The Shock Heard Round The World
I found an interesting article this morning in the Telegraph.co.uk about the use of dog shock collars. There has been controversy over these collars for a long time, advocates think it’s a great training tool while opponents feel they are cruel.
Recently a man in Oregon was arrested for using shock collars on his kids. He’s in custody charged with “criminal mistreatment” of his four children.
After seeing this Peter Wedderburn, writer of the article, wonders why is it alright to use on dogs but criminal to use on children.
My question today is: if it’s not OK to use these in children, why should it be acceptable to use them to train dogs? The video report of the case states that some dog trainers justify their use by saying that “dogs have a higher pain threshold than humans”. This is news to me – how do you think they’ve worked that out? Give a dog an electric shock, then ask the dog “how much does that hurt?” Then compare the dog’s response with a human?
Electric shock collars are used on dogs by some to apply an electric shock to the dog’s neck when a dog behaves incorrectly. The shocks, understandably, cause pain and confusion for the dog, affecting it physically and mentally. There’s no doubt that electric shock collars have a powerful effect, but there’s also no doubt that they’re cruel.
New research published by the University of Pennsylvania has shown that aggressive pets which are trained using confrontational or aversive methods (such as electric shocks) by their owners will continue to be aggressive unless training techniques are modified. The year-long study, which has been published in the February 2009 issue of Applied Animal Behaviour Science showed that using non-aversive or neutral training methods such as additional exercise or rewards elicited very few aggressive responses.
The Kennel Club has been campaigning for many years to have the sale and use of electric shock collars banned, and at last, some progress may be about to happen.
The Welsh government is making big strides in getting electric shock collars banned, including mats and leads. On their website you can review the draft regulation, you may make a submission before May 27th.
The Kennel Club is encouraging Welsh dog owners to respond, and to contact their local Assembly Member to ensure that effective legislation is drafted.
If you’ve ever watched a video of a human trying out one of these collars for fun you can see they soon realize exactly how much pain this device can cause. As Wedderburn stated, humans have the choice to remove the offending device, dogs don’t.
Let me know what you think about these collars, give me a bark.
*Arwen in her lovely spring, non-shocking, collar.
I feel any kind of insturment or device that causes pain to an animal beyond a simple thing as a rolled up news paper, or even tiny switch, should be banned from use. An animal feels pain just as we humans do. I still have three of five dogs, and all of them were trained, and potty trained with paper. For potty training I’l spred paper where they seemed to go the most and slowly move it to the door they would be going out to potty. All were house broken before 3 months of age. And I was a working fur child parent. For scolding, I used a combo of verbal and a small new paper rolled up, where it would sound but not really hurt them. My two senior dogs has since crossed the rainbow bridge, but my three young ones now are trained to the point, now all I have to do is verbaly scold them and can be gone for hours and when I come home, there has been no accidents. I recently spent two nights in the hospital. A friend of mine could only go by in the evening to feed them and let them out, since she lived acrossed town and worked. The day I got home after being released about noon or so, I thought I might find accidents and even when she’d go by, I thought she might find accidents, but there was none. I am very proud of my three fur babies. A dog deserves to be trained with love and affection. Not something that hurts them.
Definitely shock collars and all other forms of pain inducing collars, such as pinch and choke, should be banned. Causing physical harm is no way to alter
a dog’s behavior. I’m by no means a professional trainer but I’ve found that sound aversion, using a short loud vocalization, and proper leash training has served me well with my dog.
Getting my dog to recognize hand signals has also been helpful in training her. And then there’s “The Look”.
She knows when I give her “The Look” that’s she’s done something improper.
Yeah, shocking a dog to get it to do what you want is definitely cruel and not a positive form of training. I say Death to Shock Collars! (Especially on , well I take that back, on any dog).
I live in Portland, Oregon so this story has been on the news a lot. I think people are surprised at just how callous the man is. He though it was funny to shock his kids (and probably his dog). They should not be used on kids, dogs, cats, anything that’s alive. They are not good training devices and they are not funny.
These devices are cruel. I think it is seriously sad that people would use one of these instead of going through some simple behavior training techniques to correct wrong behavior.
