DogWatch BigLeash S-15 User manual

REMOTE TRAINE R
®
BigLeash
the
Owner’s Guide
S-15 Remote Trainer
Owner’s Guide

R E M O T E T R A I N E R by DogWatch
Thank You for Purchasing
®
At DogWatch®, “It’s all about your dog.®” You can be assured that you have
purchased one of the most technologically advanced pet training products
available. Our extensive research and testing has resulted in products that
are safe and effective for training your pet.
Your BigLeash S-15 Remote Trainer offers Big Features:
■Exclusive “InTouch” two-way communication lets you now you are
connected to your dog . . . even if he is out of sight.
■15 levels of stimulation provide professional dog trainers and pet owners
with a range of training levels for all personalities and situations.
■Audible and vibration signals supplement the stimulation training.
■The Firefly®nightlight feature helps you eep trac of your dog in the
dar .
To ma e sure that you get the most from your BigLeash Remote Trainer,
please follow the instructions outlined in this manual.
If you have any questions, please visit our website or call Customer Service:
1-800-793-3436 x622, M-F, 9am to 5pm EST.

1
Table of Contents
Important Safeguards .............................................................................2
Charging the Transmitter and Receiver Collar ....................................3
Turning the Transmitter and Receiver Collar On and Off ....................4
Receiver Features ..................................................................................5
Transmitter Features ..............................................................................6
Switching from Audible to Vibration ....................................................10
Using the Remote Trainer ....................................................................11
Training Basics ......................................................................................14
Troubleshooting ....................................................................................20
Warranty & Service................................................................................22
Adding Collar reprogramming the Receiver Collar ............................24
DogWatch®offers a full range of pet containment and
training solutions, including Outdoor Hidden Fences,
Indoor Boundaries and Remote Trainers. Our Hidden
Fence is rated a “Best Buy” by Consumers Digest.

2
Important Safeguards
TO GET THE MOST FROM YOUR BIGLEASH®REMOTE TRAINER,
PLEASE FOLLOW THE PROCEDURES IN THIS MANUAL.
■It is important to und rstand th training proc ss b for using th train r.
■B consist nt with your dog. Inconsist nt cu s (v rbal and non-v rbal) will
confus your dog. A confus d dog will hav difficulty figuring out what you
want him to l arn.
■Att mpting to s rvic th syst m yours lf may invalidat th warranty.
■K p th transmitt r and r c iv r collar out of r ach of childr n and oth rs
unfamiliar with prop r us of r mot train rs.
■P riodically insp ct your dog’s n ck for irritation du to rubbing.
■This product is not r comm nd d for training aggr ssiv dogs. Dog
aggr ssion should b handl d by a qualifi d dog training prof ssional.
WARRANTY REGISTRATION
To activate Warranty, register online at either:
www.bigleash.com -or- www.dogwatch.com

3
FULLY CHARGE THE TRANSMITTER AND THE RECEIVER BEFORE USING THE FIRST TIME.
■Th batt ri s tak approximat ly 3-4 hours to charg .
•W r comm nd charging your transmitt r and r c iv r wh n not in
us . A prot ction circuit pr v nts ov rcharging.
Battery Status Indicators
■Transmitter screen: Battery icon
•Charged battery: No batt ry icon.
•Low battery: Batt ry icon com s on and flash s.
•Charging: Batt ry icon stays on in a st ady stat .
•Charging complete: No batt ry icon.
Wh n plugg d-in: - Th LCD scr n backlight stays illuminat d.
- Th transmitt r and r c iv r will not turn on.
■Receiver collar: Battery status light
•Charged battery: Light flash s gr n (unplugg d, turn d on.)
•Low battery: Light flash s r d (unplugg d, turn d on.)
•Charging: Light turns st ady r d (plugg d-in.)
•Charging complete: Light turns st ady gr n (plugg d in.)
Battery Icon
Icon = low battery
No icon = charged
Us ng a battery charger other than the one prov ded may damage your battery
and may nval date your Warranty.
Charging the Transmitter and Receiver Collar

