Recently, I purchased my first home and my first pet. Always a dog lover, I feel in love with a German Sheppard named King. He had been in a police dog training program and failed out for not being vicious enough but the moment I looked into his eyes, I had found my new housemate. The dog trainer suggested using electronic dog collars to retrain him in civilian canine manners and commands. With that advice and otherwise ill prepared, I brought home my new best friend.

As a child, my parents didn't allow us to have dogs or cats because my brother had allergies. I think my parents were secretly thrilled to be able to keep the dog question at bay by citing the allergy instead of breaking our hearts by telling us they didn't want a dog in the house. One Christmas, my non-allergy affected brother and I both asked for a puppy from Santa and my parents had to explain Santa knew we weren't allowed to have one.

Now, all these years later, I had to figure out how to care for my new pup while maintaining a new home in the manner I wanted to. Quickly, I realized how much energy King had. Any noise outside the window sent him bolting onto the couch and peaking in between the curtains. When anyone came to the door, he'd jump on them and nearly knock down small children he'd meet. In a matter of weeks, a circle appeared in the carpet around my dining room table where King ran laps while I was at work.

I found chewed chair legs and spindles on the staircases. He chewed pillows and couch cushions. I tried kenneling my new doggie in a crate but he yelped and howled so loudly that the neighbors complained. I gated him into the basement and he chewed through the gate in two days. I realized I needed some help training the newest member of my household and we both would benefit from extensive re-training.

Pulling out electronic dog collars, I decided to give them a try. For a few days, I used the electronic dog collars when I was home, working to establish his area. When he jumped on the couch or started chewing on anything, I used it to establish his boundaries and send him the message that what he was doing was not allowed. When noise outside alerted him to the window, I used it to get him off the couch and away from the window. When the doorbell rang and he began jumping at the door and the visitor entering our home, zapping the electronic dog collars helped to show King what was allowed and what wasn't.

Voice commands to my dog only seemed to work after establishing some control over his behavior. In conjunction with electronic training collars, I would calmly and loudly speak "no" or "down" or "sit" or whatever command I was aiming for. This helped King understand what needed to happen and slowly I began to see a change in him behavior at home and at play.

We increased our daily walk and played a game of chase with tennis balls which seemed to help him get his energy out in the morning before work. The electronic dog collars helped me establish the rules of the house and helped my pup to understand I meant business. Over time he became the dog I had always dreamt about. Our dog and owner relationship has brought me much joy and I am hoping he feels the same. He seems excited when I walk in the door and that's all that matters.