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.
Hi I have two sube dogs. We have the underground electric fence and never thought it would work on our then 2 year old, Spirit, who loved to run. However it was perfect and at 7 she stays in the yard with no collar. Our other pup, Princess, learned early on to jump thru the shock to get the yummy treats (geese, turkeys, ducks) the farm up the road had to offer. We cannot keep her in the yard without tying her. However occasionally she gets loose and we get “treats”. We are very lucky to have understanding neighbors. Recently she got loose and got into a fight with the neighbors dog who then needed stitches. This has me very concerned about what may happen the next time. She is good with Spirit and with our new 4mth old shepherd pup. You do have to keep an eye on her that she does not get too worked up. So I was wondering if you thought I should be concerned about her behavior with the neighbors dog? No one was there to see why she attacked it. When she gets loose we can not get her back until she is tired and comes home on her own. (She is 4 years old). Any thoughts or advice welcome. I am very concerned about the neighbors and getting in a row with them but love my dog.
Yes. Dog fights are never a good thing, our dog may get hurt, someone else’s dog may get hurt, and people may get hurt when they try to intervene. I love my dogs very much as well, and it would be terrible if one of them got attacked or got hurt from a fight.
As you say, dogs can consistently escape through an invisible or underground fence. In addition, Polsky and other studies show that such fences can also encourage aggression. As you say, dogs can also escape from tie-outs, and there are other associated risks. Tie-outs and invisibile fences also do not prevent outside dogs, and other animals from coming in to our dog’s area and starting something.
What has worked well for my Huskies, is to build a secure fence around our backyard. We also put concrete blocks below the fence to prevent them from digging out. Some people bury their fence or use blocks of wood to prevent underground escapes.
To save on cost, we can start by first fencing off a smaller exercise area. Alternatively, we can keep our dogs inside, and only have them outside under human supervision.
I have a one year old french masiff who is generally well behaved except has “excitement aggression” towards whom ever is walking him. At the end of a walk for instance, he will suddenly start jumping at me, trying to bite my arms and feet, for no apparent reason. He may occasionally do the same activity if some else pets him or a dog plays with him, yep he turns to me and becomes uncontrollable. I have to spray him with vinger several times to settle him down, but the whole routine is becoming a fiasco. Embarssing and sometimes painful…otherwise a great dog. ECollar?
For dog-to-people and dog-to-dog excitement or reactivity issues, I do desensitization training with my dogs.
With desensitization training, I first expose my dog to a very weakened version of the stimulus, e.g. stand a comfortable distance away from a calm person, who is not giving any attention to my dog, and is just sitting still, reading a book. I teach my dog to focus on me, stay calm, and use alternate behaviors (Sit) in the presence of the “person-stimulus”.
Once we are comfortable doing this, we take one step closer to the person and repeat the exercise. As we have more successful sessions, my dog learns to associate other people with positive events, being calm, and looking to me for direction.
Here is more on people desensitization exercises and dog-to-dog desensitization exercises.
Here is my story on being embarrassed by my dog.
I have 6 month old german sherped mix, who loves to whine. He will whine when he sees us putting out boots on to take him out, he whines if he see our lab mix go to the door be it for us to take them out or her hearing something in the hall. He whines if he doesnt see our lab, he even whines when she in her kennel next to each other. He also whines any time either of us go to walk into the hall that leads to the door, which is the same hall that leads to the kitchen which sets him off too. We tried ingoring it but he had started to bark. So we followed advice from a breeder/trainer friend of mine and bought a training spray that taste nasty to him. It stopped the barking but he contunies to whine no matter how much or how often we use it. His even whined when we been standing right next to his kennel. At first i thought it meant he had to use the washroom but now its so often i have no idea what to do. I really dont wanna use a shock collar but this is getting ridiculous. They both get tones of attention, they get lots of play time together as well as one on one time. They get there long walks too. I just dont understand, otherwise his pretty well behaved dog.
He only vocalizes when he is in the kennel or at other times as well? Does he only whine after a certain period of time in the kennel or does he start right away? Does he seem anxious or stressed when he is in the kennel or away from his people? Does he usually get let out when he whines? Do people go over to him when he whines? What is his routine like?
