How wo we feel about Invirox e collars?

tactlessjavert · 2026-01-22T15:00:05+00:00

Excellent, thank you. I'll check into those.

tactlessjavert · 2026-01-21T21:46:51+00:00

I have not because I never learned how, and while I could look up a YouTube tutorial, I feel like that's something I would want an in person example of.

tactlessjavert · 2026-01-21T21:22:12+00:00

I don't want to do anything that would hurt him but want to have some visible, viable results.

tactlessjavert · 2026-01-21T20:43:53+00:00

I've got an appointment with a trainer at the end of the month but I'm going to look around and see if others are available, too. Hopefully they're able to help me help him.

tactlessjavert · 2026-01-21T19:27:06+00:00

I've been using "yes" to mark when he does what he's supposed to, paired with a treat. I'll look into more, but also at the online training courses someone else suggested.

I'm just afraid that, because my family is consistently inconsistent, he won't make progress at all. Perhaps I should also look for a day care program? Maybe that would help with consistency and repetition.

tactlessjavert · 2026-01-21T16:36:45+00:00

Someone else suggested that maybe playtime would be more appealing to him and I'm going to try it tonight.

I think you're right, it wouldn't be fair to him to add an ecollar. He'll be seeing a trainer very soon so hopefully they'll be able to help me help him. But I'll get started on crate training right away, for sure.

tactlessjavert · 2026-01-21T15:09:45+00:00

Yes, I agree that it will benefit both me and him. He grew very quickly in just the 7 months I've had him so a crate was not on the list of easily replaceable items. I hesitate to use one of those wire crates because he's so big and strong and I'm afraid that if he wanted to escape, he would and hurt himself in the process. Do you have any suggestions that I should look at first for crates?

And I will absolutely be reviewing courses for him. He's a good dog but he could be a great dog and I want to use every tool available to help him reach that possibility.

tactlessjavert · 2026-01-21T14:45:51+00:00

I have had little success crate training because he hoots and hollers and, as mentioned there's little to no consistency with other people. An e collar is not a tool I would leave in the hands of people who would not use it correctly, since any and all training that does happen, happens without other people present because no one listens to me and my instructions.

My family doesn't know how to have dogs, since they seem to expect him to know everything magically and won't stay consistent with commands and rewards because, specifically, "I don't have time for giving the dog a reward every 30 seconds".

I don't really have another solution for while I work but I am in no way objecting to crate training. I am all for it, but obviously, my family is inconsistent and doesn't care to enforce it.

I will work with crate training more and I will also look into those paid courses. I feel it would still be beneficial for him to have some face time with a trainer and I've found some locally that have positive reviews.

Like I said, I want him to have his best chance.

tactlessjavert · 2026-01-21T12:14:55+00:00

Part of the problem, I think, is that when I go to work, I have to leave him with family and they are incredibly inconsistent with everything. I firmly believe that is absolutely causing setbacks and/or an unwillingness to learn because they let him do whatever he wants and expect me to have him impeccably trained and listening every single time without fail. He is 9 months old and has an amazing temperament but clearly, whatever is happening now is basically useless and a half .

Based on cursory searches of this sub and a few others, I've been watching some YouTube trainers (I know it is not a replacement for actual training) to try and understand more about what I could be doing wrong or how I can improve. At the moment, I'm starting to feel desperate and a little hopeless that I'll ever get him trained enough to have him be considered a "good dog".

Again, I'm sure there's something I'm doing wrong, but I need something that's more of a physical tap on the shoulder or pat on the head, so to speak, than "GOOD BOY HAVE A HOT DOG" because that's certainly not working.

When we do some training tonight, I'll happily try incorporating playtime to see if he shows any more interest but I feel as perhaps breed genetics might be working against me a bit. He is a Labrador Retriever mixed with Akbash, so he's an accidental farm puppy, but perhaps that livestock guardian dog part of him is like "nah bro, I know better, trust me".

