(Previously titled: “Spare the Shock Collar, Spoil the Dog?”)
Three events over as many days added up to what some refer to as a ‘woo-woo’ experience. Not unusual for Boulder, ‘Woo-woo World Central.’ So, when it happens to me, I take notice. Hmm. Maybe I need to write about shock collars.
First, two days ago, Gigi told me about two different articles on shock collars. One, just published on the internet on June 10, was entitled “Vets on Behavior Proclaim, Never Use Shock Collar“. The other, “Shock or Awe?” by Pat Miller, was in Whole Dog Journal, February, 2006.
Yesterday, I walked up to the road to collect the morning newspapers to find two neighbors comparing the shock collars they were holding. “Are you going to use those with your dogs?” I asked, a little stunned. “We’re thinking about it,” one answered. “I’ve heard they’re easy to use and the dogs learn really fast.”
This morning at the dog park a young man was using a shock collar to train his dog. To be fair, the discomfort to the dog was below the “screaming pain” threshold. In fact, I didn’t hear the dog whimper. And, the man did praise his dog and maybe even offered a treat, I don’t know for sure. He and his dog were too far away from Sadie, Romeo, Sadie’s dreamy poodle friend, and me to see that. But, I could see that the dog’s ears were pinned back and it’s tail slung low. Obedient? Looked like it. Happy? No. But, that dog was elated when the training session was over. She ran all around the park chasing scents, her tail high and wagging, ears perked up, a skip in her step. Now, why should training not elicit that same sort of enthusiasm?
I’m sure you’ve guessed my feelings about shock collars, or e-collars, or remote collars, or whatever you want to call them, or however ‘new and improved’ the latest models are. I don’t like them. I would not use one on my own dog, no matter how so-called ‘hard’ she or he was. And, frankly, I think they should be banned, as they are in some countries already. For example, Wales and most parts of Australia. (If you know of other countries or locales when bans are in effect, or where people are petitioning to ban shock collars, please reply and let readers know.)
Whether you support the use of shock collars or not, you probably know horror stories about dogs being gruesomely abused by them, sometimes beyond rehabilitation. I’m not going to tell more of those stories. The worst case scenario is not what I want to examine here.
And, I don’t want to impugn the motives of ordinary dog people who use them. The man in the park, I don’t believe, intended to cow his dog, even though that’s how the dog looked.
Jane (not her real name), a friend of mine, at wits end with her rambunctious, adolescent male puppy, George (not his real name), turned to a local trainer who put a shock collar on him. George and I are buddies. I did not know we were on the same trail at the same time, but George did. I was startled when he ran to me screaming and whimpering and wrapping himself around my legs. The crying didn’t last long. A few seconds. His mom came running after him. She was mortified. “George ran off and the trainer told me to keep turning up the dial until I got his attention. But he kept running. Oh my God. I feel horrible.” Jane is head-over-heels in love with George. I know she would never hurt him intentionally. She was just following instructions.
And, that brings me to the question I want to consider. If we want our dogs to be happy, and I assume most people do (correct me if I’m unfortunately wrong about this)…If we want to maximize our dog’s learning capability, thinking, and responsiveness to our cues… If we want to minimize the risk to our dogs physical and emotional well-being during training, indeed at all times…if we want all these things, then why would we use a shock collar?
Why would we use a training device that primarily relies on punishment and negative reinforcement? Why would we want to shock our dog when she does something ‘wrong’? Okay, sometimes it’s not a shock, it’s a ‘tingle’, according to some trainers, but whatever you call it, it must be aversive enough to make the dog stop the behavior. And, why would we want to deliver a steady stream of current that finally stops when the dog does the ‘right’ thing’–sit’ or ‘down’ or ‘come’, for example? No matter how minimal the current is, it has to be noxious enough for the the dog to notice it and want it to stop. That’s stressful. No wonder the dog in the park lightened up after her training session was over. Wouldn’t you?
Why wouldn’t we rather, for example, lure our dogs to do the behavior we want–‘down’, let’s say, and then ‘mark’ the down behavior with a “yes!” or a ‘click’, if you prefer a clicker, as I do. Then immediately we offer a positive reinforcer, something the dog loves. Roast beef. Game of tug. Ear scritch. Praise. Whatever.
