The shock collar, remote training collar, or electronic dog collar is most commonly used in four areas –
- Keep dogs inside our property. Our dog is corrected every time he nears the fence-line. This is also known as an invisible fence or underground fence.
- Stop dogs from barking. The collar automatically delivers a correction whenever our dog starts to bark. If he continues to bark, the force, duration, and frequency of the shocks may be automatically increased.
- Train dogs and stop problem dog behaviors. Shock collars are most commonly used for off-leash training. However, some dog trainers and pet owners also use it for behavioral issues such as food aggression, and dog aggression.
- Teach dogs to stay away from dangerous animals and objects. A common use is in rattlesnake aversion training. A dog is shocked hard, but a very small number of times, when he nears a caged rattlesnake. This teaches him not to approach rattlesnakes in the future.
The use of shock collars on dogs is a very emotional topic. Discussions will often degrade into personal attacks, accusations of dog cruelty, and other types of name calling.
In this article, I will try to stick to the facts, and consider whether it is something I would use on my dogs. Note however, that facts are not always convenient, and facts are not always balanced between the two sides.
If you have already made up your mind about using electronic collars and are looking for validation, this article is not for you.
Electronic Collars vs. Shock Collars
Not all electronic collars are used as shock collars. There are three main modes – 1. Beep mode, 2. Vibrate mode, and 3. Shock mode.
All electronic collars have the shock functionality, but the beep or vibrate functions are optional.
1. Beep mode
In this mode, a beep is emitted whenever the collar controller is pressed. This beep can be used as a marker, in the same way that clickers are used in clicker training.
For the beep to be an effective marker, a dog needs prior training for associating the sound with a positive or negative consequence. For example, if the beep always precedes a sought after reward, then our dog may stop and wait, because he knows that something good is coming. Similarly, a dog may freeze or submit when he hears a beep, because he knows that failure to comply, will be followed by a painful shock.
The beep can also cause a startle response, similarly to blowing a whistle. This can be used to get our dog’s attention or to interrupt his current action. However, for this to work, we must only use the interrupt signal on very rare occasions. If applied too frequently, our dog will become accustomed to it, and just ignore it.
2. Vibrate mode
In this mode, the collar vibrates, similar to how our pager or phone vibrates to get our attention. Like the beep mode, this vibration can be used as a marker or as an interrupt.
Both the beep and vibrate modes do not deliver an electric shock to the dog.
3. Shock mode.
In shock mode, the electronic collar will deliver an electric current to the dog through two contact points at the dog’s neck.
This electric current will cause pain and physical discomfort to the dog, otherwise it would not be effective in conditioning him.
The amount of pain delivered to the dog will depend on three key factors –
- The power/voltage of the electric current,
- The duration of the current, and
- The frequency of the current.
The amount of pain that the dog actually feels, will also depend on the physical characteristics of the dog (e.g. size, skin, and fur), as well as the temperament of the dog. Some dogs are more sensitive to pain than others.
Sometimes, words like stimulation are used to describe shock collars. I even saw them described as gentle training collars.
Beware of these sales gimmicks. Accept an electronic collar for what it is. If you choose to use it, make an informed decision that is based on the actual pros and cons of the system, which I will discuss below. Note that the subsequent discussion is solely based on the shock functionality of remote training collars (not on the beep and vibrate modes).
The Good
1. Allows us to control the amount of pain delivered to our dog, and administer that pain from a distance.
One of the great challenges of implementing pain based aversive techniques such as leash jerks, muzzle slaps, and finger pokes, is in controlling the amount of force delivered to the dog.
- Too much force and our dog may break down, and become extremely stressed or fearful.
- Too little force and our dog will get habituated to the corrections, and just ignore them.
Master aversive trainers are able to deliver just the right amount of force, so that the dog will not repeat a bad behavior, but at the same time, he will also not become unbalanced and fearful.
