The answer
Almost always, because it is not reaching the skin. A remote collar that is a little loose, or whose contact points are sitting in fur, delivers nothing - and there is no way to tell that from the remote in your hand. What you see instead is a dog who ignores you, which looks exactly like a dog who was never trained. One trainer has driven an hour to a client's house for a dog that had supposedly stopped listening, put the collar on properly, and watched it work: 'i drove like an hour out to just tighten it'. Another tells the same story with a forty-five-minute drive and a goldendoodle.
So the order is fit, then level, never the other way round. Two flat fingers under the strap, and you should not be able to twist them. Too loose and the contact is weak or absent; too tight and you are choking the dog and teaching him to hate the collar going on - one trainer's check is whether the dog's eyes are going red. On a thick coat, feel is not a test at all: push the hair up, seat the contact points against skin, let the hair fall back, and confirm from the dog that the first press landed. Check it again mid-session, because straps work loose, collars spin, and dogs lose weight; repetitions taken on a loose collar were never really taken.
The specific mistake being guarded against is turning the dial up against a loose collar. No response, you raise it, you raise it again - and then the collar seats itself, or you fit it properly the next day at the same setting, and the dog gets far more than anyone intended. Trainers describe exactly that spiral in at least nine households. The collar also goes on the side of the neck away from the side you walk the dog on, so the sensation pushes the dog toward you; and a collar that is switched off, a flat battery or a transmitter left out of range does exactly what a loose strap does. The unit itself is a variable too: a momentary press can be so brief that the dog misses it, and a smaller model from the same maker gives about 30% less at the same number, so a setting does not carry from one collar to another. On long or thick coats several trainers swap the two prongs for a winged titanium attachment (Akira, Astro, Kalypso, Rocky), so that contact holds without a choking-tight strap; and even on a good fit, Titan's trainer calls the working level 'dynamic' - lower in a room than in a busy public place. Trainers do not always keep the order either: at one September 2026 handover the trainer had already gone high on a new collar before he stopped to check the fit, the charge and the switch, because the dog showed none of his usual signs.
Said on film: all of the above, across more than fifty dogs.
Angier K9 is a family-owned, play-based Board & Train serving Angier, Raleigh and the Triangle, with three full owner lessons.
What to do
Before every session: charge it and switch it on, put it high on the neck on the opposite side from the one you walk on, and check that two flat fingers slide under the strap but will not twist. On a thick coat, push the hair up so the contacts touch skin and let the hair fall back. Press once on a command the dog knows and watch the dog - ears, head, eyes. If nothing happens, tighten before you touch the dial, and check the strap again halfway through the walk. If your collar is not the same model as the trainer's, find its level again on your own unit rather than copying his number.
What the trainers say
i've actually came out to people's houses like the training's not working i'm like can i see it and i put on the e-collar and it works and i drove like an hour out to just tighten it
we have like a a rule that we go by and basically if you can fit like two fingers in the e-collar like this, you're good. But if you have like wiggle room like this, it's too loose.
in general, you could build like an aversive reaction because if every single time I put a necklace on you, I choked you out, you probably would stop asking me to put necklaces on you.
worth so most people like i said don't read the manual and then they'll go and like put on the e-collar and it's too loose and they're like you didn't dream my dog and then i come out here and i just put it on tighter and And then they do all the commands, and it jaw drops. Right.
So I wonder if actually I need to tighten it on more. I've already tightened it on once, but it didn't hit me. So just now I'm like, oh, it probably feels tight, but it's probably not even touching her skin at all.
Exactly, that way it's over it, because otherwise he probably won't make any contact, he'll press a button and he won't feel it at all.
he's either much tougher with the e-collar than I initially considered, or it's too loose
that is way looser than when i put it on earlier what what happened
it's too tight you choke out the dog which is not like a preferred way to keep it on them um but if it's too loose it won't do anything
so sometimes it's loose sometimes it's tighter but not quite there um what happens is like you got to turn it up a ton for them to feel anything and then you put on a little tighter the next day and it's at the same level and the dog's like oh my god this is so high
important thing about putting on the e-collar is whatever side you're gonna that you walk the dog on it needs to be on the opposite side
if you think they're not feeling it you end up turning it up higher and then they do feel it
yep that's always the first check good job
It definitely needs to be tighter than it was. It was super loose. It needs to be tighter in order for it to function properly.
And that's a consistent thing with e-collars is about keeping contact.
is that if you don't know exactly like if it's a little different each time and you don't have
Because if it's too loose, you won't get any contact, and then you'll be pushing that button all day, and it'll be like, yeah, whatever.
because the e-collar was so loose it was so loose that you couldn't reinforce anything so when he did get back you were very much being strict with how you were using the e-collar and the commands but he felt nothing
don't get caught up on numbers
the big thing is that is just making sure it's tight enough that it's making contact especially with this fur that's why the long prong longer prongs will help a lot
in this case i'm hitting the e-collar but he's not moving at all just because i know his reaction to the e-collar it's usually like kind of a like he kind of does like a little um like a head tilt
so basically if this is the band right here you should be able to fit two fingers in here but if you can do this did the motions I have to like do to show the e collar is always looks terrible if you can do this though if you can fit two fingers tall under the e collar it's too loose
I think sometimes people worry they're gonna like choke the dog out, but I'm like it's got a fit pretty nice like you know
The only major difference between the two is the momentary, if you press it, it's so brief that you can kind of miss it.
