The first thing to make clear is that although many of the same manufacturers make them both, these collars are NOT shock collars. It is about making the most of the collar and teaching your dog how to react to the collars prompting.

Another negative some people attach to these vibrating collars is that it is lazy training for those who do not want to put the work in with their dog. This is untrue. So while this is a technological advancement (though old enough I might add) it cannot be branded as it sometimes has. Firstly make sure that the collar you purchase is not one of these multiple use collars.

The main complaint for most users of the vibrating collar is the battery life. This is something that obviously can make a big difference. Training wise it will mean that at some time you will be using a collar that is not functioning 100 percent. Durability is another major factor when choosing the right collar for you and your dog.

A badly constructed collar will be bashed and crashed and if it is a cheap build it will be useless quicker than you can whistle. Price is going to play a big part in the choice you make. There are cheaper $40 models out there and if that is all you can afford then that is all well and good. The distance a vibrating collar works at is another thing to consider.

The cheaper models will not have such a great range and so you will have to make sure that your dog will keep within a reasonable range of you and the controller. Last but most certainly not least is the comfort of the collar on the dog. A problem I have seen, mostly on cheaper models but also on some higher end models), is that they are not flexible enough for the dog to get used to. What follows is a guide to using a vibrating collar with your dog.

  It must be remembered that as previously stated this collar will not be a magic force that makes your dog obey every command at the push of a button. Each dog has it's own personality and each collar has its own unique build and so you will have to take into consideration this when using this guide. Your first step after purchasing your collar is to read the instructions and familiarize yourself with the product.

You will want to make sure you know how it works, straps on your dog and is released. The last thing you will be wanting is to create discomfort and stress for your dog every time you try to put on the collar. It is certainly best to introduce your dog slowly to the collar. repeat this process throughout the first two days.

After this you can start to lave the collar on for a small period of time - 20 minutes say. Once comfortable with this you may extend the period of time on the third day. you should spend around a week doing this in order to get your dog used to the feel of the collar. Do NOT use the vibration during this period!

Some owners worry that the collar is defective as they cannot feel the buzz but is especially designed to give a limited vibration. After a week of your dog getting used to the collar itself it is time to introduce the vibration. Make sure you have a good supply of dog treats in your pocket and every now and then press the button to buzz your dog. Immediately after this you must give your dog a treat.

Do not wait for acknowledgment as this will end up confusing your dog. You should repeat this every few hours throughout the day. You should keep this practice up throughout the week (you do not need to spend the entire day, every day) in order to make sure your dog becomes accustomed to the collars vibration.

Pitbull acting agressive?

pit bull spaniel mix is very energetic and is running all over the house!! I tried to calm her down taking her outside and playing with her but she didn't anything she just sat by the door. I brought her in and she ran to each couch and started biting them I firmly told her no and she growled and barked and she also bites me alot when I play with her and I feel like she gets to excited. She only acts this way with me and I'm with her the most she's only 4 months is this normal puppy behavior. I'm taking her to training classes too and it doesn't seem to be helping. they said when her eyes dilate to just let her calm down but how do I calm her down should I put her in the cage tell she calms down? What should I do??


Best Answer - Chosen by Voters

You have a high energy dog that needs more exercise. You have to take her for long runs, bike, rollerblade, etc. You have to tire her out before you can do any training. Second you have to start getting her to be calm submissive. To calm her down you should have her on the leash and just have her wait at your side until she does. The difficult part is the waiting. Nowadays people have a hard time waiting, everything has to be done now. You are dealing with a dog and a greater amount of time and patience is needed. You should also practice not giving her anything or doing anything unless she is calm. Do not feed, water, pet, praise, etc unless she is in a calm submissive state.
Those are just a few things to try.

My dog is old,11.And eating our cats food.Is I ok,or should we take him to the vet.?

He's old,so I hope it doesn't deal with that.

