Excerpted from an article by Mardi Richmond, CPDT-KA
Just say no to bark collars, air horns, squirt bottles, and other punishments. There are several reasons I don’t use this type of punishment for barking.
First, I don’t like to do anything to my dog that is intimidating or that causes pain or fear. Shock collars work by creating pain, noisemakers such as air horns work by scaring the dog, citronella collars and squirt bottles work by startling the dog or creating an unpleasant sensation. I do not want to do any of these things to my dog.
Also, I don’t think they are particularly effective in most situations. I will confess that in my distant past, I have used all of these in attempts to curb barking behavior. While I sometimes saw a short-term change in the behavior, in the long run the barking always returned. (And the few times I have seen punishment effectively stop barking, a kinder choice would have worked as well.)
Finally, the fallout from using these devices can be significant. Shock collars can cause aggression issues, noisemakers can add to startle and sound issues, and squirt bottles can make your dog want to avoid you! Enough said.
For more advice on how to understand and manage your dog’s barking, download and read Whole Dog Journal’s exclusive ebook Stop Barking.
Your title is deceptive. First you are specifically speaking about barking, and yes corrective collars are not effective. But you paint with a wide brush when you blackball corrective devices for all situations. It like making damning a women who is unable to breast feed for using a bottle.
First in my 60 plus years of having pets I have learned the number one reasons why training is ineffective is the fault of the person doing the training. Continued attempts using a method that doesn’t work is tantamount to insanity. Punishment will only cause an insecure dog or worse.
So what is my complaint? Suggesting that e collars should never be used. Using inflammatory descriptions as “shock collars” and suggesting proper use of an e collar will cause aggression, period.
I think that we can agree that improper high setting electrical stimulation is cruel and improper. E collars should NEVER be used to punish. Low level stimulation (try on yourself first) however can be an effective fair correction with high prey driven dogs. The corrective devices must be used with proper training and as a last resort.
Case in point our rescued puppy. She is a bright fun loving terrier. Easily trained as a puppy on the basic commands with food motivation. Taught early impulse control on eating and waiting. Our problem was recall and chasing squirrels. When “locked on to the target” she would not refocus. She is not food motivated so the game of “eyes” was a no go. We were partially successful with recall playing the back and forth “here” game. But she was not trustworthy.
At wits end and numerous training books the e collar was reluctantly tried. It was not just taken out of the box and used. It was not used for any other training other than her bolting and not heeding the command to “come, hear or leave it”. What I noticed about my good and faithful dog was once she had a target, she amazingly was like a laser missile honed in and oblivious to all commands. I found it quite amazing and was in awe of her focus.
Our solution was to break this intense focus. We first tried the “beep and vibration” modes. They were only moderately effective. The e collar at a low setting ( 2 or 3 out of 100) was the trick. It only took a few lesssons and she would return happily for a treat and hug. Now she will respond to the beep on that rare occasion when her instinct takes over.
We can now take trail walks off leash. She gets the high energy exercise she needs.
So please do not make an owner feel guilty using an e collar appropriately. It is this narrowed thinking that causes dog owners to give up on their pet. Stop using the word “shock collar” rather understand that a training e collar should never be used to shock a dog. It should never be used to punish. Never use an e collar without first being instructed on its use (more than just reading the manual, at least 4 hours of study). It should always be used fairly and judiciously at the lowest setting possible.