This one's a little smaller than this one. So this one's about 30% less strength for the same number.
it is too loose that means that every time you put it on it's going to be like a little bit different right if you don't have like a system
most people put the e-collar on a little too loose and then they find that they hit the button and the dog's like like i don't care and then it's like they can feel it but it's barely anything
Porque una ley con esto es que necesitas que está en contacto con la tierra, porque si no está contactando con la piel, no funciona.
because the e-collar is too loose then obviously it's not gonna be effective if it's too tight then you're gonna choke her out and she's not gonna want to do anything
she does not seem to be responding to like the e-collar much so i would turn it up a little bit might be just a weaker e-collar
Because the other thing you want to avoid is if it's not quite tight enough, but sometimes it makes contact and then it's not always contacting what will happen is you'll be like it's not working and you'll be turning it up
Where you're like, it's not working, and you turn it up, and then all of a sudden it makes contact, and they're like,
let me just make sure the collar is on where the contact is good because that can mess things up then you end up doing it too hard because they weren't feeling it
So if it's too loose, the contact won't be right.
fudge is that is your e-collar not on tight enough or what is it on is it dead let me try
useful because she's got all the hair and so this if the prongs aren't touching skin she might as well not be wearing it it does nothing
How it looks, dog by dog
Luna
The best case for the rule, because of her coat. On a heavy husky double coat the collar can feel properly tight and never touch skin, and the trainer works it out live: he has tightened it once, it still did not register, and he says his hands are lying to him. Later the same failure shows as a number instead of a silence - her level reading about twice its usual figure with no extra distraction, blamed on a strap. A third instance is the side: he notices mid-session that the collar is on the wrong side of her neck and names that as why the heel has been hard to reinforce. And the owner-facing version: this family had read the manual - two fingers - and he tells them the field story of the dog that 'was never trained' until he tightened the strap.
On film
trying to find what her resting level is right now she does have that really thick coat though
So I wonder if actually I need to tighten it on more. I've already tightened it on once, but it didn't hit me. So just now I'm like, oh, it probably feels tight, but it's probably not even touching her skin at all.
Oh, all right, so I actually have mentioned this before. When you have the e-collar, I have it on the wrong side, which makes reinforcing this really tricky, how dogs respond to the e-collar.
fingers work yep yeah okay cool I'm so glad that you read that most people
Stormie
The most honest instance. Mid-session at a park the collar has worked loose and the trainer stops to ask what happened - which retrospectively invalidates the reps he has just been reading, including a judgement about her level. Between dogs the collar is reset for the dog in front of him rather than left where the last dog needed it: he had been working a bodybuilder bully, so it comes down before Stormie's first rep. At the handover the fit is taught as a level in its own right - choke if too tight, nothing if too loose - with the side rule and the escalation spiral it prevents, and the story of the accident that made him careful: an unlocked remote in a pocket and a small dog's whine.
On film
that's the e-collar stronger right now or it's actually on her properly so i'm gonna see what she does stormy down
that down this is gonna be like what for her size yeah well I was working with a
on this side okay all right there's a reason for that if i put the dog in a heel i want her to stay
two wiener dogs I was working with and we were using the old type of e-collar back then and I put it in my pocket and I forgot to hit the lock button and so it cranked it all the way up to high and I hit the button and the wiener dog was like and I was like why are you whining and I looked at I was like oh I had it on high right so that I felt really bad about that and like ever since since then I've been like really careful.
King
The thick-coat case. The coat can make the collar silently useless, so the technique is three movements: push the hair up, seat the contacts against skin, let the hair fall back. When he does not respond, the trainer names two hypotheses and tests them rather than turning the dial: tougher than I thought, or too loose. Once fixed, he confirms it from the dog. His working level is high for the coat and read off a twitch; a big reaction at a low level may be startle - 'it's not always because of the fur'.
On film
Yeah, so you can just stick it. It's electric, so you just gotta make a touch.
King, sit, sit, good, smart boy, sit, okay, now it's functioning
I can tell you are not responding to the e-collar at all you should be there's not make sense
I mean, sometimes it's just like, because they get startled. It's not always because of the fur.
Dutchess
The field-failure version, told to the owners with the receipt: the hour's drive to tighten a strap. In her own file the same fault costs five minutes of her first lesson, is why a borrowed handler swaps her pink collar for the red one, and is caught again at the start of what he runs as a dress rehearsal. The owner test is the twist: two fingers is right, but if you can turn them it is too loose.
On film
But if I can twist it like that, then it's too loose.
No, your collar's not on tight enough. All right. Well, oh yeah, that was way too loose. We'll try this again.
She has her pink one on but the red is lower. It's better for training. The pink ones way like to just a little loose
there's a lot of weird things that like you don't know how to put it on right you'll hit the bottom of the dog would just be like i don't care and it doesn't work and you're like you broke my dog
Louie
Caught three times in one case: too loose at the first meeting; spun mid-session at the park, so some reps were felt and some were not - and the handler says so rather than reading the misses as refusals; unresponsive at the placement until tightened, with the instruction in the right order - tighten, don't raise. The hardware version of a false rep.
