Question:
I think bark collars and so-called training collars that shock are abusive and inhumane.
My dog weighs 70 pounds. When between puppy and adult stage (about 6 months), she would jump up on us, and her rough, playful nips hurt. Unwittingly, I purchased an obedience collar that emitted a shock from an activated handheld device.
I saw an immediate downfall in her spirits. She cowered and stayed away from my husband and me. She had traumatic reactions to us even touching her normal collar. I discontinued the use of that horrible device and method.
How awful was it? She is now 11 years old, and she still remembers that shock collar. She’s leery of anything that has to do with a collar, even her normal one. She shows fear and jerks away when we remove her collar for bathing. Eleven years later, she still remembers.
D.F., Fenton, Mo Dec 26, 2010
Answer:
Shock collars for dogs are indeed an abomination. I agree that they have no place in basic, in-home training. There are collars that emit a preferable buzzing sound, but much can be done using a dog clicker or shaking keys in a jar or a tin can as aversive stimuli and part of any training regimen that should include reward for appropriate responses.
Still, even clickers can terrify some dogs, as I learned with one of mine who trembled like a leaf when he first heard the noise, his overreaction making further use of this device both pointless and inhumane!
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