And, when our dogs do something we don’t want them to do, especially when they have been taught an alternative desirable behavior that they could do, but don’t? Spot persists in jumping up on Joe every time Joe visits even though Spot has learned to keep all four on the floor, and does so for most other visitors. But, Joe is different. Spot LOVES Joe and wants to get his muzzle close to Joe’s mouth and get in a few kisses, just as he greets some of his doggie friends. Well then, take something away that Spot values. Attach Spot’s leash. Joe, if he is inclined to help, could step back when Spot has fewer than all four on the floor. Joe moves toward Spot when he is not jumping.
Or, alternatively, you could remove Spot from Joe. Spot jumps. You mark the unwanted behavior with a word, “bummer,” for example, and, quietly and unemotionally lead Spot to the nearest room. Put him in the room for a few seconds (that’s right, a few seconds 5-10), and then let him out. If he doesn’t jump, mark that behavior and reward profusely. Joe’s attention and praise could be the reward. If Spot jumps again, back he goes into time-out.
Geeze. That’s so much work! How much easier to just shock Spot for jumping on Joe.
Here’s the problem, two actually, beyond, what I’ve already said. One, your timing with that shock has to be absolutely perfect. As soon as you see Spot begin to raise himself to jump, ‘zap!’ How many of us are truly that observant and have great hand-eye coordination every single time, if ever? How many of us would miss that moment and zap poor Spot after he was in full blown jumping- greeting mode?
Why do you have to be very precise? Here’s what researchers at the University of Hannover in Germany recently concluded based on a study of beagles that received shocks under three different experimental conditions. They wanted to determine the dogs’ levels of stress in response to the shocks by measuring cortisol levels, a stress hormone.
One group of beagles was shocked precisely when they touched the prey, a rabbit dummy. The second group was shocked when they did not obey a previously trained recall command. (Like Jane’s dog, George.) The third group was shocked arbitrarily.
The last two groups showed significantly high levels of stress hormone. And, their stress levels rose again when they were merely taken back to the research area where they were shocked in the first place, but not shocked on the return visit. The dogs associated pain with being in the research space where they were, in fact, previously shocked.
The researchers concluded that the first group of beagles were not as stressed as the other two groups because they were shocked at a precise moment. Not too soon, not to late, and always at the exact same instant of contact with the dummy prey. Therefore, the dogs could control whether or not they were shocked. But, notice, the precision timing required by the person holding the remote. (Are you that person? I’m not.)
The researchers concluded:
Electric shock collars are not consistent with animal welfare. It has to be assumed that pet owners do not have sufficient knowledge about training and skill to avoid the risk that dogs will show severe and persistent stress symptoms. For professional dog trainers the use should be restricted: proof of theoretical and practical qualification should be required…
What is the risk to our dogs, do you suppose, if we click (or say ‘yes!’) seconds too soon or too late? We are training the dog to ‘sit’ at a distance. The dog sits then stands back up. We click just as the dog stands. Oops. Too late. How much damage have we done if our timing is not precise? Not much. Probably, the worst that happens is that the dog becomes a little confused, “So just what are you asking me to do?”
To be honest, it does take a little practice to get the timing right so that we are clicking at the moment the dog’s butt hits the ground for ‘sit,’ in our example. But, we’d also need practice to perfect our timing in using the remote to zap our dogs. Frankly, I’m willing to risk screwing up with a clicker. I am not willing to risk blowing it with a shock collar.
I’m amazed and perplexed by people who are flustered and frustrated by learning to use a clicker, but who, without batting an eye, grab the remote and push that button to zing their dogs. Why not do what’s enjoyable for and kinder to our dogs, and easier on us. Remember Jane? She’s not alone.
The other problem I want to mention is that of association. There is no guarantee that our dogs will associate the shock they feel to their necks with their own behavior. Let’s consider Spot. If he got zapped when he jumped on Joe, there’s no reason Spot would necessarily assume his jumping ’caused’ the pain and, therefore, stop jumping. Maybe he would associate the pain with Joe. “When Joe shows up at the door, I get hurt. Well, I know how to take care of that. I’ll just bark and growl at Joe until that pain-producing so-and-so gets out of my house!” Great. So now we’ve created a completely avoidable aggression problem. What are we going to do now, zap Spot for being aggressive? Aggression to treat aggression? Not smart. Aggression begets aggression.
So, why are so many people enamored with shock collars? I read an interesting reply to this question somewhere on the internets. “Maybe just like we want our food fast, we want our dogs trained fast and we think something electronic with a remote control will do the job.”
