Welcome to Our Dispelling the Myths About Shock Collars Page.
The use of electronic pet training devices has
become increasingly widespread. In 1998, pet owners worldwide purchased
more than 300,000 remote training collars, over 600,000 pet containment
systems and almost 600,000 bark control collars.
Why the
popularity? These training systems have become much more affordable and
pet owners are finding them to be a safe, effective means for controlling
the various behaviors that they find unacceptable in their pets.
As
sales of these products increase, so do the not so favorable opinions
about them -- that they make pets aggressive, that there is a greater
chance of failure than success when using them, that the shock they
deliver is painful, that they will result in significant injury to your
pet.
These can all be classified as "myths" since there is very
little hard data available to prove or disprove them. However, recent
studies are providing results that allow for a more reasoned analysis of
this technology.
Last year, one of the major manufacturers of
electronic pet training products retained an independent laboratory to
compare the level of correction produced by a pet containment system
receiver to the shock produced by other common circumstances and devices.
The evaluation demonstrated that the "shock" produced by a pet containment
system is nowhere near the intensity that some people believe. These
results are shown in the diagram below.
This chart puts the correction into
perspective. As you can see, the "shock" produced by the pet containment
system is nearly 40% less that than what one would receive from walking on
carpet. (Please note that static shock will vary greatly depending on the
relative humidity: the lower the humidity, the higher the
shock.)
Further, this study demonstrates that the training "shock"
is 1/4 the level of a cattle fence and 1/20 the level of a stun gun, 2
devices to which electronic pet training equipment is often unfairly
compared.
But even this study tells only half the story. It
compared the voltage put out by these devices...the intensity. You also
need to consider the duration. Reputable brands of electronic training
equipment correct for only a short period of time. The brand that has the
UL mark of approval on its receiver features a correction that lasts only
1/40 of a second -- less time than it takes the average person to snap his
fingers.
But what this study does demonstrate is that not all
"shock" is the same. And that the correction in question is not "painful",
"powerful" or even "uncomfortable". "Surprising" maybe, but none of the
above.
Still, every animal will react differently to the
correction. So you should always approach a training situation with
caution when using this kind of equipment. As is usually the case,
education is the answer. When you're training a pet, you need to have as
much information as possible...and a behavior management plan to support
you, as you would with traditional training techniques. When looking at
selecting a product, preferably select one that provides you with both
instructional manuals and videos.
If you choose a product that
supplies you with these necessary educational materials, you will greatly
increase your chances of success when attempting to improve your pet's
behavior. To help demonstrate this fact, let's look at a survey that was
recently completed by a leading manufacturer of electronic pet training
equipment.
This company surveyed 1,025 dog owners that had been
using one of 3 types of electronic training equipment (remote training
collar, bark control collar or containment system) for a period of not
less than 90 days.
The most significant findings came as the result
of asking the pet owner the following question: "Since using the
electronic training product, how would you describe your pet's overall
behavior?" The owner was asked to respond with one of the following:
a) better behaved (and specifically how),
b) no change in behavior or
c) worse behaved (and specifically how).
The
results are staggering. Slightly over 2/3 (860 of 1,025 dog owners)
responded that their dog's overall behavior had in fact improved since
using the electronic equipment. The graph below demonstrates the overall
results.
Reasons that these dogs would show an overall
improvement in their behavior would include that the owners used the
equipment correctly. Correct use includes spending a significant amount of
time working with and socializing with your dog. When a dog receives an
increase in time and attention, his or her behavior will usually change
for the better.
This survey also helps to dispel another myth about
the use of electronic training equipment - that it causes pets to act
aggressively. None of the dog owners surveyed purchased the equipment for
the purpose of eliminating aggressive behavior. However, approximately 12%
stated that another positive side effect of using the equipment was that
their dogs no longer exhibited occasional aggressive behavior that had
been seen in the past. Also, of those owners stating that their dogs'
behavior worsened in some way since using the equipment, none reported the
worsening being in the form of aggressive behavior.
Please contact us at help@acornpetco.com with any questions or for more information. Thank you.
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