Often, puppies whine because they want to be close to their people and family. I put my puppy’s crate in a people area, so that she can still see and be with people even during her crate time. When our Shiba Inu was young, he used to whine whenever he couldn’t see us. After we put his crate and enclosure in a people area, he was happy to be in there and stopped vocalizing.
There are many other reasons why a dog may whine.
How we stop the behavior will depend on why the dog is doing it. Sometimes, it may be out of anxiety. Other times, dogs whine because it works. It gets our attention, and at the very least, we go over to them to check things out. This rewards the behavior because whining = get people to come over.
If a dog is whining to get our attention, then we want to make sure *not* to reward the “whining” behavior. For example, I always wait until my dogs are quiet before I go over to them and let them in or out of the house. They know that whining = don’t get anything, but stay quiet = get rewarded with greater freedom, play, walks, and other rewards.
Here are some methods on how to stop dog barking.
Scientific studies also show that shock collars are *not* more effective than spray collars for dog barking. In addition, shock collars are very risky, especially for younger dogs.
I have an aussie that is almost 2. We also have an older lab (8.5 yrs). The aussie tries herding the lab by nipping her behind her collar. When aussie was younger, lab would put him down when he tried to teeth her like this. Now he is gaining dominance over her and it seems his herding/teething is getting worse. For the first time today he put his teeth on a neighborhood dog in an aggressive way behind the collar. He didn’t break the skin, but I am concerned about this behavior and wonder if this might be the kind of thing that requires a shock collar. What do you think?
What works with my dogs is to teach them clear dog-to-dog interaction rules. Some of my rules include no-humping, no stealing, and no bullying.
If one of my dogs is too rough, I no-mark, and stop play temporarily. Then I refocus them on doing something else with me, e.g. doing some simple commands with me, including movement commands. This gets them to calm down and to refocus on me. Then they can go back to playing after they have calmed down.
If my dog does not listen or goes right back to being rough, then he goes to timeout briefly.
This teaches him that if he plays too rough or does not follow play-rules, then he does not get to play and temporarily loses his freedom. Since my dogs really love to play, this is a very effective way to get them to follow my interaction rules.
Another thing that helps with my dogs is to manage their excitement level. During play, I throw in many play-breaks, so that they learn to regulate their energy and do not reach a state where they lose control of themselves.
I set the rules, I supervise to make sure the rules are followed, and I resolve any conflicts that occur. In this way, my dogs learn that they do not need to use aggression with each other, because I will handle things in a fair and consistent manner. They also know exactly what behaviors are acceptable and what behaviors are not.
Finally, it also helps to give my dogs alternative outlets for their doggy behaviors. For example, my Huskies love to dig, so I take them to places where they can dig, and also set-aside a large area in the backyard for their digging pleasure. My dogs are not herding dogs, but I have come across some places that do herding training as well as practice. This may be a fun activity that will also help to put the herding behavior under command control.
Here is a good article on shock collars and herding.
