Shock Collars?

Question

My dad wants to get one of those shock collars for his dog. I think it's cruel and told him if he gets one then he should be willing to wear it for a while. Do shock collars work or are they just barbaric?

He wants to get a shock collar to use it to discipline his dog.

Answer 1

People who think shock collars are barbaric, know nothing about them and even less about dogs.

Dogs are pack animals. There is a strict hierarchy in pack animal families. As the owner, it is your responsibility to be the alpha male or female and to direct and control your dog. Not doing so is extremely frightening to your pet and causes them to become feral. That is a euphemism for saying you are causing your pet to develop a mental illness by being neglectful. That is abusive and it has consequences in the form of bad behaviors from your pet. It could cause them to become violent and dangerous. That's even worse, because now, your dog has to be killed because you can't be bothered to live up to your responsibility.

Dogs are not humans. Dogs demonstrate dominance with loud noises (barking) and biting (actually nipping). This does not hurt the dog because his skin is alot thicker than yours. That nipping, by the way, is done ON THE NECK. Although a human with strong hands can do this to a dog using a specific technique with the fingers, it is very difficult to do. Some dogs will respond to loud, clear, verbal commands and body language that demonstrates dominance. Many, especially large and/or aggressive breeds, will not. Training them is a challenge.

A shock collar is not what you think. It is not very painful and has many levels of stimulation. The reason is simple. Many dogs can't even feel the lower levels. If you want to know what it feels like to a dog, pinch your arm. That is the correct level of stimulation. There are different levels because many dogs can't even feel the lower levels. Also, stimulation is a single "pulse" like that. It is nothing more than an electronic "nip". IT IS SIMPLY DESIGNED TO MIMIC THE NATURAL MECHANISM OF DOMINANCE DOGS USE BY NIPPING EACH OTHER!

Get that through your head. It is most definitely not putting your dog in agony or abusing him. What it is, is giving your dog the expected negative stimulus an alpha would give him while teaching him how to behave. For the dog, it's normal.

Use of the shock collar is specific and goal focussed. The dog wears it. When you see him engage in a bad behavior, you look him right in the eye, give him a clear verbal command (like, "No!") and then nip him. Used correctly, it will rapidly teach the dog to listen to you and is unlikely to be used much at all.

Your dog expects behavior something like this from you. In fact, he demands it of you. If you don't give it to him, you are in for trouble and your dog is going to be screwed up in the head. The larger/more aggressive the dog or less assertive the owner, the bigger the problem. A shock collar easily solves almost all problems of this sort. It's use is humane, so don't be ignorant about it.

Answer 2

They are no worse than the invisible fence collars. And now days everyone seems to have the invisible fencing which uses a shock collar to keep the dogs in. The collars are not cruel if used properly and do work if you incorporate the proper training. I got one for my dog and he was shocked twice at the lowest setting and now he just has to see the collar and all bad behavior stops instantly. He is very well trained but at times likes to test the waters and the collar is just a reminder.

Answer 3

They are NOT cruel. You can hold the prongs up to your own hand to check it out. The "shock" is just enough of a deterrent to interrupt your dogs habitual actions. You can adjust the level as well. It's a watch battery - how much of a "shock" do you think that can output?

Now that I re-read your question, it can't discipline your dog. It can only teach a dog boundaries (either electric fence or to stop barking).

I live on a corner so everyone walking past the house on the side would get barked at. The shock collar limitted the barking so the dobie could bark a couple of times, feel she was doing her job, and then learn to deal with the disturbance in another way (she would then patrol the perimeter of her yard). Shock collars are sold and used by dog trainers so I'd trust experts over people who don't know anything about them.

Answer 4

You people saying they are cruel have no idea what you're talking about. I use one on my dog. I have to. I worked with him every day for over a year, and he still refused to listen.

I was going to get rid of him. I want a bird dog. not some stupid mutt running 400 yards away, well out of the range of my shotgun. My wife said we should try E-collars for him. I was oh-so enlightened just like most of you. I would say, "I'm not gonna shock my dog because he's stupid. If I can torture creatures for being stupid, most people I know better watch out...". Little did I know I was the one being stupid.

It was coming down to It. I had ads up for "Giveaway; That dog won't hunt" and everything. My wife calls her uncle, who has used E-collars many times in the past to see if she could borrow one. She brings it home and asks if we can try it. I am hesitant because I, like most of you, heard "professionals" talk about the torture that is a "Shock-collar"..