On film
It definitely needs to be tighter than it was. It was super loose. It needs to be tighter in order for it to function properly.
might be on just slightly too loose because i could tell that he felt it a couple of the times but it spun around and I think he was not feeling it like he should have
Lola
The fullest owner-facing version, at the go-home, with the failures on both sides: two fingers and no twist; too tight and you build an aversion to the collar going on at all (the necklace analogy); too loose and you start a level-inflation spiral that ends with a dog screaming the day you finally fit it right. The contact goes opposite the walking side, because the dog moves away from the sensation. Underneath it the goldendoodle story: an owner certain her dog had unlearned everything, who had bought a collar that could not be tightened.
On film
if it's too loose, the contact won't be strong enough or it'll be weak. … you hit the button, she's just like screaming. You don't want that.
I want her to be closer to me and she feels a zap this way. What's the reaction? It's the push that way versus if it's here and you want her to come closer. It'll actually encourage her to come into your direction.
that's a very thick layer. And the thing with with dogs that have a coat like him is you will hit the button and he won't feel it like at all. Like it's just like doesn't even register.
I trained a golden doodle several hi several months ago. And I went out there and she was like, "My dog's not listening to a single command." And I was like, "Yeah, I get to drive 45 minutes out to a dog that supposedly just unlearned everything."
Sage
Sage's own arc does not carry this, but the group session filed with her records it at its sharpest on another dog: a collar barely on looks exactly like a dog who does not feel it, and the handler who raises the level gets a head-turn and a problem.
On film
tight enough yeah she wasn't feeling it yeah well that's also a problem because
yep that's always the first check good job
Dolce
The only place fit is narrated to camera as part of the method rather than because something failed. The criterion is two-sided in one sentence - contact the whole time, without choking - and the hardware follows from it: a buckle plus an elastic centre. He re-checks after fitting and loosens it slightly.
On film
e-collar fit is important for the contact points to make contact the whole time but also make sure you're not choking them this one is really nice because it has like a buckle and it's also got um it's also got like an elastic band in the center
This might be a little tight, so I might loosen that up just a little bit for her.
Sputnik
At a follow-up in the family's home Kelton gives both halves of the fit test for a furry dog: tight enough to make consistent contact, because pressing a button that is not contacting is why 'it just doesn't care'; and not so tight that his eyes go red, which is choking. He also points them at a unit with longer prongs that get through the coat.
On film
Because a lot of times you're pressing it and you're like, it just doesn't care.
his eyes aren't turning red and stuff because then you're choking him because like right now
Thor
The escalation spiral told a third time, by a different trainer to a different family: a collar that fits differently each day works at one setting one day and not the next, the owner cranks it up, puts it on tighter tomorrow at the same setting, and the dog gets far too much. The fix shown is snug-but-not-choking, checked on the spot.
On film
snug but he's not like choking out right before it was kind of like it made like
is that if you don't know exactly like if it's a little different each time and you don't have
Levi
The regression at home, explained: the owners were strict and consistent with the commands and the collar, but it was so loose he felt nothing. The same failure appears on the trainer's own collar mid-lesson and again when the owner's collar cannot be fitted at the handover.
On film
because the e-collar was so loose it was so loose that you couldn't reinforce anything so when he did get back you were very much being strict with how you were using the e-collar and the commands but he felt nothing
what that's also why he's not listening to his e-collar it's on he somehow like slipped off a
Whiskey
An Aussie coat, and two handlers a week apart raise the same doubt independently. After a heel that still needed a lot of leash help, the handler names the two hypotheses in the right order: the collar is not contacting through her fur, or the very low setting is not enough.
On film
I will say it's a little bit harder to get through Aussie fluff than
okay good girl you did it you did good yeah so that required a lot of help still um from the leash and i think it's because um either a um the collar is not quite making contact like i wanted to because of all her thick fur or uh b um the really really low setting that i have on is just not quite cutting it
Baxter
The owner's first collar correction did nothing - the transmitter was on a table out of range - and the trainer caught it because he saw no recognition from the dog. On the household's other dog's walk he re-checks contact mid-walk.
On film
thingy yeah no wonder because i just said i didn't see any i didn't see any kind of like
check the e-collar fit make sure it's still contacting
Thumper
Three equipment faults found at the go-home before any question about the dog: a strap gone loose because he had lost a little weight, a collar switched off (which is why he 'wasn't coming'), and a prong clipped where the pop could not work.
On film
If you were to use it, it probably wouldn't make contact.
i might have turned it off that may be what it is probably because i tried calling him yeah he's not coming
your leash popping but it's not being effective so it has to be effective
Josi
A missed recall on a very small dog, first read as needing more, turns out to be a collar not making contact; the same fault recurs months later, both dogs' collars 'about one notch too loose'.
On film
that or it's not making contact. Yep, it's not making contact. We're going to have to tighten
yeah so like one thing to remember is i think both of their e-collars they're about one notch too loose
Milo
Josi's household partner, a very small dog: collars sliding around and not making contact, and a level set per command rather than once for the dog, on a smaller device.
