Dog shock collars: How they work & why you may NOT want one

High tech dog training collars are a controversial approach to stopping whatever your dog is doing that drives you nuts. Here's the tech and an expert tell you if it's a good idea.

[CNET]

Dog collars are being sold everywhere (by the thousands), so we definitely felt it important to cover them. But we actually agree with you - animal cruelty is BAD!! We encourage you to watch the whole video, as the last 5 minutes deep dives "SHOULD you use a dog collar" (and I think you'll agree with the answer) as well as explores dog collar alternatives.

[rskarritt]

For those of you who scoff at e-collar users and say to "actually train your dog" and use 100% positive reinforcement, I would encourage you to open your mind a little bit. I love my dog to PIECES. He is a husky German shepherd mix, seven months old, and quite well trained. We work on training every day. I have plenty of time to devote to him. I live in a rural area and every day we go for long walks through the forest. He has little interest in toys and does not enjoy fetch for longer than a few minutes, so long, off leash walks are one of the only way to get out his boundless energy. He stays right with me and has about 95% recall. Can we get to 100%? I believe we will, but the fact is, that kind of training takes years of consistency to achieve, and in the meantime, I want my pup to be free to explore the woods and get the kind of mental and physical stimulation he needs. I bought him an ecollar for emergency recall situations. I use the collar on vibrate ONLY when he is extremely distracted (by a deer, for instance) and gets that one-track husky mind that seems to filter out all sound. Even if I have a juicy steak, no treat will outweigh the pure joy of chasing a deer. The few times I have had to shock him -- I would not even call it a shock, it is a low stimulation, I have shocked myself with it so I know what he's experiencing -- were enough to regain his attention.

What is abuse? My tired, happy dog, who comes home muddy at the end of the day, who (maybe) received a light shock for a moment, but immediately forgot about it, and furthermore is EAGER to put on the e collar because it means he is going out for a hike, or my friend's dog, who sits in a small fenced-in space outside all day and has never gotten to run free in his life because my friend is too scared he won't come back? What about a few other commentors, who pointed out that a mild shock to warn the dog that cars are dangerous is far better than having them find out the hard way? Even if you don't let your dog off leash, there is always the possibility they will escape, and having never been off leash before, it is unlikely they will know how to behave, and instead will head straight to the road...

[lazylightning]

An e-collar is like a hammer. You could use it to build a shelter and save a man's life. You could also use it to crush a skull. The tool isn't bad or good. The value lies in its use.

[MarkoRussellUSA]

As a dog trainer, I have to chime in and say his feeling at 15 then going up to 35 is NOT a good representation of how it should be demonstrated. You need to note that you want to increase one number at a time to get result .

People might get the perception that we train like that. Ultimately if your dog feels it on 4 there's never a need to just jack the number to 24 or even 14. That many numbers difference can destroy good training if done at the wrong time in the wrong environment with no extra stimulus in the environment.

To the person who suggested seeking a trainer ....
THANK YOU

[karenxo]

They should have shock anklets for human on house arrest! Lmao jp don’t come for me

[chadspinalbosd]

Nothing worked other than the electric shock on my dog, it worked, in 2 days my dog was well behaved

[carloscardenas]

I use it. Saved my dogs life a couple times and other animals. My dutch has a high prey drive and this allows me to take her on walks without a leash so she can be free. But had an incident where she chased a squirrel into the street but this stopped her before she got in front of an incoming vehicle. It's just to reinforce your command saying no and come doesn't always work. Plus I paid for a trainer to train me and her with this tech.

[Aklcorp]

For everyone out there wanting to get a dog just because "I like the idea of having a pet" just don't do it. A dog is a loving animal that needs constant structure and discipline. The best way to put it is that if you want a well behave/trained dog you have to be a parent/leader/guidance to them. Being a parent is not something you can do only 2 hours a day... is a 24/7 responsibility that needs a lot of planning ahead. Dogs are also not cats... I always encounter a lot of people wanting a dog just because they did well with a cat. It's funny how most cats already come with a chip in their brain programmed with the latest update to be independent. Dogs on the other hand have nothing preinstalled and sometimes you have to rebuild their behaviors into good ones... they need to slowly learn your ways and you need to literally teach them what things are good and ok and what is not just like you would do with your child as he grows with you.