Best Answer - Chosen by Voters

Don't worry about it. Dogs will eat garbage if they like it. Cat food will not hurt a dog. People can eat cat and dog food as well and nothing will happen. Some doomsday preppers stock up on canned dog and cat food to eat themselves because it last a long time. Since your dog is 11 it may be harder to train him not to eat it but it can be done if you feel it is a problem. If your dog is eating your cat's food before the cat gets a chance to eat just make sure the dog is in another room then feed the cat.

I hope this helps.

My puppies keep mounting each other?
I have two 9 month old puppies...a boxer/border collie mix & a peke/shih tzu mix. The boys are best friends & really only see each other (the peke mix is friendly with other dogs but always tries to mount them & the boxer mix is terribly afraid & defensive around other dogs). They are both intact & I know that this could be the main reason for the mounting but our boxer mix never used to do it & just recently started to. I also know that part of this behavior is learned. Whenever they do it the offending dog is immediately reprimanded & put in time out but the behavior continues. Whenever me or my bf have to leave them at home, we put them in a wire playpen that's about 16 feet around because the boxer mix gets into things. Should we be leaving them alone together? And do we just have to deal with this behavior until they're neutered? Is there not anything that could be done now?

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker
This is a dominance behavior and should not be allowed. Neither dog should dominate the other. They have to learn that they are both the submissive and you are the dominant one. That way they will see you as the pack leader and won't challenge you. You have to teach them that they have to be calm submissive. If you see them being dominant, correct the behavior as it happens. Do not take them away from what they did. have them lay on their side and do not let them get up until they are in a calm submissive state. It may take awhile but just wait.

Asker's Comment:
I had never tried making them lay down in a submissive state...thanks!

How to keep an escape-artist dog in her kennel?

One of my dogs has recently become quite an escape-artist. She has a big plastic kennel with metal door. She will paw at the top latch until it unhinges and then push the door until the bottom latch comes out too. I reinforced the middle of the door with a carabeener, but that too was unlatched within 5 minutes!!!

We never leave her in the crate for more than 5 hours, and most days she usually is not in the crate. The only reason I crate her is to prevent her from getting into something dangerous when we are gone. We had a scare where we thought she ate a battery that was missing...$300 later she was fine, but our wallet was not! She usually does fine if we just leave her to roam the house (with bedroom and bathroom doors closed), but I still worry about her ingesting something dangerous.

I have included a pic of the kennel door below- just click on the link.

Thank you for any helpful suggestions!


Best Answer - Chosen by Asker

It doesn't matter the size or shape of the kennel. What matters is how they perceive it. It is obvious that she associates the kennel with something negative, what you have to do is reverse that. For starters you should not put a dog in a kennel with pent up energy. She had a lot of energy to be working on the kennel. You have to drain the energy away before you put her in for the day. Take her for a long walk, run, bike, rollerblade. If you don't have time in the morning you should get a treadmill and have her do that in the morning for an hour before you leave for the day. Once she is exhausted from all that exercise she won't ave the energy to want to escape.

Second, does she stay in the kennel while you are home. You should practice when you are home that the kennel is a place to rest and relax. After you exercise her take her to the kennel to lay down but don't close the door. Doing this will condition her that the kennel is not a place to be confined but as 'her' place. When she starts feel more secure close the door but don't lock it, leave it a little ajar so she knows that even if the door is closed she can get out.

In time doing this will help with the escaping. You should also train her that just because something is on the floor she in not allowed to touch it and that includes food. Condition her that the only thing she should put in her mouth is what you give her.

I hope this helps

Asker's Comment:

Great points. Sammi doesn't ever go in her cage, whereas my other dog loves her cage and she spends most of her day in it. Maybe she has some separation anxiety and maybe even claustrophobia. Im just going to leave her out with lots of toys to keep her busy. Good excuse to go shop at petsmart :)

How should I train my puppy? I have a lot of questions about training my Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier puppy. I've recently been looking into clicker training and crate training but I'm not sure if those ways are the right ways to go about training my puppy. She's not here yet, I'm just planning ahead. Please suggest some methods on training as well as tips! Thanks in advance!