Unlike other aversive methods, remote training collars allows us to easily adjust the amount of pain delivered to a dog, and to keep that level of pain consistent in subsequent corrections. We can also administer the pain from a distance.
However, it should also be mentioned that the amount of pain actually ‘felt’ by the dog as well as the resulting response, depends on many different factors, not just the level of shock applied.
Although these devices are presented as a highly controllable method of modifying behaviour, via the controlled administering of pain/discomfort (the collars are designed to allow operator to set the duration and intensity of shock), an individual animal’s experience when a shock is applied will be influenced by numerous factors. In addition to individual temperament, the experience will be affected by the dog’s previous experiences, frequency of application, location of shock, thickness of hair and level of moisture on skin (Lindsay, 2005). Given that many of these factors are not easily determinable by the operator, this makes the device far less precise than suggested.
~~[RSPCA]
2. Can automatically deliver a shock correction to the dog, even when we are not there.
Another challenge of implementing proper aversive corrections, is using the right timing. We want to correct our dog as soon as he performs an unacceptable behavior, and stop correcting him as soon as he stops that behavior.
Electronic collars can be tied to a particular trigger event, such as barking or proximity to our fence-line. In this way, a shock is automatically and consistently delivered to the dog, as soon as he starts to bark or tries to escape. In fact, the invisible fence or shock anti-bark systems are convenient, because we do not even have to be there to deliver the corrections.
Shock collars such as these may sound tempting and easy to use, but unfortunately, consistent and automatic timing does not necessarily mean correct timing.
Studies show that automatic collars are risky, because tying a shock correction to a single trigger event, such as barking or proximity, is too simplistic and will frequently result in bad timing. This can subsequently lead to aggression and other dog behavioral issues.
There are some anti-bark collars that use sound aversion to stop dog barking, for example the Ultrasonic Anti-bark Collar. However, customer reviews have been poor because the sound stimulus is often insufficient to prevent the barking behavior.
3. The source of the aversive stimulus is less clear.
When we use other pain-based aversive techniques, it is usually obvious that the pain comes from us. This may teach our dogs to associate people with physical distress, which can also lead to fear. If this happens, we may lose some of our dog’s trust, and jeopardize our bond with him.
For example, when we apply a leash correction, it is apparent that the pain originates from the leash, and sometimes (if not redirected), from us. Therefore, the dog may decide to fight with the leash, or worse, with us.
This is less of a problem with electronic collars because the source of the pain is obscured, and there is no leash to fight with. However, because the pain comes from seemingly nowhere, our dog may mistakenly associate it with something he sees in the environment (e.g. another dog), the environment itself, or to multiple unrelated objects and events. This may cause misplaced stress, fear, and aggression, toward those objects.
Automatic shock collars also have a high risk of over-correcting a dog.
The Bad
1. May increase aggression in dogs.
According to Polsky’s study, dogs kept in shock containment systems (i.e. invisible fence or underground fence), can show extreme aggression towards humans, over and beyond their normal behavior.
Polsky’s results show that a big danger with electronic collars, especially automatic e-collars, is that they may cause dogs to make the wrong associations, and learn the wrong things.
Dogs may associate the pain from the shock with the environment or with objects in the environment (including humans , dogs, or cats), rather than with their escaping or barking behaviors. This may lead to anxiety or negative associations with those objects, which can ultimately result in aggression.
Some dogs that have been conditioned in this manner, may not want to set foot in the yard, for worry of pain. They may also start to attack humans and other animals, that wander too close to the fence perimeter.
Some dogs may get habituated to the shocks, and learn that if they can tolerate the pain close to the fence-line, they can escape. Once they escape, they are rewarded with no more shocks. In this way, the dog learns that escaping is a good thing, whereas staying in the backyard is not.
2. May increase stress in dogs and reduce their quality of life.
Schalke et al. conducted an electronic collar training study on fourteen laboratory-bred Beagles. Shock collar training was conducted over 7 days, for 1.5 hours per day. Then the dogs were released to freely hunt for 5 days, and to hunt on leash for another 5 days. Schalke’s study showed that the dogs who
… were able to clearly associate the electric stimulus with their action, i.e. touching the prey, and consequently were able to predict and control the stressor, did not show considerable or persistent stress indicators.
~~[ Excerpt from ScienceDirect.com ]
However, the two other groups of dogs that were not able to so clearly predict and control the delivery of the shocks, showed elevated stress levels, with the highest levels present in the dogs that were arbitrarily shocked.
Most importantly, the group of dogs that received a shock for not abiding by a recall (Here) command, were also significantly elevated.
Even more distressing, is that the results remained the same when the dogs were reintroduced to the testing area after four weeks. Their stress levels remained high, even though they did not receive any shocks during this reintroduction period.
The results from Schalke’s study indicate that electronic collars are extremely risky to use even for the short term. Stress levels of the dogs were high after just 7 days, and were elevated as soon as they returned to the shock treatment environment. This is consistent with Polsky’s study, which show that dogs may associate the shock and stress they receive, with the environment itself.
This study provides strong evidence that shock collars are inappropriate for most kinds of dog training, as even common recall training will result in elevated stress levels, and a lower quality of life.
3. May weaken our bond with our dog.
Polsky and Schalke’s studies show that dogs often associate the pain from electronic collars with their environment, as well as with people, animals, and other objects in that environment. Even after shocks are no longer administered, the dogs still attach the environment to something stressful and negative.
Therefore, using a remote training collar on our dog may cause him to associate our home or backyard, with stress and pain. Or worse yet, it may cause him to associate the stress with other dogs, other people, or with us.
Remember that Schalke’s results show this negative attachment forming in a matter of 7 days.
Alternative to Shock Corrections
When I first got my Shiba Inu, I had a lot of problems with him. At the time, I was under the false impression that reward methods would not work on my dominant, stubborn, and aggressive Shiba Inu. Therefore, I was using aversive training and briefly considered the use of electronic collars, because the other aversive-based methods were not working well.
However, after doing a lot of reading, I decided to give reward dog training a chance.
Reward training is not a miracle cure, and it will still take a lot of work, consistency, and patience, to train our dog. However, reward techniques can work on dominant, stubborn, and aggressive dogs. It has worked well for training my Shiba. In fact, he stopped showing aggression toward me and others, after I stopped using pain-based methods.
Common Justifications for Shock Collars
1. Save a dog’s life.
Proponents of electronic collars sometimes argue that they are used to save a dog’s life, by preventing him from running into traffic.
It is important to note that off-leash recall is never 100% reliable, whatever equipment or training methods we may choose to use.
This is why there are leash laws in most neighborhoods. This is also why off-leash parks require dogs to be on-leash when they are in the parking lot area, or in areas that are close to roads and traffic.
I use a no-slip collar and secure leash to walk my dogs in the neighborhood. I also regularly check the collar and leash to ensure that they in good working order. Off-leash exercise can be had in fully enclosed spaces or large parks, where we are far enough away from traffic that a failed recall, will not result in an accident. Do not play Russian Roulette with our dog’s life.
2. Do not cause much pain, just a tingle.
Some people try remote training collars on themselves, and report that it only causes a tingle, so it really does not apply much pain to our dog.
However, to closely experience shock collar conditioning from my dog’s perspective, I would have to put the collar on my neck and surrender the controller to a handler. I will not know why, when, or where the shocks will be administered.
As I carry on with my day, I may feel the need for a smoke. I reach for it, and feel a tingle on my neck. It is just a tingle, so I continue.
At this point, the tingle not only persists, but increases in intensity. I am strong willed though, so I keep going. After all, that is exactly why I needed the shock collar in the first place.
The intensity keeps increasing until finally, I drop the bad object. My hand shakes. The experience was unpleasant, and now I want relief more than ever. Unfortunately, I do not even have a patch, all I have is this locked-on collar that I cannot remove. My eyes stray and my hands start to reach again …
Electronic collars are NOT harmless, nor are they just a little tingly. If they were so, they would not work. Their use is illegal for children and non-consenting adults. Here is another case in Utah. Trying the collar on ourselves, and doing a single, short, expected shock, at low intensity, is *not* how the collar will be used on our dogs. It is merely a gimmick to convince us that the collars are innocuous. If they were truly so harmless –
- Why is their use banned for children and non-consenting adults.
- Why is there so much scientific data showing how risky they can be.
- Why are they on the “do not use” list of so many well-respected dog advocate organizations.
- Why would they “work” on our stubborn dog, when other pain based aversive collars such as prong collars or choke collars have stopped working.
Logic tells us that this is a false claim.
3. Everybody else is biased and dishonest.
Another common argument, is that those who point out the risks of remote training collars are biased and dishonest. Personal attacks or ad hominem arguments such as these are not only pointless, but they also discourage rational discourse and the exchange of ideas. More on bias.
In this article, I describe what attracted me to look into electronic collars as a possible training tool for my Shiba Inu, as well as some of the risks that were of concern. Based on the studies and articles that I found, I also include counter-arguments (if present) for each of those points. In general, I found very little scientific evidence to recommend its use, while at the same time, there are many studies that show the risks involved.
After reading the results of Polsky and Schalke, it is difficult for me to come up with cases where the shock collar would be appropriate in dog training. Perhaps the only case would be in animal aversion training, such as teaching our dogs to fear and stay-away from rattlesnakes.
If you know of supporting scientific studies or substantiated data which highlight the good of remote training collars, it would certainly contribute much to the discussion, so please share them with us.
However, based on current reliable data, shock collars are not something I would use on my own dogs or generally recommend to others. It is also worth noting that the ASPCA, AVSAB, RSPCA, Kennel Club, and Blue Cross, are all against the use of shock collars for companion dogs.
I am only looking into shock collars because my coegi was recently hit by a truck because he likes to chase/race cars and we live in the country and he is out often or was and when i am not home i live with other people who even if i want to keep him in even if he is in my room Somehow he is let out. It is to where our driveway is just a straight shot so i was thinking of almost a post or pole that has a rage if he gets in it that it will administer a shock. I cannot keeps eyes on him and on who is coming in and out or even on the road, is there even such a thing as a range post?
Hello. I have a lab mix and she is very energetic and playful, but she can run faster than me or my husband can ever dream of. We got a shock collar to train boundaries because she needs to run! I am quickly assoiciating the shock with the beep to use the beep as an aversion instead of the shock. We tried recall training and treats for staying within her boundaries but nothing worked because of something of more interest. We tried a longer leash but still she can’t run very much before it tugs her back. If we let her run, she is better behaved in the house because her energy is lower. I honestly think recall and positive reinforcement would have worked if she wasn’t so outgoing to other dogs and our dear neighbor who leaves scraps out for animals(one of the major reasons for boundary training, we don’t want her to get sick). IDK if it was for sure the right thing yet but we feel it was the only option short of tying her up outside with limited space on our 12 acres of land.
This is a current discussion so I have hopes that my post will elicit some constructive advice. My new wife and I have 3 female dogs, she brought 2 Airedales to the marriage and I got my teacup Yorkie, my ex kept the Westie and The Golden. We have been together for 3 years now and purchased a home together and are working on blending our lives. My teacup is perfectly socialized and requires little or no discipline in all situations. The older Airedale at 10 is well socialized and other than being very fragile emotionally is well behaved. The younger Airedale is 7 and is extremely difficult to handle. She is a loving dog and seems eager to please but she has the most challenging behavior of a dog I have ever dealt with. She has assumed the alpha role and is only somewhat submissive to me. She regularly bullies the other dogs and at times causes problems, she will knock down the older terrier and aggressively “taunt in a semi playfull” way. It causes us concern as the older dog is experiencing hip issues and the vet has warned us to be careful with her as she can be seriously injured. We have to be extremely vigilant with the teacup as I have caught the younger terrier overtly using very rough play with her ( flipping her with her nose and pouncing with her front paws at the teacup). She could very easily hurt or cripple the little girl and she seems oblivious to this.