But try thinking about it this way. Go slow to go fast. Learn how to use an event marker–‘yes!’ or a clicker. Discover what your dog loves–treats, balls, tug, another dog–and give it to her after you ‘yes’ or click her for doing what you ask–‘come.’ ‘down,’ ‘leave it’. Soon, you won’t need the clicker or the reward. You’ll just be able to ask your dog to ‘sit’ and she will sit happily because she has so many great associations with sitting.
Once your dog gets the hang of learning in this way, it just gets easier and faster to teach her new behaviors because she has not merely learned a few cues, she has learned how to learn. And, its fun!
How differently do you think our dogs feel when they see the clicker and balls and treats come out compared to when their necks are fitted tightly, which it must be, with a shock collar? I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to stress my dog unnecessarily. I want Sadie to light up when it’s training time.
*For those of you who are still questioning or are unfamiliar with what shock collars actually feel like, check out this young man who thought he’d give it a try, voluntarily, of course.
*Also, visit Shock Collars-Say No. Interesting and informative. And, Responsible Dog – It’s All About Dogs.
I wrote something similar today in response to a comment on our blog. The problem with these shock collars is not only the whole punishment thing, but also that dogs are subjected to the timing and temperament of the person with the zapper in hand. Goodness knows most of us have less-than-idea timing OR temperaments.
I’d rather make a mistake with my clicker timing any day of the week.
George’s story makes me want to cry.
Thanks for that info on the stress hormone study. I’d read excerpts but not the three test group piece.
Great post! I think shock collars are abhorrent…is that strong enough for folks to get my meaning? Everything you wrote is spot on! Our furkids are not perfect little angels. We don’t ask them to be. If we wanted little people, we’d have adopted little people. We want little dogs and they are allowed to be little dogs. They aren’t biters, chewers, runners…they do bark now and again, but we’re working on that. They are such helpless creatures; I can’t even imagine putting something around their little necks and causing them any discomfort, much less pain! This is a really good post and I hope it gets read by someone who may be considering a shock collar; hopefully, they will reconsider!
Excellent post!
I was especially struck by reading: “I’m amazed and perplexed by people who are flustered and frustrated by learning to use a clicker, but who, without batting an eye, grab the remote and push that button to zing their dogs.” How absolutely true! And how terribly sad for the dogs.
I am going to check out the links in this post. Thanks for another great analysis!
Deborah, i’m speculating the increase we are seeing in the use of shock collars may be due to several factors
1. positive trainers who are not effective in teaching
2. shelter dogs with unexpected behavior problems and helpless owners
3. owners who are really too busy for dog ownership
4. overwhelmed owners who simply have too many pets – marketing issues
5. “mismatched” dogs and owners, what i’m working on now
6. laziness!
7. instant gratification instand fixes our culture
8. schools springing up where trainers so inclined to teach using these devices i.e. sit means sit (Fred Hassen) and Martin Deeleys school here in Florida. I’ve observed a local rescue organization recently aligned with the ASPCA using them and trainer who specializes in using those devices.
9. uneducated owners, low income, lack knowledge in responsibilities of dog ownership, dog behavior and provide little or no training, study by Kass 1998.
The way i see it, we have a serious need for better education focused on proper training, dog behavior and most of all preventative educational programs. This would address the issue for the need of shelters and rescues. There may be instances when shelters/rescues are not motivated to solve the problem, it would affect their job status. I had this discussion recently with a veterinarian specializing in the human animal bond, author of books on dogs and cats and has specialized in behavior problems for probably the better part of her veterinary career. I’ve been using her as a mentor for the last three years. I’ve been studying dog behavior and animal behavior for several years now.
Recently i recieved an email about some new training programs, the author stated “In the animal shelter community, a great percentage of executive directors are career changers. And the executive directors at the local animal shelter level, a great majority of them do not have a college degree or only have an associate degree.”
This in and of itself was alarming to me and probably explains much of the problem i see and have experienced with shelters and rescues. The three i’ve tried to help have shown no interest in learning about better training methods or behavior. It’s quite sad. Living in Boulder i would expect a different mentality, it may also be a regional, community, state problem.
I think the appeal of e-collars is related to the incorrect idea that fast results = good training. That fast results = lasting results.
