MY VIEW:
I primarily use martingale or regular type collars but, THERE IS NO WRONG TRAINING COLLAR! they all have a place in training…. if used correctly and on the right personality of dog. It is important that you work with a trainer that has successfully used every type of training collar and tools, including treats….AND knows how to get your dog to eventually listen without the use of these aids.
The remote collar is a better choice than the invisible fence systems. However, some people are very apt to resort to these quick fixes, such as underground fences and remote controlled collars. These should NEVER be used in place of persistent training and teaching the dog what you expect out of them. The electric collar has it’s place in training and can be useful. However, this type of collar should only be used as a LAST RESORT, AFTER you have spent the proper amount of time to control your dog and teach it. MOST DOGS DO NOT NEED this level of collar and when used too soon, or on a dog that doesn’t need it, and the owner doesn’t learn about animal behavior along with it, the end result is many more behavior problems.
Many people think the underground fencing keeps the dog “safe” at home, but I think it keeps the dog “scared” at home with the “yard” as the dog’s master. It can deteriorate your relationship with the dog and ultimately the behavior of the dog. So what you may end up with is an out of control, ill behaved dog that won’t leave your yard. He will still need positive training to learn how to behave inside your house and yard, and if you do that right, you can save your money on the fencing system and have a dog who wants to stay home with their loving owners. (I have had nearly 50 dogs over the years that didn’t leave their yard and they wanted to be here with me). Also remember that it doesn’t prevent anyone or anything from coming INTO your yard to cause the dog harm or frustration. So you may have a dog that doesn’t get hit by a car, but it may end up injured by something in your yard or worse yet euthanized by you at a later date for some other behavior problem.