No its not just in his kennel ( which is in the living room which is also right next to our bedroom) his doesnt whine when we go to bed so i doubt its for not being able to see us. He also doesnt whine when we leave them for work or if we are going to dinner or something. He whine while sitting in a room full of people and his getting all the attention and boots (our lab) has gone out of his site. I know his whined to try to get her to come back but she ignored him and went about her business ( this was at my in law, which his not yet allowed full range because his not house broken and they dont want him making a mess) he has also whines in the car when let boots out first. We have tired ignoring him for long periods of time but he just keeps at it, i end up waiting over an hour one day and he still hadnt stopped. Thats when we started using bitter apple spray with ack ack ( his tiger word for him not being allowed to do something, which works great with bounders and when he gets to rough with the cat) but for some reason doesnt seem to be working for this. When we were just ignoring him we would either stand out of site or with our backs turned to the kennel so we were giving any attention to him etc. As for his routine my bf take him out in the morning when he comes to pitch me up from work ( because I work over nights and have the weekends off) goes for the car ride , comes back does his business again comes in side which they get their first meal of the day. Which after I do some basic sit, stay, come etc training for 10-20m after that I get on the floor with both of them and play with them till they both get tired out. Which at that time I take him out again before he falls asleep for his mid morning nap. Which when I hit the hay for a few hours. So I normally sleep for about four hours which is normally when he wakes up and starts playing with his toys cause I wake up to him playing with the squeakier. Then I get up dressed feed the fish, then go put my shoes on and coat. Before I even able to put one shoe on he starts whining…. Is the most hi pitched whine I have ever heard. Once he quits down long enough for me to take him out I do. I do my very best not to give him any attention because i know it rewards the behaviour (i done a lot of reading up on it, but none of seems to work, and i hoped someone might know something that isnt written down or i havent been told/ tired before) while we are out this time I take them down the long gorgeous nature path we have beside our place, which allow them to run and play with each other. (Which last any were from 45 mins to about 2 hrs at most depending on weather and condition of the path) If its to mess we go for a shorter walk then I take them down to our under ground parking ( which no one uses because there no cameras and no good view into) which then I let them run and play chase each other then they both just lay down and give me that look of okay Mommy we are done now lol. Its also a good place for me to do 1-1 and group training with them. Like today we spent almost two hours down there doing training and play time, when they got in they both passed out until after dinner. Normally they dont sleep for that long though. Normal days they would sleep for couple hours after that/ after his done picking on the cat ( mind you the cat picks back lol) Though once they are both out again I’ll curl up on the couch watch tv/ nap on and off or do what ever needs to be done around the house. After that my bf normally gets home from work, dogs go out again come back in get play time with either one of us or both of us while the other makes dinner. Once dinner is done we feed them both so they are eating dinner at the same time as we are. After that its more play time with my bf till they both go chill/ sleep or just play with toys. ( by then i am normally back in bed taking a nap before work) then when I go to work they come out with of us for the car ride, bf comes home with them goes for a short walk, then they get free roam to play and do what ever till he goes to bed at 1-3am in the morning. So breaking it down he whines every time we go to take him out to use the washroom. Even when we go to get him his food and water. He whines any time either of go into the hall/ in the kitchen. His even whinnied before when I went to take a shower ( mind he hasnt done that in a long time) he whines when we go to get out of the car, even when we even havent opened the car doors yet. Etc.
Thanks for the detailed response.
To retrain behaviors for my dogs, here is generally what I do –
1. I observe my dog’s behavior closely and try to identify common elements.
For example, does my dog only show the behavior when *I* am not around, when he is alone, when the mailman comes, when there is a certain noise outside, when the doorbell rings, etc. Sometimes, it may be a combination of things.
Identifying the triggers that cause the behavior will also help me understand the behavior better, whether it is from anxiety, stress, excitement, or something else. This is important because it will determine the best way to retrain or redirect the behavior. For example, punishing a dog that is already anxious will likely increase his stress level, and worsen his anxiety symptoms.
Need more observations of the dog during all this.
Is he roaming freely then or in his kennel? What is he doing at the time before he starts to whine? Does he try to follow you? What is his body language? We want to try and understand what he is trying to say to us.
What are the common surrounding elements?
All this is detail is difficult to get without actually being there to see things as they unfold. Getting a good professional trainer can be helpful because he can visit with the dog, get to know him, understand his routine and environment, and more accurately identify the triggers for the behavior.
2. Once I identify the source of the behavior, I can start to retrain it.
If it is from anxiety, then I will probably use some sort of desensitization.
If it is from excitement, I make sure I am very calm and move in a very calm pace. I may also try putting the behavior under command control, e.g. Teach my dog the Quiet command. In this way, I can teach my dog that when he is “Quiet” he gets to go out for our walk, but if he is not, then we have to wait until he is calm and quiet before we go. From this, he learns –
calm + quiet = door opens and walk starts,
whining = door remains closed and walk does not start.
3. I try to set my dog up for success.
I manage my dog so that he does not find himself in situations that he cannot handle. When training, I always start small, and only very slowly increase the environmental challenge. With each success, he will gain confidence, learn to trust me, and also learn what his role is in the family.
I set up a set of consistent rules and a fixed routine. In this way, my dog knows exactly what to expect from me and vice versa.
