Dear R.S.
Yes, you are so right about the potential misuse of any training tool, e-collars included. Therein lies the problem with e-collars...for the lazy type of trainer, it's almost TOO easy to press a button. The problem is that dogs aren't robots. At least if you use a whip or a club you have to put some muscle behind it (sarcasm intended)
For what it's worth, I am also an amateur...and not a field trialer either. I have enjoyed the odd trials that I've been to over the years, but frankly, I'm a duck hunter first. I guess this makes me a hunt test enthusiast.
Here in the States, the difference between the two is pretty clear.
FT's (field trials) are a dog against dog competition. Handlers wear white so that dogs can see the handler at great distances. The handler does not shoot a gun. There are many pro trainers that compete and quite a few amatuers also (who are often as good as the pros, they just don't make their living training dogs). This is the "big leagues". The dogwork has to be seen to be believed.
HT's (hunt tests) are dog against a prescribed standard. The dog must pass a test, not beat the other dogs in head to head competition. Depending on the organization sponsoring the test, handlers must use either a real shotgun loaded with blanks or a mock (plywood cutout) gun. The distances are generally much shorter (out to 150 yards; is that about 130 meters?) but the cover is often heavier and there are no white coats allowed. The handler usually must dress in camoflage or tan (try to handle a dog at 150 yards when you blend into the background...it can be tough
) The idea is to simulate a duck or other type of bird hunt as realistically as possible. Steadiness is very important for the obvious reason that an unsteady dog might get in the shot string and be inadvertently killed during a "real" hunt. Many professionals run the hunt tests also, but it is dominated by average working folks, who like to bird hunt.
There are alot of training systems in use here. Most of the "modern" e-collar systems are based on the work of Rex Carr, who was a pioneer in the HUMANE and FAIR use of the e-collar to reinforce known commands. This includes the Lardy, Rorem and now the Dobbs' (to some extent) programs. Personally, I have used the Lardy program, with some minor modifications, to train my most recent pup and I am thrilled with her progress.
Although I am simplifying alot, the basic idea behind these programs is to TEACH the skill, then reinforce the skill with stick pressure, then reinforce with the collar...for example: teach the puppy "sit"....when the dog KNOWS the command, reinforce with a heeling stick, thus "sit" then LIGHT swat on the rump, then "sit" (spoken again)..."sit" swat "sit"....the dog will respond much more promptly...when the dog is of the appropriate age (usually about 8 months or so) you can introduce the collar...the dog knows sit already so the process would be "sit", nick with collar, "sit"....you do not nick every time, but every 3rd or 4th sit command. A nick is a SHORT, BRIEF pulse from the collar (about 1/8th of a second)....you do not fry the dog, that is brutality and not training (there are situations that you must "burn" the dog, such as to break a dog from chasing cars, etc. but that is mostly confined to life threatening situations where you simply must have obedience).
If anything, PROPER training with an e-collar is MORE demanding than without one. The trainer must not only train the desired skill, but also reinforce that skill with the pressure of the collar all the while reading the dog to make sure that the pressure is being applied in a systematic and fair way!!!