Shock Collars For Dogs: Are They Safe & Humane?

by | Mar 31, 2017 | Training Collar Guide | 0 comments

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When people hear the term “shock collar” I think they get this gruesome picture in their head of a dog lying on the ground, twitching, with its fur on fire and smoke coming out of its ears.

Nothing can be further from the truth!

There are many misconceptions out there regarding shock collars for dogs. People talk about how cruel and inhumane they are and it continually amazes me. They’re commenting negatively on something they have absolutely no understanding of.

That being said, I think this is a good time to clear up some of these “shock collar myths”. Are shock collars safe for dogs & humane?

The simplest answer is yes, but only when used correctly.

A static shock collar is not meant to hurt your dog in any way, shape or form. That is not what they were designed for. It’s simply a tool, and like any other tool, needs to be used responsibly.

The “Tapping” Method

At K9 Electronics we promote the “Tapping” method at extremely low levels of static shock and will not cause your dog any pain. One of the very first things that you need to do when you get your new e-collar is to find the lowest level your dog responds to.

This is called the Introductory Level. You do this by placing the collar on your dog, setting the stimulation (static shock) level to zero, and begin tapping on the button while slowly increasing the level. When your dog slightly reacts to it, such as looking up at you or cocking it’s head to one side, stop right there! That’s about as “inhumane” as they get.

The idea is not to shock your dog into submission, but to gently communicate with your pet, at a distance, by sending a perfectly-timed, mild tapping sensation (pulse).

Do Shock Collars Hurt Dogs

A better way to describe the sensation might be; flicking the side of your dogs neck with your finger. Annoying? Yes. Painful? No! When your dog succeeds with the desired behavior you stop Tapping.

Your dog will quickly learn how to turn off the annoying pulse by complying with the command or stopping the unwanted behavior. Most of the dogs that we train typically only need static correction a few times before thay catch on and, depending on what model you choose, respond to either Vibration or Tone only mode after.

How They Work

Nowadays we call them “electronic training collars” or “e-collars” but back in the 1960’s when these devices first came into existence they were dubbed “shock collars” because they only had 1 level of Continuous shock.

shock collar discount

That means that the temperament of your dog really didn’t matter. There was one big level of shock and you could continuously press the shock button for as long as you wanted.

Modern day shock collars for dogs can have as many as 127 levels allowing owner/trainer to perfectly fine tune the collar to a dog’s specific temperament without over-stimulating the dog.

They come with Momentary (“Nick”) and Continuous modes and automatically shut off after several seconds as an added safety feature. Modern day collars also feature Vibration only and/or Tone only modes used as warning features.

Manufactures such as E-Collar Technologies (Einstien Collars) use the latest technologies with their patent pending COS (control of stimulation) and “Wide Pulse” stimulation (as opposed to Sharp Pulse.)

This technology delivers a much cleaner static shock and doesn’t penetrate the muscle of the dog’s neck as deeply. It delivers a medical grade static shock like you would receive in a Chiropractor or physical therapists office to excite muscle to reflex.

Other similar examples are a Tens machine or the abdominal muscle toning machines that you see advertised on TV.

At K9electronics.com we’re dedicated to the proper use of electronic training collars. We include a free, step-by-step e-collar training guide with every collar we sell.

The alternative to shock collars is positive reinforcement but every dog is different and this simply doesn’t work for some dogs. For some electric shock training devices, use correctly are the most effective way to correct your dog’s behaviour.

With all the informative articles on our website and free phone support before and after purchase, you’re guaranteed to have all the necessary information before you begin safely and effectively training your dog. If you have any questions regarding shock collars for dogs please feel free to use the comments section below, live chat in the bottom right corner of the site or call our toll free number at 800-586-3780.

We Recommend!

E-Collar Technologies ET-300

E-Collar Technologies ET-300 Mini

  • Up to 1/2 Mile
  • Fully Waterproof
  • 100 Static Correct Levels
  • For Soft to Normal Dispositions
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