Finally, the more successes we have, the less he will practice the undesirable behavior. As a result, he will be less likely to repeat the behavior in the future. The opposite is also true – the more a dog practices a given behavior, the more likely he will be to repeat it in the future.
Here is a bit more on how I deal with bad dog behaviors.
We have a one-year-old Labrador retriever who is in training as a hunting retriever. She’s got tons of drive and loves nothing more than playing serious fetch. She even knows quite a bit of handling already. My younger brother and I spend a lot of time training her. She has, however, learned that once we send her and she is out of reach, she’s off the hook–her responses slow down when we whistle-sit her.
We are not at all interested in “magic cures” or “quick fixes”. We are totally willing to take our time and do things right, but as far as I can tell, there are few alternatives to an e-collar to tighten up her obedience at long distances. (If she doesn’t sit in the right spot, that is, as soon as we whistle her, the retrieve is inefficient and it takes too long.) I’m not trying to win a contest or anything, just trying to get Cassie to be the best I know she can be. What do you recommend?
As I see it, it is all about priorities. My Huskies love digging, so I take them to places where they can dig. We also left a large part of the backyard un-landscaped so that they can have fun digging.
They are not required to catch anything,
they are not required to dig a hole according to human specifications, and
they are not required to dig the biggest hole in the least amount of time.
I care about my dogs’ quality of life and I want them to enjoy doing the things that they love, in a safe way. That is my priority, and I make my decisions based on that. Different priorities will likely lead to different decisions.
When I have to make big decisions for my dogs, I always ask myself – am I making this choice for me or for them. My dogs do not care about winning competitions, they do not care about making quick, precise turns, and they do not care about digging the biggest hole in less than 5 seconds. Therefore, it is clear that using something which increases stress, is risky, and can easily cause fear and other unwanted associations, is not right for us.
I try to enable my dogs to be what *they* want to be, not what *I* want them to be.
Here is more information from the RSPCA about shock collars or ecollars.
Here is an article on shock collars and herding training.
Hi, I was desperately reading articles on e-collars. Until now I was strongly against any kind of punishment as a method in dog training, but I have amazing, beautiful and super smart 10 month old English setter. She was a rescue, and she was always extremely fearful and anxious. I`ve managed to build very close bond with her and to correct most of her issues, slowly using rewards and praise’. However just before New Year`s we ran into a group of kids who threw a bunch of firecrackers just behind us while we were walking, that scared my dog to death and she started running like crazy without any control. Now whenever she hears any crackling sound she runs. I`ve tried desensitizing but it`s a slow process with a lot of set backs. Also she has very strong hunting instinct. To sum it up I have a dog that is fearful and submissive on one hand and has strong instinct on the other. We live in a densely populated area with a lot of traffic and speedway nearby, and when she gets scared or something distracts her she starts running without control and calling her and luring her with treats doesn`t work. That`s why I started considering e-collar. Would you be so kind to give advice if shock collar could help me. Even though I dread using it somehow seems less scary than my Bug being hit by a car :,(
Can you elaborate more on the desensitization exercises you have tried and the reaction of your Setter? What are the set backs? The more detail the better.
My Husky Lara was also afraid of the sound of firecrackers and also the sound of coyotes. What helped her, was to get a recording of the sound, and then start training her to tolerate it at a *very very low* volume. Here is more on what I did to get Lara more comfortable with the different sounds.
Here is a bit more on dog anxiety and fear.
As for shock collars, Schalke’s study shows that shocking a dog for recall, will cause elevated levels of stress. A dog that is fearful and anxious, is already under a great deal of stress. Therefore, it seems that introducing more stress and pain into the situation will only make things worse.
Here is a list of recall training techniques (training a dog to come when called) from the ASPCA.
http://www.aspca.org/Pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/dog-articles/teaching-your-dog-to-come-when-called
Note though, that whatever recall training we use (including shock collars), it is never fully effective. As a result, off-leash training and work is best done when we are far away from roads and cars.
For neighborhood walks, where there are cars nearby, I use a no-slip collar and leash to walk my dogs.
