# Does Not Come When Called, Advice on Electronic Training Collar(Non-shock, vibrating)



## Emric (Sep 27, 2010)

My wonderful 2 yr old german shepherd/hound mix dog, Emric does not come when called, He spend his first year of life living on a horse farm with me. It had an invisible fence, so he did what he want, and always stayed out of trouble. He would never come to me when called. I moved in town, and now we go to a large non-fenced in park every day. He is off leash, and does OK. He never comes when called, and it is really becoming an issue. There is no road close to the park.

This is not only dangerous, but very frustrating. Everytime I get close to him after saying Emric, come, he runs away wanting to play. I'm looking into the Electronic Dog Training Collars, that people use for hunting. I'm looking at the ones that Vibrate only, no shock. Does anyone use them, advice?

Thanks


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## Cracker (May 25, 2009)

E collars can be an efficient recall tool in some ways but I do not recommend using them without a qualified trainer. I realize you are talking putting them on vibrate and not zap, but you still need training in how to use it to effectively train the behaviour you want.

I recommend you instead put your money (a good ecollar is pricey) on buying the dvd or booklet Really Reliable Recall by Leslie Neilson and actually train Emric. He has had no training of recall and has had the freedom to do his own thing....he never learned how to recall because you didn't teach him. A good recall, positively trained is absolutely possible. It's the humans that mess it up by using the cue to do something the dog doesnt' like (like leaving the park, getting his nails trimmed, being put in his crate) or by punishing a dog for lollygagging on his recall (I said come NOW baddog!) and by not reinforcing a dog that checks in with you off leash. 

The very best tip for recall in parks (once the cue is installed) is call the dog, have him sit and the REWARD him not only with a goodie but with the opportunity to go back and play again. Dogs learn really quickly that "come" means the playtime is over. This is a training issue, not a dog issue.


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## Keechak (Aug 10, 2008)

What actual training have you done for the "Come" command?


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## Emric (Sep 27, 2010)

When he was younger I had him on leash, and would practice Emric, come, and when he comes have him sit and treat him. It works on leash, but the second he is off leash, running around he forgets about me. He is mostly hound, so he get's very distracted easily.


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## XelaTheChi (Nov 3, 2010)

Have you tried getting a super long leash and working with him on it? I'm talking 50 or 100' leash... I've been working on my G.S and she got really good on a short leash, but we're having issues on the long leash but she's getting better. I've thought about getting a whistle or something and training her to come when I blow it, as it will get her attention better. But I like having a super long lead on her so she can run and play and then I ask her to come and if she doesn't I will pull the lead and ask her to come and she will. She's only about 40% coming without me having to pull the lead a little bit but it's getting better.


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## katielou (Apr 29, 2010)

I don't think you have put in near enough basic recall training to be even thinking about using an e collar.

My dogs were on a long line for the best part of a year with hours and hours of recall training before i even expected them to know to come back to me.


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## Sighthounds4me (Nov 7, 2010)

Being part hound is an excuse. I have hounds, and despite me not working *hard* on recall, they all recall. It can be done, with work.

Having simply done a little leash work when he was a puppy does not a reliable recall make. It takes 10 minutes, twice a day, for WEEKS, at least, and working the dog on a long line, as already mentioned. And never, NEVER call him to you for something unpleasant. Coming to you should always be cause for a party, ALWAYS a positive thing.


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## Marsh Muppet (Nov 29, 2008)

If a vibrating collar is not unpleasant to the dog, the vibration only works as an attention getter. It will only work that way until the dog figures out that there's no reason not to ignore the vibration. That process could take less than 15 minutes. Vibe collars and e-collars have their utility, but they won't train the dog for you.


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## wvasko (Dec 15, 2007)

Marsh Muppet said:


> If a vibrating collar is not unpleasant to the dog, the vibration only works as an attention getter. It will only work that way until the dog figures out that there's no reason not to ignore the vibration. That process could take less than 15 minutes. Vibe collars and e-collars have their utility, but they won't train the dog for you.


Agree fully, waving a magic wand might also help but I doubt it. Before you teach the come you must teach the come as others have already said, you must do ground work with check cord and get a decent come before any electricity is involved.


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## Elana55 (Jan 7, 2008)

Put your dog on a long line and carry food. EVERY time your dog comes to you.. even when you do not call, give him a bit of food. We are not talking biscuits here... we are talking really good stuff. A hot dog cut in quarters lengthwise and then cut cross wise will yield 100 treats.. and one hot dog will not destroy a dog's diet. Spam can be used too (tho it is more expensive). 

