!44: Shock Collars for Dogs - Good or Bad?

!±8± Shock Collars for Dogs - Good or Bad?

When my husband first mentioned he was buying a shock collar for our beloved dog, Storm, I thought he had lost his mind. We were not abusive pet owners. We loved our 4 legged friends. I thought these collars were cruel and unusual punishment. His exact words to me were "It's better than a dead dog". We lived in a cul-de-sac at the time, that connected to a busy street at the edge of town. We didn't want an 8 foot fence nor could we afford an underground fencing unit for our one acre yard. He explained to me how these collars worked and if used properly, how humane they were.

We wanted our dog to be able to roam freely throughout our yard and to be able to trust that she wouldn't take off after every car that passed by. We were also avid walkers, bikers, and campers and wanted our canine friend to be able to accompany us on all of our journeys. After all, she was part of our family! My husband bought a shock collar with the intention of keeping our dog in the yard or at a reasonable distance from us when out and about, thus keeping her alive for years and years to come.

I thought that these collars would put an immobilizing shock wave through out beloved pet every time she misbehaved. I soon found this was not the case. The truth of the matter is, is that there are many collars to choose from with various levels of sensitivity. Please do your due diligence to find the best collar suited for your dog as there are collars for large breed dogs as well as your toy tea cup size dogs. One can certainly appreciate the fact that a 5 pound Yorkie would not wear the same collar as a 100 pound Golden Retriever.

The information that came with our first product described the shock that would be delivered to be compared with static electricity. My husband, as I am sure many other dog owners, was curious and had to try it for himself first. And sure enough, it was a gentle sensation just as you would get from touching someone on a dry day after rubbing your feet across the carpet. Unpleasant but not harmful.

We used the new shock collar to teach our furry friend her boundaries and very quickly she grew to understand that if she heard a "beep" she knew she had to get closer to us or to our home. As time went on, we rarely had to actually use the stimulation as the "beep" or "tone" that only she could hear, was warning enough. This was another feature I was unaware of before my husband informed me. After the initial training, a simple unpleasant tone to her ear was all it took to keep her from running amuck.

Now, many years later, and a few additions to our canine pack, we still use this training technique to effectively and humanely teach our pets to stay close and stay alive! Most times, just putting the collar on is all that is needed. Rarely do we even have to use the "tone" these days.