. Get down on one knee, hold her collar and pull her in with one hand, while pushing her from behind with your other hand. (It helps if you can lift her back end off the ground.)
    4. Once she is inside, praise her lavishly and treat - no matter how hard it was to get her inside.
    5. Continue to treat her while she is in the kennel and do not allow her to exit until you give the release command (such as "OK").
    6. Repeat until your dog will eagerly enter and stay in the kennel when you give the "kennel" command. Be lavish with treats and praise. So long as you have to apply force to get your dog into the kennel, or to keep her there, do not proceed to step 2.
  2. Bring your dog to within two steps of the kennel entrance. Give the "kennel" command, then depress and hold the continuous stimulation button on the e-collar transmitter. As soon as your dog begins to comply with your command (e.g. her nose is in the door), release the button and stop the stimulation. Treat and praise. Give the release command and allow her to exit the kennel.
    Initially, you may find your dog gets confused by the stimulation and does not move toward the kennel on her own when you give the "kennel" command. If this happens, keep the stimulation button depressed, and *very* quickly push her into the kennel, making sure you release the button as soon as her nose is in the door. Treat, praise, and release.
  3. When your dog is quickly complying to the "kennel" command from that short distance, begin giving the command when she is further away from the kennel. Take care to stop the stimulation as soon as she begins to comply by taking a step or two toward the kennel. When she is inside the kennel, treat, praise, and release.
    If she gets distracted after you have stopped the stimulation and goes another direction or stops, repeat the "kennel" command, depress the continuous stimulation button again, and hold it only until she starts moving toward the kennel again - even if you must use the leash to force her compliance. When she is inside the kennel, treat, praise, and release.
    4. Timing is critical to success!
    1. There will always be a slight pause between giving the command and depressing the stimulation button. Your dog will learn to anticipate the stimulation and will try to "beat" it by complying with your command before the stimulation starts. Once she is quickly complying, give her a better chance to avoid the stimulation by gradually increasing the length of the pause after giving the command. NEVER depress the stimulation button if she has already started to comply. Allow her to complete the task. Treat, praise, and release.
    2. The stimulation must stop as soon as your dog BEGINS TO COMPLY with your command. Initially, you should make it easy for your dog to complete the task quickly (such as giving the "kennel" command when she is only two steps away from the door.) When you are sure she understands how to turn off the stimulation, you can lengthen the amount of time between her beginning compliance and receiving the reward.
    OOPS! If you find your dog has become afraid of the kennel, it is generally because one of these things has happened:
    1. She did not clearly understand the "kennel" command before you began using the e-collar. Keep the e-collar on her, but restart the training by reinforcing the command using only treats and praise. You may have to give her a treat each time she voluntarily takes a step toward the kennel until she no longer fears going into it. You may also have to relocate the kennel and/or replace it with one that looks different.
    2. You did not stop the stimulation soon enough, so she was still receiving stimulation when she entered the kennel. Now she believes the kennel is the cause of her discomfort. Restart the training by reinforcing the command with only treats and praise.
    3. The stimulation level you used was too "hot" and she fears being shocked again. Go back to the beginning of these instructions and find the correct stimulation level for your dog. Then restart the training by reinforcing the command with only treats and praise.
  4. When your dog clearly anticipates and understands how to stop the stimulation, and complies quickly enough to the "kennel" command to avoid it, you are ready to apply this training method to other commands.
The "Come" Command
The "come" command is usually the next command you will reinforce using this training method. As with the "kennel" command, your dog must know the "come" command before you can proceed. You are not going to teach her the "come" command with the e-collar. Rather, you are going to use the e-collar to teach her to come quickly to your hand from any distance - no matter what distractions she may encounter.
  1. Confirm or teach your dog the "come" command using a long leash or check cord, treats, and praise. Only when your dog comes to your hand quickly and eagerly are you ready to continue to the next step.
  2. For this training, it is easiest if you have a helper. Put your dog on a long leash or check cord. Have your helper hold your dog in place (dog should be standing) while you move about six (6) feet away. Face your dog, give the "come" command, depress the continuous stimulation button, and pull on the leash to force your dog to come to you. Stop the stimulation the instant your dog begins to comply by taking a step or two toward you. When she arrives at your hand, treat, praise, and release.
  3. Repeat until you no longer need to pull on the leash and your dog is eagerly coming to your hand for the reward.
  4. Increase the distance between you and your dog. Face your dog, give the "come" command, pause, and depress the continuous stimulation button ONLY if she has not already started to comply. Stop the stimulation the instant your dog begins to comply by taking a step or two toward you. When she arrives at your hand, treat, praise, and release.
    If she gets distracted on the way to you, repeat the "come" command, depress the stimulation button again, and hold it ONLY until she starts moving toward you, even if you must use the leash to force her compliance. When she arrives at your hand, treat, praise, and release.
  5. Once she is quickly complying, give her a chance to avoid the stimulation by gradually increasing the length of the pause after giving the "come" command. DO NOT depress the stimulation button if she has already started to comply.
  6. When your dog is coming to you from a distance quickly enough to avoid stimulation, begin introducing varying types and increasing amounts of distraction into your training sessions. When introducing a distraction, be sure to have a leash on your dog so you can force compliance when needed. (If you never have to force compliance, you are not introducing sufficiently exciting distractions.)
  7. Making sure you can clearly see your dog at all times, continue to increase the distance between you and your dog, eventually eliminating the leash when you are confident she will come to you, even if distracted. When she arrives at your hand, treat, praise, and release.
    8. When training the "come" command, using food rewards has two purposes:
    • it marks the desired behavior, letting your dog know she has just done something you like; and
    • it helps train your dog to come to hand. Have her look you in the eye before giving her the reward. This will serve you well later when training Manner of Retrieve.
    OOPS! If you find your dog is afraid to come to you, it is generally because one of these things has happened:
    1. She did not clearly understand the "come" command before you began using the e-collar. Keep the e-collar on her, but restart the training by reinforcing the command using only treats and praise. You may have to give her a treat each time she voluntarily takes a step toward you until she no longer fears coming to you.
    2. You continued the stimulation too long after your dog began to comply. NEVER continue the stimulation until your dog reaches you!
    3. You used stimulation when you could not see your dog and she was either unable to comply, or you continued the stimulation too long after she began to comply.
    4. The stimulation level you used was too "hot" and she fears being shocked again. Go back to the beginning of these instructions and find the correct stimulation level for your dog. Then restart the training by reinforcing the command with only treats and praise.
WARNING! Take great care when introducing live game as a distraction. Dogs are time and place oriented, so it is easy for them to mistake the reason for their discomfort. Just as your dog may learn to fear her kennel if you do not stop the stimulation soon enough when training the "kennel" command, your dog may learn to fear a pheasant if you give her stimulation when she stops to point a pheasant during training of the "come" command.
Other Low-Stimulation Method articles and videos

  1. Article: E-collar Obedience - getting started
    (http://ponderosakennels.com/e-collar-obedience-getting-started)
  2. Video: Remote Collar Training for the Pet Owner
    (http://leerburg.com/318.htm?set=1)
  3. Article: E-Collar Introduction
    (http://www.dogtra.com/download/pat_nolan/patnolan_training.htm)
  4. Articles: Dobbs Training Center, developers of the low-level stimulation method for e-collar use
    (http://dobbsdogs.com/library/pointing/index.html)
  5. Article: E-Collar Introduction - Part I
    (http://www.birddogsafield.com/articles/E-CollarIntroductionPart1.html)
  6. Article: Beginning Electronic Collar Training
    (http://www.gundogsonline.com/Article/Beginning-Electronic-Collar-Training-Page1.htm)