I first heard of it being called an Elizabethan Collar. It’s that “Cone of Shame” popularly called by the rogue Dog characters in the animated movie Up. When the term morphed into the term e-Collar, that got me confused momentarily.
What is that? Is that an electronic collar?
No, it’s still the Elizabethan collar. That was what that “e” meant.
CLASSIC CONE OF SHAME
The e-collar still looks the same: When flattened out, it’s a long and curved thick plastic sheet with two to three rows of snaps at both ends to fit the Dog’s neck.
When snapped securely in place and worn by the Dog around their neck, it keeps the Dog from licking their paws or scratching their ears with their strong hind paw.
The Dog can’t reach these parts which are under treatment. The plastic cone is in the way.
I’ve used these a few times in the past. My first Dog, Kookie, tolerated it easily. He managed his way around the furniture wearing it without protest.
HOW IT BEGAN
But not every Dog was as socialized as Kookie. A few years later, when I used it again on an ailing Dog, he fought it off as if a Cobra was embracing his neck.
This started my journey toward e-collar training and rehabilitation. Not every Dog welcomed this intrusive piece of hard plastic.
It began with a highly reactive Dalmatian Dog named Toby who was rehomed to me when he was seven months old. This was an athletic breed confined to a home whose owner treasured her valuable breakable items which she imported – and refused to store away.
One day, the rambunctious puppy tested the owner’s patience by breaking more things again – and this time was evicted. Her husband brought Toby to me, because I already had a Dalmatian (Kookie) living with me.
VIOLENT REACTION
Toby was plagued with ill health as he grew into an adult.
One of his first ailments was an ear fungus which he kept scratching until the affected ear flap was raw. The vet recommended the e-collar and I went off to buy one. When I got home, I connected the snaps together and prepared to slip the cone over Toby’s head.
Toby watched the e-collar approach his face, and when he felt it slide snugly over his head, he panicked.
I was bewildered. Kookie never reacted this way. (As usual, we always compare a new Dog to a previous one whom we hold as the Ideal Dog.) When I saw Toby in a violent state, I slid the cone off immediately.
I saw I had a problem at once in my hands.
GET INTO THE DOG’S HEAD
My behaviorist-mentor Fred Alimusa had gone already, probably assigned as the Kennel Manager at the Rainbow Bridge by now (which I liked to think). I was on my own. But a major influence Fred exerted on me when it came to Dog training was this: get into the Dog’s head.
What do you think the Dog sees? What do you think he thinks?
I realized Toby didn’t know what he was looking at. I just slipped the cone over his head. From past training experiences, I knew that when a Dog resists something you’re teaching him, it means you jumped several steps.
RELAX, THE E-COLLAR DOESN’T BITE
I had to go down to the very bottom of training steps: introduce the cone to Toby. I let it lie around on the floor in areas where Toby often passed on the way out the door.
In the beginning, the Dog avoided it. But as the weeks passed and I saw him relax in its presence and ignore it, it was time Toby knew the cone better.
I picked the cone up and let it brush the Dog’s body. Toby gave no reaction. I moved it around his face and head. No reaction.
In one passage around his face I casually slid the plastic cone down Toby’s head. The Dog allowed it. He now knew it didn’t bite.
I let Toby manage his new “friend” as he figured out how to navigate himself around the house with that bulky plastic around his neck. To him, it was important the cone didn’t bite. That was what mattered.
FIGHT, FLEE, FREEZE
But that e-collar remained a challenge.
Many years later, it was my rescue Dog Lucky who had to wear one. He had skin wounds on his paws which he licked obsessively. The vet advised the e-collar. Until he wore one, his paws could not be treated.
I bought a large e-collar, but in my concern that Lucky’s paws received immediate attention, I slid the cone down his neck at once. I thought it was okay with the Dog because he allowed it. But once Lucky felt the plastic shield wrap around his neck and face, he fought it violently.
We tried to keep it on him for a few minutes longer so the wound cream would absorb. But I could see the Dog was horribly uncomfortable. I tried to give him gentle face massages to refocus him. But Lucky wanted that cone off.
Unable to remove it, he decided to freeze. He was not enjoying the facial massages. I slid the cone off. I failed to introduce the cone to Lucky because I was in a hurry.
HOW TO UNDO THE TRAUMA
The next day, Lucky crawled under the bed and refused to come out and eat. He remained there, his back turned to us. He was traumatized.
I let a few days pass to not stress the Dog. When he finally came out to join the rest of the pack, I let the cone lie around the house for him to see. I let him see that it was not a living thing: It did not move, nor did it bite.
Several weeks later, I noticed that Lucky was ignoring it. I picked up the cone and let him sniff it up close. I rubbed it around his face. He did not react. Finally, I slid it down his neck. Lucky tolerated it but he froze again. I slid the cone off at once.
A step was missing here. Maybe a treat? He was supposed to associate the cone with a pleasant experience. Maybe lots of face caresses, which he liked?
But I never got to break the steps down further. Lucky’s paws healed and he stopped licking them. He didn’t need the e-collar anymore.
Maybe next time, with another Dog, I can complete this training cycle.
