TW: Talk of using various training tools.
Disclaimer: My thoughts are about me and my dog. I am not every handler. My dog is not every dog. What does or doesn't work/feel comfortable for us is not intended to be a blanket statement on what does or doesn't work/feel comfortable for anyone else or their dog.
At our training session I confessed that while Faye is so good most of the time, she still gets overly stimulated by close passing cars at times and often pulls at busy street corners. I am concerned about how hard I have to correct her on the martingale and worry about damaging her throat. I also worry that should I ever lose control of the leash she could be hit by a car.
We talked about potentially changing tools, though my trainer assured me I was in no danger of damaging her throat. She told me she was more concerned that my hesitant corrections on the martingale could be desensitizing Faye to it, making it less effective. Which is fair.
I told the trainer I was maybe considering an e collar, specifically a mini educator. She thought it might be a better alternative and so we decided to try introducing one to Faye since they have that model on hand.
I tested it on myself first up to a ten. I didn't feel anything until level 4 or 5 and even at ten, it was not painful. I noticed it, but it wasn't even uncomfortable.
With Faye the trainer talked about making it a positive stimulus. Meaning every time she gets a "shock" she gets a treat. I've heard it described as a tap on the shoulder before but never really got that analogy until trying it out on myself. We started at 1 because my trainer told me most dogs find the vibration setting way more upsetting than the "shock". We got up to 7 with Faye and she was wagging her little nub tail the whole time. The trainer did tell me that she couldn't tell if Faye was responding to the "shock" or the very slight audible click of her pressing the button. Either way, Faye responded positively and was only mildly put off by the feel of the collar itself.
I have mixed feelings on going all in on the e collar so we set up a short session next week to try a plastic prong to see if that's a more comfortable option. My trainer assured me she would take the time to teach me to use either tool safely. That it's important that any tool used is both safely done for Faye and comfortable for me. No tool is any good if I won't utilize it effectively.
I tossed and turned all last night, and while that's not unusual for me, it was the contemplation of different tools that kept me up this time. (I want to remind anyone reading this that this is very much about me and my dog. I would appreciate it if no one tried to use this post to play moral superiority towards anyone who does use these tools.)
I have been wondering if I really need to change tools or if I'm letting my own frustration rush me into pushing Faye further than she's been taught to go self control wise. Is there a better tool for us, or am I looking to change to fill in the gaps of my patience?
I've just come in from spending a solid hour working a busy sidewalk and notoriously difficult street corner for us with a flat collar, lots of treats, and the patience I probably should have had all along. I took it all the way back to basics. Treat in front of nose and leading her at my desired pace. I see potential for improvement but also that Faye gets frustrated after too many times of getting it wrong. Is it better to double down on verbal no's/repetition? Or is it less frustrating for her to change to a tool/method that more clearly communicates what the right and wrong behaviors are?
I'm not sure yet what the right answer is for us. My goal is to find what is safest, most comfortable and effective, and least frustrating for both of us.
If you have helpful insight from your own training, feel free to chime in. If you just want to bash a tool/training method, please make your own post.