Thnx for your quick response. As for desensitizing I`ve tried playing firecracker sound recording first low and then bit louder, and then clicked the clicker (clicker also scares her to death) while giving her the tastiest treats I could find and walking through apartment asking her to “sit”, “stay”or “come”. She was okay with sounds of firecrackers played on my MP3 as long they were not too loud, and the sound of clicker would be fine when muffled , but as soon as I`d click the clicker at a regular noise level she would run below kitchen table, tail between legs, shoulders bent, avoiding eye contact, and would become uncooperative, not responding to “come”or “sit”or any other command. I an not sure if it is of any significance but she was abandoned by a hunter when she was 4 months old I am not aware of what kind of training she went through before I adopted her. She was afraid of everything including collar and leash, confinement anxiety , and she had extreme separation anxiety (now she`s walking on leash and off leash as the real champ – unless distracted or scared – and she`s more relaxed when left alone, for months I didn`t find any damage when I return home).
The clicker is just a marker. It is often used to let a dog know that she is doing something good and that a reward coming. If our dog is afraid of the clicker noise, then it is no longer useful as a “positive-marker” because it is no longer positive.
We can also use our voice as a marker. For example, when my dogs do something good, I say “Good Girl” or “Good Boy”. For a fearful dog, I use a softer and calm voice, so that I do not spook her.
Here is a bit more on markers and dog training.
The key with desensitization is to help our dogs gain confidence, and re-associate the scary noise with calmness and positive events. Therefore, we want to try and always keep our dog below his instinct threshold, i.e., we want to make sure not to use sounds that are too loud, that will overload him, scare him, and cause a fear reaction.
I always go very slowly. I start with a very very soft volume, and keep sessions short, rewarding, and positive. The more positive experiences my dog has, the more confidence he gains, and the more he learns to tolerate the “scary stimulus”. The more negative experiences my dog has, where he gets afraid and runs away because of a loud noise, the more fearful he will become.
Therefore, it is important not to only maximize successes, but also to minimize fear reactions. I very carefully manage my dog’s environment, so that he does not get exposed to more than he can handle even during walks, and at all other times. I only very slowly increase the environmental challenge when he has progressed in his desensitization training and can handle louder sounds.
I start walking my dog in the house or backyard first – where it is quiet and safe. When I take him out, I start with very quiet areas of the neighborhood. If that is not available, we may drive him to a quiet field or quiet hiking trail, etc.
For fear issues, I always try to set my dog up for success, so that he will gain confidence, enjoy his walks, and in this way, learn to become less fearful.
I also visited with several professional trainers while training my Shiba Inu, Sephy. It was helpful to get a good trainer to observe Sephy, his body language, environment, etc., identify how I can improve his training, and also learn new ways of training.
Big hugs to your girl! It is great that she has now found such a good home and a good friend. 😀
Oh, yes, when we have a “set back” she is not only unresponsive to commands she also refuses food, water, she doesn`t pee or poop at all, and it takes a day or 2 to regain her trust by cuddling her, praising her, offering treats etc, and it`s like she`s learning everything for the first time over and over again.
I’ve had my dog for 8 months and I live on 18 acres. There is a fence but it is old and there are holes in it, sometimes I can’t even find where she got out. On one side is the interstate and on the other railroad tracks. Jasmine used to stay in the fence but now she has started finding ways to get out and doesn’t come back when she is called. She was literally seconds from being hit by a train once. The longer I have her the less she listens (we even did obedience classes) I cannot afford to re-fence the entire yard so I was going to do the shock collar because treats don’t make her come anymore but now I am hesitant because she is a rescue that was abused (2 yr old pit mix). I don’t want to keep her tied up or have to resort to walking on a leash in such a large yard. What else can I do?
Hello Trisha,
As you already know, there are no perfect solutions to this issue. Shock collars have a lot of risks, often lowers quality of life, and are not fully reliable, whether used as an invisible fence or as a recall training tool.
Other options that come to mind –
1. Some people fence off a smaller portion of their yard.
This saves on cost, and still provides a safe, enclosed space for their dog. A fence also keeps other animals out, including other dogs. A shock collar will not help with this, since it only operates on the dog that is wearing it.
2. A very solid recall.
Training our dog to have a very strong recall is a very important part of off-leash walking. We have some very nice trails close to our neighborhood, and many people walk their dogs off-leash on those trails. When there are people biking, or when they see other dogs, they will call their dog back and put them on-leash temporarily until the distraction passes.
