My wife told me that English Sheep Dog puppies stay in the puppy stage for almost three years. YIPES! We have considered the E-collar.
IF you decide to go with an Ecollar, be sure to find a trainer who understands how to use one. Even after several years, I am very careful in my application of it, and I use a very low level. Also, DO NOT GET one of the cheap Ecollars from the pet store. Innotek is worthless - goes off at random and breaks frequently. I got one free, and it wasn't even worth that. The best brand is Tri-Tronics, but DogTra is also good. SportDog I hear is good also. I know Tri-Tronics makes a less expensive training collar for amateurs and I assume the other two major mfrs. do too.
Steve Snell at Dog Training Supply has a great page on how to choose a collar here.