[positivechallengetv]

Correction isn’t punishment and dogs respect correction.

[camerazeye]

And this is why e collars are misused. 1 - never leave a collar on a dog un attended. 2 - e collars are used to replicate a reaction to a commend on a leash. 3 - a qualified trainer typically sets the level to between 5 and 15 with a typical level at7 or 8. The measurement was inadequate as only volts were measured and not the current at the different level. An e coller should never be used to teach a dog a task it should be used as a replacement to a leash correction but only when the dog is extremely adept on leash. Always research with a dog trainer before taking the step to e collar.

[jacobknight]

People love dogs but don’t want to put in the amount of time it takes for their dogs to behave appropriately. Dogs are a bigger commitment than most people with dogs are willing to accept. I too am a part of this problem

[jondali]

These things are great I got one for my wife

[protectork]

i used positive only dog training. results were great except in high stimulant environment. one day dog bolted out of the door. I told him to sit come, stop down. all the commands he knew but failed to follow. seconds later he was hit by car on the road. from that day on i train "come means come" and they have to follow that command no matter what. there is lot of reward when they follow but if they fail once they get correction. correction is never out of anger and it is hardly ever used. first year and half there are no corrections, after year 3 there are rarely ever a correction because they understand.

[Dyl_Apple]

This video used to be called “Dog collars that shock, spray and squeal” I think they changed it minutes after uploading because the dislikes were double the likes...

[ripreality]

I have a shock collar and have done so much research. I only use vibration and try to give a lot of warnings. It's for recall when we're out. I carry treats or a toy as a reward when she comes to me. I have yet to have any problems and my dog gets so excited when I grab it. She'll be 4 in april and has only recently started using the collar. I tried everything from a long leash to treats only and nothing worked all the time, only sometimes. I do think it should be regulated as not many people actually learn about them and end up damaging their dog more. Great video though☺

[bradleybarker]

What’s the point of this video? Misleading for those who don’t work with dogs or understand how these tools work. Doesn’t seems like research was done, just “content” for content sake?

[robynbarcomb]

I also think they are forgetting that these collars can be instrumental in training deaf dogs, as well as any off leash dog, when implementing just the vibration and tone features. The vibration setting allows a deaf dog to be let off leash to play... And still "check in" with you when it feels that stimulus.

The fact is... These collars are just tools. Tools are not inherently good or bad. That is up to the user. Paul Bunyan would make much better use of a chainsaw, for instance, than would Jeffery Dahmer. But you can't say the chainsaw was cruel!

If interested in using ANY training tool, from a pinch collar to an E-collar or even just a crate... Reach out to a trainer for a quick lesson in how to use the item correctly and what you should or shouldn't expect from it.

[princesszhorne]

Thank U! This is my 1st dog EVER! He barks like a fool at EVERYTHING and it is terrifying my bird. Thanks AGAIN

[matthewgagnon]

I just got one for my dog best thing ever I have tried it myself anytime she tries to run towards somebody she always turns back he comes back to me it's helped me a lot to get my dog to listen so for those that are against shock collars you have no idea how useful they are I didn't like to hide your efforts but after a year or two after having her it helps a lot

[lareace]

I own a American pitbull terrier and an E-collar. We've only had to use the tone and vibration. It's solely a mode for communication as she is young and easily distracted. When she is off leash and goes too far, we use the tone. When she doesn't come the 1st time she's called, we use the tone. When she repeatedly disobey, we use the vibrate. One such instant is when she playing with a dog too aggressively. If I sayb"break" more than twice and she doesn't, I will use #5 vibration only because that's an active situation. I do not punish her (I've not had to), but I can't think of a time when I'd need to shock her. Vibration is, for me sufficient. I've actually ordered a tone and vibration only collar as I fear consrantly about accidentally shocking her.