Conditioning the dog to the collar:
First, start with a hungry dog. Use high-value treats. This could be hot dog pieces or string cheese, or whatever you have found that your dog really likes. Put the dog on a 15-foot line. Put a piece of training food in front of the dog and get it to follow it a little before marking with a YES and reward. Do this for a few minutes so your dog associates the marker word with the reward. The collar is already on at this point. After a few minutes, you can now start conditioning with the e-collar.
Conditioning with the vibrate button: With your dog on a long line, (15ft.) give the come command and immediately AFTER tap the nick button and give a tug on the line at the same time. As soon as the dog turns to head your way use the marker word (YES) and reward the behavior.
We recommend:
Remember to mark or say the marker word the second the dog starts your way. Continue to practice this for 5 to 10 minutes at a time.
Conditioning with the continuous button: With your dog on a long line, press the button FIRST and keep it pushed down. Give the come command and a quick tug on the leash right after you give the command. As soon as the dog starts to move toward you release the continuous button and say YES rewarding the dog’s movement toward you. Make sure to present the treat for your dog to see. The reward should immediately follow the word YES. With the continuous button, the dog is turning off the collar stimulation by performing the command. Continue to practice this for 5 to 10 minutes at a time.
You should keep it simple and condition your dog this way for 1 to 2 weeks depending on the dog’s learning ability. Five to ten minutes a few times a day is better than 30 to 60 minutes at a time. Keep it short or the dog will lose interest in training. When possible, train before instead of right after meals. The hungrier your dog is the more rewarding your training food will be.
After your dog is conditioned to the collar, continue to use it as much as possible for several weeks. Remember to always give a command first then follow with a tap on the collar immediately after the command, nick or continuous, it does not matter once the dog understands both. After a few weeks you will use the collar intermittently, meaning tap the collar every other command, then every third command. This is how we start weaning the dog off relying on the collar. The main goal is to have the dog listen to the verbal command, not just the collar stimulation. This is how the dog learns to obey whether or not the collar is on.
