What Are the Dangers of a Dog Shock Collar?

Dog shock collars are controversial. Many dog trainers and organizations warn against improper use and cite dangers from malfunctioning collars and physical or mental cruelty to the dog. Trainers who use shock collars claim they are an invaluable tool in the training tool box, and not at all cruel when used correctly. Many people consider it acceptable to use a shock collar with an invisible fence, but unacceptable to use one for training.

  1. Types

    • Shock collars are also referred to as electronic collars, or simply e-collars. They are commonly used with electric fences to train the dog to stay within a certain boundary. As the dog approaches the boundary, she first receives a warning beep. If she continues forward, she is shocked.

      Remote training collars are used to correct the dog from a distance. These are often used for game and hunting dogs, and in police K-9 training.

      Bark collars are triggered by the vibration in a dog's vocal chords. Like a an invisible fence shock collar, they often give a warning beep to let the dog know of the impending shock, then buzz the dog if he continues to bark.

      Most collars have multiple levels of stimulation or shock. These can range from a gentle vibration to a strong, painful jolt.

    Effects

    • Shock collars can cause heightened aggression and fear responses, according to animal advocacy organization Humane Carolina. Because the shock seems random to the dog, she may associate it with what she sees or experiences when shocked. This could be a child, another dog or the immediate area. Over time the dog can build up multiple fears and aggressions towards unsuitable stimuli, such as children or other dogs.

      Fear-aggression is one of the more unpredictable types of aggression, when a dog will bite when she feels threatened, cornered or stressed. Many trainers claim that use or over-use of a shock collar puts a dog in a constant state of fearful arousal, wondering when she may get shocked next. This effect can cause a hair-trigger bite response to what in most dogs would be a very mild stressor.

      Collars that emit a warning "beep" before shocking the dog can lead to a generalized fear of all electronic beeping sounds.

    Shock Collar Malfunction

    • Like any electronic equipment, shock collars can malfunction. Dogs have been left outside in the rain wearing an invisible fence collar, and very badly burned when the collar shorted out. This is more of a problem with older or cheap shock collars, as newer ones have built in technology to prevent this from happening.

      If the collar is powered remotely by the home's electrical system or by batteries, anything that causes electrical failure or forgetting to replace the batteries will cause the collar to stop working. While many dogs get habituated to an electric fence boundary and stay within it, an electrical storm that knocks the power out might scare him enough to run loose.

    Invisible Fence Shock Collar Risks

    • Invisible fence shock collar risks are not limited to equipment malfunction. A dog left unattended within an invisible fence boundary is not safe from other dogs or animals that may enter it. Nor are they safe from dog thieves. The dog might get so excited by a squirrel or rabbit he will run out of the fence boundary, then be unwilling to re-enter it later because he does not want to be shocked.

    Misconceptions

    • One misconception about shock collars is that the shock a dog feels when they get a shock is equivalent to the shock a human feels when they put the same collar around their own necks, leg or arm. While the idea of pain or shock may be subjective, what is clear is that dogs do not feel stimuli in the same way as humans. Watching dogs gleefully leap into freezing water, bite and play roughly with each other and run "barefoot" over rough ground should be evidence of this.