He became devoted to her, but cowered when anyone else came near - two or four legged.

 

"He is the first true 'street dog' I've ever known," said dog trainer Gina Hayes, owner of Just Dogs Training Center in Dennisport, who has been working with Parent and Blue since December.

 

Today, the 60-pound Australian cattle dog-mix carries his tail high and confidently approaches strangers for a quick sniff. Loud noises, which used to send him into orbit, no longer faze him. 

 

"It's like being a proud mother," said Parent, owner of Chatham Pottery in Chatham. "I never thought I'd see the day when he'd come to someone else."

 

Hayes credits Blue's turn around, besides Parent's patience and obedience lessons, to a special training device, known as an e-collar.

 

It's a training method that is becoming more widely used.

 

Mashpee dog trainer Rich Seaman, who has been training dogs since the 1970s, said e-collars have their place in training - for some dogs and some owners.

 

The collars have been around for more than 30 years, but only recently has the technology made them more affordable for the average owner, he said.

 

The collar has a small receiver which gives the dog a slight ticklish buzz whenever the owner pushes a button on the remote transmitter.

 

On the hand, the reciever gives a soft, prickly sensation.

 

Commands are given to the dog, along with a tap, tap, tap from the collar. Owners are told to physically show the dog what is expected of him, as they are giving the command.

 

The device acts as a reminder, not punishment, explained Hayes. It instills confidence because it shows dogs very clearly what is expected of them, she said.

 

Parent described it as a "helloooooo" to a distracted or confused dog.

 

Some traineres have misused the collar by turning up the current on the receiver to a level where it is painful, said Hayes.

 

The collar cannot kill a dog, but it can be painful if the current is too high.

 

Hayes said she used to deplore the device because she had seen it used improperly, and swore she would never include it with her training methods.

 

But, after exploring the possibilities on her own, she found the collar could be an invaluable tool for certain dogs, especially those that are aggressive or fearful, she said.

 

In a sort of counter-intuitive way, the collar gives dogs more confidence and less fear, she said.

 

 

Hayes does not recommend the e-collar for every dog. She assesses each dog's need and finds that some are easily trained with obedience training with commands and rewards, or a clicker, which teaches the dog to associate the noise with the right behavior.

 

Hayes, who describes her training approach as "balenced training," meaning she uses a variety of techniques depending on the situation, has been training dogs in various capacity for the last 25 years. She began her training career as a child, learning from her father, who bred field Irish Setters for hunting.

 

As an adult, she turned to training and breeding Bloodhounds for tracking and confirmation. She eventually became an American Bloodhoud Club trailing judge. She is now on the board of directors of the International Association of Canine Professionals.

 

Hayes said dog trainers' biggest complaint about owners in general is that they do not praise their dogs enough.

 

When showing them how to teach their dogs to come, for instance, she said she tells her students, "I want your dog to think that coming to you is the best thing that could ever happen."

 

While Hayes encourages owners to be more involved in their dog's training, using an e-collar is sometimes best left to an experienced hand.

 

"They're an excellent tool in the right hands," Seaman said. "In the hands of an amateur, they can do some damage."

 

He cautioned against owners trying to train their dogs without the guidence of a trained professional.

 

"If you don't time (the signal from the transmitter to the collar), you can get some weird distortions," he said.

 

He told the story of a client who went through the proper steps, but happened to zap the dog for merely looking at a squirrel. To this day, the dog is afraid of squirrels, said Seaman.

 

"You can screw a dog up, if not used properly," he said.

 

Dog trainer Martin Deeley said when he came from England nine years ago he though e-collars were "an abomination." But, after he saw their possibilities by watching other trainers, he was sold.

 

Deeley of Orlando, Fla., who is president of the International Association of Canine Professionals, uses the collars to train pets and hunting dogs.

 

When the collars first came on the market more than 30 years ago, they gained a reputation as a "shock" collar, because the technique at that time was to give a long continuous high level jolt to the dog, he said. Trainers have learned that the collars can be used with momentary taps of much lighter intensity.

 

"You do find people who think it's a magic tool, but if you zap (a dog) incorrectly, say when they're running away, they may run even faster to get away from it," he said.

 

 

The e-collar training technique is effective for all types of dogs, according to Hayes. Dogs in her classes are taught to heel, sit, down, stay, come and drop on command.

 

In addition, excessive barking, jumping and trash stealing can be stopped, she said.

 

Cela, an 11-month-old Portuguese Pointer, is a medium size muscular bundle of energy. Her owner, Lynne Long of Chatham, who had several Labrador Retrievers before Cela, said she is the strongest dog she has ever owned. It was for that reason, and for the dog's own safety around busy streets, that she brought her to Hayes.

 

Described by Hayes as "in her teenage stage," Cela wiggled from nose to tail when her collar was off during a recent training session, barely containing her energy.

 

But, with her collar on, she was a model of decorum. Long placed Cela in the center of the room and told her to stay. Over the next 15 minutes or so, Long walked away and stood at the edge of the room while Hayes created the "Ring of Torture."

 

The exercise consists of Hayes walking around the dog, dropping temptations like balls, toys and even treats.

 

With just one week of e-collar training, the tan and white dog watched each distraction as it fell into her field of vision, but remained perfectly still. Even when Long left the building and was out of Cela's sight, the dog did not move.

 

Unbridled exuberance was also Inky's problem, said owner Candy Buell of Brewster. She had tried "everything on the market" with her 4-year-old Australian Shepherd, but the dog's herding instincts proved stronger than her desire to please her owner, said Buell.

 

"He was great three-quarters of the time, but if he saw a skunk, coyote or fox, he was gone," she said.

 

Someone suggested the e-collar and she heard of Hayes through a friend. After about 15 minutes at the first session, Inky was heeling on command.

 

"It's opened a whole new world," she said. "He was a good dog even before we started, but now he has a purpose."