Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

It took me awhile to really use this product consistently, but I'm glad I did. I have a stubborn bulldog mix that had lots of bad habits that were getting worse over time. I looked into sending her away to a local training camp that was very expensive. When I got their paperwork, one of the terms of agreement was you had to buy and use this model of training collar. Before spending thousands of dollars, I decided to try to train her myself using this collar and send her to camp if it didnt work since I would have to buy and learn to use the collar either way. Personally, I think they could make this product easier to use - I had to read the manual a few times and look at some training videos online. I was confused with the settings - I ended up following an online video of a dog trainer advising to just set it to M / C and start around level 24. I tested it on my hand - it doesnt hurt, just a buzzing really that makes my dog uncomfortable/anxious but not in pain. My dogs biggest problems were leash pulling, not listening to come/sit, jumping on our bed and - worst of all - aggression toward other dogs, usually while on walks. She progressed to such a bad attitude that she started snapping at my husband and I when we would try to make her do something she didn't want to do - usually, go outside for potty or get off our bed. I started using this collar to work on a few of the milder issues first- leash pulling, come and sit - before the big issues involving her aggression and challenging of authority. These were things I could do outside on walks, so I reasoned that if she took the collar training badly she would not necessarily associate it/ take it out on me or the home environment. I HIGHLY recommend that you leave the collar on for a day or so before using it and starting outside the home environment. You want them to think it's a natural consequence, and if they do get really scared at first you dont want them to associate that with you or your home. I was afraid her fear may make her more aggressive, so I didnt want to use it in my bed (where she snaps/challenges me when I remove her) or around other dogs at first for fear of making things worse. When I began to use the remote, I was unsure for the first 48 hours because she did have extra anxiety and I was not sure it was a good idea or if it would make her more neurotic. But, I stuck with it, taking my time, backing off a little bit and watching her and practicing walking, sitting, coming every day outside for 10-30 minutes. Whenever she pulled on the leash or ignored a command, I pressed it on until she corrected. When she pulled on the leash I pulled her back toward me, firmly but not aggressively, while pressing it. She learned very quickly that listening to my commands made the uncomfortable feeling go away - its not so much a punishment as a communication/queue for them to listen to the owner. Also I would reward her with positive reinforcement (treats and attention) on many of the times she would come or sit. In just a week she has improved 95%. Its amazing. She walks beautifully, comes, sits and stays without fail. After the first 4 days when her anxiety about the buzzing decreased, I started using it in the house as well for come/sit as well as not jumping on the bed and commands to go outside for potty. Since she was already used to the corrections, this went fine. Today on a walk we came across other dogs, usually a scenario that brings out her very worst - barking, yelping, jumping, snarling and snapping. Using the skills we have been practicing, I ordered her to sit and stay while letting the dogs pass on the other side of the road. The couple times she was too excited to listen, I used the remote to buzz when she didn't sit right away and that got her attention to listen to me and sit. It's a simple thing, but a miracle to anyone that knows my dog - I used to only walk her with a muzzle and with helper because she could get so out of hand. I have gotten knocked down and scratched before when she would get excited trying to lunge at a dog or squirrel - she is very strong. Now walks are actually fun! I suggest learning to use this, watch online videos, read some dog blogs (my favorites are 'the good dog' and 'dog gone problems'). Also important to practice fundamentals of 'petting with a purpose' and making them wait for a command to eat, things I started doing a few months before the collar training that didnt solve everything but I think helped prime the dog to see me as the leader. I cant emphasize enough to start slow with the remote to avoid freaking the dog out - a lot of bad behavior comes from anxiety and fear, you don't want to make it worse. You want to make it feel like a natural occurrence they can control and give them time to get used to it - in my case, she learned very quick. Good luck!