Let’s get right into WHY they should never be used on a dog or puppy.
Reason 1
It can be extremely Psychologically damaging to your dog. From your dog’s perspective, they do not know WHEN the shock is coming (and might not even know why).
Reason 2
It’s like putting a band-aid versus fixing a wound.
Let me elaborate further. I had a neighbor who put an e-collar on a dog for separation anxiety barking. Sure, the dog stopped barking, but the dog was STILL ANXIOUS (i.e., doesn’t get to the root of the problem). What ended up happening is the dog destroyed furniture and WHINED excessively instead. The best way to get thru dog behavior issues is through counterconditioning and desensitization.
Reason 3
It can cause fear or aggression toward what your dog believes is the source of the problem. For example, if your dog is barking at a kid and you give them a shock, it can backfire and make their aggression against kids worse causing them to bite or attack.
Reason 4
Humans suck at timing.
In any training, timing is important. In positive reinforcement, the timing of the click is important to teach your pup the exact behavior you’re requesting. That being said Humans SUCK at the timing aspect of dog training. I’d rather have someone f*** up the treat timing than a shock.
Reason 5
Last but not least, there are kinder more humane methods that are also more effective. I hear people who say their dog won’t come when called on walks or hikes….well that means your dog hasn’t been TRAINED to come when called in those situations. If your dog isn’t TRAINED to come when called in those situations, then they are not READY to be off-leash.
Ok…so now that you know WHY e-collars are not humane, safe, or effective, what should you do instead? Don’t worry I gotcha covered. I have an ultimate good dog blueprint, you can download here. I go over how to solve the most common behavior problems using positive reinforcement dog training.
If you have any questions on how to implement these tips, I have a PAWsome PAWrents Facebook Group that’s free to join, and I answer all of your questions there.