Keep the food on you and even in the house practice this. 

That DVD or booklet "Really Reliable Recall" is good too.

Another think I suggest.. what ever word you are using for recall, change it. Then start over. When you say the word, ONLY SAY IT ONE TIME and then reel the dog in and give him food. Start with short distances and then increase the distance. Most hounds are independent by nature.. but most are also very food driven.

PS: THis is going to take a few months.. so be prepared and do the work.


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## 123fraggle (Feb 20, 2009)

When we teach a puppy recall work at our club, we start with having the puppy in front on leash. We squat down to the puppies level, say the cue, whatever it may be eg. Fido come or Fido here or whatever the handler finds easy to say, and then treat. Lots of repitions in this stage. It is sort of like your cat coming when it hears the canopener. Soon the dog will want to check in "come" when he hears that cue. The treats of course should be very high value, like cut up cheese, chicken, beef etc. I believe you could train an older dog this way. You might even use a toy if your dog is very toy motivated.


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## sandydj (Sep 27, 2010)

I only had to use a collar of that type with one dog - my JRT. But , it was after I had trouble teaching her recall on my own ( a first for me , since I had successfully self trained all of my previous dogs) ..I used a professional and highly recommended trainer. He is the one who recommended the collar after other standard methods of training did not help ( it was citronella , not E) . The citronella collar worked..but again , it was under the instruction of a certified trainer who made sure I knew how to use it. 

All good advice here on teaching recall , hope something works for you soon !


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## amavanna (Nov 20, 2010)

I certainly feel your frustration. Lela has got to be the world's perfect dog..until she goes outside. We were doing great for a while then winter got here and the snow. I am hoping the excitement of the snow is what is causing this sudden change in walking on leash and ignoring all of our hard work we have put into recall but I feel the longer it lasts the more it will become a issue. I was having fantastic success before the snow season with treats and even toys to get her to come back to me ON leash. 

At the time i had two leashes one was 16 foot for play time the other is just a short leash for our actual walk. She chewed through our 16 foot leash and took off. Now luckily she just took off on our usual walking path like she literally just bolted to the trail ran around in about a quarter of the time it usually takes us lol then went digging in some snow. I called and called and she just zipped round and round ignoring me. I went inside to get the other leash and when I came back out to my surprise she was waiting for me but this was LUCK LUCK LUCK. I could have been chasing her down blocks of snow and ice. 

The only thing I can say based on my own experiences is that until you know for a fact that your dog will come when you say its just safer to be leashed . There are plenty of leashes and leads that make it more comfortable and easier to play. I even invested in a 25 tie out leash and for 20 minutes i day i let her on the backyard porch to kinda venture around the backyard while i do dishes and laundry where i can see her out the window. This is also useful in recall because instead of going outside to bring her in I have her come to the door to come in. 

On top of working on recall on leash outside I would also do it inside OFF leash. Every time she responds and comes to you inside really let the dog know how happy you are she came to you. But as with any training dogs do not generalize and will not always catch on that coming to you in the house and coming to you outside will reap the same reward . Especially if every time she comes to you outside she has to go in. If it is particularly cold like it is here I would worry less about off leash recall and more about on leash recall until it is safer ( less slick ice to worry about) and more comfortable outside so you can enjoy being out there and take the time to work with the dog.

Any way I wish you luck and I am sorry you even have to worry about it now I am sure it was nice on the farm I always wanted that for Lela but just remember the dog will be happy where ever you are and that this just takes time and some patience ^_^


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## xxxxdogdragoness (Jul 22, 2010)

My 4 month old Josephine is learning to come off leash (I used a retractable for a while, the way I did with all of my dogs but the jack russell I raised will never be realiable off lead due to his prey instinct, he has been actively field trial hunted before so off lead is a no no in an unsafe area lol. 

When I call Josephine I turn abruptly & walk the other way, regardless of if I'm actually going that way or not, so far the method is working & it helps that my older dog, Izze comes everytime & always stays with me so she has a good role model lol.

My 4 month old Josephine is learning to come off leash (I used a retractable for a while, the way I did with all of my dogs but the jack russell I raised will never be realiable off lead due to his prey instinct, he has been actively field trial hunted before so off lead is a no no in an unsafe area lol. 

When I call Josephine I turn abruptly & walk the other way, regardless of if I'm actually going that way or not, so far the method is working & it helps that my older dog, Izze comes everytime & always stays with me so she has a good role model lol.


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