On film
too loose okay yeah just because they were sliding around and they're not going to make
On the micro educator because it also depends on like the what command it is
Fiona
On a fourteen-pound dog the equipment has to be fixed before the correction can be judged: a prong too big for her neck, a standard e-collar that would be a rock on her, and a contact moved to the side that pushes her into heel.
On film
Well, again, I think there's a problem with the call that we were using.
Major
The prong version: an extra link added at home lets the prong hang and catch, and links snag his hair. The collar is checked before the dog is judged.
On film
So what happens is if it's too long, right, it'll do this.
cut because i think that some of the links grabbed his hair
Max
Contacts chosen for the coat, the box high by the ears and tight enough for contact, the position alternated day to day; too loose, and you push the button all day to a dog saying 'whatever'.
On film
Because if it's too loose, you won't get any contact, and then you'll be pushing that button all day, and it'll be like, yeah, whatever.
Shadow (German Shepherd puppy)
The owners' collar on a thick-coated puppy, judged by her ears: they barely moved on the press, the band was probably slipping, and a belt-style strap is recommended for coats like hers.
On film
Yeah, so it's kind of like I didn't see her ears move a ton when I hit the button which I was like
the coats very thick a lot of times like those you're gonna want a more like belt style kind
Bernie
Check that the collar reaches skin before judging the dog: intermittent contact means he gets a random signal he cannot learn from. His working level turned out to be high for his coat, and the handover is built around not letting the number frighten or mislead the family.
On film
not making contact and then it does make contact randomly he's not gonna have a
don't get caught up on numbers
Samson
The level half of the rule: no number is correct; the dog's response sets it in both directions - turned down once he is sensitised, raised only if he blows it off.
On film
Looks like I can turn the e-collar down slightly.
If he doesn't respond to it and he blows it off, it's not high enough.
Lunna
Two points: the working level moves with her arousal from day to day, and before raising it the trainer suspects the fit - 'it's on, it's not working ... it's not on tight' - with the far-side placement rule he says he only learned recently.
On film
actually think that the e-collar is on too loose for luna
it's on it's not working and like she's just not listening it it's not on tight
Bandit
The one 'big thing' the trainer leaves the owner with is contact through a heavy coat: swap the receiver's short contact points for the longer ones, so the strap does not have to be choking-tight to reach the skin, and wear the receiver high on the neck.
On film
the big thing is that is just making sure it's tight enough that it's making contact especially with this fur that's why the long prong longer prongs will help a lot
he's got fur lots of fur so this will make it where you don't have to make it so tight to try to get contact right because otherwise like with these you'd have to like choke them
Boog
On the owners' own belt-style collar Boog shows no reaction at all - not the ear pop or head tilt the trainer knows as his response - so the trainer stops to ask whether it is tight enough and charged, gives the two-finger rule, and checks the switch and the dial. A speaker says a switch was off; why the collar did nothing is left open on film. The order here is not the textbook one: the trainer had already been pressing high on the new collar before the fit was checked, so this is checking the equipment before judging the dog rather than before raising the level.
On film
Is the collar on tight enough by the way? Cause he's not doing any, like he's not even making any like motions or anything.
if the collar wraps around you should be able to fit like two fingers under it but you shouldn't be able to do this
in this case i'm hitting the e-collar but he's not moving at all just because i know his reaction to the e-collar it's usually like kind of a like he kind of does like a little um like a head tilt
Chunk
The owners have a different model from the trainer's, and the only part of it he goes over is the tension: two fingers flat under the band, too loose if two fingers fit stacked. He adds that owners worry about choking the dog, but it has to fit snugly - not so tight the dog misses his trachea, not so loose it feels like a rubber band.
On film
so basically if this is the band right here you should be able to fit two fingers in here but if you can do this did the motions I have to like do to show the e collar is always looks terrible if you can do this though if you can fit two fingers tall under the e collar it's too loose
I think sometimes people worry they're gonna like choke the dog out, but I'm like it's got a fit pretty nice like you know
Hattie
Before any judgement about the level, the trainer goes through the unit: it was on momentary, a press 'so brief that you can kind of miss it', so it is switched to continuous; and the family's smaller model gives about 30% less at the same number than the larger one he also uses. The tool is checked before the level is judged; strap fit itself is not the subject of this passage.
On film
The only major difference between the two is the momentary, if you press it, it's so brief that you can kind of miss it.
but that can make the difference for the dog whether or not they feel it
This one's a little smaller than this one. So this one's about 30% less strength for the same number.
Mazi
Fit is taught before any level: two fingers flat under the strap, not stacked, and the box on the left side, so that a press while he is in heel pushes him toward the handler. The reasons are the ones this concept names: most people fit it too loose and the dog acts as though he doesn't care; and a loose collar sits differently each time it goes on, so the same number feels different from one day to the next. (The worked example that follows, 12:52-13:04, of chasing the level up and then over-shooting once the collar is fitted tighter, is on uncertain audio and is not quoted.) He adds that owners often think they are choking the dog when the pressure is their own hands while fastening it.
On film
so like let's say the collar's here you need to be able to fit two fingers like flat like this but if you can do this it's too loose
it is too loose that means that every time you put it on it's going to be like a little bit different right if you don't have like a system
you want the e-collar on this side like if you're walking the dog it needs to be on the left side
most people put the e-collar on a little too loose and then they find that they hit the button and the dog's like like i don't care and then it's like they can feel it but it's barely anything
Like when I tell them how to tight to put it on and they put it on, they're like, isn't the dog choking?
