problem with e collar on dog,and beware ecollars

[bradley300]

ive had a bark collar on my coon dog to keep him from barking in the pen and things went wrong this week.

first of all, let me say i live in an apartment so he stays at a relatives house so i dont get to see him unless i'm refilling his auto feeder (once a week) or taking him hunting. anyway this is the first week i havent taken him hunting so its the first time its been a full week since ive seen him.

when i got to him i noticed he was barking, alot so i figured the batteries in the collar must be bad. went to take it off and once i did his neck was missing some hair and burned a little. also, in a weeks time, a growth had formed under the colllar the size of an apple and was slowly choking him. you could see where the collar was tightening around his neck. luckily his demeanor hasnt changed, he is swallowing fine and i squeezed the growth and it doesnt seem to bother him. hopefully its something the doctor can fix cheap.

i took off his e collar (and his normal collar for good measure) until i can get him to the vet but now i'm really wary of e-collars. i need to keep him quiet and really dont want to put another collar on him. what are the other options and are they effective?

[throbak]

I think the problem is leaving the dog in the pen for a week at a time and not checking on him what do they call that OPERATOR ERROR

[featherduster]

DITTO THROBAK'S COMMENTS.

[dadfsr]

I'm biting my tongue....oh heck with it! I can't imagine doing that ( leaving it in a pen with no companionship, exercise, etc.) for a week at a time

So much for "man's best friend"...

[HighCotton]

Generally I am just not a fan of the no-bark collar. I do use the e-collars in the field. Before I ever put an e-collar (whether using mine or a friends) on one of my dogs, I test it out on myself. I dial the sensitivty to the highest mode and shock myself to verify. I'll never jolt a dog beyond what I can handle or think is reasonable.

Many studies have shown the no-bark collar (or bark collar as some call it) is very ineffective. The most common problem is welts and burns like you described. I have tested the citronella collars and find they are fairly effective. Check out a product like SpraySense.

Overall, I agree that the best scenario is to spend more time (or find someone who can) with your dog. Sporting dogs have a ton of energy and need to release it on a daily basis.

[catahecassa]

As I sit typing with MY three dogs at my feet....I think it best just to shake my head & stop here.