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.
This was very informative.
I have a jack Russell that we adopted from a local shelter,he goes after people’s feet,even people he knows. It is getting worse as he gets older. He witnessed our golden lab attacked 4 times by our neighbor’s Pitt bulls,and just recently,as of last month,his little play buddy(a puppy given to us) was attacked and killed in our yard by the same Pitts. Toby,my jack Russell,was trying to defend the puppy. Ever since then,he has not been the same. He now attacks my aunts in law dachshund,who Toby has grown up around,the attacking of the feet,and 2 Weeks ago we adopted another baby who is now on the receiving end of aggression. I was seriously thinking if bringing him back to the shelter after a year and a half of him in our family. I also considered shock collars,but now ,I think that may only make matters worse.
Yikes – how did that happen? Were your neighbor’s dogs roaming loose outside his property? It sounds dangerous. Were the incidents reported? Did Animal Care and Control take any action?
Hi, Thank you for your article. It was very informative.
My problem is that I have a dog that otherwise well trained, but is showing signs of people and dog aggression. She has already been in two dog fights in a month, the first she was jumped by someone’s dog who was roaming off leash, the second she attacked her “sister”. I have children in my neighborhood and I am terrified something bad will happen. My trainer recommended a shock collar for those moments when she begins showing aggression.
Do you agree or disagree with this course of action?
My Shiba Inu Sephy was also reactive to other dogs when he was young. I decided against using shock collars because-
1. They are risky to use. If not applied in exactly the right circumstance and with perfect technique and timing they can encourage aggression. For example, Polsky et al. showed that the dogs actually became more aggressive because they associated the shocks to people and animals rather than to their own behavior.
2. They increase stress in dogs and lower quality of life (Schalke’s study)
With Sephy, we used dog-to-dog desensitization exercises, combined with creating neutral experiences during our walks.
http://shibashake.com/dog/dog-to-dog-aggression
This is what I do to keep the peace at home with my dogs-
http://shibashake.com/dog/second-dog-introducing-a-second-dog
I loved this article and I even MORE appreciate all the comments people have left and you have taken the time to answer.
I too am looking for some help and answers.
Link is my 1 year old Siberian Husky. Link is extremely well exercised (he runs along side my bike 2-3 times daily for 30-40 minutes at a time) and taken care of. When he is indoors, he is wonderful. When he is on a leash, he does well. When Link is off leash, he is a free spirit! I can not for the life of me get Link to come when called off leash. I have tried treats (he does not respond to any of them outdoors, I have tried praise (it seems to bore him), I have tried “the invisible rope” (he is too dang smart and knows when that rope is not attached to him), I have tried playing tug when he comes (still nothing), I have tried running in the opposite direction and jumping up and down, I just looked stupid with no results.
I DO NOT KNOW WHAT is going to give Link the WANT to come to me. I can not seem to find a reward that will “outweigh” the benefit he feels from running off leash and not coming when called. What rewards if ANY can do this for a Husky? I know they were bred to run, eat little, and think independently. Is there any hope for me to have Link come when called??
He loves to play at the dog park but it is very stressful for me when it comes time to go home. If I try to approach him his runs away. There just doesn’t seem to be ANYTHING I can do to make it worth his while to come to me 🙁 The last visit to the park, thankfully he approached a stranger and the man was nice enough to hold on to Link’s collar till I could get there with his leash.
I SO badly want Link to have everything he enjoys, like playing at the park, but for his safety and my sanity I NEED to be able to have him come when called. I DO NOT want to resort to using a shock collar, it possible side effects seem too cruel. I am willing to work very hard to acheieve a reliable recall, I just need the guidance. Please, PLEASE help Link and I.
Hello Regina,
Here is an article that I like from the ASPCA on all the different recall techniques-
http://aspcabehavior.org/articles/84/Teaching-Your-Dog-to-Come-When-Called-.aspx
I usually start recall training in the backyard, and then very slowly increase the challenge. One thing that may help is to do recall in a structured setting with other dogs. For example, start with one calm dog in the backyard that is doing commands with his own handler.
