Anybody who has ever owned a dog has also most likely known the joy of chasing him around the neighborhood. According to the Compassion Action Institute, “1.2 million dogs were killed on U.S. roads in 2000”. This is because training is time consuming and difficult to master. Even the basics like sit or stay are challenging for the average person. When you throw into the mix the fact that you are trying to train a husky, your difficulty level rises to levels most people simply don’t have the time, patience, or skill level for training a dog properly. Everyone dreams of having that dog that can go to the fridge and get them a beer. But then reality sets in and you’re just happy when your dog sits for a treat and not run off every time someone opens the front door unexpectedly. And that’s why I found a system of training a husky that is fit for an average person, not the dog whisperer.
I simply couldn’t get my dogs to do anything without a tasty bribe. Walks usually ended with a mild case of tennis elbow or a short run if my girlfriend couldn’t hang on. Trips to the dog park would go similarly, “Hey Christine, don’t let him get past you… damn it! Smokey! Get back here! (as if that would actually work)” and the pursuit through traffic would commence. This was my reality for the longest time.
While I could handle my dogs in controlled circumstances, I could not always control the situation. The leash pulling was an easy fix - there is a plethora of collar selections from choke, pinch or slip-lead. But none of these solved the problem of a dropped leash or a 110 pound girlfriend opening a car door to an excited husky that really wanted to run. And let me tell you, huskies can run! I needed a training methodology that was possible for my modern family without being intrusive to my daily routine. I also needed the training to give more freedom to both the dogs and myself.
Let's face it, you don't need your dog to compete in shows. You just want a dog that doesn't run wild and will sit on command. Imagine getting home and opening the door to let your best friend free knowing that it won't end in a triathlon. That’s what I found in the Dogtra E-Collar.
I chose the Dogtra because of its adjustability. There is 100 level settings on the Dogtra in addition to the pager feature which is what is primarily used after initial training. In another blog, I’ll go over how to dial into your individual dog. I have 2 Siberian Huskies and one of them is on level 20 the other is on 40 while my Basset Hound Pug mix is at 18. So it is very important to use the collar correctly to get the best effect out of the collar without hurting your dog.
Range is also a factor I considered in choosing my collar. The Dogtra has a range of up to a 1/2 mile. This is great for my dogs because they love to go on hikes with us in the woods. We give them the freedom to run and play and when it’s time to go, a press of the button, and they’re heading back in towards us. None of this would be possible before we started this training method. William Koehler coined the term, “You can only agree the only cruel correction is an ineffective one” in his book the Koehler Method of Dog Training in 1960, and it is still used today. After realizing that E-collars are very effective, you can see the many benefits of E-collars.
Dogtra E-collars Available:
