First, let me tell you what I consider to be a shock collar. Those anti-bark collars that shock dogs when they make any kind of noise with their vocal chords? SHOCK. Evil, evil things, I wish they didn't exist. Electric fence collars? SHOCK. Stupidest things ever.
Why don't I like anti bark collars? Imagine you're a dog. You bark at something. You essentially get tazed in the throat for it. You yelp, because YOW(!) that hurt! You get shocked again! You learn your lesson and stifle the yelp, but you grunt and BZZTTTT! Shocked again! You wonder "What did I do???" Yeah. If you have one of these on your dog? Remove it now. Throw it away and apologize to your dog. Then take her out for ice cream.
Now for electric fence collars. I have friends that use these. They bought them even after they asked me what I thought and I told them. I guess the sales guy/installer was more convincing than I was about whether or not this is an effective, humane product. I'm sorry I failed to convince those dog parents not to use this method of containment. I know people swear by them and love them because they're cheaper than a physical fence, and (they think) they look nicer, but these things are, to me, worse than chaining your dog outside. If your dog wants out of the yard bad enough, they'll run through the perimeter, shock be damned. I can tell you, if that happens? They won't be coming back willingly. No way. If you could see all of the stray dogs I see in the shelter that come in with the collar on you'd feel pretty strongly about it too. And there are other reasons:
- They fail when the power goes out.
- They fail if the batteries die (yes, I know the company sends you fresh batteries every month, but that doesn't mean you will remember to put them in the collar.)
- They might work to keep your dog in, but it won't keep other animals or people who don't belong there out. If your dog is assaulted by another animal or bratty neighborhood kids, he's stuck. He can't flee. If that happens and he bites the offender? Your dog will most likely be blamed. And that will be your fault.
e-Collars are not meant to be used as shock devices. Shocker, right? (See what I did there? HA!) No. They are not meant to inflict pain. No, I don't know why they have settings that go high enough to cause pain. If I had my way they'd be re-designed so that wouldn't happen. Just like with other training tools, your dog will either respond favorably or he won't. There's no need to go beyond a certain setting and keep trying. If your dog ignores this method...return it. Sell it to someone else. Don't turn up the power, that makes no sense. (Yes, I know some trainers teach you to use the device as a punishment. That's not cool and if you hire a trainer and he instructs you to use it in this manner? Fire him. And demand your money back.)
The correct way to use an e-collar is to first test it on yourself. You want to do this on the inside of your wrist. (Or, if you prefer, strap it on your own neck. I have.) There should be a button on the side of the remote control for a "nick" setting. The "nick" is a vibration that lasts 1/25th of a second. Start at the "zero" setting and work your way up one setting at a time. The "shock" should feel like nothing more than a cell phone vibration. That's pretty benign, right?
The next step is to put it on your dog. Be sure that it's fitted correctly according to the manufacturer's instructions. Then press the nick button three times in rapid succession. Does your dog show any sign that he's aware of the vibration? Does he look up...flick his ear like a bug just landed on it...shake his head...? Those are signs that he is aware of the vibration.
When using the e-collar as a teaching tool you will use the vibration as a "tap" on the shoulder. It's meant to keep your dog focused. You will tap...tap...tap your dog while giving a command he's familiar with and when he executes it...stop. His performance of the command is what makes the tapping go away. He will quickly learn that in order to make the vibration, which is not painful but may feel strange, stop is to do what you ask him to do.
That's it. That's not mean. It's not negative. It's pretty innocuous, yet effective.
e-Collars are one of those subjects that die hard dog people either like or hate. The debates they have about these things can seriously rival those of the breast feeding Nazis. (We've all been a part of those conversations, right? Well, maybe not the guys, but the women have.) Trust me, they're intense. Animal people can be a lot like that. There are some who think they know it all and feel that you should recognize that about them.
Bottom line, don't be pressured to use, or not use, and specific training tool based on what you "heard" from someone. Do your research, talk to potential trainers, and then go with your gut. If you talk to one trainer about his e-collar methods and don't like what you hear, don't write it off completely. Talk to multiple people. Out of those, have a consultation with the ones that sound like they know how to use them as a focal tool and not a punishment. Who you hire and what tools you use should be your decision. Don't let a "know it all" dissuade you from becoming an informed consumer.
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