My Shiba Inu was also very dog focused and we did a fair amount of dog desensitization training with him at our nearby SPCA. We started with a calm dog that was engaged with his SPCA trainer, then we slowly increased the challenge as his recall improved.
Many dogs learn that when they get called to “Come” it means that the park fun is over and they have to go home. They may get a treat, but a treat is not as good as playing at the park. Therefore, another useful exercise we did was call Sephy to come to us many times during his SPCA play session. If he comes he gets rewarded well and then he gets the best reward ever, which is to go back to playing. If he does not come, then play stops for a brief time and he has to do a set of commands, or do a brief mini timeout. Then we try again. This teaches him that –
“coming” = get rewarded with more play, whereas
“not coming” = play stops.
However, I do also want to say that going from a structured training scenario into an unstructured dog park situation is a big leap. Most of the dogs at the enclosed dog parks I have visited are not under good owner control or even supervised at all. Sephy ended up unlearning a lot of his lessons and also picking up a lot of bad habits at the enclosed park. He does a lot better with smaller, more highly supervised play groups, which is what we do today. We also do on-leash walks in non-enclosed hiking parks.
Here is more on our dog park experiences-
http://shibashake.com/dog/enclosed-dog-parks-good-or-bad
I was wondering if maybe you could help me with one of my two dachshunds. They are 3 years old and sisters. I bought them from a pet store at 6 months old (they were in there for 4 months). They have never really been apart other than for a few hours at a time. They are crate trained and share the same crate while we are out and for the night. Both dogs are not dominant but one is naturally very submissive and nervous. The other is the problem dog, she is the instigator, the submissive dog is very obedient and eager to please but as soon as her sister does something bad she will follow.
The “bad” dog has two issues, she barks at every little noise she hears, also when loose she runs at people and dogs as well as barks at them (they are really friendly dogs and do not attack, just run and bark). She has also chased cars down the street and just last week ran across a busy street after a dog and person after she broke loose and was almost hit by a car.
She does have an automatic anti-bark collar and knows not to bark when it is on, she also knows how to work it so she can still do a slight woof without receiving a shock. It truly does not get to the route of the problem as she still is doing these bad behaviors.
She behaves a lot better when her nervous sister is not around so I feel as though it may be some sort of protection for her sister.
They both listen well with everything else, it’s just this barking thing.
Any recommendations on how to curb this problem for good? I would love to allow her off leash and not have to worry about her barking at/chasing people!
Hello Jillian,
Yeah, Dachshunds have a very keen sense of smell and it is their instinct to follow their nose. I hear that the same is true of Beagles, which make it difficult to fully trust them off-leash. This site has some good information on the Dachshund personality-
http://www.allamericandachshundrescue.org/info/display?PageID=2944
Here are some of my experiences with barking-
http://shibashake.com/dog/woof-woof-stop-dog-barking
People desensitization exercises may also be helpful-
http://shibashake.com/dog/how-to-calm-a-fearful-reactive-dog#people
Hi,
i need some help. Our Standard schnauzer is very territorial. She barks at everything that comes up and down our street whether it be a car, bicycle or people. She will bark at birds flying above our house and lizards. This, however, is not even the biggest problem. When people come over she attacks them, she actually bites them and i can’t stop her. I feel really bad all the time, no one wants to visit any more becuase of her. I have tried all different types of training, but nothing ever seems to work. we have found out that she has fear aggresion. Will a barking collar help or hinder our situation? Will it make her stop attacking people when they walk through the gate, becuase when she attacks people she barks at them as well. She barks at anything and everything. Please help!
Hmmm, can you elaborate?
For dogs with fear aggression issues, desensitization exercises can be helpful.
http://shibashake.com/dog/how-to-calm-a-fearful-reactive-dog
Administering a shock or some other aversive stimulus may make an already fearful dog even more fearful, and runs the risk of causing more aggression. This was shown by Polsky’s study.
http://shibashake.com/dog/dog-shock-collar-good-bad#aggression
In such situations, it may be very helpful to get a professional trainer to come and observe the dog. A good trainer will be able to read the dog’s body language and identify what events are triggering the aggressive behavior. Then we can slowly desensitize our dog to those triggers and help her gain confidence.