Sofia
The family's own collar gets the longer contact points 'porque estos son más largos ... y ella tiene mucho pelo' (because these are longer, and she has a lot of hair), and the rule - 'una ley con esto' - is contact: 'si no está contactando con la piel, no funciona' (if it is not touching the skin, it does not work).
On film
ya porque estos son más largos. Los otros son pequeñitos y ella tiene mucho pelo porque
Porque una ley con esto es que necesitas que está en contacto con la tierra, porque si no está contactando con la piel, no funciona.
Stormi
On 23 Sep 2026, on a day she seemed to have allergies, the trainer checks that all her collars are 'not too tight not too loose' - tight enough to work, not choking. At the go-home lesson (27 Sep) the owner's own clip-style collar is refitted - two fingers under it, but not standing up - with the reason given both ways: too loose and it will not work; too tight and it chokes her, she won't want to do anything, and a press may make her yelp in public. Outside, when she barely responds on the owner's unit, the trainer turns it up a little and suspects a weaker collar before he suspects the dog.
On film
all her collars are like loose i made sure that they were like nice like not too tight not too loose he collars tight enough to work but not by any means choking her out
so the main thing with any e-collar is that you want to make sure that um sorry i was turning it off you want to make sure that you can fit like two fingers like this but you can't do this
because the e-collar is too loose then obviously it's not gonna be effective if it's too tight then you're gonna choke her out and she's not gonna want to do anything
she does not seem to be responding to like the e-collar much so i would turn it up a little bit might be just a weaker e-collar
Akira
Not a map member; added from the session notes. At the evaluation the trainer shows the winged contact attachment he uses for a long-coated dog like Akira: if the prongs are not touching skin she might as well not be wearing it, and the wings keep contact without choking. In a store session he stops to check the collar and finds it too loose.
On film
useful because she's got all the hair and so this if the prongs aren't touching skin she might as well not be wearing it it does nothing
let me check it let me see you're too loose oh it's too loose it's a little too loose
Apollo (the Bully)
Not a map member; added from the session notes. At the second owner lesson Christian tries the family's own collar and sets it well below the number he had used on his, because Apollo's reaction on theirs was more than was needed: a setting does not carry from one unit to another.
On film
Okay, so your level is a little different though.
Apollo (the Sharkie)
Not a map member; added from the session notes. In a heel session the trainer finds Apollo's collar has flipped over, which explains why the corrections were not landing - the equipment, not the dog.
On film
brown collar had flipped over just a little bit no wonder he wasn't feeling those pops
Astro
Not a map member; added from the session notes. At an update evaluation the trainer shows Astro's winged attachment for thick fur and names the failure it prevents: contact comes and goes, the handler turns it up, and then it suddenly lands. At a later evaluation he says that when a dog ignores the collar, check contact first, and only then think about the level.
On film
And then it makes it where, like, you get constant contact when they have longer fur. Because otherwise you lose contact, and then it makes contact, and then you have problems like this.
it it's like well they're touching that skin you know yeah check that first
Beo
Not a map member; added from the session notes. On the first day of filming the trainer explains to camera how tight the collars are: tight enough not to wiggle, loose enough to get fingers under the box.
On film
because sometimes they look like they're really tight on some of those, it's only so tight that they don't wiggle around, but I can still get my fingers underneath the box.
Bo
Not a map member; added from the session notes. At the evaluation the trainer notices his own collar on Bo is sliding around and names the risk: the dog only feels it some of the time, and the handler ends up going higher than needed.
On film
I think that I think I have it on a little bit loose because I'm noticing it's sliding around and That can make it where he only feels it some of the time and then you end up doing it higher than you needed to
Bun
Not a map member; added from the session notes. Mid-session the trainer refits Bun's strap a notch looser to stop it itching, while keeping contact - fit set for both comfort and contact.
On film
Let's just make sure that's not too loose.
I think that's about perfect. That should be no itchies, but also making contact.
Callie
Not a map member; added from the session notes. At the second go-home lesson Callie seems to ignore 'no' until it turns out the collar was never switched on: both units have to be turned on and the collar tried on her, and her thick coat affects where it makes contact.
On film
so we realized that this thing wasn't on i'm sorry because i forget that you have to turn it on from here and this at the same time and then you have to make sure her that it's on by trying it on.
Drago
Not a map member; added from the session notes. In a Short, Drago gives the slowest recall of the day, and the trainer's first question is the equipment - not tight enough, or a dead battery - before he blames the dog; the collar turns out to be on.
On film
fudge is that is your e-collar not on tight enough or what is it on is it dead let me try
Irwin
Not a map member; added from the session notes. In a park session Irwin blows off a recall and the trainer's answer is to tighten the collar, because it is not making contact.
On film
nope it needs to be tighter it's not making contact very well
Kalypso
Not a map member; added from the session notes. In a private lesson, before going on with the level test, the trainer tightens Kalypso's collar by a notch, because the last thing he wants is to keep going up with no contact and then have it land at once. In the next lesson the family is told that the lowest level she responded to belongs to that collar model, and would have to be tested again on another.
