When Should a Dog Wear an E-Collar?

Questions about how often a dog should wear an e-collar (or any training collar for that matter) come up frequently. For anyone new to training a dog this is usually one of the first questions asked. The answer depends on what a person's goals are for their dog, but the message is basically the same for everyone. A dog should be wearing their collar whenever there might an opportunity to enforce expectations you want to the dog to become competent at. This is especially important in the early phases of training, even more so if you're a person that doesn't follow through consistently without the aid of your tools. For example: If your dog is running in the backyard and you call him to come inside, you need to be prepared to have him follow through. This means either you have the tools necessary to enforce from your doorway, or you're willing to walk out and go get the dog if he doesn't listen to you. Standing in the doorway repeating a recall command, or worse, walking away and letting him continue to sniff and wander for a few more minutes only teaches the dog that your words really don't matter all that much. It certainly does not instill into the dog that he listen the first time. The question of when to wear the E-collar came up at Dog Camp. Here is the typical response I give to pet owners interested in training their dog to become well-mannered companions.

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