How and when to introduce shock collar to my dog UPDATE:pg 2

I have the sport dog wetland 425. The DVD with it is very helpful also water dog book. I used mine and only zapped him when he made mistakes or didn't listen, now when it's on he's awesome and acts great I never shock him unless i accidently hit the button, poor fella. I also always put it on when training to this day, its always a refresher when it is on.Text me if you got questions bud

Read the book Walk with Wick. That guy knows how to train dogs and it's an easy read if you skip over him trying to sell his next book.

5 months is old enough to start for sure. You need to train yourself before you train the dog though. Shock collars are the best tool ever devised for dog training if you know how to use them. You can frick a dog up pretty quickly if you just blast him randomly when he pisses you off.

Dog needs to understand commands before you start shocking them. That is number one rule of e collars IMO. I think 5 mos is fine for conditioning.

My dog loves hers. When she sees it she gets excited because she knows we're going out. But I will admit I ruined her on it. I use it so she doesn't run off too far, but thats about it now. One shock, even very low, and she has the tail betweem her legs and doesnt want to leave my side. It all started when she was actingup badly. I was correcting her, but she didnt respond. I'd kick it up a notch and nothing. I thought something was wrong with the remote. I had gotten up to the highest setting and no response from her. The leads must have not been making contact and then shifted. Because it got her good one time. She let out a hell of a yelp and has been shock-shy ever since. Its still a good safety feature if I'm working her in a field near a highway or something, but training session is pretty much done if I have to use it.

My advice is try it on yourself. I strapped it to my leg. Level 2 and 3 on the sport dog I have arent painful at all. 4-5 give you a bit of a jolt (like a strong static electricity shock), but nothing you cant handle. I did level 6 and didnt find it necessary to try the highest level of 7 . You dont want it to hurt the dog, its supposed to be a reminder.

Lots of solid advice in here. I used the Tritronics book on my dog, but it has been 12 years since I trained her. The 2 biggest things I remember:
The pup MUST know the commands.
The pup must understand pressure and how to turn it off.

As many have said, if done right the dog will associate the collar with fun and get excited when it comes out. Mine always new it was time to hunt or train and go a little nuts until it was strapped on.
Fitz is a fine looking pup by the way and you will do fine with him.

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shock collar

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Going the lazy route?

If you want to go the shock collar route let a pro "collar condition" you dog around 9-12 months old. Let the pro give you advice on when to use it and how to use it. In the hands of the untrained it is the worst training device made but in the hands of a professional it is the best training device made.

For example most pros have the collar set to the minimum intensity most amateurs have it set to max. intensity.

I use this example when explaining the collar, lets say your dog is setting at your side, you throw a bumper, and your dog breaks before you give the fetch command. Many amateurs will shock the dog for breaking. In the dogs mind he/she is getting shocked for retrieving the bumper.

Now you have a problem getting the dog to go after bumpers and you shock him/her again.

Does never work for you? Shock collars are for extreme situations and should only be used by professional trainers. Puppies are trouble, that's their nature. Keep you head on the training and everything will work out.

Thanks for the good feedback. I understand the potential harm so I'll take it slow and make sure both He and I are completely comfortable. He's well behaved, so the collar won't be a punishment, just a reminder of what we both will already know should happen in situations. I appreciate the concerns from the few of y'all, but I don't want to pay for professional help when I have plenty of time on my hands to work him just as much. I'll give it another couple months and then start to acclimate him to wearing the collar. Thanks