4
ON/OFF
Alignment Markers
{
{
Hold the
Alignment
Markers
Together
▲ ▲▲
▲ ▲▲
■Wh n th transmitt r and r c iv r collar turn on, you h ar a low-to-hi
“b p” ton and th LCD scr n turns on.
■Follow th sam proc dur to turn off th r c iv r and th transmitt r.
You will h ar a hi-to-low “b p” ton and th scr n will turn off. Turning
your system off when not in use will help preserve the battery life.
Both the transmitter and receiver must be turned on to operate.
To turn th transmitt r and r c iv r on or off,hold the transmitter and recei er
next to one another so the alignment markers (indicat d b low) on the transmitter
match the alignment markers on the recei er.
The transmitter
and receiver will
not turn on while
charging.
Turning the Transmitter and Receiver ON and OFF
Lift the rotective tab on
the back of the receiver
to insert the charger.
Connect the ‘Y’ cord to the
ower ada ter to charge the
transmitter and receiver at
the same time.
Lift the rotective tab on the
bottom of the transmitter to
insert the charger.
Connecting the transmitter and receiver to the charger

5
Firefly Nightlight
■To activat th Fir fly light strips, on collar 1,
pr ss th Collar 1 button on th transmitt r.
■To activat th Fir fly light strips, on collar 2,
pr ss th Collar 2 button on th transmitt r.
Receiver Features
The BigLeash receiver provides a battery status light and the Firefly®nightlight to help
you keep track of your dog at night.
L ft the protect ve tab to nsert
the charger. Replace the tab
securely after charg ng.
Battery Status L ght* F refly N ghtl ght Str ps
ON/OFF Al gnment Markers
Battery Charg ng Port
(under the protect ve tab)
Turn “on” the receiver collar by holding th
R c iv r and th Transmitt r n xt to ach oth r
at th Alignm nt Mark rs.
Battery Status Light
Blinks GREEN Turned on, charged
Blinks RED Turned on, low battery
Steady RED Plugged-in, charging
Steady GREEN Plugged-in, fully charged
The BigLeash receiver is waterproof for all-weather, year-round use.
}
•Pr ss th Collar 1 (or Collar 2) button bri fly, th light strip blinks bri fly.
•Pr ss th Collar 1 (or Collar 2) button for 5 s conds, th light stays on and continu s to
blink. To turn “off”, pr ss th Collar 1 (or Collar 2) button again for 5 s conds.
•Wh n switching b tw n Collar 1 and Collar 2, th light will blink bri fly on th collar
which is r c iving th signal from th transmitt r.
FRONT
BACK

Transmitter Features
5
4
1
2
2
Collar 1/Collar 2
7On/Off Alignment Markers
Lanyard Loop
Antenna
3Training Level
Adjustment
0No signal
1-5 Mild
6-10 Moderate
11-15 Strong
LCD Display
▲ ▲▲
6
BigLeash®uses exclusive digital FM technology with two-way communication between
the transmitter and the receiver collar.
■Switches signal from
Collar 1 to Collar 2
■Activates the Firefly®
nightlight feature.
Collar 1
Collar 2
Charging Port
8
1
Training Buttons
A = Audible/Vibration
B = Brief
C = Continuous
Location where the
battery icon appears
when the battery is
low.
6

1. Lanyard Loop
A lanyard is suppli d with ach transmitt r.
2. Antenna/Range Information
Your BigL ash R mot Train r provid s a 1/2 mil rang in optimal conditions.
Rang will vary d p nding on nvironm ntal conditions such as t rrain, w ath r,
v g tation, buildings and oth r obstructions.
For b st r sults, hold the transmitter with the antenna pointed up. Pointing th
ant nna at th dog will not incr as th rang or th signal str ngth.
3. Training Levels
You can us stimulation,audible or vibration for training as appropriat for
your p t and th situation. The stimulation level for the ‘B’ (Brief) and
‘C’ (Continuous) buttons can be adjusted.
•Level 1 = Low st stimulation •Level 15 = Strong st stimulation
The audible and vibration levels are not adjustable.
7
0(zero) = Safety Mode (no stimulation, no audible, no vibration)
Us th ▲and ▼buttons to adjust th stimulation l v l.
Finding the Appropriate Training Level
Start at L v l 1 and incr as th training l v l until you notic a r action from
your dog; a quick h ad shak , looking down, v n flicking an ar. You must
b focus d on your dog wh n doing this. Wh n you s th r action, that is
th l v l to start training. The appropriate le el aries from dog to dog.
✧We recommend using the lowest effective training level. ✧

