Shock Collars

Shock collars are often used as a quick fix for owners who do not know how else to deal with the problems they are facing with their dog or in some cases advice from inexperienced dog trainers.

Shock collars use pain and discomfort to modify a dogs behaviour. The collar is worn around the dogs neck and most work on a remote controlled basis which when activated produces a shock to the dog. This shock is supposed to interrupt the dogs behaviour and to refocus the dog onto something else.

However, these shock collars have the potential to compromise the welfare of dogs as well as ruining the relationship between the owner and their dog.

For several years now there has been a move towards more positive methods of training. Positively reinforcing behaviours which the trainer would like to see again. However, some trainers still recommend the use of aversive, unpleasant and painful methods of training. They believe that by using an aversive stimulus will stop the dog from performing the behaviour, the opposite to positive stimulus increasing the likelihood behaviour happening again.

The pain and discomfort that the dog will experience through the shock should suppress the behaviour. However, this does not address the underlying problems which cause the behaviour in the first place.

Not only does a shock collar not address the underlying problem, handlers may not activate the shock at the correct time. Dogs learn through a process of association. If they feel something unpleasant such as an electric shock to the throat they will associate this with whatever they are seeing or interacting with at the time. If the electric shock is not administered at the correct time the dog may make the wrong association.

For example if the dog is being trained to stop barking at other dogs while on a walk. They may start barking at the sight of another dog, once they start barking they should feel the shock. However, the handler may preempt the dog barking and when the handler sees the dog they shock their dog before they even start barking. This could cause the dog to become more fearful of dog. Fear is the route of all aggression so the behaviour may escalate from barking to attacking other dogs.

However, some dogs may not make any associations at all, if this happens then the shocks can cause general anxiety through confusion over what is causing the shock.

Luckily there are other, positive, ways of training dogs both to do things that we want them to do and to stop them performing unwanted behaviours. There is really no need to shock our best friends to make them behave!