Best Answer - Chosen by Asker
The first training should be socialization with people and dogs. Obedience training should come secondary. Also learn to establish yourself as the pack leader and set up rules, boundaries, and limitation. This will help keep your dog balanced and learn to follow your commands as it grows. You should also learn how to correct puppies as its mother would. There are videos online specifically for training puppies.


Asker's Comment:
Thanks :D There were good answers that really helped me decide in which direction I should go. I've decided not to use clicker training until later when I train in obedience.

How do dogs sleep so much?
my dog sleeps literally all day long. dosent play with toys or anything. and all night long she sleeps. i cant take a 15 minute nap w/o staying up all night. how do dogs do it

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker
Just like people dogs are different. Some dogs can sleep all day and some dogs are very hyper and up all day. This is what gets dogs in trouble. If the owner is a couch potato and they have an active dog the pent up energy will manifest itself into unwanted behavior. The opposite is true as well. If the owner is a outdoorsperson and likes to be active and the dog is lazy the owner will not be happy with their lazy dog. You have to find the right energy level dog for your lifestyle. Personally, I'm lazy and don't like to go out so I need a lazy house dog.


Asker's Comment:
oh i guess that makes sense. my dogs lazy as @#!*% lol

I love pit bulls and think they are wonderful dogs. However there are many myths about the breed that are totally false. I have been searching around to find myths about them and hope to clarify them. Just because they have a bad rap with the media and politicians looking for people to support them so they take it out on dogs.

Pit Bulls have locking jaws -
It is incredible how many people believe this and it is simply not true. There is nothing unique about the anatomy of pit bull jaws compared to other breeds . They do not “lock.” The pit bull’s fighting style, like that of other terriers, usually involves grabbing and shaking. Perhaps because of their hunting and bull-baiting history, some pit bulls also have a tendency to grab and hold on with determination. This does not mean that they can’t or won’t let go of another dog once they bite. However, because they’re powerful dogs, pit bulls do have strong jaw muscles.

 Pit Bulls are Naturally Dog Aggressive -
Nope, Nope, Nope. Just because this dog was bred to fight does not mean it is naturally dog aggressive. The Bulldog was also bred to fight in the same pits and the bulls yet these are one of the kindest, relaxed dogs in the world. A study was done by the American Temperament Test Society and they have given pit bull terriers a very high passing rate of 90.6 percent in overall temperament. The average passing rate for the other 121 breeds of dogs in the tests was only a low 77 percent. They also concluded that Pit bulls have been proven to not be naturally aggressive. Almost any dog can be taught to be aggressive, and, there are many other breeds that are dangerous and can cause real injuries. However, the evidence shows clearly that this is not a dog problem, but a people problem. In the case of Pit bulls, tests show time and time again that this breed has a very bad rap and that they make one of the best dog breed options for families.


Aren't Pit Bulls MEAN and VICIOUS?
No more vicious than golden retrievers, beagles or other popular dogs! In yearly tests of over 240 dog breeds by the American Temperament Testing Society (ATTS), pit bulls consistently achieve a passing rate that's as good or better than the other most popular breeds.

MYTH: pit-bulls have a locking jaw and cannot let go once they bite.
TRUTH: pit-bulls have the same anatomical features as other dogs. They do not have locking jaws.

MYTH: animal aggression will soon turn to human aggression.
TRUTH: many types of dogs, especially those used for hunting will also display animal aggression. Pit-bulls were often used in similar ways as hunting and sport dogs so they will also sometimes display animal aggression. There is not necessarily a correlation between animal aggression and human aggression.

Now, lets looks at some FACTS and statistics:
It is estimated that there are between 10-15million American Pit Bull Terriers in the USA. If one is to believe the published studies regarding dog bites, there are an average of 3 fatal dog bite incidents involving pit-bulls each year. If pit-bulls were innately dangerous, there would be THOUSANDS of fatal incidents per year.