■Collar 1/Collar 2Icon
Indicat s which collar is r c iving th signal wh n working with 2 dogs.
Collar 1
Rece ver
Icon (Paw)
Example 1 Example 2
Transm tter Low Battery Icon
S gnal
Strength
Transm tter
Icon
Tra n ng Level
Collar 2
4. LCD Display
■Signal Strength
Indicat d by th lin s b tw n th
transmitt r and th paw icons.
■Battery Icon
No icon = Charg d
Icon = Low Batt ry
■Receiver Icon (Paw)
Indicat s that th receiver collar
is ‘on’ and functioning prop rly.
Paw blinks if signal is lost
(dog out of rang or collar
batt ry is d pl t d.)
■Transmitter Icon
Indicat s that th transmitter is
‘on’ and functioning prop rly.
Transmitt r icon blinks to indicat
activation wh n any button is
push d.
■Training Level
0 No Signal
1 - 5 Mild
6 -10 Mod rat
11 -15 Strong
Example 1: Strong signal, training l v l 3, collar 1, and low transmitt r batt ry.
Example 2: W ak signal, training l v l 3, collar 2, and good batt ry.
A weak s gnal usually nd cates the dog s mov ng out of range of the transm tter.

9
5. Collar 1/ Collar 2Feature
Your transmitt r com s s t for us with on dog but can asily b programm d
for two dogs.
■If you ar working with two dogs, you will n d two receiver collars. S
pag 24 for information about adding th s cond collar.
■Th Collar 1 and Collar 2 buttons allow you to chang commands b tw n
th two collars. Th transmitt r sav s th s ttings for ach collar. Th
s ttings chang automatically wh n you switch from Collar 1 to Collar 2.
■Th LCD scr n indicat s if th transmitt r is s t to Collar 1 or Collar 2.
6. Training Buttons
Button A [Audible / Vibration]
■Pr ssing th ‘A’ button s nds ith r an Audible signal
or avibration signal to th dog’s r c iv r collar. Th
signal continu s as long as you pr ss th button (up to
8 s conds.)
Button B [Brief]
■Pr ssing th ‘B’ button s nds a singl Brief stimulation (~1 s cond).
Button C [Continuous]
■Pr ssing th “C’ button s nds a Continuous stimulation as long as you
hold th button down. If th button is not r l as d, th stimulation will
automatically stop aft r 8 s conds.
To s nd additional training signals, r l as th button and pr ss again. Only on
signal can b transmitt d at a tim .
B
B
Brief
Brief
Audible &
Audible &
Vibration
Vibration
Contin-
Contin-
uou
uous s

10
With th BigL ash, you hav th option of using th “A” Button for ith r an
Audible signal or a Vibration signal. Th mod you s l ct will d p nd on
your dog and your p rsonal pr f r nc .
When working with 2 dogs, the two collars are set independently.
To Switch Between Audible and Vibration:
■Turn th transmitt r and th r c iv r collar “on”. S t to Collar 1 or Collar 2,
as appropriat .
■Set the training level to “0”.
■Hold the “A” button with th training l v l at “0”.
Continu holding th “A” button. Aft r ~5 s conds, th transmitt r will b gin
to toggl b tw n Audibl (A) and Vibration (V). Th mod will display on
th LCD scr n.
➜To s t to Audible, r l as th “A” button whil th “A” is display d.
➜To s t to Vibration, r l as th “A” button whil th “V” is display d.
■To t st th s tting, r turn th transmitt r to any training l v l (1-15) and
pr ss th “A” button.*
■Th “A” button will r main s t to ith r Audibl mod or Vibration mod until
you chang it. Collar 1 and Collar 2 ar s t and chang d ind p nd ntly.
Audible and vibration are always the same intensity regardless
of the training level setting, except when set to “0” (no signal).
Switching from Audible to Vibration Mode