On film
because like what the last thing i want is that i keep going up and it's not making contact you know Yeah, and then it does make contact and she's like, holy crap
was 25 so depending on the e-collar model that could vary so we'll have to test it out again
Kane
Not a map member; added from the session notes. Opening a walk, the trainer tells camera to size the collar properly, starting with not so tight that it chokes or hurts the dog.
On film
and you got to make sure you properly size your recolor you're looking for a few things one you need to make sure that it is uh not so tight that you are choking or uh hurting the dog
Marvin (Giant Schnauzer)
Not a map member; added from the session notes. At the go-home lesson Kelton shows the family where the collar sits: high, right behind the neck, where the dog feels it.
On film
Here, that's where they feel it, right behind the neck, up here.
Max (Goldendoodle)
Not a map member; added from the session notes. At Max's go-home lesson Kelton demonstrates on his own neck: a floppy collar is not touching, and it does not work. He gives three fingers as probably tight enough and a fist as flopping, and walks through the spiral of turning it up on a collar that only sometimes touches.
On film
The e-collar is floppy and it's sitting like this. It's not touching my neck. I have a problem. This doesn't work if it's not touching his neck. So it has to be tight enough where it makes contact.
So like, if you can get like three fingers in here, that's probably going to be tight enough, right?
Murphy
Not a map member; added from the session notes. The same logic applied to a prong collar at Murphy's go-home: fitted 'a little tight with some purpose', because a loose one does not make contact all the way round and loses its corrective force.
On film
But it's relatively tight because if it's too loose and then it doesn't make contact all the way around It doesn't have the same corrective force.
Ozzy
Not a map member; added from the session notes. At Ozzy's first in-program lesson the trainer tells the family about an earlier doodle whose owner said the dog was not listening to a single command after training; on a properly tight collar the dog sat at once. The lesson for a doodle coat: it has to be really nice and tight.
On film
the doodle fur is like really thick and everything so when you put an e-collar on a doodle specifically you have to make sure it's like really nice and tight
Pepper
Not a map member; added from the session notes. Pepper's first in-program owner lesson opens with set-up rather than levels: sizing to the neck matters most because it decides where the collar sits, and the trainer always tests that it has synced.
On film
Yeah, honestly, I mean it's pretty straightforward with everything, but the biggest thing like when you're setting it up is mostly like how we actually size it to the neck because that matters a lot for like where it's positioned.
I always just go like this, test it, make sure it syncs.
Rocky
Not a map member; added from the session notes. Rocky's file has the habit in full. On day two the trainer stops a level test to check contact through the thick fur and tightens it, because a missed contact leads to going too hard; he says he is always checking the fit. At an owner lesson the family's collar is moved to the left side, and the trainer shows winged contacts fitted for Rocky's coat.
On film
let me just make sure the collar is on where the contact is good because that can mess things up then you end up doing it too hard because they weren't feeling it
I'm always checking the fit on this e-collar.
yeah that's how mine is yeah i like these better um they're wings especially because he has relatively like thick fur
Titan
Not a map member; added from the session notes. At the second owner lesson Connor makes tension the first thing to get right: too loose, the contact is wrong, and a slightly tighter fit next day at the same number feels far higher. At the first lesson he adds that Titan's working level is dynamic - lower in a room than in a busy public place.
On film
So the other part is you have to make sure that the e-collar has the perfect amount of tension.
so the e-collar when you're training is a little more like dynamic because what the level is for him like in a room is way different for him than if i took him out like a really busy public area
Wiley
Not a map member; added from the session notes. After a squirrel nearly beats the recall, the trainer checks the collar is tight enough to be felt while Wiley is moving hard, before talking about dialling up for distraction.
On film
Just gonna make sure this is on tight enough that if he is moving hard, he can still feel it.
Why it works
Said on film: the collar works by contact, so the contact points have to touch skin for the whole session. A strap that will twist has enough slack for them to sit in coat or lift off the neck, and the button then delivers nothing while the remote reports success. The handler's only feedback is the dog, which is why the response - ears, head, a twitch - is the honest test, and why feel is explicitly not trusted on a heavy coat. The failure compounds: no response reads as a dog who does not care, the handler raises the level, the collar seats itself or is fitted properly the next day, and the accumulated setting arrives at once. The side rule has its own mechanism: a dog moves away from the sensation, so a contact on the far side pushes her in toward the handler and one on the near side pushes her out. Intermittent contact adds a learning problem: the dog gets a signal at random and cannot connect it to anything. Two September 2026 handovers add the unit to the same logic: a momentary press can be too brief for the dog to register, and a smaller model delivers about 30% less at the same number, so a non-response can be the mode or the model rather than the dog. A loose collar also makes every later level unreliable, because it sits differently each time it goes on (Mazi).
On film
Exactly, that way it's over it, because otherwise he probably won't make any contact, he'll press a button and he won't feel it at all. Because it's just hitting hair.
so sometimes it's loose sometimes it's tighter but not quite there um what happens is like you got to turn it up a ton for them to feel anything and then you put on a little tighter the next day and it's at the same level and the dog's like oh my god this is so high
on this side okay all right there's a reason for that if i put the dog in a heel i want her to stay
not making contact and then it does make contact randomly he's not gonna have a
it is too loose that means that every time you put it on it's going to be like a little bit different right if you don't have like a system
The only major difference between the two is the momentary, if you press it, it's so brief that you can kind of miss it.