Shibashake,
I have an 8 month old AKC husky. He has a really bad problem with excessive and nuisance barking. We live in a semi-suburban area that contains many houses. He refuses to be quiet in his crate inside (even after reward training) and will not be quiet outside unless you are out there with him at all times. How do I fix this problem with him before our landlady gets a complaint from our neighbors and forces us to leave? I’ve tried the TERMINATOR 2 bark collar, he took the battery case cover and the battery out in the backyard. I’ve also tried audible correction with a smack on the top of the nose when he does it if I’m outside with him and he still does it. What can we do? Please email me back. Thanks.
Hello Casey,
My younger Husky, Lara, is also very vocal. Taking her on long walks every day helps a lot. I also make her work for all of her food, and I institute the NILIF (Nothing in Life is Free) program at home. She is less likely to make a fuss when she has had a full day of activity.
I also taught her the Quiet command so that her barking is under behavioral control.
Good review. Well written. I am glad you came to the conclusion that there is a better way! As a certified professional clicker trainer, and a trainer whose method has evolved from military-style, force-based “yank and thank” training to positive reinforcement to The Third Way and finally to clicker training as taught in the Karen Pryor Academy I am definitely of the school of thought that the risks of aversive, force-based training far outweigh the benefits. Clicker training is a far more effective and versatile method of training than correction-based training. Further, the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior and the American College of Animal Behaviorists advise against using trainers who use shock collars, choke chain collars and prong collars as well as dominance-based methods such as those used by Cesar Millan.
I have a siberian husky 6.5 week old puppy. The best way to describe him and our situation is exactly like Milo who posted the other day here. My sib. puppy however, JUST ROCKET LAUNCHES at the food when he see’s it. He is trained to sit but when he see’s the full amount of food, not shielded by my hand, he sits, unless its close, he goes nuts and the moment I put it in the bowl it’s like he has NEVER EATEN. and I am certainly feeding him right… vets told me 1- 1.5 cups of the specific dog food per day.. I am up to 1.5 now and i mix in rice and sometimes potatoes. But i don’t over do it. Is this his reaction due to me always hand feeding him slowly bit by bit over a course of 4-10 minutes, for at least 1 of the 3 meals a day. Originally I was doing it for the majority of his meals. Is this bad? He will go in his crate to eat…. but he just POUNDS it down without even chewing it,,, which is why i also like hand feeding because he will actually crunch it in his teeth if it’s not over 2 kibbles at a time..otherwise its just full force into the hand, no chewing, just super fast swallowing.
Hello Apkallu,
Congratulations on your new Sibe puppy!
Both my Sibes also love eating food and will inhale their food if they could. However, I find that it is best to make them work for *all* of their food.
I use their daily food portions for obedience training, bite inhibition training, handling exercises, grooming, play rewards, during walks, and other activities. Whatever is left over, I put in interactive food toys.
In this way, they learn that Nothing in Life is Free, and that they get what they want most by working for me, and cooperating with me. It also slows down the speed of their eating, which as I understand it, is more healthy.
Shibashake,
I recently got a sweet little 6 week male Siberian Husky companion.
I am a college student living in a condo, I do have the time for him and his stimulation, except that I would like to be able to go to work for 3 hours without him being a crate crying the whole time. He doesn’t whine out of the crate if I’m gone, but he eats stuff he shouldn’t, and there is a 40% chance he will do business in the non-designated spot. I guess then my problem doesn’t lie with getting him to not cry when in a crate (impossible, he will cry…i tested it today, left him in there…after 20 minutes of pure volume and in so many different melodies I casually without making eye contact slowly made my way to him. Even in front of him he still would whine..if he stopped for a second I would put my hand in and start petting him, so if he started up it was just a whimper..eventually got him to sleep but this doesn’t seem right… its a giant crate… can’t put it in room at night, so he sleeps with us.. so here I am with a few ideas…
-I could train him while he is IN his cage, with positive reinforcement of snacks..but train him to do what? bark on command? so he wont bark when not asked? or wouldn’t that teach him that barking gets him treats?
