The Truth About Electric-Collars for Dogs

E-collar, Remote Collar, Shock Collar, Electric collar.Before ANYONE passes judgement, I urge you to hear me out, and spend just a minute reading what I have to share.A lot of people think this device is a bad thing.  It emits an electric charge to an animal, 1. one type is by remote or another 2. a 'containment system' which communicates to the dog a given boundary.I will explain how they both work, but the first kind is the: Remote E-collar (owner has remote control)THIS IS THE MOST MIS-UNDERSTOOD DEVICE.To explain the intensity of it, I've let people try it, and most can't feel it.  They explain it as as a very slight tingle sensation.  These are from the newer models with variable adjustments.  The older e-collars only have maybe 4 intensities, which 'shock' (and it's shocking! I've tried it)... The new ones give a VERY VERY VERY small intensity of current. In fact, gently tapping the head of a ball point pen is similar to what it feels like.I have an e-collar on one of my dogs.  And I would recommend it to people if they really NEED 100% recall.  The reason I have it, is because I want full control of my dog in any given situation.  She could chase a cat, and I could call her back mid-chase.My dog is trained on a positive reinforcement schedule. That means, when I say her name 'Yellow' she comes back for food or for praise. (she doesn't like toys)... So, for several months, I've taught her that when I say 'Yellow' she'll get a treat, a bit of chicken, a cuddle, a bit of steak etc etc. All happy and tree-hugging style.Then, I'll come to a point where I'll need her to understand, in distractions' you'll have to listen to me too.  Imagine you had your dog on a very very very long line - 10-20metres. Your dog would run around the park, dragging a line around. When you call your dog back, he/she may come back for the treat, but if he was eating something from the floor or too busy playing with his friends, he may or may not listen to you.You could then just pick up the line, and 'reel' him in. This is what the e-collar does.  Used PROPERLY, it's a device that can be used to communicate to the dog that you should listen to me.  It's the invisible leash.  Used properly, there are hundreds of thousands if not millions of people using it already who have the freedom to let their dog off run around with the safety of knowing that their dog will come back to them- no matter what.   Yes, it's a form of correction, as is, saying 'No' to your dog - but it is used and integrated AFTER the dog has learnt a highly MOTIVATED behaviour.  No doubt, there must be people out there in the world who use it 'inhumanely' - but that's a discussion for another time.In brief, anything can be mis-used; even a standard head collar and lead could severely hurt, even kill a dog in the wrong hands.(The other kind of e-collars are 'containment systems' which I'll explain later on.)