The electronic, and subsequently with the tonal and vibration options, dog
training collars emerged in the 60′s. They were
initially used to train hunting dogs, and later, police and military
dogs. today there are a wide range of dog training collars available
for pet training.
In years preceding there were a lot of techinical limitations to these dog
training collars. It was hard to control and regulate the
intensity of electrical stimulation in the collar, thus defeating the
goal of training the dog in a variety of behaviors. Often the
stimulation was too much or too little for what was trying to be accomplished. It
could be puzzling to the dog.
now the technology has advanced greatly and contemporary collars are
extremely advanced and adjustable to the needs of the animal and the
trainer. It is normal now to have a remote control unit with a diverse set of options.
Now features like vibration, mild to more electrical impulsing and
stimulation, shut-off (manual and automatic), etc. Some are even
controlled by the dog, like bark collars.
There are a number of uses for dog training collars. Bark control collars
seek to give a negative stimulation to the dog when they
begin barking. This can be in the form of vibrations, scents, loud
‘dog can hear only’ noises and electical impulses. They have become
advanced enough to operate only when the dog barks and not due to
extraneous noises.
Another common and popular category of collar is the behavior training
collar, ordinarily remote, of varying degrees of technical quality. The
superior ones provide for more strict, fine-tuned training of a variety
of behaviors.
A well known variety of dog training collar is the ‘invisible fence’
type. This collar gives the dog a warning through vibrations or tones when they
are approaching the unseeable line established by the owner. If
the dog doesn’t heed the warning and goes across the invisible line, they get an
electrical current, the intensity of which is set by the trainer.
With all the resources available for dog training, especially the latest
remote collars, dogs and owners will be able to enjoy one another for
many years.