This one's a little smaller than this one. So this one's about 30% less strength for the same number.
Inferred
That this matters more than any other piece of craft because its failure is invisible and its symptom is a moral judgement about the dog ('stubborn', 'untrained').
Where the trainers differ
Two fingers, or tighter than that?
One view
The house rule is two flat fingers with no twist.
On film
we have like a a rule that we go by and basically if you can fit like two fingers in the e-collar like this, you're good. But if you have like wiggle room like this, it's too loose.
so basically if this is the band right here you should be able to fit two fingers in here but if you can do this did the motions I have to like do to show the e collar is always looks terrible if you can do this though if you can fit two fingers tall under the e collar it's too loose
so the main thing with any e-collar is that you want to make sure that um sorry i was turning it off you want to make sure that you can fit like two fingers like this but you can't do this
so like let's say the collar's here you need to be able to fit two fingers like flat like this but if you can do this it's too loose
Another view
On a heavy coat the trainer tightens past what feels right, and on a doodle two fingers is called too loose; on a furry dog 'pretty tight', stopping short of red eyes.
On film
So I wonder if actually I need to tighten it on more. I've already tightened it on once, but it didn't hit me. So just now I'm like, oh, it probably feels tight, but it's probably not even touching her skin at all.
you can make sure that you see it's contacting pretty easily yeah so for him just have to have
How to read it
Reconciled on film rather than contested: the standard is two fingers, the test is the dog's response. On a thick coat you keep going until the dog confirms it, and stop at choking. A wider reading of the session record adds a looser wording from Max the Goldendoodle's go-home: three fingers is 'probably going to be tight enough' and a fist is flopping (watch 49:54); the test he gives is still whether it makes contact.
Whether the side rule is doctrine or a tip.
One view
Taught as a firm rule at handovers: 'it needs to be on the opposite side'.
On film
the big one, too, is whatever side you walk the dog on, this is important. Make sure it's on the opposite side.
you want the e-collar on this side like if you're walking the dog it needs to be on the left side
Another view
The same handler says it was passed to him one day; Lunna's trainer says he only learned it recently; Max's file has the box alternated day to day, apparently for skin rather than direction.
On film
it's just like one of those like little things that I didn't even think about until somebody brought it out to me one day and it makes your life way easier
i only learned this trick
How to read it
Nothing contradicts the rule itself; what is unsettled is whether it is written down, and how it sits with rotating the collar's position. Update 30 Sep 2026: Mazi's in-program owner lesson gives the side as a rule with its reason (a press in heel pushes him toward the handler).
Common owner mistakes
- Not reading the manual, fitting the collar loose, and concluding the training failed.
On film
worth so most people like i said don't read the manual and then they'll go and like put on the e-collar and it's too loose and they're like you didn't dream my dog and then i come out here and i just put it on tighter and And then they do all the commands, and it jaw drops. Right.
Watch at 3:25 ↗ - Raising the level because the dog did not react, instead of tightening the strap.
On film
if you think they're not feeling it you end up turning it up higher and then they do feel it
Watch at 6:36 ↗ is that if you don't know exactly like if it's a little different each time and you don't have
Watch at 9:26 ↗ - Over-tightening, which chokes the dog and builds an aversion to the collar going on.
On film
in general, you could build like an aversive reaction because if every single time I put a necklace on you, I choked you out, you probably would stop asking me to put necklaces on you.
Watch at 7:03 ↗ it's too tight you choke out the dog which is not like a preferred way to keep it on them um but if it's too loose it won't do anything
Watch at 32:36 ↗ - Being strict and consistent with a collar the dog cannot feel.
On film
because the e-collar was so loose it was so loose that you couldn't reinforce anything so when he did get back you were very much being strict with how you were using the e-collar and the commands but he felt nothing
Watch at 23:08 ↗ - Buying a collar that cannot be tightened enough for the dog you have.
On film
I trained a golden doodle several hi several months ago. And I went out there and she was like, "My dog's not listening to a single command." And I was like, "Yeah, I get to drive 45 minutes out to a dog that supposedly just unlearned everything."
Watch at 19:26 ↗ - Fitting it once and never checking again - including after the dog has lost weight.
On film
that is way looser than when i put it on earlier what what happened
Watch at 9:03 ↗ He probably lost a little bit of weight.
Watch at 12:46 ↗ - Leaving the transmitter out of range or the collar switched off.
On film
thingy yeah no wonder because i just said i didn't see any i didn't see any kind of like
Watch at 11:22 ↗ i might have turned it off that may be what it is probably because i tried calling him yeah he's not coming
Watch at 20:10 ↗ - Putting the box on the walking side, so every stim pushes the dog away.
On film
I want her to be closer to me and she feels a zap this way. What's the reaction? It's the push that way versus if it's here and you want her to come closer. It'll actually encourage her to come into your direction.
Watch at 8:04 ↗ - Leaving the collar loose for fear of choking the dog.
On film
I think sometimes people worry they're gonna like choke the dog out, but I'm like it's got a fit pretty nice like you know
Watch at 32:01 ↗ Like when I tell them how to tight to put it on and they put it on, they're like, isn't the dog choking?