Finally someone is doing something to get these torture devices banned! I have never understood how people think it is okay to shock a dog to do something, but it is abuse to use on humans. It is abuse no matter what the species! There is NO correct or humane way to use this device. Just because the dog doesn’t cry out in pain doesn’t mean it didn’t hurt. It sickens me that people can shock dogs in the name of training, and people don’t bat an eye when a dog yelps when they are being shocked because the “trainer” says they are just being vocal. SICK! You don’t do that to someone you love, or care about. Dog training is about working together as a TEAM, not with a “my way or the highway” attitude. Hopefully this will open people’s eyes about shock collars. If they think it is abusive to use on kids, then they sure as heck shouldn’t be using them on dogs!
People beat and torture their children and do worse things to animals because they were taught that’s what you do when kids or dogs don’t obey. Why exert your brain and apply problem solving skills when a show of brute force gets quick results. And, hey, since these methods instill fear and really don’t correct the “bad” behavior, you get to do it again tomorrow, the day after and after. Cool. Adrenaline rush. Sick. Sick people will use sick methods. Children raised with love, respect and clear limits will become loving and respectful parents to their children. Dogs raised and kept with love, respect and defined boundaries (and keeping in mind that the human as alpha is part of the pack) will become happy and well behaved dogs.
Shock collars, pinch collars and the like are torture instruments and need to be banned. Torture is illegal in this country and is not approved by the government, right?
I have a citronella spray collar (no shock) that has worked really well. But sometimes other noises set it off. Since I can hear the spray, I know to take it off him. The idea of shocking my dog is so cruel – the idea of shocking him because of other sounds not related to his barking is awful.
Peter raises an excellent question about the use of the shock collar. I do find it strange that using shock collars on dogs is so “natural,” but once a human is involved, shock collars are considered cruel. I do not understand why some people feel that it is okay to shock a dog into compliance, especially when modern dog training has proved that there is a way to train dogs that doesn’t involve pain or fear. Maybe some people do not know there is a better way to train, at least not yet. The others, people that know the truth but still advocate it anyway, must have been born without two vital human emotions: empathy and compassion.
A good friend of mine once told me this: “Behavioral science has shown that suppressing behavior, especially through physical force or the threat of force, does nothing to bring confidence to a fearful dog or calm an aggressive dog, it only suppresses that behavior (out of fear) in that particular situation.”
A shock collar was created to cause pain and discomfort. That’s how they operate. The shock collar works thorough negative reinforcement (an aversive is removed to increase the likelihood that behavior will be repeated) and positive punishment (an aversive is applied to stop a behavior). The dog is working to avoid the shock. This is not a language to the dog, like shock collar advocates claim. Shock collar “training” uses pain and fear to gain compliance. Snappy reactions from dogs do not showcase amazing training results. It simply means that the dogs are motivated enough to avoid the shock.
Here is an informative and interesting piece of information about shock collars from Truly Dog Friendly’s website:
“Dogs wearing shock collars can suffer from physical pain and injury (ranging from burns to cardiac fibrillation) and psychological stress, including severe anxiety and displaced aggression. Individual animals vary in their temperaments and pain thresholds; a shock that seems mild to one dog may be severe to another. The anxiety and confusion caused by repeated shocks can lead to changes in the heart and respiration rate or gastrointestinal disorders. Electronic collars can also malfunction, either administering nonstop shocks or delivering no shocks at all.”
There are many pitfalls to positive punishment and negative reinforcement, pain and side effects being the main reason they should be avoided at all costs. There is a way to train that doesn’t involve fear or pain, and that is through positive reinforcement and clicker training. Clicker training is the real mother of modern dog training. Dogs are motivated and praised for all the right things they do. Dogs are trained using rewards and consistency. One aspect of shock collar “training” that always baffles me is its inconsistency. With these methods, the dog is shocked when the “trainer” doesn’t want him to do something, like barking at others dogs or digging in the garden. Shock collar “trainers” also shock the dog every time they want him to do something, like sit, down, place, ect. Eventually the dog does what the shock collar “trainer” tells him to do because he wants to avoid the pain of being shocked. With shock collar “training” the dog is told: “Do this or something bad will happen to you.” With positive reinforcement and clicker training, the dog is told: “Do this and something good will happen.” Aversive training fosters fear, not respect.