In shelter situations, dogs that do not pass temperament testing will not be put up for adoption - they are either placed in special rescues or euthanized.

Of all Pit-Bulls that are tested, they pass at a higher rate than the dog population in general.

Pit-Bulls, in fact, are not responsible for the largest number of fatal dog attacks.

Pit-bulls are not the dogs that inflict the most bites.

Pit-bulls pass temperament testing at a higher rate than any other dogs in general.

As with the whole "Bite statistics" it's difficult to find accurate ones. Here's why:

- "Pit bull type dogs" are sometimes blamed for attacks that occur by other breeds.
- the circumstances surrounding the attacks is not included.
- the condition in which the dogs are kept prior to the attacks are not included.
- unless it was a fatality, the severity of the bite is often not included.

Golden Retrievers actually currently rank #3 on the "bite parade" - actually beating the American Pit-Bull Terrier. So, If we're going to ban the APBT, why not ban the Goldens as well?

Why don't we hear of attacks from Chihuahuas? Jack Russell terriers? Lhasa apsos? Simple. Because the media isn't interested in ankle biters.

The media done for pit-bulls what 'Jaws' did for sharks - cause nothing but trouble.

Should I take my leash-aggressive dog to the dog park?
I have two dogs that I want to take to the dog park today. My older one (2 years old) used to be leash aggressive. I was outside training him for a good 7 months and regularly took him to the dog park. When he had his leash on, he was aggressive, but once it was off at the park he was a whole different dog and always had a blast. As soon as his leash went on, it was back to aggressive. Now after a year of that he is friendly on both leash and off leash. Not sure if he grew out of it or if all that training actually worked.

My younger dog (10 months old) is about twice his size. She is also leash aggressive, but because she is much bigger and stronger, I'm nervous when she goes into aggressive mode. She would try to attack dogs AND people. I've got her to the point where she is calm around people on leash, but not dogs. I know she is dog friendly because I have taken her on playdates inside the house and a couple months ago I took her once to the dog park (before she was leash aggressive) and she had a ball. I know once she's off leash in the park she'll be friendly, and she really needs the exercise, but I'm nervous about the walk over to the gates and how she will act before she gets in. I know if I regularly take her it will help immensely with her training, but do you have any advice for how I should go about this?


Best Answer - Chosen by Asker

If you are going to try it I suggest you take the dog for a long walk or run to tier her out. If she has the pent up energy she will channel it to attacking another dog. Since she is tired take her to the park and walk around the park and see how she reacts to the dogs in the park. If you want to feel safer, you can put a muzzle on her so there won't be any accidents.

I hope this helps


Asker's Comment:
I took her for a 45 minute walk and fed her beforehand and watched her at the gates. She was barking, and when she stopped (took about 20 seconds) I let her in. She was great and got along with all the dogs there and coming in. I hate when people are so extreme and say I don't deserve a dog smh.

Dog Problems - Help!?
We have a small chihuahua, and a not so small Rat Terrier/Chihuahua Dog. The smaller chihuahua ever since she met my rat terrier/chihuahua dog had always snapped at her and always tried to bite her when ever she was close to her, in the other hand my Rat terrier never tried to harm her she would just get out of the way of the small chihuahua, today months after all this problem begun, the smaller chihuahua started to growl and im not sure if she snapped at her but the rat terrier and the smaller chihuahua got in a fight, according to the owner of the smaller chihuahua my rat terrier/chihuahua tried to bite the neck of the the smaller chihuahua, Who do you think is the problem here and how should we work this out? Please help.


Best Answer - Chosen by Voters

The owner of the dogs is usually the problem. It sounds like the chihuahua is disciplining the terrier, which should be your job. A bite to the neck maybe the chihuahua trying to pin the terrier down to show dominance. This should not be allowed. You have to establish yourself as the pack leader. Once this is done you have to correct all unwanted behaviors. The only behavior you should aloows is calm submissive behavior.