Watch at 18:43 ↗ - Assuming a setting on one collar, or in one mode, means the same on another.
On film
This one's a little smaller than this one. So this one's about 30% less strength for the same number.
Watch at 11:19 ↗ The only major difference between the two is the momentary, if you press it, it's so brief that you can kind of miss it.
Watch at 10:07 ↗ she does not seem to be responding to like the e-collar much so i would turn it up a little bit might be just a weaker e-collar
Watch at 40:41 ↗
Questions owners ask
How tight should the e-collar be?
Two flat fingers under the strap, and you should not be able to twist them - the house rule, and what the manuals say. Looser and the contacts will not reach skin reliably; much tighter and you are choking the dog, and a dog choked every time the collar goes on stops wanting it on. One trainer's quick check: the dog's eyes should look normal, not red. Owners often worry they are choking the dog; one trainer points out that what feels like choking while you fasten it is usually your own hands pressing.
On film
we have like a a rule that we go by and basically if you can fit like two fingers in the e-collar like this, you're good. But if you have like wiggle room like this, it's too loose.
But if I can twist it like that, then it's too loose.
his eyes aren't turning red and stuff because then you're choking him because like right now
so basically if this is the band right here you should be able to fit two fingers in here but if you can do this did the motions I have to like do to show the e collar is always looks terrible if you can do this though if you can fit two fingers tall under the e collar it's too loose
Like when I tell them how to tight to put it on and they put it on, they're like, isn't the dog choking?
My dog has a really thick coat. Is it even reaching him?
Maybe not, and you cannot tell by feel. Push the hair up, seat the points against skin, let the hair fall back, and confirm from the dog that the first press arrived - watch the ears and head. Longer contact points or a belt-style strap help on heavy coats. Expect the working setting on a thick-coated dog to look high to you; that is the coat, not the dog.
On film
Exactly, that way it's over it, because otherwise he probably won't make any contact, he'll press a button and he won't feel it at all. Because it's just hitting hair.
the coats very thick a lot of times like those you're gonna want a more like belt style kind
Which side of the neck does it go on?
The side away from you - opposite the side you walk the dog on. A dog moves away from the sensation, so a contact on the far side nudges her into your leg, which is what a heel wants.
On film
on this side okay all right there's a reason for that if i put the dog in a heel i want her to stay
Oh, all right, so I actually have mentioned this before. When you have the e-collar, I have it on the wrong side, which makes reinforcing this really tricky, how dogs respond to the e-collar.
you want the e-collar on this side like if you're walking the dog it needs to be on the left side
My dog was trained and now he ignores the collar completely. Did the training not take?
Check the hardware first. This call is described in three households on film, and each time the fix was the strap or the collar itself. A whole command set failing at once is what a hardware fault looks like; it is not what forgetting looks like. Charge it, switch it on, fit it, keep the remote in range, and test one command you are certain of.
On film
i've actually came out to people's houses like the training's not working i'm like can i see it and i put on the e-collar and it works and i drove like an hour out to just tighten it
because the e-collar was so loose it was so loose that you couldn't reinforce anything so when he did get back you were very much being strict with how you were using the e-collar and the commands but he felt nothing
most people put the e-collar on a little too loose and then they find that they hit the button and the dog's like like i don't care and then it's like they can feel it but it's barely anything
Do I need to check it again during the walk?
Yes. Straps work loose, the box spins, and dogs lose weight; when that happens some of your presses never arrive, which looks identical to a dog ignoring you. Trainers catch it live on film and stop rather than keep interpreting the dog.
On film
that is way looser than when i put it on earlier what what happened
check the e-collar fit make sure it's still contacting
My collar is a different model from the trainer's. Does that matter?
It can. At one follow-up the trainer explains that a smaller model from the same maker gives about 30% less at the same number, and that a momentary press can be so brief the dog misses it, so he switches the family's collar to continuous. At another handover, when the dog barely responded on the owner's unit after it had been fitted, the trainer turned it up a little and suspected 'a weaker e-collar' before he blamed the dog. Fit it first, then find its level on that collar; do not copy a number from another unit.
On film
This one's a little smaller than this one. So this one's about 30% less strength for the same number.
The only major difference between the two is the momentary, if you press it, it's so brief that you can kind of miss it.
she does not seem to be responding to like the e-collar much so i would turn it up a little bit might be just a weaker e-collar
The lesson
Learn first
The drill
As run on film: charge and switch on. Fit high on the neck, opposite the walking side; two fingers under the strap, no twist. On a coated dog, hair up, contacts seated, hair back down. Start low, press once on a command the dog owns, and watch the ears and head. No response: tighten, do not raise, press again. Confirm aloud that the dog felt it before any real work, then re-check the strap once mid-session.
Watch out for
- Reaching for the dial before the strap.
- Trusting the feel of the collar on a thick coat.
- Fitting it once and never checking again.
- Fitting it on the walking side.
- Continuing to interpret the dog after finding a loose collar, instead of discarding those repetitions.
- Leaving the last dog's setting on the remote.
- Copying a level from another collar or mode without finding it again on this one.
Check yourself
You press and get nothing. Name the checks, in order, before you touch the level - and say what you do with the last ten repetitions if the strap turns out to have been loose.