We have the privilege of fostering a very cute little min pin mix named Dew (I call him Dewey). He really has been a joy and is a near perfect dog. He has a super temperament. He plays well with our dog Ollie, doesn't hunt our Cockatoo, Leo and is super fun yet sensitive. One problem that was teaching him to come when called. I generally teach this using rewards only and have an easy time of it. I use the method here: Train Your Dog to Come to You. 

I am careful to call the dog when I am sure he will come and gradually build up the difficulty level while making sure the dog is successful. *If* I make an error in judgment and the dog doesn't come, I can usually get them with an "eh eh!", clapping, or calling him again. Also, I can often use a long rope drag line to encourage them to come to me and at least prevent them from going on their merry way.  However, Dewey would come lickety-split in most situations and always when on a long leash, but seemed to occasionally prefer wandering when he was free which is definitely not safe. He would even look at me as if contemplating coming to me and then say "nah" and head off on his exploits. This seemed to be the perfect opportunity to use our new PetSafe Spray Remote Collar.

To begin recall training with the spray remote collar, I put the collar on Dewey before we even started training with it, to get him used to it and make him understand that the collar wasn't anything "special" (We want to avoid him only behaving when the collar is on!), then I took him out and called him like usual. This time when he went off wandering, I warned him with an "eh eh", gave him one more call and when he didn't respond I pressed the spray button. He startled at the spray and I called him again and this time he came. Lots of treats! In future trials I progress to just calling him once and then if he doesn't respond, press the spray button. This is because sometimes we need the dog to come right away for his safety so I need to make sure that he can do this.

I kept the collar on him after our walk too just to help with the mindset of "this collar is no big deal".

On subsequent walks we did hit a road block. At one point I sprayed him twice on one walk and he seemed to become fearful that moving would make the spray happen and just froze. Poor Dewey! This is why I so prefer positive training! Even something as harmless seeming as a spray can have negative effects. I was able to work him through it by calmly encouraging him to come and praising every step and then taking it slower with him. And let me also say that I would only use a punishment like the spray for behaviors that were important for the dogs safety and always very carefully (with the supervision of a professional trainer if possible - luckily I happen to be one!).

Yesterday we went for a walk and he didn't need to be sprayed once! He stayed closer and responded happily every time I called him (I did carry sausage today, that could have helped!). I also click and treat him whenever he looks at me when he is off the leash which also encourages him to stay close and connected with me.

I wonder if we could have gotten this far without the remote collar? Perhaps, and with most dogs it is certainly possible, but with Dewey it seemed he needed a little extra convincing that exploring was not preferable to coming to me - each time I called him. I have probably given him 8 sprays in the 4 days we have been working with this.

I would only use this collar with a dog that had a solid temperament like Dewey. A fearful dog could be made more fearful by spraying him. I am very careful to make sure I use many many more rewards than I do sprays.

Happy Training!

~Jess

Jess Rollins, Owner and Dog Trainer
http://www.petexpertise.com