Real training and behavior modification takes time and patience. A shock is a shock, no matter how you look at it. You can dress it up and sugar coat it with euphemisms like “tap on the shoulder,” and “more humane than a jerk on the leash” but the truth will inevitably come out in the end.
Shock collar “trainers” don’t bother to fade the punishment they way positive reinforcement trainers fade the click.
“To use shock as an effective dog training method you will need:
1. A thorough understanding of canine behavior.
2. A thorough understanding of learning theory.
3. Impeccable timing.
And if you have those three things, you don’t need a shock collar.” –Author unknown
I recently learned that shock collars are used for the “invisible fence”. I never really thought about how those work before until someone I know had one installed. She put the collar on her leg just to see what it felt like…she was horrified that it hurt as much as it does. But she has to keep it because it’s either that or get rid of her dog. She can’t install a traditional fence where she lives and her dog is a master escape artist. It’s terrible.
I have seen the many pitfalls of shock collars, both with the fencing and the remote control. This is a “quick fix” used by people with no long-term goals for a happy dog. I am glad that so many of us have crossed over to using positive methods that bring out the vibrancy of our dogs while they offer us behaviors that will earn them rewards.
While I agree with what everyone is saying about shock collars being mean there are some cases where if you want to keep one of you`re babies alive you have to do something. I have a three acre yard with a four foot fence, and three large dogs. My neighbors all keep cattle,. Two of my dogs I got as puppies a GSD and a Lab/Golden retriever mix and they have never been a problem they see the cattle bark a little and that’s it. My third however was a slightly older rescue who I simply could not keep in the fence, he would dig his self out of the fence and be gone in a matter of seconds. After threats from the neighbors and a couple of close calls with cars I did what I had to. I installed the pet safe fence in a manner so that he can only get shocked if he tries to dig out under the regular fence. The collar I use gives a warning by beeping and vibrating starting at about three feet from the fence and I spent hours and hours using treat based training on leash to teach him to not to get to close to the fence. I know the collar will hurt him as I did use it on myself, but, it isn’t that bad on level one ( kind of like checking a nine volt battery with your tongue ) where I keep it, there are up to five levels on a good collar. As far as I know he has only been shocked twice and three years later he is alive and you cant meet my dogs and say they are not happy, healthy and very loved,
Too many people these days have no clue what they are talking about…
Electronic Collars (Shock Collars to those who want to make them sound worse than they are), are given a bad name because for some reason people picture the dog jumping into the air screaming while he looks like an xray just like in the cartoons.
Before i make my point i would like to explain a distinction i have come to make regarding differences regarding our canine friends and how we relate to them. I believe there are two groups “Dog Owners/Dog People” and “Pet Owners/Pet People”
“Dog Owners” are more often than than not more focused on teaching their dogs obedience (sit are conditioned responses and are expected without prompted and rewarded according to what drives the particular dog). ”Pet Owners” mostly teach their dogs tricks (sit and stay on command gets cookie). Neither one is better than the other, they are just different frames of mind.
I am a Dog Owner and Dog Person and I use an electric collar (e-collar) to train my dogs to know what is expected of them in a given situation. I use the prick combined with a tug or a toy, a treat, or simple praise as POSITIVE reinforcement just as someone uses a clicker and a cookie. the intensity is supposed to only be so much the dogs attention is interrupted and he is able to imediately focus on my voice. The dog should not jump twitch or make a noise or the collar is to high. Eventually collar gives way to voice commands and then to hand commands.
The people that think shock collars are cruel do not have the slightest clue as to how they are properly used. All they see are the people who use them incorrectly.
A few final notes… Dogs are not humans. Dogs are a completely different species.
No matter how much you talk to them in baby talk they are not babies.
