BigGameHoundsmen.com

This is jmo. I use the tone quite a bit , for several things . To get the dogs attention most of the time. If they are doing something they should not be doing , like backtracking or barking in the box . things like that I will shock them on 2. The only time I use 3 or 4 is when they are running trash. I never use 5 or 6. I have shocked my self and 4 is plenty. How do u guys use yours?

jc

JC in my experience, dogs vary in the intensity level it takes to get their attention. Most of the smart ones learn the tone and respond to it. I have used #6 on some that ran trash after I/m sure they knew better. Sure a lot better than the old methods, older houndsmen can relate to. Probably, how good a contact the probes are making to the dogs skin at times determine how high one has to set the intensity level. I believe the ecollar is the best tool ever for the houndsmen when used properly. Also believe in the wrong hands can be determent to training. But, as Dewey said, dogs are forgiving and anyone can make a mistake. Al

Although i am not proud of this it seems to work for me. When a pup gets to the age that they look at you and turn and go the other way when called they get toned then get turned inside out until they are on a dead run to me. Most pups only need two doses of this to fully understand what here means. On trash (after they have been on sufficient amounts of good game) they get the tone then turned inside out again, usually after this i only need to use the tone to get the results I'm after. I do like the the momentary stimulation feature on the new Alpha, i use it on the highest setting but only get a short yipe out of the dog,when toning doesn't get the result you want but you don't want to light em up. This is just what works for me and it seems pretty simple for a dog to figure out.

Al saidit very well each dog is totally different as to pain tolerence. Andy

I know all dogs act different . I have one female that acts like she is getting hit by a lightning bolt when u hit her on 2. Another dog I have will take 2 and not make a sound. I also noticed a difference when the dog is wet and dry. Put your shocker on 6 . Hold it on the tips of your fingers and tell me what u think. 4 is plenty . lol. You might want to get drunk first. It does make a difference . believe me , ive done both.

jc

Well I have one that can take a 4 without a sound and keep doing what he was, hard headed SOB... takes a 6 to get him to turn around. And while he will come back he don't act like it hurt much, no yelp ect. He just walks in slowly like he has all day, even if I hit him again for being slow. I have another that if I did a 4 on she would not hunt the rest of the day... takes some coaxing to get her going again if I even use a 2... Tone is plenty for her most of time. When you do press the buttons make sure it’s the right dog getting the juice cause I have made a few mistakes and it takes a while to get a sensitive dog back out.

I have another that sees me take the control out of my pocket and he will lower his head and wait for the shock even without a collar on... I made a mistake with him once while he had a collar on, pressed wrong button on 6 trying to get my hard headed SOB back... So now I don't even collar the sensitive one... he is on voice command now though so its not all bad.

Here is what we have found:

Distance away from the Transmitter can/will affect the Zap a Hound feels.

Heavy cover will affect the Zap on a Hound.

Amount of charge in the transmitter and collars on the Trash Breaker and earlier Tri-tronics systems would seem to diminish the ZAP in a collar.

Like said above different Hounds respond to lesser or greater amounts of juice.

As Mark said the new ALPHA is nice....it reaches farther, and requires less juice to get a response. A tone seems to have a better effect on a Hound wearing a TT Collar. It is nice to be able to reach out over two miles and get a response from the Hound.

There is a lot of people looking for a easy answer as to what level to use. Their is no fixed answer it is different with each dog, each shocker, and terrain. This is where some common sense and experience comes in. We all make mistakes. It is a good thing that the dogs are forgiving creatures. One rule of thumb that I thing is violated most of all is to never correct a dog out of anger. In other words if you are mad stop and think are punishing the dog because of your upset or are you training the dog in a positive way. Never hold a grudge for what a dog has done. He does not for what you have done. Dewey

The reason I started this was to let some of the new guys know that just because there are 6 different levels of the shocker doesn't mean u need to use them all. I was working cattle at a friends place one day, It is on memorial weekend every year. New people are there every year. One day there were 4 shock prods and the people that were using them were being way to aggressive with them. I grabbed one out of one guys hand and told all of them that they had to do this before they could use the prod. I stuck it to my leg and shocked myself. Needless to say there were all chicken shit. My point is don't do anything to an animal especially your best hunting buddy u wouldn't do to yourself.

jc

some dogs just wont listen and putting it on max and holding it till the smoke starts comming out there ears is about the only thing that works.

AMEN! Very Well said JC and Dewey!

stevemac I would say the only reason they won't listen is because they were taught that way. Dewey

Depending on the dog: if dog 1 is very hard headed and it seems he/she always has a tendency to respond better by being told more than once, here's my theory. These dogs are like children, if you always start off telling softly then get louder and louder and louder, then comes the whipping , you both get a pattern established of a sequence of how things will always go. BUT if you'd tell them firmly once then whip if needed, next time will get results better with the first verbal warning. Take this over to the dogs [again hard headed, need a firm hand type] give verbal command then go right to a high level and back down if another is needed , dog behavior specialists will tell you they understand this much like the kid analogy. Better than starting low and building up [they become accustom to a lot of warning before they really need to listen] again this theory works for me and all of this is for dogs who know better or at least know what is being communicated to them and this is reinforcement/consequences for not listening or stepping out of line, providing they know what the boundaries are.
Softer dogs need everything scaled back to keep them soft[or keep them from melting down] dogs are like horses a little, start a young horse, get them all soft and supple, the owner comes and takes them home, in a couple a weeks to a month , soft and supple is gone and it takes a lot of effort where only a little was needed before. I've found some people like it this way, makes them feel like they getting a lot done, funny part is they are. Just a lot of what I wouldn't want to be doing, LOL !!! There are exceptions to my next statement but I can usually tell how smart the dog is , depending on the level of stimulation it takes to get their attention, and how they respond [again different for each different personality of dog].

Im no good at putting my thoughts on paper or a computer, so thanks Tim for explaining what i couldnt. I dont want my dogs to have a 1 2 3 count, i want them to react as soon as i give a command. I really only have three commands i use but they know they better react immediately on all three. The most important to me is GET UP meaning to get on the box. I usualy have to many dogs on the ground to count all of them when they get up, and to have a dog that doesnt respond to GET UP immediately could result in a dog getting ran over if it is waiting for 2 1/2 to hit its ears before it decides to obey. The wide open method i described earlier usualy is all that is needed as far as stimulation goes in a dog for me. From then on the verbal command will do it if it doesnt the tone will. There are exceptions on dogs that are really gamey and like the fast tracks more than most. I hope this makes sense?????

Well stated Tim! I can be a bit too soft on some things, but running trash after a hound knows better I had no mercy & it worked well . Also C john right on the older & not fully charged e-system. Thanks AL