Shepherding - SkyShepherd's Guidance Design

Feedback/Guidance Zones of a SkyShepherd Boundary

SkyShepherd uses four different feedback zones to guide your dog.

Safe Tone

An audible Safe Tone sounds at regular, preset intervals while your dog is in Safe Zone. This continuous positive reinforcement assures your dog that being in Safe Zone is good.

First Alert

Variable vibration begins in first alert zone, which extends about three to six feet. Vibration intensity increases twice if your dog stays in first alert zone. The light vibration in first alert zone is designed to take your dog’s attention back from a distraction and get it to return to Safe Zone.

Second Alert

Progressive low levels of e-stimulation begin when your dog enters second alert zone and continue through three levels  of impulse as long as your dog keeps moving out of the boundary. When your dog turns back and enters Safe Zone, SkyShepherd immediately signals it with soothing Safe Tone.

Out Zone

When enabled, static stimulus begins immediately when your dog enters out zone. Out zone lies just outside of second alert zone and consists of everything outside your boundary. When enabled, SkyShepherd schedules a maximum of three static stimulations of the same intensity if your dog strays from the boundary. As soon as your dog turns back and reenters Safe Zone, SkyShepherd immediately signals your dog with a soothing Safe Tone.

Shepherding Concept

You just learned about the zones that make up SkyShepherd's guidance. In fact, they all work together as part of SkyShepherd's patented guidance method, called Shepherding, that automatically and dynamically guides your dog in each moment with the feedback type and level that is called for, based on your dog's level of excitement and movement in and about the boundary, especially at the boundary's edges, in the alert zones. It sounds a bit complicated, but it's quite simple, and it's what professional trainers do, using the lowest effective feedback possible to train and guide dogs. Here's a video that illustrates Shepherding visually. Knowing what you now know about the different zones, hopefully this video will help you understand how they work together as part of Shepherding. 

Extended Shepherding

Extended Shepherding is a SkyShepherd feature that guides your dog back if it ever goes out of bounds. If your dog ever goes past "Out" feedback, SkyShepherd enters Extended Shepherding mode (if it is turned on in the collar's settings). In this mode, as long as your dog is moving away from Safe Zone, SkyShepherd continuously alternates feedback between a ramping vibration and a ramping low-level stim. Eventually, your dog's adrenaline will lower and it will be respond to SkyShepherd's guidance. As soon as your dog turns back toward Safe Zone, SkyShepherd gives it a rapid Safe Tone along with the lowest level of vibration. This signals your dog that it is doing the right thing, but isn't back yet. If your dog ever stops, or stops making progress toward the Safe Zone, SkyShepherd gives it ramping vibration to spur it into motion or change direction. By using this method, SkyShepherd can guide your dog back home.

Extended Shepherding is turned on by default, but you can turn it off from the settings section of the pet panel in the SkyShepherd app.

Why would your dog be out of bounds in the first place? Well, it could happen if your dog's adrenaline goes sky-high. Maybe your dog sees a deer in the yard, or a squirrel runs across its path. Though rare, it could happen that your dog's adrenaline goes so high that it temporarily ignores collar feedback. Eventually your dog's adrenaline will lower, and your dog will start listening to feedback again. But if it's already out of bounds, what type of feedback should it get? As explained in detail above, Shepherding uses a combination of the same SkyShepherd feedback you've already trained your dog to respond to, just presented in a dynamic way according to your dog's movement towards or away from the Safe Zone.