Recall training is partly dependent on breed and the temperament of the dog. Dogs with high prey drive will be harder to train on recall, because they have a very strong instinct to chase after prey, especially moving prey. The environment also matters a lot. A high distraction environment will be more challenging then a low distraction environment.
Finally, I find that training my dogs is a lifetime activity. The more I successfully repeat an exercise with them, the better they will be at it. Therefore, I start small, and then slowly build up the challenge.
For recall training, I start in my backyard, which is fully enclosed, safe, and does not have many distractions. This sets them up for success, and significantly increases the chances that they will come when called. The more often they come when called, the more likely it will become a habit. Similarly, the more often a dog does not come when called, the less likely he will come on the next call.
This article from the ASPCA has a good list of different recall training techniques and on what to do when our dog does not come.
3. Walking a dog on-leash
Leash-walking is a very viable alternative, especially for walking in areas that are close to traffic or for walking dogs that have very high prey drive. My dogs get off-leash time when they are at home and in the backyard. When we go walking in the neighborhood, I walk them on-leash using a no-slip collar. I walk them on a loose-leash so they still have a lot of fun smelling and exploring. Since I do the walk for them, they get to pick where they want to go, and we often make it into a joint activity. I take them to areas where they can dig, I help to clear out brush and rocks on their digging spots, they help me up hills, etc.
Are off-leash dogs happier then on-leash dogs?
Please help. I have a 9 month old English Bulldog. She is my 4th dog as an adult and I am at a total loss. I loves dogs! Never have I had a dog that was so bad. She is so incredibly destructive and so much more. She terrorizes my Yorkie too, biting her ear so hard one time she bled. I have to keep them separated. She has chewed up everything from shoes to electronic cords, the corners of my molding, chairs, everything. We crate her when she is bad but she has succeeded in bending the bars so bad the door won’t close. I am truly fearful. My 15 yrs son does not want to give up on her but I don’t know if I can handle much more. One time when feeding her, the food was gone but she chewed on the ceramic bowl until it broke. Thank god she has not bitten a person yet but I worry its only a matter of time. Is there any chance a shock collar will help?
Hello Monica,
Excessive chewing can be a result of stress. Does she mostly do this chewing when you are not home? Does she like chewing on her sanctioned toys? She may not know what she is allowed to chew on and what is off limits.
What is her daily routine like? Does she like going on walks? playing games?
What helps with my dogs, is to set up a fixed daily routine with a good amount of structured activity. In this way, they know exactly what to expect from me, and this certainty helps to reduce stress. The structured activity, e.g. walks, structured play, obedience exercises, interactive toys, etc., gives them positive outlets to redirect their energy.
In addition, I also set up a consistent set of rules and a consistent way of communicating with my dogs. I motivate them to follow rules by using the Nothing in Life is Free program.
I also do bite inhibition training with my dogs. This teaches them to pay attention to the force of their bites, and also that people have much thinner skins than other dogs, so they have to be a lot more gentle.
Here is a bit more on dog anxiety and how I trained my Husky puppy.
Hi I have a five month old st bernard who is just ornery. Im having troubles with him getting into and eating the trash. Also destroying things in the kitchen when we go. We keep him in the kitchen. He also tries to eat my son’s food or anyone elses and unless someone bigger than him is there to stop him its chaos. We are contemplating a shock collar to teach him these are bad things because bad dog and making him lay down as a time out arent working. Any advice?
What I have noticed with my dogs is that they will repeat behaviors that get them good results and stop behaviors that are not rewarding.
Dogs often get into the trash because when they do, they get rewarded with interesting smelling, yummy stuff, that the don’t get anywhere else. To stop undesirable behaviors, what has worked well with my dogs is to –
1. Make sure they *do not* get rewarded for the behavior.
For example, I dog-proof my house and do not leave nice smelling food on tables unattended. I keep trash containers closed, and/or behind closed doors.
2. Make my dogs work for their food.
This is a great way to teach my dogs what behaviors they *do* get rewarded for. Instead of giving my dogs their food for free in a silver bowl, I follow the Nothing in Life is Free program. I teach them house rules and positive ways for interacting with people. Then, I reward them well for following rules, staying calm, and interacting well with people.
