# Weimaraner Help: training collar and tick advice please!



## eric411 (Aug 20, 2012)

So I would like to start by saying my 14 week old Weim, Remington is an amazing pup.  He picks up tricks just by watching what other dogs in my house are doing so he can get treats too, he's actually so smart I am wondering what I may have gotten myself into. I have started working on some pointing and holding with him and he is doing great aside from breaking a little early, but given his age and attention spam I deem this to be acceptable. My questions are as follows, first off I want him to get used to a training(ecollar) but have no idea what brand to go with. My price range is $200 and below. Distance isn't a huge factor but it does need to be water proof. I want to use the collar for reinforcement and mainly to get his attention back on my commands when his mind seems to wander. How old should he be to start with the ecollar? Also, at my hunting property, the ticks are the worst I have ever seen them, pulled five off my legs in a 45 minute walk the other day. What is the best option for making sure my little buddy stays tick free? He is on revolution now I believe (free vet sample for one month) but here in a week or so I need to buy something to keep him flea and tick free. He is 14 weeks old and weighs in around 30lbs. One last question is how much should he be eating each day? He is at 3 cups a day now fed in 1/2 cups at a time throughout the day, but every time I put food down you would think he has been starved. I have even had to get him one of the "X" bowls that slows their eating for fear of bloat. Thank you in advance for any answers. This is my first dog that I am going to hunt with, and with so many varying approaches floating around the Internet I've found myself wondering which way is up lately. I've always done well with obedience training in dogs, but hunting training for them is entirely new to me. An advice will be greatly appreciated. 

Thanks,
Eric


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## SonyaS (Aug 21, 2012)

Revolution is good for fleas and heartworm but not for ticks. I use Frontline Plus for fleas/ticks and it kills them fast. A tick collar may be the best way to go but I would be extra careful with a pup that young.

You are feeding him 6 times a day with treats inbetween? Three times a day should be plenty at 14 weeks.  How much to feed depends on the quality of the food and his activity level. Cheap food means they eat more (and poop more). Three cups sounds like it could be right but you have to base that on his weight, get used to feeling his ribs so you can tell if he is getting fat or too thin. Ask your vet about his weight if you are not sure. He has been dewormed, right? 

As far as slowing him down, if you feed him a decent sized portion perhaps he won't be so frantic. With puppies that young bloat isn't really a concern, choking or sucking the food into their lungs might be though. Keep Gas-X on hand as an emergency treatment if you ever suspect he could be bloating (still rush him to the vet but Gas-X can save their lives).

Can't advise on e-collars, I researched and bought a Dogtra Platinum a couple of years ago, that appeared to be one of the better collars at a reasonable price but then I never used it, it's still sitting in the box. I would do plenty of research on the best way to use an e-collar and when to start, take your time and check various sources. You don't want to make any beginner mistakes that could lessen your dogs enthusiasm in the field.

As far as getting his attention back on your commands with an e-collar...you bought a high prey drive hunting dog, that means you aren't the center of their world at every given moment. Watch him and learn how to bring out the best in him, don't try to crush/change his temperament until you fully understand what is normal for his breed, if you try to change him without understanding what is normal you just might crush/change the best part of him.


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## eric411 (Aug 23, 2012)

Thank you for your advice. The only time I am worried about his prey drive is in the case of his drive putting him in danger. The other week I had to shoot a raccoon he had cornered in the fenced in yard before either one could put their teeth in one another. This isn't my first weim, just the first one I am planning of field training. I know the breed well, my last weim made it over half of my life with me until he had kidney issues and had to move on to a better place. The vet said he is at a healthy weight right now, and he is finishing up the last of his puppy shots today so we will start working with the heeling stick and see where I can get with that. Thanks again for the advice.


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## irishredneck (Aug 23, 2012)

I haven't found ANY tick repellent products to work and I've tried just about everything. If you're in a bad Tick area like me, theres nothing that keeps them away.

I use Comfortis pills for Fleas, you really can't beat them. Its expensive but worth the money. I think I pay $106 for a 6 month supply or $20 per month from the vet. 
The collars and stuff you squirt on their back do not work, trust me. Don't even waste your money! My dog stays in the house 80% of the time so I would know if she has 1 flea on her and since I've been using Comfortis she hasn't had a flea in over a year.

