Don’t Buy This Shock Collar

One of the concerns I hear my clients have is the use of shock collars for training. The word “Shock collar” comes for the past era of dog training in the 80’s. Back then, trainers had this new tool to correct unwanted behavior in dogs. The old systems were very crude. They had one setting and one setting only. High voltage shock and pain. They did help detour the most serious cases of some aggressive behaviors for many dogs. However in my opinion, it wasn’t necessary for most family dogs. It was over kill in most training situations, it was inhuman.   Fast forward 30 years and things have come a long way in technology. The old shock collars are mostly gone now. Instead of shocking a dog into submission, the training concepts now are much more gentle. The stimulation used in the professional E-Collars now are the same as the ones used in doctor offices and chiropractors offices around the country for human therapy and muscle massaging. Many cheap e-collars you can buy in places like Amazon or Walmart are NOT very good for training at all. They typically only have 3 or so settings like “Low, Medium, and High”. I Highly recommend you do not use a product like this to train your dog. Mostly because the settings go from no sensation to high sensation which will most likely only scare your dog to death. Not teach her anything. No, training your dog with the proper equipment and professional coaching is essential for amazing results that never need to hurt or scare your dog. Instead, if taught properly, you could think of the E-collar as an invisible leash. One that you have a connection to your dog with and a knowing that your dog understands what you want and what you don’t want. That helps create a trust/bond relationship that is not only safer for your dog, but your dog will be more free while being much more safe on leash and off leash.