A lot of people still consider electronic shock collars the best option to train a big, rambunctious dog, but a new study out of Britain shows that not only do these collars cause undue stress for the dog – they don't actually teach them any more effectively than other, gentler methods.
According to a press release, “…the routine use of electronic collars even in accordance with best practice, as suggested by collar manufacturers, presents a risk to the well-being of pet dogs.”
Researchers took 63 dogs and split them into three groups. The first group was trained using "shock collars." The second group was trained by the same people, but without the collars. The third group was trained by the United Kingdom’s Association of Pet Dog Trainers. The dogs were trained for 15 minutes a day, twice a day, for 4-5 days. At the end of the study, researchers concluded that while the shock collars did work to train dogs, there was "no consistent benefit" that made them better than any other method – plus, the collar was the only method that caused significant "distress" to the animal.
I would never consider using a shock collar on my dog, and now I have proof to share with anyone who insists that they're the best training method. What do you think? Would you ever consider this kind of discipline, especially after hearing this news?
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A lot of people think shock collars are the best way to discipline big dogs - but that just isn't the case.
