Jeff Torrey

RETRIEVERS
"Before you can use the e-collar for anything," Jeff said, "you have to 'collar condition' your dog, so that he'll understand the message you're sending him through the e-collar. No dog is born knowing these things."

Jeff recommends an e-collar with variable intensity (set at the lowest level to which the individual dog responds). He likes both momentary and continuous stimulation, but feels the novice should rely mostly on the former because the latter requires timing and judgment that comes only with experience.

Jeff first teaches the basic obedience commands (Sit, Here, Down, and so forth) using only the leash for corrections. Then, after the dog understands these commands, he reinforces each of them, one at a time, with the e-collar. Later, after the dog is doing blind retrieve handling, he reinforces the Back command with the e-collar.

"Training should be fun for both of you. Stay with each command by itself until your dog fully understands the message you're sending via the e-collar. Then move on to the next, and don't combine any of them until he's comfortable with all of them individually. End each session on a high note, perhaps by tossing happy bumpers."

Jeff recommends using the e-collar in hunting to keep the dog steady, to deal with disobedience to known commands (Sit, Stay, Here, Down, and for dogs that do blind retrieves, Back). He stressed that you should always give the verbal or whistle command first, using the e-collar only if the dog disobeys. For example, when a dog creeps or breaks, you should first command Sit or blow the Sit-whistle, and use the e-collar only if he doesn't immediately sit.

He pointed out that when your dog creeps or breaks, it's a mistake to command Here. The dog has disobeyed a previous Sit command or whistle, so you should repeat that command and reinforce it with the e-collar if necessary. Only after he sits should you call him back with Here.

You can use the e-collar to reinforce the Here command, but you should be careful about doing so when your dog is carrying a bird. If he's not yet confident in handling birds, he may drop the bird before coming to you. Nevertheless, you must correct him if he refuses to return to you with birds. Most dogs will come to accept e-collar corrections while carrying birds without dropping them. Those that don't should be force-fetched.

"After all," Jeff said, "what's the use of a dog that gets your birds but won't come back with them?"

Training Techniques Pointers and Spaniels

In handling your dog to a blind retrieve, Jeff recommends using the e-collar to reinforce Back casts, but not Overs. He has found that using it on Overs inclines the dog to scallop back rather than carry the Over.

When your dog refuses to take or carry an Over, Jeff recommends blowing the Sit-whistle with an e-collar stimulation. After your dog has plunked it down, repeat the Over. Continue this sequence until he takes your cast. That little stimulation after each Sit-whistle will gradually convince him that there must be a better way.

He said that you should never press the transmitter button when your dog is out of sight. Instead, call him back into sight with Here. Further, you should correct with the e-collar only for intentional misbehavior, never for mistakes. A mistake usually means the dog needs more training, not more correction.

Jeff stressed that, for safety's sake, your dog should never wear the e-collar, or any other type of collar, in snag-infested water, lest the collar hang up and drown him.

Jeff added this final thought: "If you aren't going to spend the time to introduce the e-collar properly, you're better off not using one. Instead, keep your dog steady with a tie-out chain long enough to allow him to sit up and lie down. Place it close enough to the blind for quick release.

"That way, your dog will at least get hunting experience without developing bad habits. It would be better if you took the time and introduced the e-collar properly in training, for shooting over a well-trained dog is at least half the fun of hunting."

This tip is from Jeff Torrey of Buckshot Retrievers, 17410 Uvas Road, Morgan Hill, CA 95037; (408) 776-9798; website www.buckshotretrievers.com; e-mail jdtorrey@aol.com. Jeff has been training retrievers professionally for 10 years. He specializes in training young retrievers in the "basics," which are the same whether the youngster goes on to become a field trialer, a hunt tester, or a hunting companion. Recently he has catered to training retrievers for duck hunters. He breeds Labrador retrievers.