Thinking of getting an eCollar? How to start out the right way
This isn’t the first training tool I recommend using.
I don’t find the use of an eCollar is necessary with most of my clients and only suggest it when my other training interventions aren’t as effective as they should be. This is one of the most popular articles on my site and that makes me sad for dogs because I feel like we, as trainers, have failed to get the message out about training approaches that work and would prevent the need for aversive tools. Before you continue, please read my article “Are We Misusing the eCollar.”
Every training program should focus on laying a foundation of respect, trust and having the attitude of a good teammate - but so many don’t. Most of us, me included when first I got my dog, naturally engage in behaviors that contribute to how well our dog listens to us. This is anything from giving too much affection, not having healthy boundaries and not knowing how to tell a dog we really don’t like something they are doing and, in order for us to have a nice life together, they have to stop.
That foundation is built in small moments that generally have nothing to do with the owner’s main complaint about their dog’s behavior. The guidelines are counterintuitive because we need to see the world from a dog’s perspective instead of our own, we need to understand what the relationship needs to be before we try to make it what we wanted it to be. It has to do with how we give our dog affection and attention. It has to do with knowing how to give commands in a way your dog will listen. It’s about teaching a dog impulse inhibition in the small moments so they can access it when we really need them to. It’s about being the leader your dog needs you to be. It’s about experiencing a closeness and bond that is beyond cooing and cuddles, one that most owners never get access to.
If you are interested in learning about how to change your life with your dog and get ecollar results without using this serious piece of equipment, please check out my eCourse that shares how to apply my entire training philosophy to help you understand dogs and get support implementing my training philosophy (which is so effective I rarely need an eCollar) or sign up for my Virtual Coaching Program so I can guide you through the process one on one.
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Find my full guide to getting started with the eCollar below ⤵️
What is an eCollar and How Does It Work?
While eCollars have gotten a bad reputation, I have found them to facilitate subtle and intuitive communication with my client’s dogs when used properly. This isn’t the first tool I recommend to training clients, but I have found some dogs prefer this method of communication over other cues. I only use the Mini Educator eCollar from ECollar Technologies because it’s high quality, water proof, consistent and the range from 0-100 means there are levels on the collar that are so gentle a human can’t even feel them. This is not a place where any caring dog owner should try to save money! The quality, consistency and type of stimulation vary greatly across collars and the cheaper ones are harsh and inconsistent, making them cruel and unfair to use. The Mini Educator is the only collar I will ever use, and the same is true for many trainers.
We have found the collar to be particularly effective at teaching and reinforcing off leash recall skills as it allows me to ‘touch’ my dog from afar. If I were a bigger, stronger, faster dog, I would be able to physically catch my dog when they got too excited or roamed too far and use dog body language, such as a nip on the neck, to show them that they are not allowed to do what they are doing. The eCollar is a great way to translate that communication given the limitations inherent in the difference in our species.
The eCollar Is A Communication Tool
It is important that we see the collar, like the leash: as a communication tool and not as a “punishment.”
As with guiding children, education involves encouraging the behaviors we want more of as well as dissuading the behaviors we want to discourage. Our goal in using the collar is to establish consistent cause and effect. These cues will be associated with our voice and body movements to facilitate us reaching the point where the collar isn’t needed. (I never use the tone because I can’t recreate that stimuli when the collar isn’t on.)
As you begin this training, the best practice is to have the collar on consistently every day or every time you are in the pertinent situation for four to six months as a conservative estimate. To determine when to relax with your strict adherence in having the collar on all the time, I use the 90% rule.
If the collar is on 90% of the time, and 90% of the time it’s on in the situations that prompted me to use it in the first place I don’t need to use it, then I can begin to reduce the time it is used. If I find it isn’t on and I wish I had it more than twice, (yes! twice total!) I will start being more consistent again.
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Keep This Tool In Your Toolbox
Regression is a normal part of the learning process. Many dogs will achieve a level of calmness and comprehension to where they rarely require the collar. Some days, a dog may be more excited than usual or there are days their ears won’t work as well. You might need to have the ecollar changed and ready all the time because it’s best to use the collar preemptively on days like this. Being tuned in to your dog on this level is why we use the collar in conjunction with our training program, which focuses on building the relationship as well as applying training techniques.