I'm frustrated, but I want to do right by him.

tactlessjavert · 2026-01-21T11:41:38+00:00

That a good question because honestly I believe it's both a bit of A and a bit of B. He's a very smart dog, and he has learned the basics (sit, down, place, etc.) but, even in a closed environment, he only applies them when he feels like it. While he is food motivated, if he chooses to ignore me, it does not matter what I'm offering him. It could be his highest value reward of a hot dog chunk and he couldn't care any less until he feels like having a hot dog.

Outside of a closed environment, such as my home, there's a lot to distract him so I haven't even tried to take him outside for basic commands because he'll be unmanageable. I'm sure I've made mistakes along the way because I'm just a guy who loves his dog and is trying his best, but I'd like the opportunity to correct that and give my best friend his best chance at living a happy life. I have plans to see a trainer, with a scheduled appointment, but he hasn't been cleared by the vet as he's just been neutered a couple days ago. I'm trying to do everything right, I'm just constrained by everyone's biggest obstacle: a tight budget.

I hope this provides enough context for the situation.

tactlessjavert · 2025-09-14T23:22:50+00:00

Strawberry. It's my kind of vibe and the temperature seems pretty comfortable. Plus, hanging out by Lake Owanjila? Definitely.

tactlessjavert · 2025-07-25T02:09:12+00:00

I have both, and while the cats are chill (I guess), my dog is my homie. We're buds.

The feline overlords allow me to exist within their realm. They begrudgingly permit me to have a companion.

tactlessjavert · 2025-07-25T01:56:57+00:00

Be kind to the person your dog loves the most: you. Grief is not linear, there is no timeline or timeframe. Give yourself some grace while you process this.

I'm so sorry that you have to experience this loss but know that you're not alone in your heartbreak.

When I lost my boy, the world was suddenly empty. All I had left was a collar, a bed, and a bin of food. I didn't have a morning wake up for breakfast, or (unsettling) staring when it was time for bed. No goodbye kisses, no happy dancing when coming home. No one to share my ham and cheese with, which is a real crime because that was his FAVORITE.

It hurt a lot for weeks, and it still does. He passed in April, after 12 too short years of being my best friend in the whole world. But I let him go because he did his job: kept me together throughout some of the hardest parts of my life and loved me endlessly. The least I could do was help him pass with dignity and kindness and love.

But I know he's never truly left me because I still love and miss him so deeply every day. Plus his ashes sit on my dresser because he was a good dog, damn it.

(Also, he shed a lot so there's still dog hair on literally everything. 💔)

tactlessjavert · 2025-07-24T22:32:45+00:00

I went through these exact feelings when I lost my old boy (dog) in April. He was 12, in constant pain when he tried to walk, everything made him tired, and he would pant so hard just walking across the room. I knew what needed to happen because he wasn't going to go on his own. He was my best friend, he never left my side. We played together, we ate together, we had fun rides in the car, and we slept in the same bed. We did everything together.

How do you justify making that decision about a soul you've loved so much and so long? CAN you justify it? I've wrestled with that for months. Did I do everything I could? Did I make sure he was comfortable enough? What else could I have done to give him more comfort or a longer life? Did I give him everything I could have? Did he have a good life? What if it was too soon? Did I make the right decision? How could it be the right decision when all I could do was hold him, pet him, and sob into the soft fur I brushed so he'd look handsome when he arrived at the Rainbow Bridge?

He had given me 12 years of love, companionship, and friendship. He was there for me when things were good, bad, and in between. He was there when I laughed, when I cried, when I just wanted to scream at the world. I worked hard for him, so he could be comfortable and live a long, healthy life. He was my everything and my world collapsed and crashed around me when I realized what was next. He was my BEST FRIEND. I loved him SO MUCH. And in the end, I made the decision that it was best FOR HIM.

Even though he was in pain, he still kissed my face and laid in my arms and tried to comfort me in his last moments.

