A dog expert describes mistakes even the most well-meaning person could make with a bark shock collar–including fatal.
Will a shock collar hurt a dog (both physically and mentally)? Can a shock collar actually work?
A smart dog won’t bark if he knows he’ll get a shock, so people might wonder, “What is the harm?”
“Shock collars can only be used successfully by experts,” says Mary Remer, certified pet dog trainer, breeder and licensed AKC judge, having trained more than 20,000 dogs in her 30-year career.
“In my opinion, most people are quick to use a shock collar to suppress behavior without finding out what the underlying causes of the behavior are.”
Remer continues: “Another problem is that few people have the technical skills or the timing to use a shock collar correctly.” She cites two examples of this:
“I was told by a person who bought a shock collar after being recommended by ‘experts’ to help stop their two male dogs from fighting.
“The shock collar was used on the more aggressive dog, and when that dog was in a tussle with the other dog, he hit the button to shock the dog.
“That dog thought that the pain he was experiencing was coming from the dog he was fighting with, and he proceeded to kill that dog.”
Remer continues with the next example, “Someone bought a shock collar to use on their dog that kept running away. There was no thought given to why the dog was running away.
“The owner shocked the dog while it was running and the dog was gone for hours before it was finally found a shaking mess.”
It’s hard to imagine that a person could actually think this might work; why would the dog return home upon feeling a shock?
How about putting a fence up?
How about not letting your dog outside unless leashed?
A shock collar might seem like a simple, easy and quick solution, but it’s not as simple as placing the device on your pet and then pushing a button or waiting for the dog itself to activate the collar (by barking, for instance).
Remer explains, “A person needs to be educated on the way the collar works. The dog needs to be assessed by an expert as to why there is aberrant behavior that cannot be remedied using alternative methods.
“If the expert deems the collar to be an effective tool for the individual dog for the particular situation, training can begin so the collar is used in the right way.”
Mary Remer is founder of What a Good Dog, a dog training and behavioral facility.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
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