electronic collars

Have you thought about using a clicker instead of a zapper?
www.clickertraining.com
Why would you start with the harshest training tool instead of the most dog-friendly?  If you have not had success training your dog, go see a professional trainer who can help you avoid doing anything that might permanently damage your relationship with him.  E-collars are a tool that must be used correctly, if at all, and they are not for novice trainers.

Having used them for recall, I second spiritdogs.  Clicker training and positive methods have worked way better than an e-collar.

Electornic collars should only be used by instructors/trainers familiar with how they work.  If you "buzz" the dog inappropriate you may do serious emotional damage.  And, a dog must be trained first to know the command and then if he defies the command, such as deer chasing, car chasing, and hunting work.  A novice person should not attempt any work with an electronic collar - ever!
 
Dianeg

Welcome to the forum.
 
Perhaps it would help if you were to let us know exactly what you hope to accomplish with a shock collar,
 
 

I disagree that ecollars are "the harshest training method" (I believe training via collar corrections on a choker is the harshest method), used PROPERLY they are one of the least harsh methods, and work very similar to a clicker: to communicate precisely to the dog when the dog is right  and wrong. The problem comes when frustrated people strap one on an untrained dog and use them as harsh punishment, instead of as negative reinforcement to proof commands the dog already knows (taught via purely positive methods such as clicker).
 
Go to one of the hunting dog supply houses for reviews and descriptions of ecollars.

I second Mudpuppy, wholeheartedly.
 
Get a good trainer who's well-versed in a variety of methods and see what they recommend for your dog and your situation.  If they recommend e-collars, then they will also recommend which type/brand for your dog.

[linkhttp://www.leerburg.com/318.htm]http://www.leerburg.com/318.htm[/link]

Actually, the OP has already decided she did not want to use an e-collar and is signing her dog up for classes. 
This is a puppy after all, and most can be successfully trained without the use of correction if you start young and train properly, so I am wishing this team the best of luck for a great relationship built on trust and knowledge. []

Can't believe I read this.. electronic collars??

Hey, your dog should be your friend and/or your partner, NOT your slave!!

SitStayFetch, don't judge unless you yourself have ever had the need to use one.  E collars, like pinch collars, choke chains, martingales, etc all have their place.
 
I've had to use an e-collar myself, for the SAFETY of my dog.  It isn't about slavery (For the GOOD trainers), it's about safety.

ORIGINAL: Xeph

SitStayFetch, don't judge unless you yourself have ever had the need to use one.  E collars, like pinch collars, choke chains, martingales, etc all have their place.

I've had to use an e-collar myself, for the SAFETY of my dog.  It isn't about slavery (For the GOOD trainers), it's about safety.

You can still have safety without resorting to the use of those devices if you are a competent trainer.   There are great trainers who decide they don't want to have to resort to that level of coercion, and they are quite successful nevertheless.  My Aussie has a 100% reliable recall at the age of fifteen months, and she has never had a choke, prong, or e-collar on her neck. But, I can tell you that my hound wore one before I got him, and if I even try to put a flea collar on him in addition to his regular collar, he pisses himself in fear.  Not how I want my dogs to feel.
I know there are times when stronger methods can mean safety for a dog, but these things need to be used extremely judiciously, and not by novices.

I know there are times when stronger methods can mean safety for a dog, but these things need to be used extremely judiciously, and not by novices.

 
I don't disagree, but I'm sick of e-collars being made to sound like they're the ultimate evil.  The e-collar has saved Strauss' life.  He's not sailing over fences for lapines anymore, he's not attempting to dart after a rabbit after he sees one, and he's not pulling me into the street trying to get to an infernal bun.
 
They have their place.  I tried negative/positive reinforcement for the better part of a year with no effect.  The jumping over the 6 foot fence was the big time wake up call.

ORIGINAL: Xeph

SitStayFetch, don't judge unless you yourself have ever had the need to use one.  E collars, like pinch collars, choke chains, martingales, etc all have their place.

I've had to use an e-collar myself, for the SAFETY of my dog.  It isn't about slavery (For the GOOD trainers), it's about safety.

Xeph, I'm not saying you're a bad trainer and I know your situation was extreme, but of that list, only choke chains are even available in my country. Just felt like pointing that out. Some of us couldn't get hold of an ecollar if we wanted to. We have no choice but to find kinder means to address very dangerous problems.

ORIGINAL: Xeph

I know there are times when stronger methods can mean safety for a dog, but these things need to be used extremely judiciously, and not by novices.

I don't disagree, but I'm sick of e-collars being made to sound like they're the ultimate evil.  The e-collar has saved Strauss' life.  He's not sailing over fences for lapines anymore, he's not attempting to dart after a rabbit after he sees one, and he's not pulling me into the street trying to get to an infernal bun.

They have their place.  I tried negative/positive reinforcement for the better part of a year with no effect.  The jumping over the 6 foot fence was the big time wake up call.

Xeph, I know you think it saved you, but I wonder why you didn't do some heavy duty boundary training with this dog before he was able to get over a 6 foot fence.  Also, for the lurkers, GSD's are notorious for fence-running, fence-fighting, etc., so personally, I would not enclose one in fencing that they can see out of if they show this tendency.  It is "practicing" this behavior that reinforces it.
E-collars may save you once the bad habit is heavily entrenched, but really top notch training from puppyhood is what ensures you won't need it.  That said, we all learn from each dog we train, and I fully expect that if you concentrate on really learning operant conditioning from the ground up (someone may have taught you incorrectly, not your fault), and you start from square one with the next dog, I'm confident that you can train so that this behavior won't happen.
The thing that always bothers me is that people who don't even train at all, unlike you, who are obviously interested learning, get the idea that the e-collar will solve all their problems.  Unfortunately, I've seen the other side, too, where dogs are so traumatized by their incorrect use that they don't survive.  Or, dogs that are so fearful that they have no relationship with the humans they are supposed to be working with and not simply for.
corvus, I can identify with only having positive methods to work with - I do that by self-limitation, and it has worked out very well for me.  But, not everyone is a trainer, and not everyone has a real grip on what +R really means.  The only thing we can do is keep informing and educating and hope that people all get to be better trainers than they are today)