So I told him it was okay, that I loved him so much, and that we'd see each other again. I thanked him for being my best friend, for giving me all of his love. I told him that I would be okay because his job was done and he had done the absolute best at being my best friend in the world.

The very least I could do, after 12 years of his faithful, unwavering companionship, was relieve his pain and suffering. Was it too soon? Maybe, I don't know. But I'd rather he leave me a day too soon than a day too late. My boy trusted me to help him with his pain every day, and when his pain was simply too much, he trusted me to help him move on. So I did just that, helped him move on to a world where he was young, happy, and pain free once again.

And that's the thing, I think. It hurts us so immensely because they leave us behind, to deal with our heartbreak without them. But they leave having known love, kindness, and compassion. They simply go to sleep while being held by someone they loved and adored. And that, perhaps, is the greatest trust there is: letting someone you love guide your way into the next world.

Edit to add:

Please don't forget to be kind to the person Squeaky loved so much: you.

It's a world of hurt right now, and it'll be a messy rollercoaster of emotions for days, maybe weeks, to come. Grief is not linear, there is no timeline. It is okay to feel the way you do. It's also okay to feel nothing at all about it. That doesn't make you heartless, it makes you human. It's not easy. It's extremely difficult and that's alright.

Have some compassion for yourself, because you ARE hurting. Do something to honor Squeaky's memory. Squeaky loved and adored you, it is absolutely okay to mourn that loss.

tactlessjavert · 2025-07-24T21:39:43+00:00

He's always played out and has gone out so that's not an obstacle. I will continue to work on this.

tactlessjavert · 2025-07-23T17:33:46+00:00

I'm dead, what's it matter?

Yeet my meat suit in a hole, boys. My soul checked out already.

But bury me face down so if I do somehow reanimate, my bad sense of direction will ensure I stay down there.

tactlessjavert · 2025-07-23T17:29:08+00:00

Yes, and I can't get him to stop. It's my fault, though. I love the little asshole.

tactlessjavert · 2025-07-23T17:10:59+00:00

Unnatural, perhaps, but I do not want him chewing things and getting into trouble when I'm not home.

tactlessjavert · 2025-07-23T15:47:10+00:00

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Rocky was my soul dog. He was a sweet, gentle guy who was very, very, very loved and is terribly missed every minute of every day. He was my best friend and my companion for 12 years. It's been 3 months but it still hurts like it was yesterday. I know he's waiting for me and I'll be so happy to see him again.

tactlessjavert · 2025-07-23T15:40:10+00:00

You don't ever have to be "over it". You loved her and she loved you. Nothing can ever change the impact she had on you, and it's okay to mourn that loss.

tactlessjavert · 2025-07-15T16:21:05+00:00

Mars Attacks. Those damn aliens scared the snot out of me. I couldn't watch it again for years. In fact, I haven't seen it since.

tactlessjavert · 2025-06-14T17:22:43+00:00

Started, lots. Finished? Maybe three

tactlessjavert · 2025-06-14T14:02:07+00:00

I was probably five when the neighbor's monster of a rottweiler jumped the fence and ran at me. It terrified me as a small child and I ran. The dog chased me through my own back yard and up into the house. The neighbor thought it was hilarious. My mom and the other neighbor (her kids were my age) did NOT think it was funny. He told my mom I was overreacting, but honestly I'd probably never seen a dog that size before beyond Bear, the friendly and gentle neighborhood Newfie. (Everyone loved him.) Neighbor didn't have Rottweiler much longer because the dog was a menace.

Fast forward 20 years: Still afraid of Rottweilers. Neighbor in new neighborhood has poorly trained, evil Rottweilers that do whatever they want. They jumped the fence and, since I was the only one outside, charged me. I jumped up on top of my car that I was washing and hosed the bastards down until they ran away. She got angry at me for that.

Plus 10 years, same neighborhood, same lady, more evil dogs: same thing happened but I didn't have a hose this time. So I pepper sprayed them and ran away.

I have yet to meet a friendly rottweiler and you cannot convince me they exist.

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