The most frustrating behavior is the younger Airedales tendency to very sneakily time her opportunities to escape from our home, yard or leash and go on these neighborhood rampages where she stays just outside our reach and taunts us with this run and chase game. We have tried everything from ignoring her when she runs and just monitoring her until we can catch her which has almost gotten her run over a few times to enlisting half the neighborhood to corral her.
She is now approaching 8 years old and isn’t showing any signs of maturing, I am a patient man and have owned and trained many dogs but am at my wits end here. My wife has arranged to give me one of my greatest wishes, another West Highland Terrier, I was so bonded to my last Westie, it broke my heart when my ex decided to keep him. I am looking forward to another Westie and the training experience but I am so afraid of what will happen with the younger Airedale. I have two months to try to work it out with the Airedale before the pup comes home and I am wondering if I should try shock collar training to try and reign in this terror, we have tried every other kind of training and have had little or no success. I veiw this as my failure not the dogs, I just haven’t fiqured out how to get through to her. Please any constructive advice is appreciated.
With my dogs, I set up clear dog-to-dog play rules, and I supervise them well during play-time to enforce those rules. I make sure that there is no bullying, and I manage their excitement level by throwing in many play-breaks. When they get over-excited, is when they usually start to play rough and when things start to escalate. Therefore, managing their excitement level is a very important part of keeping play-time controlled and successful.
More on what I do with my dogs during play-time.
I do not leave my dogs alone together until I am very sure that there will be no issues, and I exercise them well before any alone time. I also set up a very fixed routine for my dogs, a consistent set of house rules, and they work for all of the things that they want.
What is the younger Airedale’s daily routine like? Has she always shown these behaviors or did they only develop recently? What types of activities does she enjoy?
Yeah, I think many dogs do this, not because of dominance but because it initiates a fun and interesting game. With my dogs, I do recall training exercises. In addition, I train them on door manners, so that they learn not to bolt out doors. I also try to set them up for success by providing a fixed routine and structured activities throughout the day (e.g. making them work for all of their food). In this way, they know exactly what to expect, and they have many structured outlets for their energy.
More on how I deal with dog escapes.
ASPCA article on recall training.
More on dominance and bad dog behavior.
I have 2 dogs on which I use shock collars. A 60 lb Shiba mix and a 60 lb Husky/Malamute mix. It was my last resort. After major discussion with a farmer and his deer rifle as they chased his cows, watching the Shiba retrieve a fawn from the river and proceed to kill it, kill two of my neighbors cats, chasing and many times killing squirrels, birds, moles, gophers I was at wits end. They also chase coyotes all the way back to their den and I can only pray they are not pack attacked. I spent much $$s on training /behavior. The e-collar was the only salvation. I was not abusive, gave only quick bursts to break their focus and shock level only enough to turn them back. All after trying the beep first.
Did it work for your dogs? I too am at my wits end and would use it with quick corrections. My dogs almost were killed today when they wouldn’t come back and ran into a busy parking lot approaching a major street. Nothing else is working.
Why are your dogs off leash and running wild? Don’t allow that and you won’t have these issues to begin with.
HI Sandi, and anyone looking to get a shock collar. I to have those problems with my shep. he love to run after anything. Live In the mountains and was afraid of coyotes ,bobcats, hunters. so bought the shock collar worked great. Until this morning. shock collar malfunctioned and all most killed him. Kept going off and did not know what was going on because they are silent. he couldn’t walk very good. Removed the shock collar and he fell to ground. I did hymlik on him and slowly he started to come around. I thank God I was here. and he hadn’t run off with it on. we would of never found him and he wouldn’t be with us now. I hope this helps with anyone wanting to buy a shock collar. I did all kinds of research before I bought it and have not heard of this. So I felt I needed to inform everyone.
