Training a deaf dog with e-collar

Vislor · #1 10-06-11, 10:46 AM

Meet Stella and Sophie

Sophie and my sister Rachel rescued Stella when she was 10 weeks old. When they got Stella back to their home they noticed that Stella didn't respond to any sound. They took her to the vet and found that Stella, like many white dogs, is completely deaf.

Raising a deaf dog is harder than it sounds. How do you get the dogs attention when its not looking directly at you? You can't let it off the lead in the park because it won't hear you calling it back if it strays too far or is running towards a hazard.

So dad (Travis Foster) came up with the idea of teaching the dog to focus on Sophie and Rachel using a small e-collar. The one they use is the lowest powered model that dogtra make designed for puppies.

The dog learns that when it receives a small signal on its neck, like the buzzing of a pager rather than the electric 'shock' that many people associate with the e-collar, the dog knows to look around until it spots its handlers and comes back.

Once they have the attention of the dog they can then give it commands using sign language such as sit, down, paw etc.

There are many campaigns against the use of e-collars, but people forget that the collar is just a tool. Its what the trainer does with that tool that can make the difference between a life kept on a lead and one being able to run safely and free.

Zak · #2 10-06-11, 10:53 AM

Nice post

LOVEGSD · #3 10-06-11, 11:17 AM

Lovely to see...but I clearly didn't read about the e-collar! I'm not a fan at all tbh, I can see the point of a vibrating collar but sorry not an electric collar that issues a shock

#4 10-06-11, 11:29 AM

Nice that an e-collar can be used in a positive way to enhance Stella's quality of life

Caryll · #5 10-06-11, 11:31 AM

I've nothing against what I would call a 'buzz' collar - one that vibrates to let the dog know that you want it to do something, but nobody will ever convince me that an electric shock collar (which is normally what is meant by an e-collar) is a good training aid.

Vislor · #6 10-06-11, 11:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Caryll

I've nothing against what I would call a 'buzz' collar - one that vibrates to let the dog know that you want it to do something, but nobody will ever convince me that an electric shock collar (which is normally what is meant by an e-collar) is a good training aid.

Thats ok we use it for Stella pretty much as a buzz collar and I really can empathise with people who are flat out against using it. This is just one example of how it can be used in a considered, positive and effective way and I wanted to share it with the forum!

She's never shown any sign of pressure using it, in fact its always the opposite you can see her ears and tail are up, she gets very excited and you can almost see her saying 'what are we going to do next?' whenever she comes back.

For her to live without a massively important sense for dogs, hearing, you can see how incredibly stimulating using this technique can be in almost replacing it.

zetstaff · #7 10-06-11, 12:14 PM

I think that's really interesting + clearly makes a huge difference to Stella's life

kita · #8 10-06-11, 12:35 PM

Why not just use a vibrating collar?

Can you guarantee that the collar will not go wrong and give the dog a shock?

Sorry, but nothing would make me use an e collar.

There are many other ways to teach a deaf dog without the use of any negative equipment (even on 'buzz' an e collar is still negative).

Help with training your deaf dog from Barry Eaton

I don't think there is any place in dog training for shock collars - even on 'buzz'.

Sue

GobbySchäferhund · #9 10-06-11, 12:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zetstaff

I think that's really interesting + clearly makes a huge difference to Stella's life

I agree with Tracey

kita · #10 10-06-11, 12:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vislor

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The dog learns that when it receives a small signal on its neck, like the buzzing of a pager rather than the electric 'shock' that many people associate with the e-collar, the dog knows to look around until it spots its handlers and comes back.

There are many campaigns against the use of e-collars, but people forget that the collar is just a tool. Its what the trainer does with that tool that can make the difference between a life kept on a lead and one being able to run safely and free.

What do you do if the dog chooses to ignore the 'buzz' or runs out of range of the collar?

What if the battery runs out?

It is far better to train the dog to keep 'checking in' with the handler without relying on a tool (which could fail).

Sue