Examples of how I use the Zapper
SETTING UP THE SITUATION
Say, for example, I have Steve, the previously mentioned
lab/rott, who is very fierce and loves to bark at moving vehicles
(through the fence) which leave our house and head down the driveway.
I, being smarter than he, know that his behavior is predictable:
he will always run to a particular spot in the corner of
the fence and jump up on my yellow lavender plant (that's another
story) and run about 15 feet down the fence, slobbering and barking
ferociously, oblivious to my pleas to shut up and stop. We put
me or someone Steve knows near the said lavender plant, sort of
half hidden. Here comes Steve, barking away. I point the zapper
at him and firmly say "No" as I press the zap machine
for one to two seconds. He should stop right in his tracks, and
may not repeat his barkage. It may mean setting up the situation
again and repeating, but he will stop.
NUISANCE BARKING
A friend bought the zapper, and was always annoyed
whenever he went outside his house and was greeted by two mean
Dobermans, lunging at the fence and barking nonstop. He just pointed
el zapper at them for about 2 seconds, and end of story-no longer
bothered!
THE GREETING PARTY
Guests have arrived and come through the gate to be
greeted wildly by our 5 dogs, or 4, whoever is out there, jumping
up and practically knocking our neatly dressed friends down. All
of a sudden the dogs are sitting quietly, looking up at my husband
Bob, who, unbeknownst to me has gone back to the house and gotten
the zapper, and concealed it in his jacket pocket. They behave
so well! And they don't know where this powerful message is coming
from, so Bob is not the meanie, but he is the commander.
THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT BARK- NO IDLE THREATS
It is 3 am or so, and the dogs hear something outside;
after all, it is the country, but who wants to let them out to
be skunked in the face? (It has happened before, more than once...)
I do have to say that part of zap training is for the trained
to be ever-ready with the zapper, waiting for the right moment
to deliver the "lesson." And in this case, the zapper
was located in another room (lazy trainer). So, I announced to
the dogs that I was going to get the zapper, and I brought it
into the bedroom and put it within arm's reach. Not one more bark
was heard the rest of the night, never even had to use it.
BREAK UP THAT FIGHT
Once in a while our dogs will get into an argument
over a bone or food, or whatever. A point and click and a "No"
will stop that fight instantly. It's really much better and safer
than reaching in and trying to stop the fight, and risking injury
to a hand or arm.
LEAVE THOSE CHICKENS ALONE
Out littlest dog Tony has expressed undue interest
in out chickens, practically drooling when he sees them, I know
he is going to do this, so I watch. And when he has that "look,"
like he can see those thighs and drumsticks on the plate, he gets
a little zap reminder to put his thoughts somewhere else, and
he does.
SOME OTHER TRAINING HINTS
Isolate the animal you want to train; no sense
in zapping other animals when it is just one you want to train.
Carry the zapper, and anticipate a situation
just in case there might be time when you need it.
Use it sparingly;
it is very strong and if used too often or too long, it is not
as effective.
Use simple and effective commands when zapping to
reinforce the commands and your wishes.
Remember the zapper might not be for all dogs- some
may be so set in their ways, deaf or panic stricken or too sensitive
for it to be of use, but it seems to work on most, I have found.
Take care not to dent the metal plate on the zapper;
dents can cause it to malfunction and voids the warranty. The
zapper has a clip on it so it can be hung on a belt. If put in
a pocket, keys or coins might dent it.
I hope these examples will help you train your animals
better.
©2008 S.Rowe&Co. All rights reserved
To Susan's Wild
Peacock Page