Judy wrote to me with the following question:

“Hi, Adam! I loved your website, but subdue need help choosing
the right collar for my hard headed Jack Russell. She does go
swimming to chase and catch my ducks in our pond, she chases
cars, and she sometimes sneaks up behind visitors and bites them
on the leg. She does not listen at all when she is so intensely
concentrating on doing what she is not supposed to do…ignores
us absolutely. Other than life so aggravating 1/4 of the time,
she is a excellent small dog. But, when she is terrible…she is BAD!

What collar would be best for such a small dog…she is not a
stout Jack Russell…she runs to much for that. She is doubtless
around 12 – 15 pounds, but I am just guessing. I want a collar
that goes at least 1/2 mile. We live out in the country and she
runs around our 10 acres.

Thanks so much, – Judy”

Dear Judy,

When choosing a training collar, the pinch collar is the best
choice. It communicates with the dog in it’s natural language,
using the “teeth” of the collar similar to how an Alpha dog
would right a subordinate or a mother dog right her puppies.
The small size would doubtless work best for your Jack Russell
terrier.

By not listening to you, she is showing her disrespect of your
Alpha position in the family “pack.” When you get the pinch
collar, you must keep it and a leash on her all the time when
supervision is available so you can right any behaviors you
don’t want. A excellent place to start learning about how to train
yourself on how to train your dog is my book and videos.

By keeping up a regimen of tough like and obedience, you can
right her negative behaviors and don’t forget to praise her
whenever she does something right. Mental stimulation is as
vital as physical and she will be glad to be working for you
in obedience.

Jason wrote to me with a similar question about training collars:

“Hello Adam- I have recently bought the full package of your
book and DVD’s that you offer which I have found to be very
useful. I have two questions that I hope you may be able to
answer:

1) How ancient must a dog be before training with the pinch collar?

I have a 4 month ancient chocolate lab that is very intelligent.
Prior to your instructions, I was by now able to teach her to
shake, sit, and roll-over all with food as the reward.

But, down is a different tale-she only goes down when I
point all the way to the ground-finger pointing and touching the
stump-since having food in my hand when the training started she
only responds to my hand as a signal and not the word. This is
at best inconsistent and a bit frustrating. I have begun the
down-stay but the spike collar I have is only using 3 rings and
does not seem very efficient. I feel compelled to break this terrible
habit which I have helped make, and look for your suggestions
on this topic.

2) How do I use a ball guide (which is exceptionally strong in my
lab) to make my dog not only retrieve (which she does) but catch
a Frisbee in the air?

I have by now started bouncing balls of the wall and she is
getting better at catching the ball on the run, but I don’t know
how this can evolve into a Frisbee catch and was a bit shocked
not finding this in your book.

Thank you for anything you can do or suggest for me to do,

– Jason”

Dear Jason,

To be at it’s best efficiency, the pinch collar should have at
least 5 links with pronged tips. You force want to find the next
size down for your dog and remove links until you have the
proper fit. Remember that the pinch collar is recommended for
the dog usually when she gets her adult teeth (usually around 4
to 4.5 months). If you do need to use it before then, be gentle
with your corrections, as training at this age is usually done
through positive reinforcement, motivation, and set alight
corrections (vocal, not giving a treat, etc).

Make sure she knows the command “Down” as well as the hand
signal. If you have to start from square one in teaching it to
her, do it. Praise her when she does anything right and let her
know when she wants to give you a small more effort.

Instead of using a ball for teaching her how to catch a Frisbee,
use a Frisbee; the two toys are very different in dimension.
Make sure she’s excited about the Frisbee and gently throw it to
her from a few feet away, aiming for her chest, and tell her
“Catch!” If she even attempts, praise her. Keep trying and use
the word “Catch” whenever you throw it and as she learns to
catch it, throw it from farther away and have her run small
distances. But, be careful of how hard you exercise her, as
her joints are subdue growing. At a prospect point, you will know
when you can stop using the word “Catch” and simply question her if
she wants to play Frisbee.

Whereas Marie sought after to know how to incorporate the use of the
training collar into fitting her dog’s problem of ankle biting:

“Dear Adam: I have a five month-ancient Maltese and I’m having a
problem with him nipping at my ankles and pulling on my pant
legs. Also could I use a pinch collar on him? He only weighs
4lbs. Thanks for any help you can give me.

Regards, Marie”

Dear Marie,

By biting your ankles and pulling your pant legs, he is asking
for attention. I find it hard to reckon that he is trying to
dominate you at this age, so the behavior is doubtless more
related to attention. You need to eliminate this behavior verbal
correction IN CONJUNCTION WITH grabbing the scruff of his neck
and giving a firm pull.

If it’s simpler, use a prong collar on because the collar only
pinches the skin instead of constricting against the neck. While
they are very hard to find in square pet stores, they are
available online and can be found by typing “micro prong collar”
into a search engine. It will help you communicate with your dog
in a way he understands. But, it’s dodgy

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