Basic E-Collar Training

A couple of weeks ago I talked about a great company, E-Collar Technologies, Inc,. and who and what they were.  So, today I want to give you some very basic lessons in e-collar training.

E-collars are a great training tool when used properly to reinforce things your dog already knows or to assist with training when the dog is displaying unacceptable behavior.

First, I will discuss using an e-collar to reinforce things the dog already knows.  Before you begin, you want to make sure that you have chosen the right collar.  You will need the proper size and then chose one with the options that are going to work best for you and your dog such as different stimulation levels and maybe just a vibrate setting.  You should always start with the lowest setting first and then increase it as you need to.  Remember, you are just trying to get their attention.  The other important thing to remember when you are going to use the e-collar to reinforce known behavior is that they know the command that you are trying to reinforce.  So, whether that command is sit, stand, stay, lie down, whatever, just make sure they know it ahead of time.  In reinforcing behavior, you want the dog to associate your voice to the stimulation.  So, call out the command you wish the dog to perform.  If he or she does not respond right away, then push the transmitter button to deliver the stimulation.  When the dog does as you have commanded then you want to reward them with praise, petting them, or maybe a treat.


Now let me briefly go over how to handle unwanted behavior with an e-collar.  In this circumstance, you do not want your dog to associate your voice with the stimulation.  So, it is best if you can deliver the corrective stimulation from somewhere your dog does not see you.  In this case, the stimulation is associated directly with their bad behavior.  Wait until your dog begins the unwanted behavior.  Once you observe them doing the behavior that you are trying to eliminate then you hit the transmitter to deliver a level of stimulation.  In these cases, the stimulation may have to be a little higher since the dog is already absorbed in the behavior.  However, try the lower settings first and work up to the proper setting.  Again, you are trying to just get their attention, not hurt them!  Depending on your dog, you may have to go through this type of training several times before the unwanted behavior stops.

Again, e-collars are wonderful training tools.  You must however use them properly to get the most out of training with them without causing any undue stress or discomfort to your dog.

At baddogsupplies, we carry a wide range of some of the very best names in the business when it comes to e-collars.  So, stop by and see what we have to offer.  Remember, we are always here to help in any way we can and we offer free shipping on any orders over $120.

Memorial Day Travel Tips

Memorial Day, this seems to be the long weekend that kicks off the summer fun and travel.  I want to take a break from my regular dog product posts to share some travel safety tips that you should know when traveling with your dog or dogs.  I have shared a similar blog in the past but I just feel strongly about this and I am going to do another post about it today.  These tips are for anyone planning on traveling this long weekend via  automobile with their dog or dogs.

Here are some of the basic tips to keep in mind before you set off to enjoy your long weekend:

1.  If your dog or dogs are not used to riding in the car, you may want to prepare them ahead of time by taking them on a few short trips first and then gradually increase the amount of time they are spending in the vehicle so that they will not be as anxious when it comes to the real trip.

2.  Just as you will be packing everything you need for your long weekend away from home, don't forget to pack your dogs stuff as well.  Some things that you should remember to bring with you are the dogs medical records, their food, bowls, a leash, a waste scoop and plastic bags to pick up after them, a pet first aid kit, their dog bed, and a favorite toy.  You may want to also consider a ramp or step if you have an elderly dog or a dog that has a hard time getting in and out of the vehicle.  Don't forget to also pack some water for them to drink when you make your stops along the way.

3.  Make sure that your dog has a collar with a tag that has information on it that allows someone to contact you immediately in the event the dog is lost while away from home.

4.  Make sure you have a safe way for your pet to travel while inside the vehicle.  Either a crate or kennel or a seat belt harness.  Make sure that if you are using a crate or kennel that it has enough room for your pet to sit, stand, lie down, and turn around.  Just as you would make sure that the dog is used to the vehicle before your trip, you want to do the same if using a crate or kennel.

5.  When it comes to the travel day, you should feed your dog a light meal several hours prior to you leaving.  You should not feed them while the car is in motion.  This will help avoid them from getting car sick.  Just for your own piece of mind though, you may want to get some floor liners or seat covers in the event they do have an accident or get sick.

6.  You should stop every two to three hours and let the dog get out and stretch their legs, burn off a little energy, and use the bathroom before continuing on with your journey.  PLEASE, DO NOT, leave your animal alone in a parked car!  It does not take long for a hot car to heat up and cause heatstroke for your dog.  We have all heard the sad stories of what can happen to a dog left alone in a car.  Please, please, please, don't let that happen to your dog.  Even with the windows open, it can just get too hot, too fast for it to be safe for your dog.

These are just some of the tips that I feel are important before you travel this weekend.  I am sure that others may have tips of their own that may help.  If you do, please share it with the rest of us.  We want you all to have a great and safe  holiday weekend!

God Bless All of Our Military Members past and present as well as their families!

Dog Agility Training

Are you new to dog agility training?  Have you always wanted to start working on agility training with your dog or dogs but just don't know where to begin?  You have come to the right place.

You start with the very basics and then grow and add from there.  We have made this very easy for you with a dog agility training kit.  What you will get included in this kit is the following:  a set of instructions, a game rule book, six weave pools, a high jump, an open tunnel, a pause box, a start and finish line, and a stop watch.  Now you can certainly go out of your way to purchase all of these things separately but why would you want to?  You are new at this, give yourself a break!  You can worry about adding to this kit and get something more advanced when you have the basics down.  By that time, you will know what you need or want anyhow.

