Why You Should Say No to Shock Collars
Shock or electric collars are devices placed around a dog’s neck which connect to a handheld transmitter which remotely delivers varying levels of electric shocks to the dog’s neck. Having already been deemed illegal as abusive tools by many countries such as Finland, parts of Canada and parts of the United Kingdom, shock collars theoretically are designed to provide an aversive stimulus to a dog as a punishment or ‘correction’ from its trainer or owner.
Using shock in dog training teaches a dog to avoid a certain stimulus and to stop any behavior that ‘caused’ the shock, but just because the behavior has stopped in that moment does not necessarily mean the behavior has improved or will improve long-term. The shock suppresses the behavior in that moment but does not address the behavior’s root cause.
Even though supporters of electronic training might praise the effectiveness of the method, dogs trained using these tools only comply or cooperate with the training out of a fear of what will happen if they do not comply – the dog is not truly being obedient.
- Shock collars may cease a behavior in the moment, but the severe stress and anxiety they cause can lead to more aggression in the future and can create entirely new behavioral problems.
- Several countries have already instated bans on shock collars, and it is only a matter of time before other countries will follow.
Rather than resort to using equipment that causes your dog fear and pain, why not try humane, force-free alternatives that are more effective long-term and that will help change the way your dog thinks and learns?
Why Should You Say NO to Shock Collars?
- Shock controls a dog without allowing that dog to make choices and solve problems, which often results in ‘learned helplessness’ – the dog effectively learns to give up.
- Shock forces a dog to ‘behave’ with little concern for the root cause of the negative behavior.
- E-collar training essentially cripples an animal’s true learning ability.
- Shocking a dog can actually exacerbate aggressive behavior in the future.
There are still people who vehemently defend electronic training, saying that used correctly shock collars do not cause pain, but rather just a minor irritation that the dog learns to avoid if it behaves in a desirable manner. Even if that were the case (and it’s not), why resort to shock when you can get much better results with methods that motivate a dog to behave well without force and without any possibility of physical or emotional damage?
It is impossible to defend a method that has the potential to cause real harm. Even trainers that claim to be able to use the collar ‘effectively’ are still inflicting some level of pain or irritation on the dog.
Yet again, the simple question at play regarding the use of shock collars is this: do you want your dog to follow you because she wants to or because she is scared of what will happen if she doesn’t?
Shock collars are yet another example of man’s desire for a quick fix, but positive training offers a wealth of great methods, that can dramatically change even the most severe behavioral problems in dogs.
