Review dog training collars

In part one of this dog training collar series we looked at choke and prong collars. To continue to review dog training collars, we’ll look at shock and tone collars.

Shock or Stimulation Collars

Shock collars are a controversial type of training collar. Some say they are inhumane, while others think they’re a very effective training tool. Electric dog collars work by emitting a small electric pulse into the dog’s skin whenever it receives a signal to do so (controlled by a remote with the dog owner). Most people who use shock collars describe the sensation as something similar to the static shock you sometimes get from touching metal. Opponents of shock collars say that it is more painful that a static shock and that this type of negative reinforcement actually decreases the effectiveness of training.

A shock collar’s purpose is essentially the same as a choke collar. When the dog’s actions are unwanted, a correction is immediately given. When the dog feels the electrical current going into him, he’ll stop whatever behavior he is engaged in. The dog learns to associate this pain with that behavior and therefore avoids it.

If you choose to use a shock collar, make sure you follow the correction with a reward for stopping. Do not rely on punishment alone. Your dog needs to learn that NOT engaging in a behavior is a positive experience. This will ultimately be more effective than simply teaching him that unwanted behavior equals an unpleasant shock. Combining this method with positive reinforcement can also help you prevent your dog from becoming too fearful.

You will also need to be careful about the strength of the correction you use. Set the collar to deliver the minimum amount needed. There is no way to dance around the fact that you are sending electricity into your dog’s body and it hurts. Never mind the debate about whether or not this is appropriate in the first place – if it’s too much you’ll end up teaching your dog to be terrified of the collar and probably many other activities.

Features of electric dog collars

Make sure you do your research before buying an electric collar. There are many brands to choose from. Most reviews of dog training collars will include Innotek, DogSafe, Dogtra, and Tritonics as the most popular. They aren’t the cheapest on the shelves but for something like a shock collar you must go with quality. A defective collar, or one that doesn’t regulate the current it is sending are dangerous and could cause serious injury.

Also ensure, whichever brand you buy, that it has a safety shut off built in. This is designed to ensure that your dog doesn’t receive a shock for more than ten seconds should something go wrong with your remote.

Tips for safe use of stimulation dog collars
Be careful not to let your remote fall into the hands of children or put it anywhere a button might be accidentally pressed. You need to have complete control over you’re your dog receives the electrical charge. You should also ensure the stimulation collar is only on your dog when he is likely to have behavior problems. Any other time, it should not be on him.

You also need to be careful to make sure that the collar is right for your dog. You will need to take your dog’s size and tolerance into consideration. Shock collars meant for big dogs will be too powerful for smaller dogs. You may end up causing too much pain or injury if you use an inappropriate match. It is best to talk to your trainer before choosing one.

When to use electric collars

Again, let us say that there are some dogs with bad behavior that will not respond adequately to only positive reinforcement training. It isn’t a black and white world and there is a place for a dog training collar. But not by inexperienced dog owners. The decision to use a shock collar in correcting dog behavior should only be taken in consultation with a professional dog trainer and under supervision.

Tone Correction Collars

A tone correction collar works in much the same way as a shock collar, but it is considered by many to be more humane. Instead of an electric shock, these collars emit a high-pitched sound. Dogs have very sensitive ears and they don’t enjoy that kind of noise!

Tone correction collars also use a remote that is used by the dog owner to send a signal to the collar. When the dog begins the unwanted behavior you should activate the sound and your dog should stop doing what ever it is he’s doing. As soon as he stops, make sure the tone stops and reward him immediately. The hope is that he’ll learn that the sound comes whenever he does a specific action. It stops when he stops that action and he gets a treat.

Some of the major brands, such as Innotek, have a tone option on their shock collars. This allows you to select the tone as a first correction and if that doesn’t work, escalate to the shock. Hopefully, your dog will understand that when she hears the tone and doesn’t stop what she is doing, the shock will come next and that is something she’ll want to avoid.

And just in case you’re in any doubt, again, let us say that this type of dog training collar should only be used when positive reinforcement training techniques are not working to correct an unwanted behavior and only after consultation with a professional dog trainer.

In the next part of our article to review dog training collars, we’ll look at some of the anti barking dog collars available and finish off with a description of the training collars we like – the gentle leaders.

Our most recommended dog training guide emphasizes training without the use of correction collars.

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