Are Electric Dog Training Collars Effective?
Shock collars are indeed effective if used in the right situations.
Dogs must learn to obey basic commands. Generally there are usually no problems with training and the vast majority of dogs quickly accept the idea of submitting to people as “leaders of the pack”.
However, there are cases in which the behavior of the dogs is not appropriate, or, due to lack of repetition of the exercises, they forget what they have learned and seem to have problems obeying. It is in these cases that an electric collar should intervene.
Training collars are not devices that should be used with all dogs, nor are they suitable for every training session.
Canine education specialists only advise using training collars exclusively to correct behavior problems in dogs with which other methods have been tried without success. However, for 100% guaranteed efficacy, it is necessary to combine electrical stimulation with behavioral commands.
Advantages of electric collars for dogs
The use of electric collars is very beneficial for desperate owners who no longer know how to make their dogs see reason.
Thanks to electric collars, dogs learn or relearn to pay attention to their owners and to obey.
They are a fabulous tool to correct behavioral problems in dogs without affecting their physical or emotional integrity.
My dog training collar has various correction modes and various intensity levels within each mode, allowing the stimulus to be adapted to the needs and characteristics of each dog.
They are usually a fairly quick method of training. Dogs respond immediately to the stimuli of the collar, and, thanks to their intelligence, they understand that there are actions that they must stop doing to avoid a new discharge.
In addition, the vast majority of training collars work with a remote control, which allows you to correct the dog at the very moment that it is doing something wrong, even if it is not within your reach.
Therefore, the electric collar is a great advantage for correcting unwanted behavior in dogs, as long as it is used responsibly.
Disadvantages of electric dog collars
The main disadvantage of electric collars is that negative reinforcement training is promoted. That is, dogs stop doing a certain action for fear of being “punished” again.
Due to ignorance, many people use electric collars incorrectly, with the consequent negative effects on the well-being of the dog. Other secondary effects in this case are the aggravation of the behavior that is intended to be corrected.
If the collar is not combined with training sessions, the satisfactory effects will only be temporary. The dog will stop doing the action for which he is punished only while he is wearing the collar.
According to a study carried out in the United Kingdom on the consequences of electric collars on dogs, it has been concluded that these devices can be harmful to the dog, and even increase their levels of stress and anxiety. Additionally, animals trained with shock collars are less likely to interact with other dogs and people.
It should be noted that this study compares the effects of training with and without a collar on different dogs, it is not simply limited to dogs with behavioral problems, with whom other training methods have already been tried, but it includes dogs that have been they train for the first time, without having tried other methods.
If a collar is used frequently in a short period of time, serious burns and damage to the dog’s neck can occur.
