The "modern" in Modern eCollars applies to both the technology available as well as the philosophy when using them. Combined, they offer fantastic benefits to dog training.  

Perhaps the greatest benefit is the freedom it provides dog and human. A dog can enjoy being off leash while at the same time the owner has the peace of mind of guaranteed recall.  So no matter the distraction -- deer, squirrels, other dogs or people -- the owner can call his dog back to safety.  It brings a new level of joy to any walk on the beach or hike in the woods and can be taught in a matter of days to any dog regardless of age or breed. 


Modern Philosophy  For dogs with behavioral issues, the eCollar is incredibly helpful in working through issues of anxiety, stress, nervousness, and fear.  There's an immediacy of communication that the eCollar provides that is faster and more effective than verbal, leash, or physical touch. A dog is first trained what the sensation of the eCollar means. Just as humans understand what a tap on the shoulder means, the dog learns that the tap of the stimulation means to turn and look at his handler. It really is that simple. 

For a nervous dog to get clear input from his handler the moment he begins to show signs of being nervous means his level of stress can be effectively managed by the handler and never gets to the point of overtaking him. In dog training, specifically dog behavior rehabilitation,  this is very important. It means that the trainer can inhibit the unhealthy behavior patterns and start to lay foundation for new behaviors in front of the same stimuli. 

Modern Technology  Just like humans, dogs can hear more easily when they're relaxed and in a quiet setting. Conversely, they can't hear well at all when surrounded by high levels of distraction. Just think to the last concert you went to and how loudly you had to yell at your friends just so they could hear you. This is where the advanced technology comes into play. Modern eCollars have 100's of levels of stimulation where earlier versions had 6 to 10. The absolute high and low aren't different between the two generations, it's the incremental levels in between that give modern collars such a huge advantage. In very practical terms, imagine your dog was off leash and getting very excited about a deer further out and you needed to call him back to you. With a modern eCollar you would have a wide range of stimulation levels to choose from to use the level high enough (or "loud" enough) to get his attention but not so high that he'd feel uncomfortable and not so low that he couldn't feel it at all. 

When rehabilitating dog behavior, the benefit of applying precisely the right level of stimulation is even more meaningful. Successful rehabilitation takes in many variables including the dog's temperament, the behavioral issue itself, and the context of any given moment in training. These variables inform the trainer how much pressure to apply to the dog as he moves him through the rehabilitation process. Applying just the right pressure -- not too high and not too low -- is the difference between successful training and not. The modern eCollar with its wide range of stimulation (or pressure) gives a trainer a very effective tool because of its ability to dial up or down the intensity based on what the dog needs in a specific moment in time. 

Maggie and her owners Shawna and Jim are headed to Los Gatos Coffee Roasting Company. But before they go, they're making sure to master thresholds with Maggie. She has a history of being dog reactive and though seemingly unrelated, how Maggie goes through the front door is a telltale sign as to whether she'll bark, pull, and lunge when she sees other dogs at the ever busy and ever dog friendly LGCRC. 

By making sure that Maggie goes through the doorway in a calm and polite manner, Shawna and Jim are giving her a key reminder of their leadership. Believing in their leadership, Maggie can easily practice the obedience she knows even in high distraction environments for her.  

Almost like magic, if your dog believes in your leadership, his behavioral issues disappear right along with the excitement, anxiety and stress that typically trigger the unwanted behavior.  

So if you're struggling with your dog's behavior outside the house, make sure he is moving through thresholds calmly and politely. His physical and mental state should be with you, not anxiously trying to get through to what's on the other side. If not, wait till he is calm. This may take time in the beginning so it might be a good idea make sure you've already had your coffee... even if you're headed out for more!  

Cassie's not dead!! But at this moment, all of her anxiety has definitely been put to rest. This little anxiety-ridden Coton de Tulear is practicing serene calmness when all around her chaos ensues in the form of loud treadmills, romping chihuahuas, and a very daring black cat. 

By strengthening her ability to be calm -- essentially "on command" -- we're dramatically decreasing the stress she feels around things over which she has no control. We begin by teaching her the Place command which requires her to stay on an object -- a door mat, a doggy bed -- until she's released. The first thing she perfects with the Place command is impulse control. Try it yourself... ask a friend to stay in one place and just see how long it takes him or her to go crazy with the need to move. The same thing happens to dogs. That impulse control serves them well in countless situations, again, not too differently from their human companions ;-). 

Almost like magic, once a dog realizes that the rules of Place are rock solid (can't cross the border), he gives into it. He lies down, his breathing gets deeper and voila... he experiences what I like to call "doggy meditation". This is a pervasive, long lasting and long impactful change to a dog. So when you ask your trainer: Is my dog going to change from this training? Yes! ;-) Your dog is going to practice meditation on a daily basis and reap the same benefits that we all know humans reap from it, whether we're practitioners or not. 

The day to day dividends are impressive. In Cassie's example, she went from a slightly neurotic basket case around skateboards and other dogs to a calm, relaxed pretty little thing that was interested in taking it all in but not threatened by the noise nor scent from either of those earlier threatening triggers.  Bring practicality down to another level? She could go more places with her owner and everybody was happy with that!

Now, there's a disclaimer here that's important for all would be "Place Practitioners". The owner has to make sure that his relationship with his dog is good. He's got to practice leadership on a daily basis which is the underlying difference to a challenging dog's behavior. Doing Placework with your dog -- being insistent he follow your rules to a "T" --  is one of four impactful methods to establishing and maintaining leadership with him. Establishing leadership is harder. Chances are you're coming at this from a deficit. It takes a little more "proactive" effort and includes daily obedience exercises with your dog for a couple of weeks while he gets used to the notion of your being in charge. Maintaining leadership is easier -- no surprise ;-) -- and can be done simply by your being conscientous around thresholds, feeding, and elevation.  

Lastly, take a hard look at what looks like a happy dog to you. Be sure you're not seeing nervous energy and confusing that for happy, go lucky excitement. Again, much like humans in this regard, dogs aren't really excited unless there's something to be really excited about. A balanced (psychologically healthy) dog enjoys relaxing -- do I need to say a lot like humans again? ;-) -- which might look like boredom. But relax... he's just meditating. ;-)

Dog training for obedience may not always get you a calm, relaxed dog. Training focused on improving your dog's state of mind will get you both.

The two dogs in these pictures nicely illustrate one who is following the obedience command "Down" but still very tense and ready to break the command at the slightest distraction and the other has learned that Down actually means lie down and relax. Easily the biggest breakthrough I had before becoming a dog trainer was understanding that my dog, Oliver, was a nervous, anxious dog. That thought never occurred to me. I thought he was high energy and had a really strong prey drive (both of which are true) and that that accounted for why he always seemed so amped up on our walks, in the car, in the back yard, in the house... you get the idea ;-). 

Understanding that he was nervous and that there were things I could do to help him relax changed our relationship dramatically. It also changed how Oliver interacted with the world and he went from being a nervous nelly who reacted (seriously over reacted) to every day stimuli to being a pretty calm, relaxed and tolerant dude. Very specifically, this meant that when we went on walks he didn't bark, lunge, pull, and spin at the site of another dog. 

I learned to teach Oliver to relax. He knew the Down command as well as Sit, Come, Stand, and Fetch but what he didn't know was how to relax. The more we practiced him being in a calm, relaxed state of mind the more easily he was able to go back to that state even with distractions that would previously have gotten him excited -- inappropriately -- like seeing another dog being walked down the street. Teaching your dog how to be calm is in my opinion the single most important foundation from which to train your dog.