I am considering a shock collar for my dog. He is generally a great dog, and very obedient to recall, except when he sees sheep!
Unfortunately this behavior has already resulted in the death of one sheep, hence he kenneled at night and on a long leash during the day, except for walk times when he is still on the leash but going for a walk with the family.
I want him to be able to roam the property and not worry about mine or other people’s livestock being a threat, what are your thoughts?
Regards,
Tony
Based on Christiansen and Shalke’s studies, animal aversion training (e.g. training a dog to fear and avoid snakes or sheep) is one of the few cases where shock collars do not significantly increase stress levels in dogs, if done right. Here is the relevant excerpt –
However, there are also warnings that the training has to be done in exactly the right way. In addition, pain will still be applied.
Personally, I would consider other types of training first. These two articles have more on retraining prey chasing behavior-
http://drsophiayin.com/blog/entry/how-do-i-train-my-dog-to-stop-chasing-the-chickens-cat-rat
http://www.patriciamcconnell.com/theotherendoftheleash/chase-this-not-that
I have always felt positive reinforcement worked best. Say no to unwanted behavior, then promptly show the wanted behavior and reward for it. I prefer the gentle approach. Dogs want to please us and working together creates a great bond, And
the dog does the wanted behavior to please you. I think with the shock/vvibration collars only deliver negative with no instruction on what to do instead. And less communication with you to learn how to please you.
Has anybody thought about further problems that might be associated with using any of these advices…….like triggering seizures ?! I guess we might never know, but I wouldn’t say 100% that it cannot. And that something we have been dealing recently……
good point m8
First off, thank you for your article…
My dog trainer is suggesting using an e-collar (specifically the “e-collar” brand/model) as he does not respond to correction using the slip or prong collar. She first asked me to try the collar on myself so that I’m comfortable with it. My dog responded to the collar at a level 4. I could not even sense anything until over twice that level at level 10 (range is from 0-100). Even then I could not notice anything other than a faint “pulse”. No “shock”, no pain, etc.
Is the “e-collar” that much different than a traditional “shock collar” or am I just missing something all together?
Please help as I’m very confused and stumbled upon your article while trying to make an informed decision on how to proceed.
Thanks!
Aversive collars such as choke collars, prong collars, and shock collars/electronic collars use pain to suppress behaviors. In particular, the aversive stimulus (e.g. pain) triggers an aversive response in the dog, which then causes him to stop his current behavior in order to avoid further unpleasantness.
My first trainer was an aversive based trainer, so I started doing corrections using a regular collar. The first bunch of times I corrected my dog, I was able to suppress his undesirable behaviors. However, he quickly got used to it, and I had to make stronger and stronger corrections to trigger an aversive response. Finally, the trainer suggested that I use a prong, to make stronger corrections (i.e. apply more pain).
When I started using the prong, it worked great at first, but then my dog got habituated to it again, and then I had to start making stronger corrections, until finally it didn’t work anymore. At this point, I did a lot of reading on dog behavior and decided to go with a different type of training, which has worked out well for my dogs.
For aversive collars to “work”, we need to apply the right amount of pain. The level needed will change depending on the dog, past experiences, current environment, etc. In the beginning, my dog responded quickly to a “new” piece of equipment because it was something unexpected, then he responded because the pain applied was greater, then he simply got habituated to the pain and stopped responding.
There are other risks associated with electronic collars that are not present with other collars because the source of the stimulus is unclear. This creates a higher risk for a dog to make the wrong associations. There is more discussion about this in the article above.
Finally, aversive collars work by suppressing behaviors that are undesirable to us, but they do not address the source of the behavior. For example, my dog was vocalizing because of anxiety. I may suppress that behavior in the short term by using aversive collars, but in the long term, it would only make things worse because applying pain to my already anxious dog will only cause him to get more stressed. The pain may stop his barking behavior in the short term, but the underlying issue (his anxiety) is still there.
