Why would I use an e-collar on my dog??? Well…..I have an APBT rescue, approx 1 year old. SUPER HIGH prey/play drive…..and a cat. I am an avid cyclist through wild country full of snakes and other animals…..and I need to know that when I say HERE or SIT or WAIT, it’s done. It’s not something I use on my dog daily….in fact after 1 month of getting the hang of it…..I leave it at home now. Would my cat still be alive without the e collar? No. I am not a prong collar user, I have response from my dog via only my voice….and the training wasn’t some crazy learning curve. Depending on the dog it’s pretty quick. Most e-collars have a vibrate function too!!! I can walk my dog past a group of people and other dogs off leash now….without an issue. Does the dog cower from the stimulation? Yes. Does a dog cower from a correction on a leash? Yes. Pretty much the same response from either correction……but the part that suprises the dog is if they are in the backyard trying to pull down a plant or chew up a fence….you can nick them for the bahvior from your livingroom and they connect the behavior with the correction, not YOU yelling at them.

Pros and cons to everything in life.

I had the privilege of presenting training seminars in Sweden and Denmark last year. Shock collars are banned in both countries, and my hosts were simply amazed that people in the US could walk into a pet store and buy one off the shelf. One man (no wuss – he’s an advanced Schutzhund competitor) said he’d never even consider using one on a farm animal, let alone his pet.

Although I think shock collars can be used humanely, they should NEVER fall into the hands of any individual who cannot explain their intentions without using the words “cue”, “positive punisher”, and “reinforcer”. They should be able to articulate how they plan to respond after delivery of the punisher. They should know if their plan uses positive punishment or negative reinforcement.

Or at least not look at me blankly when I “and then what?” when they describe their plan as waiting for the dog to make a mistake and then zapping him.

Having been a PetSmart Pet Training Instructor in rural NC, … well, do I really need to say more? Part of the problem is that they are accidentally & coincidentally highly effective in some cases.

Invisible fences are similarly problematic. They should also not be permitted for people who cannot describe how they will train the dog to confidently leave the yard. I am recalling two clients whose dogs a white GSD and a Golden Retriever, were amazingly difficult to manage, and, in a related? unrelated? story, had no idea how to safely exit the yard. In both cases, their owners had not anticipated this scenario when questioned. (In keeping with the pattern of lack of planning most clearly responsible for their dogs’ problem behaviors, they thought about training and called in a professional (me) AFTER things had gone awry. *deep breaths* At least they called.)

I have watched e-collars used both humanely and inhumanely, though I’ve never yet used one myself. I have very recently considered use in contemplating a move to TX — I don’t want my dog to be brave or curious or eager when it comes to learning about poisonous snakes!

I do agree that ineffective positive training is highly problematic. People feel that “technique”, which they basically view as carrot or several versions of stick (choke, prong, or shock?), is responsible for the success or failure of their dog. If you used a treat, and you didn’t get the results you wanted, you just switch to one of the other tools, right? No.

Although I consider myself primarily positive, I do use punishment in training. If I admit (as I do), that I do use punishment in training, people always want to know how much? of what kind? How much? Aversive noise versus prong? Is that what defines good or bad training? Less punishment is not necessarily more humane if the lack of effectiveness produces fear and confusion, breakdown of communication, frustration, and general worsening!

My rules for consideration of “going electric” are dog’s life threatened (snakes, traffic, etc.), life of dog’s intended prey threatened, or absolute last resort when we have exhausted all other options before euthanasia (life/well-being of children, strangers at stake). In my 6 years of professional training, I have hesitated, and in a few instances, opted for skipping to euthanasia, given the stress to the dog of the experience, but I can’t say that they are all bad, or I will not find that once-in-ten-years case where I will choose it.

The way i see it, we have a serious need for better education focused on proper training, dog behavior and most of all preventative educational programs. This would address the issue for the need of shelters and rescues. There may be instances when shelters/rescues are not motivated to solve the problem, it would affect their job status. I had this discussion recently with a veterinarian specializing in the human animal bond, author of books on dogs and cats and has specialized in behavior problems for probably the better part of her veterinary career. I’ve been using her as a mentor for the last three years. I’ve been studying dog behavior and animal behavior for several years now.
Recently i recieved an email about some new training programs, the author stated “In the animal shelter community, a great percentage of executive directors are career changers. And the executive directors at the local animal shelter level, a great majority of them do not have a college degree or only have an associate degree.”
This in and of itself was alarming to me and probably explains much of the problem i see and have experienced with shelters and rescues. The three i’ve tried to help have shown no interest in learning about better training methods or behavior. It’s quite sad. Living in Boulder i would expect a different mentality, it may also be a regional, community, state problem.

I was especially struck by reading: “I’m amazed and perplexed by people who are flustered and frustrated by learning to use a clicker, but who, without batting an eye, grab the remote and push that button to zing their dogs.” How absolutely true! And how terribly sad for the dogs.

I am going to check out the links in this post. Thanks for another great analysis!

I’d rather make a mistake with my clicker timing any day of the week.

George’s story makes me want to cry.

Thanks for that info on the stress hormone study. I’d read excerpts but not the three test group piece.