Although I think shock collars can be used humanely, they should NEVER fall into the hands of any individual who cannot explain their intentions without using the words “cue”, “positive punisher”, and “reinforcer”. They should be able to articulate how they plan to respond after delivery of the punisher. They should know if their plan uses positive punishment or negative reinforcement.
Or at least not look at me blankly when I “and then what?” when they describe their plan as waiting for the dog to make a mistake and then zapping him.
Having been a PetSmart Pet Training Instructor in rural NC, … well, do I really need to say more? Part of the problem is that they are accidentally & coincidentally highly effective in some cases.
Invisible fences are similarly problematic. They should also not be permitted for people who cannot describe how they will train the dog to confidently leave the yard. I am recalling two clients whose dogs a white GSD and a Golden Retriever, were amazingly difficult to manage, and, in a related? unrelated? story, had no idea how to safely exit the yard. In both cases, their owners had not anticipated this scenario when questioned. (In keeping with the pattern of lack of planning most clearly responsible for their dogs’ problem behaviors, they thought about training and called in a professional (me) AFTER things had gone awry. *deep breaths* At least they called.)
I have watched e-collars used both humanely and inhumanely, though I’ve never yet used one myself. I have very recently considered use in contemplating a move to TX — I don’t want my dog to be brave or curious or eager when it comes to learning about poisonous snakes!
I do agree that ineffective positive training is highly problematic. People feel that “technique”, which they basically view as carrot or several versions of stick (choke, prong, or shock?), is responsible for the success or failure of their dog. If you used a treat, and you didn’t get the results you wanted, you just switch to one of the other tools, right? No.
Although I consider myself primarily positive, I do use punishment in training. If I admit (as I do), that I do use punishment in training, people always want to know how much? of what kind? How much? Aversive noise versus prong? Is that what defines good or bad training? Less punishment is not necessarily more humane if the lack of effectiveness produces fear and confusion, breakdown of communication, frustration, and general worsening!
My rules for consideration of “going electric” are dog’s life threatened (snakes, traffic, etc.), life of dog’s intended prey threatened, or absolute last resort when we have exhausted all other options before euthanasia (life/well-being of children, strangers at stake). In my 6 years of professional training, I have hesitated, and in a few instances, opted for skipping to euthanasia, given the stress to the dog of the experience, but I can’t say that they are all bad, or I will not find that once-in-ten-years case where I will choose it.
[…] And, that picture of his dog in a prong collar is another Orwellian slight of hand, or mind. In contrast to the picture, he claims he does not use harsh methods, as does a local trainer in my neck of the woods. On her website she shows a picture of herself holding the remote control for a shock collar while advertising—“No harsh methods.” (She, by the way, is the trainer who trained Jane to train George who ran up to me screaming on Sanitas Valley trail trying desperately to escape the searing pain around his neck. (You can read about Jane and George in “It’s Shocking.”) […]
Excellent post, Deborah — as usual.
I had the privilege of presenting training seminars in Sweden and Denmark last year. Shock collars are banned in both countries, and my hosts were simply amazed that people in the US could walk into a pet store and buy one off the shelf. One man (no wuss – he’s an advanced Schutzhund competitor) said he’d never even consider using one on a farm animal, let alone his pet.
I’m a e-collar user….and I will say that when you buy one, there is no training certificate needed. There is no instruction manual….or tips. They hand you an electrical device and say….go at it!! Kinda scary if you think about it.
Why would I use an e-collar on my dog??? Well…..I have an APBT rescue, approx 1 year old. SUPER HIGH prey/play drive…..and a cat. I am an avid cyclist through wild country full of snakes and other animals…..and I need to know that when I say HERE or SIT or WAIT, it’s done. It’s not something I use on my dog daily….in fact after 1 month of getting the hang of it…..I leave it at home now. Would my cat still be alive without the e collar? No. I am not a prong collar user, I have response from my dog via only my voice….and the training wasn’t some crazy learning curve. Depending on the dog it’s pretty quick. Most e-collars have a vibrate function too!!! I can walk my dog past a group of people and other dogs off leash now….without an issue. Does the dog cower from the stimulation? Yes. Does a dog cower from a correction on a leash? Yes. Pretty much the same response from either correction……but the part that suprises the dog is if they are in the backyard trying to pull down a plant or chew up a fence….you can nick them for the bahvior from your livingroom and they connect the behavior with the correction, not YOU yelling at them.
Pros and cons to everything in life.
[…] (Originally posted June 18, 2009, It’s Shocking has been revised and updated.) […]