Now, I try to understand where my dog’s behavior is coming from first. Once I understand that, I can help him overcome the issue at the source. In this way, I am not just suppressing the symptoms in the short term.
More on how I deal with my dog’s bad behavior.
More on how dogs learn.
More on aversive training.
https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/finding-professional-help
My husband and I have 2 pitbulls. They are both neutered males from the same litter. We got the first one at 8 weeks old and the 2nd one when the original owner couldn’t find him a home around 6 months. Once we got them acclimated things were fine. But eventually they started being aggressive towards each other regarding food, toys and us. Unfortunately, they got into a fight that lasted about 10 minutes and resulted in severe injuries to our first dog. We don’t want to give up on either dog, so after we got them medical treatment we had a dog trainer come. We use commands and separately they listen. We are now muzzling, and medicating (doggy prozac) and are now considering shock collars to deter the aggression. I would be interested to know your thoughts on our situation. Thank you.
That sounds like resource guarding behavior.
http://shibashake.com/dog/why-dogs-get-aggressive-over-food-toys
In serious cases of aggression, it is best to get help from a good professional trainer. However, the dog training field is not well regulated, so finding a good trainer can be challenging. What techniques did your trainer suggest? Did your trainer suggest using prozac and shock collars?
https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/finding-professional-help
Dogs develop food/object guarding behaviors because they associate another dog coming near their stuff with something negative. Personally, I would stay away from using shock collars. Injecting pain and more stress into an already volatile situation is highly risky, and may cause even more extreme and erratic behavior. In addition, it will create even more negative associations with other dogs.
http://www.badrap.org/keeping-peace
More on how I help my dogs get along.
Given that the aggression is serious, it is best and safest to find a good trainer/behaviorist.
https://apdt.com/pet-owners/choosing-a-trainer/
Hi Amy
No, I would highly discourage using any aversion therapy with your dogs at this point. Not that I am any authority, other than my own. But your dogs seems to lack emotional well being, and that is what I think is the source of their aggression.
They seem to need a change of outlook in life, a more positive outlook. They need to feel more safe. They need oxytocin, more trust.
Then they will relax more and be happier, and more allowing.
I have a 5 month old small bread pup. she attacked and killed a pet chicken at a friends house. she shows no interest in the chickens until she thinks i am out of site. i hid and watched her pace the cage through a window and she would not come when called. i think if i let her associate the negativity towards the chook run she mite stay away from it. i don’t like the idea of shock collars but if she attacks another one it will be requested she gets put down. is it justified to use one?
I am not sure that I fully understand. Are the chickens at a friend’s house or your house? Can a fence be built around the chicken area? Is she an outside dog and therefore has to be around the chickens? What is her daily routine like?
When I am trying to change my dog’s behavior, I look at the source of the behavior and I consider *all* the training techniques available to bring about that change. The question that I ask myself is which technique is going to be most effective in the long-run and which will result in the best long-term quality of life for my dog.
As I described in the article above, shock collars can be used for animal aversion training, e.g. training a dog to stay away from snakes, sheep, or chickens. When properly applied, studies show that for this particular type of training, the shocks do not increase stress levels in dogs. However, proper timing and use is extremely important. Therefore, if I were to do animal aversion training with my dog, I would only do so under the direction of a good professional trainer.
There are many training and management techniques available to address chasing prey type behaviors though, so my first step would be to look at all the available techniques, and start with those I think are safe, effective, and will lead to a good long-term quality of life for my dog.
Here are two articles dealing with prey chasing behavior-
http://drsophiayin.com/blog/entry/how-do-i-train-my-dog-to-stop-chasing-the-chickens-cat-rat
http://www.patriciamcconnell.com/theotherendoftheleash/chase-this-not-that