About Bark-, Shock-, Electric-, Prong- Collars

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About Bark-, Shock-, Electric-, Prong- Collars Sept 27, 2013 22:44:03 GMT 2

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Post by Admin on Sept 27, 2013 22:44:03 GMT 2

My special cordial thankfulness to

Ioana-Marta Taranu:

Anti-Bark Collars Increase Barking

Yes, you read that right. Anti-bark collars increase barking behavior. And you’re probably thinking, “no way, the dog knows when that collar is on and doesn’t bark.” And I tell you….that is the kicker.

You see punishment is a funny thing. It has a bunch of side effects. One being the punisher needs to be present for the behavior to happen. (Think of driving the speed limit. Do you slow down until you see the speed trap?) The other side of this coin is once the punisher is not present, the “undesirable” behavior is reinforced automatically. (Once you pass the speed trap, you go right back to speeding.) With this concept being understood we can move on.

Slapping an anti-bark collar on a dog, whether it electrocutes them with a shock, sprays citronella in their face, or makes an ear splitting sound is the punisher. And I’d be hard pressed to find a dog who doesn’t know the collar is the “speed trap.” Ever take that collar off the dog? What happens? Does the dog bark? You bet’cha. And usually with even more gusto. So, is the dog trained at all? Nope. Have you ever been stuck behind pokey the wonder sloth while driving? You know, the huge truck going 10 miles under the speed limit. Let’s pretend you’re behind this slow poke for a good 15 minutes. Who doesn’t hit the gas (no matter the intensity), after he finally turns off the road? Doesn’t it feel good too?

The problem with anti-bark collars (besides, in my opinion, they are down right cruel) is that they don’t train squat. And if you truly understand behavior, you know they actually increase barking problems. Because as soon as you take it off, barking continues.

Barking is never the issue anyway. Barking is always a symptom of an underlying reason. And if you figure out the reason, you get rid of the barking. Don’t treat the cough, treat the cold. Don’t focus on the barking, focus on why the dog is barking.

Reasons such as frustration, fear, anxiety, or aggression are challenging enough, so adding an additional “icky thing” only makes this problem worse. If a dog barks at guests when they enter the house because he’s scared, a good solid spray in the face (or electric shock, or ear pinching sound) doesn’t help. It only proves the dog’s point that people coming in the house cause super annoying, harmful, or additional scary things to happen to him. So don’t be surprised to have a dog flip out and road rage on your guests. And trust me, you want a dog who will warn. You want a dog who will bark first.

If you know of a dog who is already wearing an anti-bark collar, let the owner know they are in for one heck of a behavior burst. So, step one go out and buy yourself some ear plugs. Step two, bring the anti-bark collar to its final resting place and file it away in the round file. Step three, call a trainer.

Last Edit: Sept 27, 2013 22:46:06 GMT 2 by Admin

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About Bark-, Shock-, Electric-, Prong- Collars Sept 27, 2013 22:44:44 GMT 2

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Post by Admin on Sept 27, 2013 22:44:44 GMT 2

Are Shock Collars Painful or Just Annoying to Dogs?
A 2004 Study Reveals Some Answers

By Sophia Yin, DVM, MS

Trainers often debate about the use of electronic shock collars. Some trainers find these collars unethical and unsafe. The pro-collar camp takes a different stance. Some say it just distracts the dog, calling it “tap technology” and others say it may be painful at the instant but then the dog learns to behave and there are no lasting negative effects.

In 2003, researchers from the Netherlands, Matthijs Schilder and Joanne van der Borg, assessed the short and long term behavioral effects of dog training with the help of shock collars.

They wanted to know three things:

1. Do shock collars cause pain and fear or just cessation of a behavior? This could be evaluated by looking for signs of fear and pain when dogs receive a shock.

2. If the shock collars cause pain and fear, do the signs of fear fade afterwards such that the dog is completely normal or do signs of fear and anxiety persist? For instance, if dogs have received shock on the training ground do they show more signs of fear during non-training times in the same area when compared to dogs that have not been shocked?