I told her "Fine we can put it on him, but we're putting it on ourselves first to see if you want to do that to that dog you love so much." So that's just what we did. Started on the lowest setting and worked our way to the highest. It was nothing. The level I have to use on for my stubborn dog is equivalent to a 9Volt battery on the tongue, and he only receives that correction for a quarter of a second. Even on the highest level it felt like less than a horsefly bite, and it stopped hurting immediately. I'm sure many of you enlightened folks have never been bitten by a horsefly, but you can trust me, it doesn't hurt that bad.

The improvement is incredible. After a few weeks with the E-collar he is a brand new hunting dog. He stays within ten yards of me. He always swept back & forth. It's just now he does it where he's supposed to, instead of 1/4 mile away from me. He knew all the commands, but refused to follow them. Now he hears the tone of the collar and he immediately stops and looks at me for direction. I can barely remember the last time I needed to use the stimulation button on the collar.(Actually I can. He got a little excited about some cows and started after them. I can guarantee, the little tick he felt in his neck was nothing compared to the cow hoof in the head, or the bullet in his side that he surely would have gotten. 99% of ranchers I know will shoot any dog they see chasing their cattle. Running their cows' weight off costs them money.)

The one thing I learned from this is, you don't know anything until you stop thinking you know everything. That's what we call wisdom for you younger folks.

My only advice is don't buy a cheap collar. I have seen cases where the cheap collars malfunction and cause pretty good burns to a dog's skin/fur. Tri Tronics is the way to go. They cost quite a bit. $300& up, but I love my dogs. They get High dollar grain free food, lots of play time & work time, and regular veterinary care. They also get high quality equipment when we go hunting or training. I want to correct my dog, not hurt him. That may be hard for many of you to believe, but remember, I have used these E-collars on myself. Have you?

Answer 5

Ok i have a shock collar and i think they work beautifully i have worn it on my neck first as well just to see and on a low setting it wasn't bad.
My dog is great cause of it ,and now she doesn't need it unless we go out for the day somewhere where i would take her leash off.
Her neck line is fine and on the lowest possible setting for your dog to respond is how you should use it, and i used it with a training school and as far as the relationship goes with my dog she loves me like crazy and is the most lovable dog with anyone.
i used it when she was 4 months old and i haven't had to use it since she was a year except on the rare occation.

Oh i forgot to say that the shock should be just enough to get there attention like tapping a child on the shoulder, if they cry it is because you have the setting up to high and then your just doing it to cause harm to your dag and that's just mean.

I used mine for everything from sit to stopping the barking and teaching her she can't run away off the leash.

Answer 6

We had a German Shepard that wore a shock collar. I wouldn't let it go on him (he was actually my parent's dog) until everyone felt the shock (by placing your two thumbs on each of the two studs on the collar). As long as you can somewhat handle the jolt, then I believe that it is okay for the dog to use. Our dog ended up still crossing the boudery after a while, although it kept him in at first. He got use to the shock, and we turned it up just a tad (testing with ourselves first again). As long as it is not a "horrible" shock... I believe it is not cruel.

Answer 7

NEVER EVER!!!! Not only they are just barbaric and torture and endanger the dog, but they have opposite effects in training, because they ruin the relationship of the owner with the dog and they make the dog react bad and become ferrocious. Especially when used by a non-professional trainer, they are completely dangerous. Even correct trainers do not accept their use. My dog trainer has told me so many times, and even other trainers when i was looking for a trainer told me shock collars MUST NOT BE USED!!!

Answer 8

Tell your dad to enroll his dog in some training classes. They will help him bond with his dog and the dog will learn how to behave.
Shock collars are just plain cruel.

Answer 9

they are used for many different animals and dont kid yourself...animals are very smart, it does not take long for them to learn and usually it is for their own good that they learn. If it is to teach the dog to stay in the yard so that it does not get hit by a car or lost? I would not worry about a couple of little shocks it does not do any real damage it just teaches them. It is way better than being tatooed onto the road!

Answer 10

I agree ... they are barbaric. There's nothing wrong with training a dog the "old fashioned" way ... with love, patience and the occasional treat. If anyone thinks it's acceptable to do this to their dog ... I'm with you 100% ... let them wear the collar for a while first, THEN they can decided if it's acceptable to make their dog wear it.