Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

This DVD is outdated. People looking to train dogs with an ecollar should instead spend their money on Michael Ellis' e-collar training series, check out YouTube videos of Bart Bellon, or look into how bird dog and hunting dog trainers use the e-collar. All of these trainers utilize a different method of training with the e-collar than is shown in this DVD. The e-collar training protocol set forth in this DVD is unfair and confusing to the dog. There are two ways to train with the e-collar. One is to use the e-collar as a correction- to "shock" the dog when he doesn't obey or does something wrong. For example, dog gets into the trash, you catch him in the act, and give him a shock with the e-collar. If you are lucky, the dog will associate getting in the trash with a shock and won't get in the trash anymore. Problem with this is that the dog may instead associate the shock with being in the kitchen, or walking on tile. Then you have a dog with superstitious behavior that could result in potential issues for a working dog. In some cases, a one time shock can be very effective in eliminating an unwanted behavior, but most of the time it takes more than once. Another once common use of the e-collar was to correct hounds or bird dogs for chasing "trash" (unwanted wildlife like deer). This involves really nailing a dog when he is chasing deer and never allowing hiim to practice the behavior. Again, this may or may not be effective, especially if you can't see the dog. The other way to train with the e-collar is to start at a very low setting- the lowest settng the dog can feel (generally around 15- 25 on a Dogtra collar)- and teach the dog that complying with commands turns off the discomfort. This is called "avoidance" or "escape" training. Originally, I thought Frawley's method was more fair. I actually used his methods on my first dog to stop him from chasing cattle. It worked for that particular dog. I tried the same thing with my current dogs and they had no idea what was going on- yelped- and continued with the bad behavior (in this case, chasing deer). I re-evaluated and did a lot of research. I now firmly believe that it is much more fair and clear to a dog to teach using avoidance training than to break out the collar and correct the dog for not complying. I do not believe Frawley currently trains his dogs in the way he shows in the video. Frawley is a huge Michael Ellis fan and promoter and trains competition malinois with Ellis. Michael Ellis uses escape training with the e-collar. So, basically, Leerburg should have discontinued this video a long time ago, but, because there are so few videos out there on e-collar training and because Leerburg is generally respected in dog training circles, this DVD continues to be a money-maker for Leerburg. Be aware that the method of training in this video is no longer used by Ed Frawley himself. Time to update this video and discontinue the current DVDs production. To continue with description of escape training- by teaching the dog that she has control over the stimulation, you set her up to succeed. There are various ways to condition the dog to the e-collar, but most trainers recommend teaching three major commands first- the "come" or recall, a distance "sit" or send out to "place" and "heel". As the dog becomes proficient with the collar, proof distractions. I really like this method of training because the level of shock is very low. Like most caring dog owners, I was hesitant about shocking my dogs. But I needed to do something to keep them from chasing wildlife and still allow them to be off leash. E-collar training is also useful for a dog-reactive dog. I do not correct the dog for misbehaving- that is a huge mistake. But when I ask my dog to "come" and then "heel" in order to pass another off-leash dog, my dog can't also react at the same time she is following my commands. Thus, slowly, her reactivity is simply disappearing. She is finding out that she doesn't need to show that other dog that she is dominant to avoid an interaction. If she sticks with me and follows my commands, the other dog won't bother her. She is happy, confident, and simply loves to work. All the clicker-treat training in the world wasn't going to get us to this point off leash. I don't want you to make my mistake and waste money on this DVD. Please look into escape training instead. Lou Castles website has great step by step instructions that even a complete novice can use. For me, that free resource was significantly more instructive than the Leerburg DVD.