was recently given a wonderful black lab, 4 yr old spayed female, by a good friend. i've had 3 previous labs, all great pets and hunters i trained myself.
only real problem w this one is when she gets loose she stubbornly ignores commands to come. took her bird hunting at a preserve yesterday, her first hunt, same problem. decided i need to get a shock collar.
any recommendations on brands/models?
Garmin 550 for me, but maybe she needs to bond with you first before you go the collar route? If she understands the command and blows you off thats another issue.
First, start off as if she is a 7 week old puppy. Use a check cord and a hallway where she has no option other to obey. Call her to you, pull her in if she doesn't obey, and praise lavishly. Do several repetitions several times a day until she comes quickly and willingly. Move to more open area with some distractions and repeat. Move to a third area such as outside at a park where distractions are great and repeat. When she responds well there, start over at home without the check cord. Unlike a pup, you will need to do more often as you have break bad habit and instill a correct one.
If, after all this, she does not respond as desired then an ecollar might be appropriate.
As for brands, Tritronics/Garmin or Dogtra are all I will use with a strong lean toward Dogtra at the moment. I was a real die hard TT user but have had some minor issues with TT since Garmin took over. It is almost offset by user replaceable batteries and such but compared to the trouble free units I have had it is concerning to me.
I have had no problems with the Dogtra collars I have used and are my first choice if there is no great compelling reason to chose TT.
As for models, I use the ecollar/beeper models as I run pointing dogs. For the OP's use a basic model would probably work well. Most important would be learning to use the collar correctly as there is more to it than charging up, turning on, placing on the dog, and pushing a button. Spending a few dollars for a couple of hours of training on how to use the collar would go far and be more pleasant and less frustrating for you and your dog. A trainer would be a good place to start as would joining a local retriever training group. It is possible a local pet store or dog obedience school could help but those I am familiar with are not thrilled ecollars.
Hope I helped to some small degree.
Garmin 550, pretty much no nonsense & will do anything you need it to. I like the control & gives you option to wear it on the belt, or sling over the shoulder.
^^^^ That ^^^^
Had a Brittany that wanted to obey, no breed wants to please more, that would get locked on a scent and get selective deafness. Got an electric collar dialed way back to tickle, just enough to break the trance. We were both happier after that. It's all about communication.
Funny, the thing had a "kinder gentler" buzz mode. Tried it exactly once, poor Larry panicked and about had a heart attack with that crazy buzzing thing on his neck.
Larry responded to treats with praise, he liked jerky flavored bits best. He was my best buddy so he was always getting petted, hugged and wrestled with anyway. I think the treat made the point of being praised.
BTW, I trained my Griff to recall with the buzzer on his collar. Lots and lots of time on a longline but now solid.
thanks much all! big help.
Tootsie clearly understands but blows me off consistently, pausing sometimes to look at me before going away. fortunately tends not to go far and quite obedient in all other respects.
will try woodmaster's strategy first.
Mine's the Lion Country Supplies house brand, but it's not made by them. I went with them for 2 reasons: 1. cost and 2. I have one of their bird launchers and it can pair with it as well. It's really helped Hank and I get along in the field together. It was pretty darn easy to get him to recall with the tone/buzzer. One beep gets him to stop and pay attention. A second one gets him coming to me. I found it very useful.
I use a Dogtra, yes, the dog has to be trained and know what is expected. The ‘page/vibration’ feature is invaluable. I can just show our dog the collar remote and she complies, jumps in the back of the truck, whatever. She likes to ride in the back seat instead of the covered bed.
There's a moment with any pup when they weigh obedience vs. the consequences or lack thereof and its then when the use of e-collar becomes warranted. Sounds like you are there garCh.
Much like sourdough, there was a time when picking up the TV remote would cause the Flash to immediately obey at our house. The tone feature is generally all that needs be done anymore with either of our dogs.
I think all on this thread so far understand that an e-collar is not a remote control but some who read it might need reminding. E-collars are a tremendous tool but you have to teach the dog what you mean before using it.
Finally, I like TT but mine all predate Garmin so I'd defer to others experience.
We use the tone and shock features on ours.
The problem with the tone is...if you are hunting with more than one dog, and you only want one dog to return...they will all return when you mash tone. Because they all hear it and come running. Or if there is some device that makes a similar tone, they come running to check in.
But, if you get to a place to hunt, and find the you only have one charged collar, you can still hunt...just put all the dead collars on and use the tone on the live collar.
The lowest shock is the most reliable way to one dog to come back.
When we get a new collar, I always put it on my arm and test it at all settings first. Your just trying to make them feel a little tug, like a leash tug. Not make them wince.
Our dogs always get very excited when we get the collars out, they know that they are going to do something fun, each maneuver their neck to you so they can be the first to put it on.