Why We Do What We Do
We Don’t Focus on Public Off-Leash Work
The health and safety of your dog is our number one priority. Even more, the safety of our trainers is a priority for us. Many companies guarantee that in two weeks they can have your dog working off-leash (with an E-Collar) in public spaces. And the thing is, maybe they can. Some dogs do exceptionally well with E-Collar work and off-leash work. But, many other dogs, are never going to be ready for that kind of work. But these companies make promises and put their trainers in positions where they have no choice but to get a video of them working a dog off-leash in a crowded public area. Here’s the thing, that’s bad for the trainers, that’s bad for the dogs, and that’s bad for the owners. Sometimes trainers can get a dog to work for them, off-leash. But that doesn’t always mean that same bond or connection is going to be easily established with the owner. Not to mention that most cities have ordinances requiring dogs be on leash. There isn’t an exception for E-Collars. That means that you taking your dog off-leash or even the trainer taking your dog off-leash is a violation of the law. Plus, if your dog ends up in a scrap with another dog that is on-leash, even if the other dog started it, your dog is going to have a heavier burden to show it wasn’t at fault.
We don’t like the idea of making our trainers break the law just to make a cool video. We want the training that we provide to be authentic and transferable to you. So, if we do off-leash work with your dog, it will be in secluded areas and in controlled environments. We don’t want any accidents to happen and we don’t believe that you should need training for your dog to be off-leash in public. The off-leash work we do, is only with dogs that are suited for such work and is designed for situations in which you and your dog are alone, or close to alone, and need recall. We want you to be able to explore the world with your dog, but we also want you and your dog to be protected from legal issues and safety issues as much as possible.
Nothing contained above constitutes legal advice. You are encouraged to familiarize yourself with the ordinances and laws applicable to you, which are ever changing.
Training Tools?
We use a variety of training tools and training methods to craft a program that works best for you and your dog. Some dogs respond well to treats, some dogs respond best to affection. Regardless of what your dog responds best to, we use a variety of tools to help us train your dog most effectively. These tools include, but aren’t always limited to: treats, toys, martingale collars, prong collars, e-collars, affection, etc. If you have questions or concerns about any of these tools being used with your dog, your trainer will do their best to explain the benefits and how each tool is used as well as to refrain from using tools you are not comfortable with. All we ask is that you listen, with an open mind, to your trainer when they are explaining each tool.
E-Collars NOT Shock Collars
For the training programs that use E-Collars, we use E-Collars from E-Collar Technologies, Inc. These collars produce an electrical stimulation that is like a tens machine for humans. Most dogs work at stimulation levels that we can’t even feel. Proper use of these collars is of the utmost importance and your trainer will teach you how to use these collars in a safe and humane way. The electrical pulse that is sent to the dog stimulates their muscle in a way similar to someone tapping on your shoulder. These collars are not meant to hurt the dog. These collars are used in combination with other tools and are not intended to be negative reinforcement. Basically, when our trainer use these collars, its a way of reminding the dog that they are supposed to be paying attention and focused.
Some dogs do not respond to E-Collar training. In such cases, we will not attempt to force the dog into using the E-Collar. Some dogs excel at E-Collar training.
E-Collar training can be used for a variety of reasons, including allowing dogs more freedom in secluded areas, without losing the comfort of recall.