When it comes to dog shock collar training, a?considerable debate rages among owners, trainers, and veterinarians. Every year, more than 1,000 people seek emergency treatment due to dog bites. Adequately training a dog to ensure that it acts as a happy, healthy member of the family is essential. This leads many owners to inquire about the best dog training collar, and whether or not they should consider an electronic bark collar to improve behavior. Here is what all owners should know about shock collars.
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What is Dog Shock Collar Training?
With dog shock collar training, owners or trainers use special collars on dogs that deliver shocks to the animal when it starts engaging in undesirable behavior. Often, these collars are used to deter behavior such as barking or leaving the property, or to teach the dog to stay away from potentially dangerous situations or creatures, such as snakes.
When the dog handler selects this method of training, the collar will deliver a shock to the dog when it engages in the undesirable behavior. This might be done automatically. Examples include an electric fence that runs along the perimeter of the property, or a remote that the trainer can use when the dog starts jumping or barking.
The idea behind dog shock collar training is that the shock will surprise the dog and feel uncomfortable enough to encourage the dog to cease its behavior. As the dog begins to associate the poor behavior with this negative consequence, it will learn to act in more desirable ways.
What are the Benefits and Drawbacks of Using a Shock Collar for Dog Training?
Negative impacts of training dogs using an electric shock collar – NYC Dog TrainerNYC Dog Trainer https://t.co/8dTxb4WHqs
? jefftawater (@jefftawater) January 10, 2018
People who use shock collars like the fact that the collars give objective, consistent standards of correction. Because trainers can use settings to ensure that just the right amount of correction is administered, they can be sure that the pain level is not set so light that the dog gets used to the corrections and fails to notice them. Trainers can also be sure that the shock will not be too strong and stress out or scare the dog. The latter situation can also create problems in terms of the dog bonding with its owner, or can even cause different behavior problems.
Given the nature of shock collars, owners can also be confident that the dog receives important correction even when the owner is not personally there. This can result in greater consistency in the corrections administered. It also allows owners to be slightly removed from the dog themselves. This is beneficial because owners can administer corrections without the pet realizing that it was the owner who delivered the pain. Many people believe that this can benefit the relationship between the pet and the owner, as the pet will not automatically associate the pain with the owner.
However, these collars have a number of drawbacks that owners should consider before deciding whether to use them. For example, although the remote nature of the collar helps prevent the dog from associating its owner with pain, it may lead the dog to associate random things in its environment — such as other dogs and animals or even people — with the discomfort. There is also a risk of the collar over-correcting the dog, administering shocks that the dog did not need. This can cause the dog to ignore the stimulus or become fearful and stressed.
Some studies have shown that dogs trained using shock collars exhibit worse behavior than those that are not. The Polsky study found that dogs trained in this manner tended to show more aggression towards humans. The study also found that some dogs may start attacking people and animals who get too?close to the invisible fence line. They could be associating these people or animals with their pain and discomfort.
Dogs that were trained using shock collars have also demonstrated higher stress levels in studies conducted by Schalke et al., particularly when they were unable to predict when they would receive the shocks. These stress levels often remained elevated even after the testing had ended.
Is Dog Training with Shock Collars Cruel?
Given that owners have the option of controlling the strength of the shocks to avoid over-administering pain to their pets, proponents of the system object to the adjective of ?cruel?. However, studies have shown that this is not the most effective way to teach a dog proper behavior. In addition, it can have a number of adverse effects on the animal?s mental health. Avoiding shock collars and opting for kinder means of effective training and discipline would likely allow pet owners to achieve their objectives without unintentionally harming their pets.
Want to know more about E-collars for dogs? Check out this video from Reality How To:
Those interested in improving their dog?s behavior have a number of resources at their fingertips. Dog shock collar training is likely not the best option, as studies have found that it can worsen behavior. Those experiencing behavior problems with their pets should speak with their veterinarian about effective training techniques.
Would you consider using a?shock collar for barking to train your dog? Let us know in the comments section below.
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