Sometimes simply having the collar on is enough of an incentive for my dog to do the mental work of staying within the behavioral guidelines we have set. Generally, after I correct a dog three times for doing something I know that they understands they’re not meant to do, I can say that the verbal, body language or energetic correction isn’t working and I need to put the collar on again. Repeating a command or correction is also a cue for me to change the situation, such as putting my dog on leash if they aren’t responding to recall cues. This is why we say our training is ‘dog led.’ My dog can keep the collar off if they maintain a calm and cooperative mindset and listen to light commands or corrections. The choice is theirs!
Getting Started with your Mini Educator
We have a lot of respect for the eCollar and do not recommend using it without the help of a trainer. Since both you and your dog will be learning a new language together, it’s best to have hands on guidance from someone who is fluent. This is also not the first tool you should pick up if you haven’t been working with a trainer and actively engaged in your dog’s learning process. It isn’t fair to your dog to hope the eCollar will be a quick fix because it worked well for a friend. Always work with a balanced trainer in your area first and decide with them if using an eCollar is appropriate and necessary.
Charging Your Mini Educator
It’s important that the collar is charged and ready to go by your training session. First, open the water proof plug closures and charge the collar and remote. It will glow red while it is charging and green when it is done. Because of the lithium battery, it’s important that you avoid over-charging it by removing it from the charger promptly once it is green or allowing the battery to die once it turns red. This means we don’t recommend charging it overnightWhen the battery on the collar or remote is low, the light will flash amber, and that is your cue to charge it ASAP.
Try to stay in a habit of turning the collar and remote off after each use as well as charging it before it gets low. After you remove the charger, it’s best to build a habit of putting the stoppers back in so they are flush so your collar remains waterproof.
Turning your Mini Educator eCollar Off and On
The Mini Educator can be a little tricky to turn off and on.
The remote has a large, circular button on the back. To turn on, push and hold till the display turns on. To turn off, push and hold till the display reads ‘OF’ then release. This button is also connected to the night light on the collar so you should check if the light was accidentally activated and press again to turn off. Leaving it on when you don’t need it will drain your battery faster.
To turn on the collar, align the red dot on the side of the collar with the one on the side of the remote. Slowly swipe the two dots against each other till the collar flashes green for on. If you swipe it twice it will flash red for off. Sometimes the collar can switch off and on in one swipe so always test the collar by vibrating it while it’s in your hand before you put it on your dog. Vibrating them for no reason (ie - to make sure the collar is on) is not cool - try not to do that. Always test it in your hand because you don’t want to wait until you need it to find out it isn’t actually on.
Trimming The Collar Strap
The strap for the collar in the box is very long and will need to be trimmed down. In order to be effective, the stimulation points need to touch the skin on your dog’s neck. The collar should fit like a belt: too tight and it will not be comfortable, too loose and it won’t do its job. Find the right hole for your dog and cut the collar about 3-4” longer for an adult dog or 6” for a dog that is still growing. Having extra room will make the collar easier to put on and give you the option of using it on another dog who may be bigger. We like to cut the tip into a point instead of flush across so it’s easier to thread through the buckle.
Using The Night Light
The night light on the collar is perfect for walking, camping, or keeping track of your dog in the yard at night. To turn the night light on press the on/off button on the back of the remote. One push and the light will pulse, two pushes and the light will be steady, three and it will turn off. If you turn off the collar, the light turns off as well.
Wearing The Remote
The collar comes with a clip on lanyard that we recommend you immediately clip on to the remote. When I work with dogs on the hiking trails or in training sessions, I always wear pants with a belt loop. I clip the remote around a belt loop and keep my hands free to signal my dog with hand motions or to hold a leash. You might trade out the lanyard for a caribeaner and choose to clip it to a fanny pack instead. It’s important that it stays in place and doesn’t slide around because you will need instant access to it when you do need it. I have found wearing it around my neck leads to uncomfortable bouncing against my stomach when I walk so I never do that.
Homework for you
As you learn to use the collar, clip it on and practice moving your hand down to it so you can trigger the collar correctly in a split second, like in an old western shoot out. I recommend doing this sitting on the couch with the collar off your dog, but you can also do it carefully while on walks.
