[DreamValley]

Asha is my first Doberman who started chasing bikes. It's really frustrating not to have full control over the dog. I will work hard to train her out of it... but in the meantime I need a collar to stop it.

We never used electical or citronella collars. Can you please advise which one work better for Dobermans? Do you know any side effects using citronella?

 

[Sinister]

If you're looking for an E-collar.. I would suggest a Dogtra.
Amazon.com: Dogtra 1900NCP Field Star 1/2 mile Training Collar Single Dog: Sports & Outdoors

I don't use it, but it is very gentle. My cousin has one for his GSD. I've been "shocked" at 38, and it just feels like a vibration.

 

[Dobs4ever]

DV - first you would be better served to train then if she disobeys use the e collar. But without the training first she just gets a correction without understanding what it was she was suppose to do. I suggest you speak with a trainer and get help.

I hope this is on leash and not running loose that you are having the problem as you did not make it clear.

 

[ZeldaRules]

I agree. She needs to be trained first and taught what is not acceptable before you break out a collar and zap or spray her. Those collars should be used as proofing for an already learned behavior or as a last resort. There are training activities you can work on to stop the bike reactivity.

 

[DreamValley]

Can you tell me what training activities do you use to stop the bike reactivity?
I took her to the busy biking path and made her heel. She sat when bike was passing by and she got treats for nice behaviour.
It did not help to reduce her bike reactivity. Her chasing drive is too high and she won't stop when she is off-leash.

 

[Sinister]

Can you tell me what training activities do you use to stop the bike reactivity?
I took her to the busy biking path and made her heel. She sat when bike was passing by and she got treats for nice behaviour.
It did not help to reduce her bike reactivity. Her chasing drive is too high and she won't stop when she is off-leash.

Juno has really high drives and I live on a farm. With farm animals who run away. I use a long line with her.. When she decides she's going to chase the (whatever) - she takes off, then hits the end of the leash. It takes about two times before she realizes her limits.. And I just practice practice practice her recall. As she goes to chase, I'll call her back, and when she does I just give a ridiculous reward.

 

[ZeldaRules]

Hopefully some more people will chime in with their methods. Sorry, I've never really had a dog that was reactive to those sorts of things. I'm thinking you might could do something along the lines of starting from square one like getting a bike(if you dont have one already) and have her out with it and reward/praise, and then work up to your husband or a friend sitting on the bike and reward her for being calm, and then work from there. I'm sure others will have better suggestions.

 

[DreamValley]

Our dog walker offered her help. She will be biking and I will be training Asha.

Speed is a major factor here. Asha chases speedy bikers. There is the speed limitation 20km/h but many bikers don't follow it. My girl behaves like doggy police LOL.

Here is the spray collar I was thinking about
http://www.amazon.com/Premier-Gentle-Commander-Control-Trainer/dp/B0007V9SJG

 

[annolyn]

There is actually a good forum for using and training with electric collars at Home
I have worked with this trainer's wife in search and rescue and when I started considering using an e-collar on Doc to help with his recall, I received excellent advice from Lou. I also purchased a Dogtra collar but never used it on Doc since I retired him from SAR work I did use it on myself, lol, and found it had so many settings that it didn't even start to bother me until a relatively high setting (I can't remember the exact number) but the point is, it is applicable to even the most sensitive dog.

I also want to recommend, when doing long-line training (which is great), to have your dobe in a harness I used a nice Ray Allen fake leather tracking line (33') when initially training Doc... I liked the fake leather cause it didn't catch all kinds of stuff nor did it cause friction burns. I still wore gloves while working with Doc.

Best of luck to you!

 

[DreamValley]

Thank you for the link!

I will check for Ray Allen fake leather tracking line... a long webbing line is frustrating.

Did you use RAM-Tech Leather Alternative Long Line With Bag - Black - 32' 10" ?

 

[MeadowCat]

If it's her high drive coming through (prey drive, most likely), an e-collar may very well just increase the drive. I've seen that happen a lot.

For me, what worked really, really well for bike chasing (and Shanoa used to go NUTS for bikes), was using the Control Unleashed game "Look at That." It takes some work and lots of practice (it's not a fast fix), but I am very pleased with the results. If you don't have a copy of the CU book, you can read a good summary of the LAT game here: Look at That! A Counterintuitive Approach to Dealing with Reactive Dogs Dog Training for Dog Lovers Blog

Edited to add: "Reactive" does not necessarily mean anxious, so don't be put off by that word. CU/LAT works really well with high drive dogs like Border Collies who are just too ramped up to respond to commands, too. They are over the top excited, not nervous.

 

[KevinK]

My dog has some pretty serious prey drive, and what worked for me was following what they say in this video. It took patience, dedication, time, but now my 1.5 year old girl can safely be in the yard without me having to worry about her running down the street after someone or something. Also, if you're not entirely comfortable, then I just wouldn't let your dog run free in an area that's not safe for her. I know this is about "barking" not "chasing' but the concept is the same.

Barking- Episode 3 - barking on a walk -dog training - YouTube

 

[Adara]

I would use the method Meadowcat suggested. I just saw another training video by the same instructor and it was amazing at what she could get reactive dogs to do.