For Ticks I use the Heartz Tick shampoo from Walmart, $3 for a bottle and lasts 6-8 weeks of washes. If I have her in the woods when I get home I take her round the back and hose her while rubbing her down with the Tick shampoo. I find 4 or 5 ticks on the ground that have fallen off her after I wash her. Thats how I deal with that problem.

My advice would be to up your ecollar budget by $40 and get a Tri tronics Sport Basic G3. I tried 6 or maybe 7 other collars from $40-$180 and I had to take them all back, they were junk. Finally I splashed out $240 on a G3 and I've had it for about 7 months with no problems. Waterproof, plugs in to charge so you don't need batteries, tough, 30min charge lasts about 2 weeks, 1/2 mile range, buzzer and 10 levels of shock that will put any dog in its place. Its a great collar, I wish I would've bought it sooner.

My advice is to only use the collar for fine tuning and not for training. Repetition and patience are key. Don't work them more than 15mins per day. Focus and dedication for 15 mins is all it takes. 

As for feeding, that all depends on your work level and the type of food. My 90lb GSD gets worked hard for 15mins per day 4 days a week and runs around the woods at the weekends for several hours. She only needs about 3-3.5 cups of high protein (34%) food per day. The back of the food package should give you recommendations on feeding.

Good luck


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## irishredneck (Aug 23, 2012)

Forgot to answer the other feeding question..

I've never had a problem with a dog going crazy over food. When they are puppies I make sure I pet them and love on them while they are eating so they don't get defensive over food. I also kept the food bowl full all the time when they were young so they always had food and snacked on it when they felt hungry. To me they built up the relationship between me, them and the food and knew that they were not going to go hungry.
Now I feed them once per day, right before bed, sometimes they eat it all at once, sometimes they eat half and eat the other half the next day and sometimes they don't touch the food until the next evening. 
Theres no science behind it that I can think of, thats just what I do and it works. Never had a greedy dog problem.


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## cmfireman (Aug 23, 2012)

I also have a weimaraner, but she is not field trained.  I agree with the suggestion of a Tri-Tronics G3 Basic. Mine's been working great for about 8 months and I've not replaced the 9v battery in the transmitter yet.

I use a slow feed bowl as well. You can also buy a travel water pan that will slow down the fast drinking, wich can contribute to bloat. Another suggestion is to feed a food that doesn't swell up much when submerged in water. I was feeding Taste of the Wild, but it is expensive. I started using the 4Health Performance food from Tractor Supply, and she has been doing well with it. It is also grain free.  

You will notice that the kibble is small and hard, and if you put it in water it doesn't swell at all.  Some dry foods will swell to twice there size in a glass of water in a couple of minutes.  I also don't do strenuous excersize 30 minutes before and after meals.  

As far as how to use the collar, get her to learn the action with treats and a check line, and only use the collar for reinforcement if absolutely neccessary. You can break a dogs spirit if you just light it up every time it doesn't pay attention.

The best thing about the collar is the "buzz" feature, wich is only a sound and no shock.  Prior to shocking, hit the buzz.  After a couple of times, the buzz will be all that is needed.

The other day she started after a rabbit, and I turned her off it and back to me with a "heel". I didn't even use the collar. Needless to say I was surprised.


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## SonyaS (Aug 24, 2012)

For ticks you might want to look into a Preventic collars. The chemical in it paralyzes their mouths so they cannot bite (and cannot spread disease). It is cheaper than Frontline, $18 dollar collar works for 3 months and it seems to be highly rated among vets. You can't keep the ticks from jumping on the dog, most you can hope for is that they die fast and do not attach.

I think Frontline is pretty effective, a while back someone dumped a very pregnant little dog off out here. She gave birth almost immediately and she was covered in ticks, at least 50-60 ticks were swelling up on her. Vet said frontline would be safe and sure enough, within 2 days every tick on her was dead. Her nursing newborns were fine.

http://www.virbacvet.com/products/V...nalParasitics/PREVENTICTickCollarforDogs.aspx


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