E-collar education
How an e-collar is introduced in our programs
People ask this in two moods. Some are nervous a collar will be strapped on and switched on before their dog knows what is being asked. Others are impatient and want it on straight away. The answer to both is the same order of operations: teach first, add the tool second, hand both to the owner third. Here is what that order means in principle, leaving out the parts that are set in person.
Last reviewed October 4, 2026
Teach, then add
The dog knows the word before it knows the collar.
'Introduced properly' starts with a dog that already has the skill. Recall, heel, place and the down at distance are each built with a marker and a reward, repeated until the dog offers them for the word alone. Only then does the collar carry any meaning, and it has meaning only because the cue already does. A dog who has no idea what 'come' means cannot be helped by a signal; it can only be confused by one. The collar waits for understanding.
Two more principles follow. Low levels: a modern Educator remote collar adjusts in many small steps, and the introduction happens at the low end, where the signal is information rather than an event. Pairing: the signal arrives together with the cue the dog already performs, and the reward still follows the right answer, so the dog learns that the sensation and the familiar word mean the same thing. The specifics are matched to the individual dog, which is why no protocol appears on this page.
- Skill first, markers and rewards
- Collar added only to a known cue
- Low levels, paired, rewarded
- Specifics set for the individual dog
At the handover
You learn the remote the way the dog learned the cue.
The handover lesson is where the collar stops being ours and becomes yours. You practise the cues your dog already performs, while we watch your timing rather than the dog. You learn what the collar is for in your hands: a reminder for a skill your dog has, used in the places a leash cannot reach. And you learn what it is never for: a cue the dog has not learned, a frightened dog, or a frustrated moment.
Fit is covered too, because a receiver that wanders gives an uneven signal and an uneven signal is unfair to the dog. Then the published inclusions carry on from the lesson. Functional Off-Leash, $3,030 plus GST, includes a Micro or Mini Educator collar, owner education on every tool, and free follow-up sessions. Advanced Off-Leash, $3,940 plus GST, includes the remote collar, handover lessons and two free follow-ups. The follow-ups exist so the questions that only appear at home are answered rather than guessed at.
Asked and answered
The questions people ask us.
When does the e-collar actually go on during board and train?
After the skill exists without it. Recall, heel or place is taught with markers and rewards until the dog performs it for the word, and only then is the collar paired with that cue at low levels. The timing is set by the dog's understanding, not by a fixed day.
Which programs include an e-collar?
Functional Off-Leash ($3,030 plus GST) includes a Micro or Mini Educator remote collar, and Advanced Off-Leash ($3,940 plus GST) includes a remote collar as well. Puppy Fundamentals and On-Leash Foundations send a slip lead and training collar home instead.
Will I be taught to use the e-collar myself?
Yes. Owner education on using every tool properly is a published inclusion, and the handover lesson is where you practise the cues with the remote in your hand while we watch your timing. Free follow-up sessions pick up whatever appears once you are home.
Is the e-collar used to correct my dog or to communicate?
In our programs it is added to a cue the dog already knows, at low levels, so it functions as a reminder of a familiar word at a distance. It is not used to teach a skill from nothing, and it is not used on a frightened dog.
Keep reading
See the order for yourself
Ask us how your dog would meet the collar, or whether it needs one at all. Book a consultation and get a straight answer.
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