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Are Electronic Shock Collars Safe?
Training a dog can be both fun and rewarding; unless of course you have what is commonly referred to as a ‘problem dog’. Problem dogs cannot be trained by conventional methods. Of course this is a myth as all dogs can be trained. But anyone who has ever tried to train a problem dog can attest to, it’s no easy feat. In fact, training a problem dog is downright frustrating and it can lead to the owner quitting prematurely because he feels he’s not accomplishing anything. Problem dogs are often abandoned by their owners out of sheer frustration, and this can lead to premature death. In fact, according to Nicholas Dodman, Director of the Animal Behavior Clinic at Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine and the author of such books as The Dog Who Loved Too Much and The Cat Who Cried For Help, owners giving their pets to shelters because of behavior problems is an epidemic in this country. According to him, “…death from behavior problems is the leading cause of pet mortality.” How can we prevent this? We can come up with a successful and easy way of training problem dogs. This training method exists and it exists in the form of shock collars. But are shock collars safe? Only by reviewing the pros and cons of these training tools can we truly determine the answer.
The Pros
The pros of using a shock collar should be obvious. Your dog stops barking if it’s a bark control collar, stays in your yard if it’s a dog containment collar, or learns to stay off your furniture if it’s a dog training collar. Even police dog trainers use these types of collars and many think shock collars are in fact safe. According to Sgt. Rod Hampton, the Canine Unit Supervisor of the Round Rock Police Department in Texas, These collars are, “…very useful in controlling the dog at a distance while allowing our officers to keep their hands free, a very important officer safety issue. Most important, it limits the department’s liability. We have yet to have an accidental bite of an innocent bystander…If we can prevent our dogs from placing themselves in dangerous situations by the use of low-level stimulation, it is our responsibility to do so.” Shock collars are a cheaper way to train your dog, as well. You don’t have to buy countless treats to train your dog and you only have to pay for the collar once. Not only that but your dog will be much more responsive towards shock collars than other types of training as the shock collar sends a very clear message about what you want as a trainer. The most important pro for shock collars is that it will work on problem dogs where a lot of other training methods fail. Based on this we could argue that shock collars are safe.
The Cons
The cons, some would argue, is that you’re shocking your dog. However, it’s not a ‘shock’ like many people think it is. It’s more of a feeling of discomfort. In fact, those muscle stimulation machines people buy to work their muscles electronically provide more of an electrical charge than dog shock collars. If the muscle machines are safe, then dog shock collars are safe, too. Other cons include the fact that if inconsistency is used, the dog may become confused and won’t respond to your training methods. That’s not to say the collars don’t work, just that inconsistently providing the shock to the dog may cause the dog to become frustrated and it will reject any attempt to train it. If you ask animal activists, they will come up with many of their own cons such as that dog collars cause burns, they electrically shock the animal and they’re cruel, they only work on aggressive dogs and people who use them must be expert dog trainers in order to use them correctly. These claims have been proven false, however. In fact, a survey of veterinarians and technicians who attended the North American Veterinary Conference in 2003 found that 80% recommended dog shock collars in many cases, thus putting all of those myths to rest. Veterinarians wouldn’t recommend dog shock collars if they weren’t safe, if they caused burns and if people had to be expert trainers to use them.
But are dog shock collars safe? The answer is a resounding yes. The shock is not unlike the shock you get from static electricity. It’s mild discomfort at best. But it works by sending a message to your dog that if you repeat the behavior the shock will continue. The dog, not wanting the discomfort to continue, stops the behavior; and in record time.
The truth is that any training method that works should be considered. It’s far better to train your dog correctly than to give up prematurely and consider giving up your pet out of frustration or anger or resentment. It’s important to train your dog, to build a bond and to show your pet what you want as far as behavior goes. Dog shock collars are safe they can help you finally train your dog where all other training methods failed.
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