I'm not a shock collar user myself but I thought they were NOT to be used to train but to "proof" a behavior already trained. At this point I would not put a collar on her, BUT I would not give her the opportunity to practice the bad behavior either.

 

[stryker2]

I would get together with someone that has proper ecollar training. Its not just putting on the collar. It is all in the timing and level of stimulation. The dog should understand what is wanted from them.
Loucastle site is good. Leerburg also
We have had the Dogtra 2 dog model 1902NCP for over 1 1/2 yrs. Have had no problems with it. The transmitter and receivers are fully waterproof.

 

[annolyn]

Thank you for the link!

I will check for Ray Allen fake leather tracking line... a long webbing line is frustrating.

Did you use RAM-Tech Leather Alternative Long Line With Bag - Black - 32' 10" ?

You're welcome And yes, that's the long-line I was referring to.

 

[DreamValley]

After reading your posts I decided to keep her on the leash only and train her to sit/stay when bike is passing by. I understand it's very important not let her practive bad behaviour.
Asha just turned 1 year. Likely she challenges me again and I need to prove my leadership being consistent and persistent in her training.

I am not in rush to buy electrical or spray collar before I learn more about it online.

Thank you for your help.

 

[ssgharkness020147]

Thank you for the link!

I will check for Ray Allen fake leather tracking line... a long webbing line is frustrating.

Did you use RAM-Tech Leather Alternative Long Line With Bag - Black - 32' 10" ?

You can't go wrong with a RAM-Tech line, I've got a number of them. For a dog that likes to run I usually use a real leather long line with knots tied in the line every four a five feet, that way if they run off its much more likely to get caught on something.

 

[ssgharkness020147]

After reading your posts I decided to keep her on the leash only and train her to sit/stay when bike is passing by. I understand it's very important not let her practive bad behaviour.
Asha just turned 1 year. Likely she challenges me again and I need to prove my leadership being consistent and persistent in her training.

I am not in rush to buy electrical or spray collar before I learn more about it online.

Thank you for your help.

There is nothing wrong with using an E-collar, like others suggested I would get a Dogtra. If you do at some point decide to use an E-collar find someone local that can show you how to use it. Reading about them online is a good start, but is not a substitute for actually being shown how and when to use the collar. Good luck on your training!

 

[Zucker]

There is nothing wrong with using an E-collar, like others suggested I would get a Dogtra. If you do at some point decide to use an E-collar find someone local that can show you how to use it. Reading about them online is a good start, but is not a substitute for actually being shown how and when to use the collar. Good luck on your training!

There is nothing wrong with using an ecollar APPROPRIATELY however this would not be an appropriate application. OP, you would far likely end up causing more problems. The problem you are describing is far better trained on regular leash at first with the reactive dog techniques described above, then proceed to a long line for proofing. There should be a lot of training put into the dog first before you resort to an ecollar as they are not magic solutions and when not used properly you can very easily create much bigger problems then what your tarted out with.

I train a lot with ecollars and in your situation that would not be the tool I would be reaching for. Lots of on leash obedience, lots of focus and recall work. You can do a lot of good with just a bag of food and good timing on your part and this will also help create a much better working relationship with your dog.

 

[Fraulein]

To e-collar or not to e-collar That is the question

Hello! E-collars have come a long way since they first came out. Today with the miniaturization, the e-collars are very small and you can change the setting of the stimulation from the remote control in your hand. The first time I used e-collar was over 20 years ago. They were bulky and the only way to adjust the stimulation was to move a resistance directly from the collar itself. You could not adjust it from the remote. The stimulation was very strong even at the lowest setting and dogs would usually yelp.

Todays collar have a great range of stimulations from a tiny tickling sensation up to stimulations that can stop in his tracks a hunting hound running after the wrong quarry. I think this will work for your bike chasing dog.

It is important to remember that e-collars are tools. Like any tools you must first learn to use it. With an e-collar it is very easy to become trigger happy with the stimulation which is the worst way to use this tool. This is the reason why almost every body you will talk to would give you a dirty look if you ask them about e-collar. Most people think they are torture devices for dogs.

You and your dog must get use to the e-collar. Do not think of putting an e-collar on your dog the first day and zapping him at maximum power when he is running after a bike. Doing this will certainly ruin your dog and chances are he will start to run in the other direction instead of coming back to you.

This being said, e-collar are wonderful tools when they are used properly. They will speed up the training of your dog immensely because you will be able to communicate and stimulate him from a long distance.

Personally I always used e-collars for the Tri-Tronic cie. They are very well built, the remote and the collar are waterproof. Some of the more sophisticated models can control many dogs with the same remote and have a range of up to 1.5 miles

I have no experiences with citronella collars. I do not even know if they are such collars that are remote controlled. I always though they were use for anti-barking purposes. As for the side effect of citronella. Citronella is not recommended to be use on people. So I do not think it is that great for dogs either. However the smell is pleasant and your dog will not be bothered by mosquitoes as citronella is a natural bug repellent.