11
Using the Remote Trainer
Appropriate and Proper Use
Appropriat and prop r us is dir ctly r lat d to th succ ss of th training. Th
r mot train r should b us d to train your dog to avoid unwanted behavior
and to reinforce good behavior.
Setting the Contact Posts
•Th r ar two s ts of contact posts. Th contact posts on th r c iv r will
work for most dogs. Th xtra s t is siz d for dogs with thick coats.
•Corr ct fit d p nds on th dog’s siz , n ck shap , coat and skin s nsitivity.
Th posts must mak contact with th skin to f l th corr ction. For dogs
with v ry thick coats, you may n d to us th long r contact posts and/or
trim som hair around th contact posts so th y mak contact with th skin.
Fitting the Receiver Collar
•B for you b gin training, b sur th r c iv r collar fits prop rly.
•Th collar should b worn snugly on your dog’s n ck. This is extremely
important If th collar is too loos , your dog will not r c iv th signal.
Not : Th r c iv r collar is not d sign d to b worn for xt nd d p riods. R moving th
collar wh n not in us h lps pr v nt irritation of th dog’s skin.
You should be able to lace no more than your thumb between
the contact osts and the dog’s neck.
When checking snugness of collar, the dog’s head should be
facing down(sniffing osition) as this osition is where the
dog’s neck is the smallest.

12
Types of Training Signals
Your BigL ash train r allows you to adjust th type, th duration and th level of
th training signal.
•Th “A” button provid s ith r an audible or avibration signal. Th signal
continu s (up to 8 s conds) whil you pr ss th “A” button.
•Th “B” button provid s a brief 1 s cond stimulation (r gardl ss of how
long you hold th button down.) Pr ss th “B” button r p at dly for a
s ri s of bri f stimulations.
•Th “C” button provid s a continuous stimulation (up to 8 s conds.) This
allows you to control th duration of th stimulation wh n th situation calls
for it.
Th typ of training signal you s l ct d p nds on th b havior you want to
r inforc and th way your dog r sponds. Th goal is for your dog to l arn
that h can avoid th training signal by r sponding appropriat ly.
•In th arly stag s of training, most dogs l arn quickly to r spond to th first
or s cond bri f stimulation (button ‘B’). Som dogs may n d a f w mor
bri f stimulations (or a high r training l v l) d p nding on th dog’s
p rsonality and l v l of xcit m nt or distraction.
•In many situations, it is r comm nd d that a brief or continuous correction
be preceded by a short audible or ibration warning. This h lps your p t l arn
to avoid th stimulation by r sponding to th audibl or vibration signal.
•For som b haviors - such as chasing or barking - a continuous stimulation
(button ‘C’) of s v ral s conds may initially b n d d.

13
Picking the Right Training Level
Th r ar 15 training levels so you can customiz your r mot train r for your
dog’s t mp ram nt and th typ of training you do. Som dogs will l arn quickly
with a low training l v l; oth rs may n d high r l v ls.
•Start with the lowest level. B for you b gin training, t st th dog’s
r spons starting at L v l 1. Us th Bri f (B) button and watch for a
r spons indicating mild discomfort (lik a quick tug on a l ash). Th goal is
to g t th dogs att ntion without cr ating anxi ty (which will mak it mor
difficult for him to l arn.) If your dog do s not r spond at L v l 1, incr as
th training l v l on l v l at a tim until you s th r spons .
•You may n d to adjust th training l v l whil you ar using th r mot
train r as th dog’s r spons may chang with xcit m nt or distraction.
Creating the Right Environment
•K p th training “positiv ”. Us lots of prais . K p th dog’s spirits high.
•Us a high happy voic for prais . Us a d p, low voic for n gativ
commands. Us a calm, soothing voic to k p ag r, n rg tic dogs
focus d; and nthusiastic prais to k p qui t dogs ngag d in th activity.
•R ward your dog during training with p riods of fr play and prais .
Your Dog’s Response to Training
All dogs r spond diff r ntly wh n th y f l th stimulation from th r c iv r
collar. With som dogs, th r spons may b v ry subtl ; with oth rs, it may b
mor obvious.
R m mb r that your dog will not automatically und rstand what to do wh n h
r c iv s a signal from th r mot train r. For training to be effecti e, you must
understand how to use the remote trainer appropriately.

14
Training Basics
Your r mot train r can b us d to train your dog in two ways:
1. To reinforce appropriate behaviors such as “Com ”, “Sit”, and “Stay.”
2. To eliminate inappropriate behaviors such as jumping, digging and
xc ssiv barking.
Consistency and Timing
•Consistency is critical for successful training.
•The training signal must occur at the time of the behavior.
If th b havior is not occurring wh n th training signal occurs, th dog will
not associat th signal with th b havior.
Plan Your Training for Success
•B gin your training s ssions in an op n ar a fr from distractions. If th
ar a is not f nc d to contain th dog, us a long rop to k p him from
l aving th ar a until h consist ntly r sponds to your commands.
•Wh n your dog has l arn d th commands in th first s tting, gradually
incr as th l v l of distractions and continu th training in diff r nt
s ttings. Incr as th distractions gradually so your dog continu s to
associat th training signal with th b havior, not th distractions.
•In th arly stag s, limit sp cific training s ssions to 15-20 minut s but
repeat the training regularly and frequently. Dogs l arn by r p tition and
r inforc m nt.
•Do not make it ob ious that you are controlling the training signals or using
the transmitter. You want your dog to associate the sensation of the training
signal with his beha ior - - not with you or the remote trainer!