In this way, they know what are undesirable behaviors that will get them nothing, and also what are good behaviors that will get them good rewards.
Here is a bit more on my experiences with stopping bad dog behavior.
Here is a bit more on how I trained my puppy and how dogs learn.
During puppyhood, my dogs like chewing and have a lot of puppy energy. What helped was to set up a fixed schedule and routine, which includes a lot of structured play time, walks, and obedience training. In this way, I can redirect their puppy energy into positive activities.
Does your dog seem anxious when he is left alone? Dogs are pack animals, so they enjoy the company of their family. They can sometimes get anxious when left alone, especially if it is unexpected. Here is a bit more on separation anxiety.
Came across this article just as I’m at the end of my rope and was looking for ecollar for my 2yr old border collie/lab/perrenese girl.
Great dog, super intelligent but has a very strong herding instinct. She is also Alfa and a jumper. She is super friendly and extremely excitable which is when she herds. I have been bit on more than one occasion, circled and barked at and charged.
I try the reward for coming to me and do it regularly during our walks. But it is not curbing the herding. Just a little thing like calling her over from being too ruff on a small dog will set her off.
I’m afraid that if I give her a treat every time she herds she’ll herd to get a treat. She’s that smart. She figures out all my tricks and avoids them. Any thing can send her into a herding mode. Sometimes we go periods of just a happy dog but herds more often than not. It’s affecting the joy if the walk fir me and my other dog who is blind and needs to be on leash (who unfortunately gets nipped a lot).
How do I not turn to an dollars?
Thank you.
….. Turn to an ecollar.
Yeah, Border Collies can be very intense sometimes, and the ones I have met seem happiest when they have a job to do.
I don’t have a Border Collie, but here are some things that work well for my dogs –
1. Redirection rather than suppression.
I come up with a “job” for them to do during our walks. For example, my Huskies like pulling so they help me go up hills during our hikes. They also like to dig, so we go to places where they can dig and where there is a lot of earth critter activity. I take them to good spots, help them clear out rocks and brush that are in their way, and we have fun doing joint activity together.
One of the trainers that I met at our local SPCA told us that her Border Collie really loves to play Fetch, so she set that up as her job. We also visited with a trainer at a nearby Humane Society that uses her Border Collie to help her train other dogs.
The very nice thing about giving my dogs a job is that they have something positive, that they enjoy, to redirect their energy into.
2. Set rules and boundaries for the job.
I also teach my dogs what the rules are when performing their job. For example, my Sibes help to pull me up the hill, but they know not to pull while going down the hill. There are also places where they are not allowed to dig.
The reward in this case, is being outside, interacting with people, and performing their “job”, which is something that they really enjoy. Therefore, they are happy to follow the rules. If they do not, then we just go home, and all the fun ends.
3. Group dogs by energy level.
I used to take my dogs to daycare, and one of the things that a good daycare center does is group dogs by energy level. This enables the higher energy dogs to wrestle and play, while the more relaxed dogs can rest together without being disturbed.
I usually walk my three legged dog by herself. She is energetic, but she needs more rest breaks, so we go for longer walks with more stops in-between. When I walk her together with my other dogs, she feels she has to keep up, so she doesn’t get to rest as much as she usually does. Also, my younger Sibe really wants to be on the go all of the time.
I have found that it works much better to split them up, and then everyone can go at their own pace and enjoy the walks a lot more.
4. Variable schedule of reinforcement.
In terms of rewards, I try to mix things up and reward my dogs with a variety of different things. Sometimes they get affection, sometimes they get a fun game, sometimes they get chicken, etc.
Also, studies show that rewarding a dog intermittently, can motivate them a lot better than rewarding them every time or every other time.
I don’t do herding with my dogs, since that is not their thing, but I know there are places that do herding practice and training. This will still allow a dog to herd, but it will put structure and rules around the activity. In general, I would find something that my dog loves to do, and then make it fun, positive, and interactive.
Here is an article about herding training and shock collars.
Hope this helps and hugs to your furry gang.