He is smart, I already taught him to sit by using positive reinforcement, even to stay… but he gets the two mixed up so am sticking with just sit for now..and might change the word stay to HOLD, or WAIT.
-I could just not crate train him… he isn’t scared of the crate, he goes in it to eat, and walks in there by himself,,, just doesn’t like it closed with him inside it. Rather than crate train, just let him keep at what he’s doing, and just keep working on potty training and not chewing up stuff while gone… because I’m sure he will not bark.
To sum it up, my biggest fear is him yelping while i’m gone and getting me kicked out for that reason… he is a husky after all and will howl cause it is natural for him… but where he does it should be something I can enforce through positive training. He is definitely one of the most intelligent dogs I have personally known. His problem is just making sounds I thought only a human could make with practice..
Any help with what I should do or ideas or something I’m not thinking of that I could do would be VERY much appreciated!
Hello Milo,
My Sibes will go into their crate at night to sleep, but during the day they do not go in there (unless something is wrong). My younger Sibe Lara especially likes to pace, so she likes being in the house or backyard where she can move around.
During the times when I am not home, I usually put puppy in a long-term enclosure or room. I make sure there is nothing dangerous in the enclosure. I put safe chew toys and safe interactive food toys in there. I also put some bedding, puppy pads, and water.
In terms of training not to bark, one way to do this is to teach a dog the Quiet command.
http://shibashake.com/dog/woof-woof-stop-dog-barking#quiet
Here is what I do to get my dogs used to their crates-
http://shibashake.com/dog/how-to-calm-a-fearful-reactive-dog#crate
In general, I try to set them up for success so that they do not whine while in the crate. If they start whining, then I wait until they stop before giving them any attention, even eye contact. Often, I will also reward my dogs for staying calm and resting quietly. This teaches them that-
Whine = No attention
Stay calm and quiet = Attention, play, and other rewards.
Dear Shibashake,
I really need your advice. We have a Terrier mix that is sooo sweet to us. He loves our one-year old, does not show aggression when you go near his food bowl, and is so gentle with us. But (big but) he dislikes strangers. Usually when someone comes over to visit I tell them to ignore him. When they do he eventually warms up to them within minutes and wants to be pet. This usually works well with grown ups but he is really scared of kids. When our niece comes over he is so scared of her and aggressive. We tell her not to pet him and he usually avoids her when she’s running around the house. Yesterday a group of kids were playing in front of our house and the gate was open in the yard. We are very careful with keeping it closed but my husband was doing yard work and I didn’t know that the gate was open. Next thing we know he is barking like crazy and he bit one of the kids! It wasn’t a serious bite. He was just bruised a little but did not bleed. But oh my god I was so worried. I’ve been worrying about it since. The child was fine and was playing shortly after I gave him ice. I have thought about getting a shock collar before and decided not to. But now I am really considering it. I have contacted dog behavior specialists and can’t really afford them. Would you recommend a shock collar? And if not, how should I specifically train him with positive reinforcement. If he runs up to the gate and barks at people, how should i stop him? We love our dog and really want to correct this behavior. Any advise would be appreciated! thanks.
Hello Vanessa,
I decided against using shock collars for my dog because-
1. It may increase stress and lowers quality of life.
2. It is very risky and may worsen aggression issues.
3. It may negatively impact our bond with our dog.
In terms of getting a dog more comfortable with people, desensitization exercises have worked out well with my dogs.
http://shibashake.com/dog/how-to-calm-a-fearful-reactive-dog#people
People desensitization exercises help the dog to re-associate positive events with the fearful stimulus so that he can gain confidence, and deal with stressful situations by using alternative behaviors rather than aggression. During desensitization though, it is important to manage our dog so that he does not get exposed to situations that will cause him to get fearful and lose control.
The key is to set our dog up for success by maximizing positive controlled events, and minimizing negative events where the dog feels overwhelmed.