“Electrostimulus” collars or eCollars (sometimes called Shock Collars) are one of the modern tools for dog training. Positive trainer Eric Brad looks at the top 5 reasons to consider using one with your dog!
I talk a lot in this column about science and behaviour based training. I’ve made the case many times that all dog training is based in Operant and Classical Conditioning even if the trainers don’t realize that they are employing those behavioural principles. And while many positive dog trainers are aware of the science behind what they do with their dogs, more traditional trainers may not be as well versed in the science or terminology.
All dog training works, eventually. I believe that firmly. So I thought it might be appropriate to take a look at an alternative method of dog training that is very popular in some circles of the dog world. Just as technology has brought us the “clicker” and automated reinforcement devices, it has also provided some trainers with a tool that they swear by and promote as a tremendously efficient way to train their dogs. I’m referring, of course, to that miracle of modern technology knows as the eCollar or “shock” collar.
For those not familiar with them, eCollars are electrical devices attached to a collar that fits around your dog’s neck and is capable of delivering an electrical charge directly to the dog ranging from a mild tingle to a potentially painful shock depending on the setting used. The collar is operated by a remote control used by the trainer. A simple push of a button delivers the charge or “stim” (short for stimulus) as some eCollar manufacturers call it and is used to “correct” the dog even at long distances.
So, in honor of this first day of April, in hopes of a wonderful spring, I thought I would explore what I see as the top five reasons a trainer would choose a “shock” collar or eCollar for training their dog. Let’s dive in!
Reason #5 – I can’t accurately throw things that far.
One of the great advantages of eCollars is that they work at ranges farther than I can throw something at my dog. One website lists “short” range at less than 1/2 mile and “super long range” at up to 2 miles. Holy cow! That’s farther than even my voice would carry if I wanted to scream at my dog to “correct” him! No longer am I limited by my proximity to my dog to effectively interrupt whatever it is he is doing with a physical correction. Now I can stop working on my throwing arm with that soda can with the pennies in it and focus instead on pressing the button on the remote. That will save a lot of effort!
Reason #4 – Punishing my dog works better if he can’t figure out it’s coming from me.
Hey, everybody loves their dog, right? Who wants their dog to think of them as the bad guy? Certainly not me! Using an eCollar gets me totally out of the picture when “correcting” my dog. If my dog isn’t cooperating in our training exercise, I can deliver a correction from a distance and let my dog believe that god, woodland faeries, or even the spirit of all good dogs has interrupted them to get them back on the straight and narrow. Maybe think of it as a conscience that you can strap around your dog’s neck. When she’s not doing the “right” thing I can help her out with a few little reminders. And best of all, she can’t ever come to resent me for it because, hey, I’m way over there.
Reason #3 – I can work the TV, I can work my dog.
By using an eCollar in my dog training, I can use a skill I have been developing for most of my life – operating a remote control. Goodness, they make a remote control for nearly everything, don’t they? Garage doors, unlocking or starting your car, turning off your space heater, working the TV; the list goes on and on. It only stands to reason that someone would come up with a remote control to work my dog. They say you need to have good timing when using an eCollar remote. Well, no one is faster than me at hitting the remote the instant a commercial comes on my TV. Moving to that kind of training seems like it would be a breeze for me. If I can watch my favorite hour-long TV crime show in 45 minutes by accurately fast forwarding through the commercials, I should be able to get my dog trained in no time!
Reason #2 – I can “correct” my dog more efficiently and more often.
If you’re the kind of trainer that finds it easier to tell your dog when they’re doing it WRONG than when they’re doing what you want, then this might be the perfect tool for you. Let’s face it, there are many more things you don’t want your dog to be doing than there are things you want to train him to do. An eCollar gives you a tool that is ready to go again immediately after you use it! Unlike that can with the pennies, there’s no need to get another one or retrieve the one you just threw. Just flick your thumb over that button again and Voila! – job done. Now you’re free from those pesky limitations on how often you can correct your dog in order to get just the right behaviour. Don’t forget to recharge between training sessions!
Reason #1 – Pushing a button to get what I want is as clever as I get.
Why would you want to spend hours learning positive reinforcement training techniques from heavy scientific books and lengthy videos when you can just buy an eCollar and this 46 page book by Stephen C. Rafe on training with “electrostimulation?” All of this talk about reinforcement rates, aversives, behaviour suppression, positive punishment, negative punishment, Pavlov and Skinner is more than most people want to deal with. Is your dog not doing what you want? Push the button! Still not doing it? Push it again! He will figure it out eventually. They always do. Dogs have been trained with punishment for centuries and only a few people have been mauled to death for it and they probably should have chosen a more appropriate breed for their size. And besides, with an eCollar, I don’t even have to be in the same room with my dog to correct him!
Ok, Seriously…
Happy April Fool’s Day from Canine Nation. I hope my little excursion into the absurd made some of you laugh. I’m sure it will infuriate others. And I’m dead certain that somewhere someone is thinking “Hey, you know….that doesn’t sound like a bad way to go.” Such is the state of dogs and dog training early in the 21st century. There are lots of ways to live with dogs and, bless them, they are a very tolerant and accepting animal. They stick with us through thick and thin.
