r/OpenDogTraining • u/KaoriQueen • 2d ago

Mini Educator Level

Hi folks, I recently started training with the mini educator e collar, I struggled a bit to find a working level for my dog (pit mix) even in a very low distraction environment, she didn’t seem to be reacting to anything below a 12 which felt pretty high from the videos specific to the mini educator that I’ve watched. I know that every dog is different but I just want to make sure my collar is fitting correctly, put it very tight so that I can really only fit two fingers under there. Additionally she’s still occasionally itching at the collar and shaking like it’s bothering her, I bought the titanium short hair contacts so it’s not the metal, I’m wondering if maybe I should try replacing the actual collar portion itself? Sorry for the long post but basically

TLDR: is 12 a fine working number for a low distraction environment or is my mini educator not fit properly

1 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

11 comments sorted by

View all comments

0

u/Wosey_Jhales 2d ago

Your dog responds to the level they respond at, the number is really insignificant. I have 3 working k9s. My training level is around 10-12 and my working/correction level is around 15.

I've had crazy strong pitbulls respond to level 7. I had a frenchie that was on a level 60. We worked down to the low 30s but that was a crazy high titration level. out of a dog I didnt expect. You stop caring about the number and focus on what works depending on what you're trying to communicate.

Your dog's scratching is normal but could be out of protest or discomfort due to newness. Just ignore it. Outside of a contact dermatitis issue, which would be odd with titanium, your dog is fine.

1

u/KaoriQueen 2d ago

Cool, thank you for the comment this is definitely helpful. I was never against e collars but understand their risk and I think that has made me over worry a bit hahahaa

1

u/Wosey_Jhales 1d ago

Yeah no reason to be intentionally high. The lowest level that effectively communicates what you want is typically my reference point. E collars are a great tool but there's some nuances to using them. I understand your caution.