3. And lastly, the researchers wondered if they could distinguish shocked from non-shocked dogs by fear/anxiety responses outside the training grounds. That is, are dogs who have been shocked more fearful in non-training locations? If so, it indicates they associate the handler or being given commands with the reception of shocks.

The Study Group

Schilder and van der Borg used Malinois, Malinois crosses, German Shepherds and one Rottweiler from a group of dogs being trained for their official (IPO ) certificate as police dogs as well as dogs being trained for standard watchdog training for a comparable (VH3) certificate, which is the highest possible in this type of training. Because these were working dogs they differ from the general population of dogs in that they are higher energy, higher drive, and have a higher tolerance for the correction-based training for which they are bred.

The 32 shock-collar group dogs (S-dogs) received shocks during training. The control group received no shocks but did receive other harsh methods including choke chain corrections, pinch collar corrections, other physical corrections (C-dogs). The researchers had no influence upon the methods and aids used, rather they just observed the trainers during the routine training sessions and “free walking” sessions in which the dog was not being trained or given corrections.

Overall they observed 32 shock collar-group dogs receiving 107 shocks and 16 control dogs who received other types of corrections instead. They evaluated control and experimental dogs in three situations:

1. First a free walk on the training grounds in which the dog was walked on leash but no orders were given to the dog. This was to see if there was a behavioral difference between the non-shocked vs the shock collar dogs and whether the type of correction had a lasting effect outside of the correction-situation.

2. An obedience work session on the training ground which included the following commands—sit and down in motion, heeling in slow, normal and fast walking speed with changes of direction, and recall to the handler. This situation was to determine whether the S-dogs showed signs of fear or pain when corrected.

3. A protection work session on the training ground in which the dog performed a number of exercises such as search for criminal, hold and bark at criminal, escape and defense, followed by attack by the criminal, and finally transport back.

4. They also filmed the dogs during a “free-walk” session at a park (a new location) and then an obedience session at the park. This was to see whether there was a difference between control dogs and S-dogs and whether S-dog associated the shock correction with the handler.

The Affects of Shock-Collar Corrections on Body Posture

The study found that in the 32 dogs that received a total of 107 shocks, there was an immediate direct effect in which the dogs most commonly:

• Lowered their of body posture (22 of 32 dogs)

• Gave high-pitched yelps (17 of 32 dogs)

• Gave tongue flicks (18 of 32 dogs)

• Lowered their tail (13 of 32 dogs)

• Squealed (13 of 32 dogs)

• Turned their head down and to the side to avoid the shock (7 of 32 dogs)

• Moved away (avoidance) (14 of 32 dogs)

• Gave a barking scream (5 of 32 dogs)

• Crouched (6 of 32 dogs)

Dogs also lifted their front paw, lowered their back, jumped, licked their lips, circled, trembled, and sniffed the ground. All of the listed behavioral responses are signs of fear, pain, or anxiety and stress. Seven dogs showed no reaction.

The Effects of Previous Shock-Collar Corrections on Behavior at the Training Ground

Dogs that had been shocked previously showed more signs of anxiety and fear then the control dogs during free-walking on the training grounds as well as when they were being trained. During the free-walking and obedience work, S-dogs exhibited significantly more lip licking and lower ear positions indicating lasting effects of shock on overall fear and anxiety. During the protection work they showed more paw-raising.

The Effects of Previous Shock-Collar Corrections on Behavior in a New Setting (The Park)

Dogs that had been shocked previously showed more signs of fear an anxiety in the park situation than the control dogs. They showed a higher frequency of low ear position during the free walk than the control dogs and lower ear position and tongue flicking during obedience exercises in the park.

Behavior on the Training Ground Vs the Park and When Being Trained Vs on Free Walk.

Dogs that had previously been shocked were more frightened on the training ground than in the park. They carried their tails lower on the training ground than in the park and lifted their paw more. They were also more frightened during training than when being walked—ears and tail position were lower when being trained. However, non-shocked dogs also showed more signs of fear when being trained than when being walked.