Come on over to bad dog supplies and check out the dog training products for yourself.  We currently carry the Kyjen Dog Agility Training Kit as well as many other dog training products.  We are also in the process of adding more dog agility training products so if you don't see what you need today then stop back tomorrow or next week where you may find exactly what you are looking for.  Or you can always contact us  and we are always willing to help you in any way we can.

E-Collar Technologies

What or who is E-Collar Technologies?  Well, let me tell you a little about what I know about this fantastic company.  We came across this company as we were looking for new and additional products that we could carry and offer people at bad dog supplies.  We contacted E-Collar Technologies and spoke with several people, including the president and founder of E-Collar Technologies, Greg Van Curen.  I have to tell you, these are some of the nicest people in the business.  On top of that, they are right up there on top when it comes to their products.  E-Collar Technologies Inc. is a group of very experienced e-collar individuals starting right at the top with Mr. Greg Van Curen.  Mr. Van Curen was the co-founder and president of Innotek in the 1990's and has brought his insight and innovations to E-Collar Technologies.  Mr. Kim Westrick, who was one of Innotek's first employees, is leading up the sales and customer service at E-Collar Technologies.

Now you know who E-Collar Technologies are, let me tell you a little about what they are about.  E-Collar Technologies are the innovators when it comes to using low level stimulation to condition and train dogs without having to use high levels of corrective stimulus.  The proprietary stimulation circuitary is meant to mimic the scruff on the neck that a puppy would receive from her mother.  This has proven to improve the effectiveness of training as well as reduce stress on the dog and owners.  For those of you who were always scared to use a corrective collar for training, your worries should be no more with this type of collar.

By the way, one more great thing about E-Collar Technologies, they are made right here in the USA! One of the goals of E-Collar Technologies was to bring jobs back to the United States and they have done that with assembling all of their products right here in the United States!

You don't have to believe what I am telling you about this great company or the products they make.  Just check out some of the reviews as I have done.  A sample of which I have included for you below.

Reviews:

Einstein ET-800TS E-Collar 1 Mile Dog Trainer

Average Customer Review

5.0 out of 5 stars (8 customer reviews)

"Bought the Einstein ET-800TS Remote Training Collar recently to replace a competing product that we have been using for some time. I am very satisfied with this purchase. The transmitter has a very friendly user interface and the controls are quite easy to manipulate, even with cold weather gloves on; the size and form is conveniently compact and comfortable to hold; and the unit has some very unique characteristics, such as the remotely activated collar strobe and / or constant light for night time use and ease of locating your dog. Most importantly, the collar has been very effective on our 110 lb Male Akita. He responds very well to this collar, particularly to the "tapping sensation" vibration feature. When used in accordance with proper and safe electronic collar training techniques, this training collar has proven to be an excellent choice."

Einstein ET-300TS Mini E-Collar 1/2 Mile Remote Dog Trainer

Average Customer Review: 

4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)

"seems to be well designed. You can use vibration or shock and you can set the shock from 1 to 100. Most of the time I use the vibrate and my boston terrier instantly responds. Now I can't live without it."

Mini Einstein Remote E-Collars

Average Customer Review: 

4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)

"Worth every penny. It didn't take but two zaps to stop our out of control dog's barking problem. Now we can go for a walk without a leash, when he tries to take off all it takes is the vibration mode and he comes right back and walks beside me. I wish that I would have bought this collar a long time ago."

The great reviews go on and on and I do not have the time or space to include them all here so do your own research and then select from some of the best dog training collars out there.  At bad dog supplies we carry a large selection of the E-Collar Technology product line and are proud to say that we are adding more each day.  So, check us out at www.baddogsupplies.com for these great products as well as many other high quality, top of the line products that we are also very proud to say we carry.  If you have any questions about any of the products that we carry we would be more than happy to assist in any way we can to make sure you are getting the product or products that you need or want.

Dog Days of Summer!

I hope that I am not jumping the gun on this one.  I know many people are still dealing with some cooler weather.  My parents for example in upstate NY are getting snow today.  Snow, in mid may!  But for most, spring is here and for people like myself in a warmer climate, spring is pretty much over as the heat starts to settle in.  That is the reason why I decided to get this blog post out.  With summer, comes a great many summer activities including one of my favorites, boating.  If you are like we are, we love to bring our dogs everywhere possible.  Which means, when we go boating, they go boating.

Now, my dogs swim pretty well, but I would not take a chance with them when we are out on the water in a boat.  Let's face it, life can sometimes take turns we wish it didn't and accidents happen when you would least expect it.  I would not want to take a chance of that happening out on the water without myself or my dogs having a life vest.  Dog life vests come in all sizes for your big and smaller dogs.  They also come in different colors and patterns.  But, the important thing is, no matter how stylish you want them to look in their polk-a-dot blue life vest, lol, at least they are wearing it.

At bad dog supplies we carry a wide range of dog life vests.  Check out a great selection of life vests as well as our other great dog products that we carry on our site.  As always, please let us know if there is any way we can be of assistance to you.  We are always here to help in any way we can.

Just remember, get your life vests and your dog's life vests early so you can start off the season early and safely.  Happy boating everyone!

On a Sadder Note

I am writing a short blog post today just to remember my four legged niece.  The picture you see of the dog on my blog page is Jasmine, my four legged niece.  Sadly, we lost Jasmine yesterday.  She has been a part of our family for 13 years.  We love her dearly and are heartbroken that she is no longer with us.  During her life she was full of pep and energy and loved chasing squirrels.  She even took long road trips with us so that we could all enjoy a summer break in upstate NY with lots of  camping, fishing, swimming, and just being outside.  She truly was my sister's best friend for those 13 years.  Rest in peace Jasmine.  We love you, we miss you, and we will never forget you.