E-Collar Recall to Ping/Vibrate

[Pheasant.Esq]

Does anyone have any recommendations and/or advice on how to train my lab to recall when I ping or vibrate his collar? The only articles and videos I can find on this topic use a vocal command, but I don't want to be yelling his name in the field. For what it's worth, he is great at recalling on vocal command so I'm confident he is ready for the e-collar.

Thanks!

 

[gimruis]

I use a whistle. As you stated, I do not like yelling not only because it alerts birds to my presence, but it hurts my throat too.

 

[Pheasant.Esq]

I use a whistle. As you stated, I do not like yelling not only because it alerts birds to my presence, but it hurts my throat too.

Thank you. He is trained to return on three beeps of the whistle. I guess my use of the tone/vibrate would be more of a "you're ranging too far out; time to check in and wait up." Almost more of a warning that, if he continues to range out, I'll have to apply pressure.

 

[Jake300win]

Idk for sure I run pointing dogs. What if you use the return command he knows simultaneously with the vibrate/ tone on the ecollor. I usually do that with a check cord on the dog as well in case I need to real him in.

 

[Dakotazeb]

If he is recalling to your voice command I would start to overlay the vibrate with your voice command. Keep repeating that until he starts to associate recall with the vibrate. Eventually he should start coming to the vibrate alone. Repetition, repetition, repetition!! You can do the same with a whistle.

 

[BrownDogsCan2]

If you have tone I just use a single tone for sit ,the command and a stop sit hand single until they get it and no longer need the cues. I use continuous tone and here for come until they know it, you may end up having to overlay some light stimulation for here.
I save vibrate for something like leave it if I even use it at all. If vibrate is all you have use it for here they naturally want to come to it anyway.
A couple nightly walks around the neighborhood off leash if you already have some control over them and they will get it.

 

[Pheasant.Esq]

Thanks everyone for the advice - it was exactly what I needed. Happy hunting.

 

[Munster927]

To add on, I agree with the use your voice while training in conjunction with the tone/vibrate on the collar. Say "here/come" whatever you use and then hit the tone. Do that enough times and then transition to tone first, then vocal command. Eventually switch just doing the tone on the collar only and see the response. You basically are transferring the command he knows to another stimulation.

Be sure however that you don't plan on using the tone for any sort of warning pre shock on the collar. How I run my dogs is I hit the tone as a warning of "you're screwing up, you need to listen or you're gonna get shocked". So as long as you haven't set that precedent, you should be fine to teach your dog to learn the tone for a here command.

 

[Gatzby]

I think this method has been called "bracketing".
1. "Here" tone "Here" for a significant number of repetitions.
2. Then "Here" tone for a significant number of repetitions
3. Then a mixture of "Here" tone, and tone "Here".
4. Then just tone
Sorry for the vagueness of "significant" Some dogs might need 5 reps some might need a hundred reps

 

[jackrabbit]

Thank you. He is trained to return on three beeps of the whistle. I guess my use of the tone/vibrate would be more of a "you're ranging too far out; time to check in and wait up." Almost more of a warning that, if he continues to range out, I'll have to apply pressure.

I trained my lab the same way. Started with voice commands. Then overlayed to a whiste. 1 whistle meant sit/stop, look at me. 3 whistles meant return to me. I then overlayed the collar beep with the same thing - 1 collar beep meant sit, 3 collar beeps meant return to me. So while training, blow the whistle and do the collar beeps simultaneously. Then transition to just the collar.

Always keep them on a leash or check cord so you can immediately correct any action, don't ask them to do anything you can't immediately enforce. For instance, I wouldn't ask a puppy to sit if I cannot immediately correct them if they disobey. I would have them on a leash walking at heel and pull up on the leash while saying sit, which forces their butt to the ground. They learn that obeying means the pressure of the leash is let go. When introducing the collar beeps, do the same thing - walk at heel on a leash and say sit/blow whistle 1 time, while hitting the beep one time. Then transition to just the beep.

When training "here/come" I do the same thing but on a check cord. I never say they command if they are not on a cord than I cannot easily correct them, or else they will learn that their is no consequence if they don't listen and you end up being that person who is always yelling "come" at their dog in the field. Use your command, then give a bit of a yank of the check cord to start reeling them in.

I now only use the whistle if he loses sight of me for a long time in a thick area - hunting wooded area, corn, cattails, etc. The whistle can let him know where I am at, whereas the beep only lets him know to return to me, but he might not actually know where I am at. It's allowed us to be a very silent team in the field with most of our communicating via the beep on the collar, and very rarely any talking or whistle.