I have a hunting dog that I found listed in the free section of Craig's List. When I got him, the only thing he had ever learned was to jerk the leash out of your hand and go hunting on his own for the rest of the day. I spent the time waiting for the e-collar I ordered training him to come with a 100' leash. In the few days before it came, he ran off 4 or 5 times. Each time I was unable to call him by voice or whistle. He responded 100% on the leash. The first time I put the collar on him, I turned it down to the lowest setting I could feel, then up one notch. It was a jolt, but nothing that really hurt. Then we went in the field for a walk... Yep, he yanked the leash free and took off! I let him get 200 yards out and almost over the hill, and I blew a bast on my whistle. He stopped and looked at me, then turned and took off. So, I blew the whistle and just an instant later, whap! He stopped, looked at me, shook his head and turned around and took off. I twisted the dial one more notch and blew the whistle, and just an instant later, WHAP! He stopped, shook his head and trotted back to me. Without an e-collar his only future was the pound. Nobody would keep him and he would have got killed in traffic if anybody tried to keep him. I have stopped him more than a few times running after a critter that crossed a highway with oncoming traffic. I can safely say, an e-collar is a lifesaver in some cases. It's been 7 years and two collars later, 99.9% of the time all that's required is a beep of the sound buzzer to remind him my reach is about a mile away. He wears the collar all the time outdoors and it only needs charging about every 3 months. Over 7 years I have needed to turn it up all the way to stop dangerous behavior that otherwise could have resulted in his death. Once to stop a dog fight, and one time to stop him from running off a 300 ft high cliff. That full strength shock was painful, but doesn't result in permanent damage like getting hit with a truck or falling 300 feet on the rocks below the cliff. An e-collar isn't a punishment tool. It's a training aid to extend the length of your leash and it's purpose is to stop dangerous or unsafe behavior.