15
Training Methods
Th r ar many training approach s us d by prof ssional dog train rs. Wh n
using a r mot train r, som train rs r comm nd pr c ding th training signal
with a voic command and/or audibl /vibration warning; oth rs b li v that som
b haviors ar liminat d mor ff ctiv ly if th r is no pr c ding v rbal
command or audibl /vibration warning. Which v r training approach you us , th
k y is to be consistent.
Obedience Training Basics
Mak sur your dog und rstands basic commands such as “com ”, “sit” and
“stay”. If h und rstands th command but do s not always ob y, th r mot
train r can b us d to r inforc th appropriat r spons . If he does not have a
basic understanding of the command, the remote trainer will not be effective.
•For ob di nc training, giv your v rbal command at th sam tim you
s nd th signal. Do not wait until after you gi e the command as th dog may
alr ady b trying to comply by th tim you pr ss th button.
•B gin this typ of training with th Continuous button (‘C’). As your dog
b gins to und rstand that the stimulation stops when he responds to the
command, h will r spond mor quickly. As your dog l arns to r spond
mor quickly, you should b gin short ning th typ and duration of th
stimulation.
•Wh n your dog r sponds almost imm diat ly to your command, b gin
using th train r only if you must r p at th command. At this point, a quick
vibration or audibl signal may b all that is n d d to r inforc th corr ct
b havior.

16
Behavior Training Basics
Aft r your dog und rstands th basic ob di nc commands, you ar r ady to
b gin mor sp cific b havior training. All of th g n ral and ob di nc training
basics also apply to b havior training.
General “Avoidance” Training
•“Avoidanc training” is t aching your dog to associat th training signal
with th probl m b havior and h lping him l arn that in ord r to avoid th
signal h must stop th b havior.
•Th us of a v rbal command and/or audibl /vibration signal vari s with th
situation and th training m thod. In som situations (such as digging or
jumping up), you may want your dog to associat th b havior only with a
training corr ction with no v rbal command or audibl /vibration warning. In
oth r situations (such as g n ral ob di nc ), a v rbal command and/or
audibl /vibation warning b for th corr ction is appropriat .
•Wh n corr cting your dog’s b havior, you must tak into consid ration that
not all activities, such as barking, should be eliminated completely. Th
goal of your training should b to control probl m b havior rath r than to
liminat normal and acc ptabl asp cts of th sam b havior.
•R m mb r that your dog will not automatically und rstand what to do wh n
h r c iv s a signal from th r mot train r.
•Do not comfort your dog aft r s nding a training signal.
This Owner’s Guide provides only general training examples for common
behaviors. Advice and assistance from a professional dog trainer familiar with
remote trainers may also be helpful.

17
General Examples of Behavior Training
Th following xampl s off r g n ral approach s for using th r mot train r to
addr ss sp cific b haviors. R m mb r, consist ncy and timing ar important!
•Barking is a natural part of dog b havior and dogs should b allow d to bark
as a normal part of what th y do. Us th BigL ash train r only to corr ct
barking that is xc ssiv or ov rly aggr ssiv .
•Us a “qui t” or “no barking” command back d up with a training signal
from your r mot train r.
•Dogs dig for many r asons; th y may b looking for a cool plac to li down
or th y may just b bor d.
•To train your dog that digging in c rtain ar as is not acc ptabl , s nd a
training signal th mom nt h starts to dig.
•Th most common chasing b havior is chasing cars.
•Car must b tak n wh n t aching your dog not to chas cars. B sur that
wh n you s nd a training signal your dog is away from th moving v hicl .
•G n rally dogs ar xcit d and distract d wh n th y ar chasing som thing.
Us of th Continuous signal (C button) and possibly an incr as d training
l v l may b n c ssary, sp cially in th arly stag s of training.
Barking
Digging
Chasing