Without pressing the buttons, move your hand down and feel where your fingers hit them, saying which is which as you touch them (vibrate/stimulation/stimulation plus 10). The vibration button is alone on one side and the stimulation buttons are together on the other side. Depending which direction the collar is facing as you wear it the buttons will be reversed so orient yourself towards the antenna to know which is the base stimulation button.
It’s also good to practice twisting the level control so you know how to get the collar close to the number you want, limiting the number of times you have to look down in that pivotal training moment. You either can try to hit a certain number (+25) and see how close you get or twist and guess what number you landed on. The faster you twist the higher it jumps so this takes some practice. You won’t have time to mess with trying to get it to the perfect level while you are using it so this is your homework to do while your dog is napping.
Your fingers should know:
Vibrate (T button alone on the right)
Stimulate (black and red buttons on the left)
Twist up (we usually do a quarter twist for 10-20 points when we need to up the stimulation)
Twist down (again, a quarter twist to lower 10-20 points)
Testing The Levels
What is great about the Mini Educator collar is that it has levels that are so gentle you or your dog can’t even feel them. The stimulation levels go from 0-100 and we generally start at level 3-8 and bump in increments of 5-10. Try this and the vibrate setting on your palm then forearm to see how it feels. Humans can usually feel the sensation between levels 12-20. You’ll notice it feels like an uncomfortable stimulation and not a painful shock. I like the Mini Educator because the cheaper collars are often more painful. When it comes to dog care, the eCollar is not where you should try and save money. Note that the number level number only applies to the electronic stimulation, not to the vibrate, which is consistent.
The eCollar should always be used respectfully and responsibly, never using more pressure than is necessary. Because the eCollar sensation mimics the nip that one dog would give another when they are misbehaving you must be careful using your eCollar when other dogs are close to your dog, especially before your dog is very familiar with the feeling on their body and it being related to a communication from you. If your dog feels the collar when they are near another dog, particularly if there are group dynamics taking place or if your dog is very excited, it’s likely that they could mistake the eCollar stimulation for a bite from one of the nearby dogs and start defending themselves. If this happens it’s definitely your fault so be careful! Instead of using my eCollar when my dog is close to other dogs I usually choose to walk or run towards them. This draws their attention to me and allows me to deliver verbal and body language cues.
Always Turn The Level Back To Base
We always try to use the lightest level that is effective for that dog in that moment on that day, but even if you accidentally use the collar over threshhold, know you will never physically injure a dog with collar stimulation. This is why when our leash corrections aren’t effective as a communication tool or behavior deterrent, we suggest trying the eCollar as a more powerful and subtle approach. A flat collar or slip lead can do irreparable harm do a dog’s neck when there is high or repetitive pressure.
If you end up needing to increase the pressure by 10, 20, 30 or even 50 points, be sure to immediately turn it back to whatever their base level is - usually 7-12.
If you forget and accidentally use a high level stimulation in a low distraction moment and your dog yelps:
Take a breath
Call them over
Turn the level down as they move towards you
Give them a quick pet while you take another breath
Then move on
Being overly apologetic to them in human language and action will be confusing and add unnecessary emotion to the situation. Don’t make it about you. Let them know it’s okay, move on, try not to do that again.
Teaching Your Dog How To Understand The eCollar
Put the collar on and let your dog wear it around the house so your dog can get used to the way it feels before it is ever used. When you begin to teach your dog about the eCollar, make sure the collar and remote are turned on and the stimulation level is set at 3-5. Note: The level number only applies to the electronic pulses, not to the vibrate, which is consistent. We like to start by using the collar for the ‘come’ command when your dog is on a longline. This will help your dog associate the use of the stimulation with their choice to ignore you.
We have found the collar to be particularly effective at reinforcing recall and deterring behaviors such as hunting on hikes, counter-surfing, barking, digging and jumping.
In my Virtual Coaching training I will show you how to use the eCollar in a way that is gentle and effective and lays the groundwork from the beginning to achieve the same level of focus and responsiveness whether it is on your dog or not.
Don’t Go It Alone:
Our "Learn to Speak Dog" Virtual Coaching Program includes all of our courses + exclusive resources + 4 one to one coaching sessions to help you shortcut the training process.