A few closing thoughts. I very pointedly did not use the terms “shock” or “pain” in this article. That’s because not all eCollars use an electical shock. Some use a vibration. Many also use a sound as a marker in the same way positive trainers use a click to precede a reward. There is science behind eCollar training although I find the logic of using it a little confusing considering other alternatives that have proven to be more effective. That said, eCollars are used humanely and effectively by skilled trainers every day. However, the potential for misuse is something I find very unsettling. But that’s me.
Since it is the hunting dog community that seems to make a great deal of the advantages of eCollars in getting great results, I thought I would leave you with video of a hunting dog demonstration that was presented at the world’s most prestigious dog show, Cruft’s, in England. It’s amazing what positive training methods can achieve if we take the time to learn and use them properly.
Here’s hoping I gave you a smile.
Until next time, have fun with your dogs!
NOTE: For the humour impaired, this article is a satire. The sentence above that contains the phrase “eCollars are used humanely and effectively by skilled trainers every day” is included for accuracy. Although a small minority, such skilled and special needs trainers do exist and are successful. This is not intended to imply my endorsement of the use of shock, choke, or prong collars. Acknowledgement of special cases where such tools are used without harm should not be taken as an indication that I recommend or endorse their use in training. I DO NOT! There are literally hundreds of alternatives to the use of these devices that dog owners should be using to minimize the physical and emotional risks to their dogs. There are just better ways to train.
#6. You can also use it to train your toddler!
Ignore the negative, reward the positive, should be the basic of all training:-)
Don’t forget, that can of pennies works best if you manage to hit the dog with it when you throw it.
However, I don’t agree with the following: “That said, eCollars are used humanely and effectively by skilled trainers every day.”
Shock collars have to cause enough pain or discomfort to make a dog want to stop the shocks. I don’t think that qualifies as humane.
Shocking a dog can be good at supressing an unwanted behavior, but they don’t teach what you DO want. I don’t know if I could call that effective training.
Hi and thanks for reading!
Not all ecollars are designed to use electric shock. Some use vibration instead of delivering a shock. You are correct that any ecollar teaches behaviour by turning OFF the “stimulus” which, by definition, makes that stimulus an aversive – something the dog seeks to avoid. But aversives come in mild forms that most people would not consider inhumane. Ian Dunbar, for example, has recommended a training method where you repeat the cue over and over until the dog performs the behaviour you’re asking for. To me, this is just nagging and I would think the dog does the behaviour to get you to stop repeating the word. Aversive? Yes. Humane? Yes. Annoying? Definitely.
I do agree with you that aversives are best used for suppressing or eliminating behaviour. I don’t think it’s a good idea to use them to teach behaviour because the results can be unpredictable and there is a lot of unnecessary emotional fallout that can happen as well.
For me, the potential for misuse/abuse with ecollars is just too great and I would prefer they not be sold at all. There are just so many other methods out there that work better for teaching your dog.
The vibration collars or collars that simply make a sound to mark a behavior are okay if the dog is conditioned to it and if they don’t fear it even after conditioning (mere acceptance isn’t enough in my opinion). But I was specifically referring to using electrical shock on a dog.
Many things are aversive. Even not getting a treat could be considered aversive. I get that. But electric shock is an unacceptable aversive. It’s physical force and you just don’t need to shock any dogs. I don’t use force when I train, neither do many others and they can manage to get results so physical force when training/behavior mod has been proven to be just an unnecessary and stressful thing to put a dog through. Claiming that it’s okay when the “experts” use shock collars or when you use it “properly” is baloney. Almost EVERYONE who uses a shock collar will tell you that THEY use it right. And almost EVERYONE claims to be an expert. And it’s not just the trainers who use the shock collars, they send home their clients with it because if they don’t keep up the shocks, the forced compliance won’t keep up.
Also, merely suppressing a behavior is a really crappy way to train and it’s not fair to the dog. Dogs do what they think is right because they do what works for them. If lunging at other dogs on a walk makes them think that they’re keeping them away, they’ll continue to do it unless you show them a new, constructive way to deal with their dog aggression, most likely caused by fear. Shocking the symptom away doesn’t cure the problem. And it isn’t fair because the dog still has the reason for lunging, only now, they can’t express it. If you’ve taught a new acceptable way to behave correctly, then your dog will comply correctly, the unwanted behavior will stop being offered, and shocking them is rendered unneeded.
I think we agree. There is no good reason to subject dogs to electrical shocks at any intensity. There are just better ways to work with them.
On the topic of suppressing behaviour, you might be interested in an article I did here in November of 2010 called Selling Snake Oil: Stopping Behaviour Doesn’t Make A Good Dog. A more recent article I’ve done on the topic of using training methods just because they are expedient is Bad Dog – Handling Problem Behaviours
Really appreciate your comments and thanks for reading!
Eric
Wow, I was so shocked (pardon the pun) and disappointed for a while there! BRAT! lol Love ya, bro!
I agree with Sherry … you are a brat!
But, well played Mr. E.
Jazz Dog agrees 😉
Cheers,
Gil