A Shock or e-collar (electric collar) is a collar that some people put on a dog to train it. These collars send a pulse or shock thru the collar into a dogs neck when a dog does something they are not supposed to. It is a form of negative reinforcement that some trainers use. I have never used one & never will as I believe in positive reinforcement training. I felt I needed to write about this topic. I had planned to because someone I knew about 6 months ago had a trainer put one on their year old dog. She didn’t even know she was shocking her dog with an electrical current. She thought it was just a vibration, till her husband said no, it was a shock, just pulse never worked. I then saw a neighbor had one on her 7 month old puppy. I did feel I needed to do some research before I wrote this, so I did & I will tell you in this blog post what I found out. I honestly am hoping people are just uneducated & don’t understand what is behind one of these collars, or the potential risks.
I learned these collars come in a variety of shock (current) volts, from as little as 100 V- 7000 Volts, wide range. JUST 2 volts is equal to 20 milliamps (mA) of electricity (similar to stactic electricity) like when you shock yourself or someone when walking on the carpet. Currents as low as 50-150 milliamps can cause catastrophic damage over 100 can lead to ventricular fibrillation of the heart. Voltage over 50 Volts are generally considered potentially hazardous.
Electric shocks have been shown to cause a variety of neurological & neuro-psychological systems & injuries.
Electricity can cause brain injuries through a process called electrocution. It occurs when an electric current passes thru the body & into the brain. It can cause a variety of injury, including thermal damage, neuronal, death or hemorrhage. Heat can damage the tissues & cells in the brain.
There are other possible physical side effects such as burns, skin irritations, infections, damage to the nerves, muscles & trachea. . Increased risk of choking or suffocation if the collar is too tight.
Potential Psychological side effects: Fear, anxiety, stress, aggression & biting.
Desensitization to the shock over time, making it less effective & then a stronger shock is needed, putting the animal as a greater risk of potential damage.
Using an adverse training method can hurt the bond between owner & dog, can cause mistrust of the owner, & fear of the owner. If the dog is shocked when it is seeing another animal or person it can start to fear & act aggressive towards them. A dog doesn’t know that someone is holding a shock remote it just knows I see this person or animal & I have pain inflicted on me. A dog then can learn it is best(safer) to keep all things away because there is pain involved when it sees them. Leading to barking, growling or even biting.
Research has shown that the use of e-collars leads to behavior issues psychological changes associated with stress, aggression, fear & even pain.
Some jurisdictions have banned or restricted the use of shock collars. They are banned in many European countries: Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Netherlands, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, Quebec Canada, & in 2022 San Francisco CA .These ordinances aim is to protect the health & welfare of dogs.
Reasons not to use Shock or e-collars:
1. Risk of physical harm to dog.
2. Risk of psychological harm to dog.
3. You love your dog (if you wouldn’t want it used on you,or your kids when “misbehaving” why would you want to put it on your furry family member).
4. Shock collars are not more effective than humane training methods.
5. The experts advise against using shock collars. Of course you will find trainers that use them, but if you research the trainer you will find they usually have no official training as it is not required by law. Those who want to train in a manner that is effective & not painful, take classes & train to get certified, which requires taking tests & keeping up with their certifications.
Shock collars should be avoided due to potential serious harm to dogs. There are safer & more humane training methods available that can effectively address behavior issues.
No living being isn’t going to do exactly what you want or expect at all times. It takes training for everyone to learn a new task. Dogs don’t speak our language & they need a lot of time & training. I have been told by trainers it takes about 80 hours of training to have a well behaved dog. Most people maybe spend 15 -30 mins a week working on obedience training with their dog. So realize how long it would take to get to 80 hours. We can’t have such high expectations from another species when we want a quick fix. Think of how many hours in your life you spent in school, then maybe college or trade school or learned on the job. You didn’t just know it, someone guided you & taught you. You also were most likely not harmed while being taught, if you were I doubt you cared for that person or trusted them. I know dogs(all animals) are animals, but I believe they are a gift & a great companion & I want to treat them with the love. I recently had a person I respect say that some Dog owners expect too much & maybe they should stick with a stuffed one or a toy remote operated dog. A thought: Dog is God spelled backwards.
I hope this gave you pause & made you think before using or continuing to use a shock or e-collar. As I said earlier I don’t think most people research things & take the work of an “expert” or they believe the end justifies the means. I can’t ever see where pain is a good way to teach & get a positive result without negative harm. The electric shock given by these collars is not minor, it is more than most of us would want to experience.
Please help spread the word about my blog by sharing it with friends & on your social media pages, visit often, comment, hit the like button at the bottom of posts, subscribe (you won’t get spam, just a notice when I publish a new post). My goal is to help pet to Thrive & not just survive. This is 85th published post so if you have not read the others you can find a list on my home page in the upper left corner under the 3 lines. From the home page you can scroll down to get to those previous posts. If you have a subject you would like to see me post about or have a question you can email me directly at echoinggreatpetcare@gmail.com Thanks for reading, Debbie
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