Pet Fence Training: Step Two

Now we introduce the correction. Reactivate the shock on your collar, either by adjusting the control box or removing the masking tape you added. Place the collar on the dog, ensure that it is tight enough for the two contacts to be touching the dog. If the contacts are not touching the dog they will not receive the correction. You want it tight enough that you can insert two fingers between the collar and the dog. For a small and compliant dogs, put the shock on medium-low, for a medium size dog put it on medium-high and for a large or stubborn dog put it on high.

We know there is a temptation to set the correction very low, in an attempt to avoid hurting the dog, but the opposite is true. If you set the correction low the dog will learn that it is not too bad and try exploring past the boundary … they may end up on the street and they could really get hurt. Turn it up high and they might get shocked a couple of times but they will quickly learn to avoid the boundary. The dog should never learn that they can cross through the boundary and that there will be no shock on the other side. Err on the side of a higher shock. If during the training the dog does not seem to care much about the shock you have it on too low and need to turn it up. If there is no reaction at all to the shock, then you have probably not got the contacts pressing against the dog properly, you may need to trim a bit of hair for long hair dogs or tighten the collar to get it in contact with the skin.

As before we start and end all training session with play time to keep it fun.

As in the first step, you are going to put the dog on a long leash and take them about a yard from the boundary. As before you never want to lure the dog over the boundary, let them wander over by themselves. It may take a few minutes. When they cross and the beeping starts, wait till they receive their correction. This may take a second or so. You will know the dog got the correction because they will visible flinch or recoil. Then pull the dog back into the safe area saying “no, no, no.” When they retreat praise them. When they retreat do not baby them. The dog got a shock and it is no big deal, it was just like the static shock you sometime get on carpet (if you are in doubt try it on yourself – we have been shocked scores of times and it is no big deal, more surprising than hurtful). You are the dog’s leader, if you panic they will panic and they will not learn, if you act like it is not a big deal it will not be a big deal and they will learn that the shock was simply the consequence of crossing the boundary.

If the dog doesn’t cross the boundary, praise them. Watch their body language. You will often see the dog heading toward the boundary, but then stop when it shifts it’s vision to the flags. You will often see a dog spontaneously turn their back to the flags. You want to praise this type of behavior.

Repeat this activity three times a day for another week. Make sure your dog does not get shocked more than once a session. You do not want them to find this training an unpleasant experience. If they get shocked during the session, simply switch off the shock (or wrap the receiver contacts collar in masking tape) and continue on with the training.