Whether it is a small, medium, or large dog, a bite is a bite a growl is a growl. If your dog bites you are god forbid someone else, if it chews up shoes and furniture, goes to the bathroom in the house. You need to ask your self two Questions, how did i fail to prevent the action and what do i do now to make sure it doesnt happen again.
Responsibe owners (Pet or Dog) need to understand that every dog is different and that different dogs need different training tools and tactics. When used correctly tools such as prong collars and electric collars are just as humane as anything out there.
So Remember!
1. Dogs are not Human they are their own wonderful species.
2. Electronic Collars are not cattle prods and have graduated levels of intensity and when used correctly in no way hurt or even make a dog uncomfortable.
3. Realize there are truly no bad dogs only bad owners and trainers.
4. Stop judging people when you dont know all the facts.
5. If youu think using a ’shock’ collar on a child is in anyway comparable to using one to train a dog in terms or cruelty, then your priorities are extremely out of order
Paul Cipar II
P.S. – if anyone would like to dicuss this further and with maturity or would like info or correct usage and training of e-collars my wife and I would welcome your paw mail.
I got a rescue dog a couple of years ago. He was about six years old when we got him and not well trained. At first he was good and pretty laid back. Then he had either a seizure or a stroke (we aren’t sure what it was) and we started noticing a change in his behavior. Among other things he started barking a lot. He would bark even when I was at home and simply left the room. I lived in an apartment at the time and I asked a couple of neighbors and they said he was barking nonstop whenever I left. We had to do something when we couldn’t be there to discipline him, i.e. when we went to work (someone has to put dogfood in the bowl). We were afraid that if we couldn’t control his barking while we were away we’d get in trouble with our landlord. I picked up a shock collar at walmart. It always starts at a low setting first (it described the way it would feel on the package) and would progressively get higher if the dog didn’t get the message. After five seconds it would start over if he still didn’t stop barking (fortunately he wasn’t completely dumb) so he wouldn’t be getting a constant high powered shock. He learned to not bark when we were away and we were able to continue living there. If he didn’t bark there was no shock and we didn’t keep it on him that often. But it worked for us when nothing else would.
I saw a demo on a hunting dog once. It wasn’t the cruelest thing I’ve ever seen but it was close. The poor dog stopped his ‘bad’ behavior alright, then peed on the floor in pain and confusion. Of course, when I talked to the trainer his reply was ‘It don’t hurt him much’. Then I realized that I was talking to a man who kills animals for sport. I left the building in disgust and tears.
To Paul Cpar II: Wonderful posting!!
To All: As for me, I should mention that I’m a female, nonhunter, animal enthusiast and LIVE for my four dogs. I have 3 rescued GSPs, two of whom are males, one of whom had been rehomed several times and was deemed as an “unlikely placement” because of his “excessive” energy level. Pfft…..Had it not been for the benefits of humanely training Tucker and Max with the e-collars, most certainly Tucker would be up to his old tricks of escaping from yards, getting struck by motor vehicles, destroying a home or smacked around because of destructive behavior to relieve stress from boredom. With us, he enjoys 2 hour, off-lead daily runs at the beach or in the woods and wears his e-collar with pride and a huge smile. When we return home, he’s exhausted, and his daily life is as full as his dreams.
There are many different ways to train, many of which I abhor, one of which Debi C referred to above. My collars’ are adapted with a dual setting – one is merely an audible, beeping sound and the other is a stimulant, both of which are separate actions. The stimulant level can be set from 1 to 5. I’ve trained the boys to return to me when they hear the beeping tone. I routinely use the tone only, but if they are in anyway heading for a dangerous point – I’ll activate a low-level stimulant (1-2). My dogs’ lives are too valuable, and when they’re in prey drive mode – they won’t stop. For those folks with GSPs or any other hunting dog – you know exactly to what I refer
They’ve never recoiled or yelped, as I’ve seen with some training videos, nor have I used the collars for behavior modification, because I don’t have any behaviorial problems
The pups are physically and mentally satiated by the end of the day. To NOT allow them the freedom and safety of daily running and recreationally hunting would be abusive, selfish and irresponsible as a canine guardian of hunting dogs.