The Take Home Messages

Overall the researchers concluded that even when compared to working dogs trained using choke chain and pinch collar corrections, dogs trained with electronic shock collars showed more fear and anxiety behaviors than those trained by other traditional police dog and watchdog methods. They concluded that:

• Avoidance behavior and fear postures during the shocks indicated that the shock elicited both pain and fear and therefore were not just a distraction or nuisance.

• The fact that the dogs showed more fear than control dogs both in the non-training situations in the familiar training grounds as well as in the park indicates that dogs are learning to associate the shock, not just with the unwanted behavior, but also with the location/environment as well as the trainer. The researchers found some evidence that some dogs had also learned to associate commands with shock. For example they state that one dog, shocked immediately after getting a “heel’ command, yelped after getting the next “heel” command without being shocked. The authors point out that the dog was not given a chance to respond after given the “heel” command, rather the command was immediately followed by the correction, hence increasing the likelihood that this type of aversion association would be made.

• The researchers state that in the presence of the handler, the dog has learned to expect something aversive. “The enormous rewards the dogs experience during training, i.e., chasing down, catching a criminal and winning the sleeve, do not counter the negative effects of getting shocked. This is in spite of the fact that handlers of non-shocked dogs admitted that they use prong collars and that their dogs experienced beatings and other harsh punishment, such as kicks or choke collar corrections.”

• Both dogs trained using electronic shock collars and those trained with other traditional coercive methods (choke chain, pinch collar, physical punishment) showed more signs of fear and anxiety when being trained than when on a free walk.

Interestingly, the results did show that 7 dogs out of 32 (22%) showed no signs of fear or pain while actually receiving the electronic collar shock which indicates that some dogs bred for high drive and to withstand the demands of the coercive-type training appear to have no pain or fear of the shock. The study does not indicate whether these 7 dogs failed to show fear and anxiety in the other test situations though.
Their final thoughts—it would be interesting to see whether the shocked dogs also show more signs of fear with a different handler and the next step is to compare protection and guard dogs in a more “friendly” way.

Schilder, M., Van der Borg, J., 2004. Training dogs with the help of the shock collar: short and long term behavioural effects. Appl Anim Beh Sci, 85, 319-344.

Last Edit: Sept 27, 2013 22:46:31 GMT 2 by Admin

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About Bark-, Shock-, Electric-, Prong- Collars Sept 27, 2013 22:45:27 GMT 2

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Post by Admin on Sept 27, 2013 22:45:27 GMT 2

Electric Collar Training Reviewed
By Conni Borwick

Many pet owners are offered training with shock collars for their dogs. Most do not understand the implications of such training and the negative effects it has on their dogs. Trainers promoting this type of training fail to mention that electronic collars have been banned or severely restricted in Denmark, Germany, Switzerland, Wales and most of Australia.

If the international community sees shock collars as a problem why would we think they are appropriate training tools?

Dr. Karen Overall, MA, VMD, PhD. Dipl. ACVB, ABS Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist, states “I have been surprised at how often those who support shock ignore the fact that cessation may not be a hallmark of ‘improved behavior,’ especially when the welfare of the animal is concerned.” Despite some trainers claims that clients found their dogs to become “obedient” with such shock training, Overall states “obedient dogs can be quite distressed and can suffer from profound anxiety while complying with a request.” Furthermore, Dr. Overall concludes that this method violates many of the rules of learning behavior: “Any dog who stops reacting to any stimuli in such a conditioned situation is experiencing learned helplessness, NOT OBEDIENCE.” (Journal of Veterinary Behavior, vol.2. pgs. 1-5).

Although the use of shock collars is promoted as a quick way to train a dog, dog owners need to be wary of the after effects of such training. In a landmark paper published in 2004, Schilder and Van der Borg University of Ultrecht, Ultrecht, The Netherlands, studied German Shepherd dogs that were guard dog trained, to document the long term behavioral effects of shock collar training. The findings showed that these dogs had a lowered ear and lowered tail and body postures when free walking and more stress related behaviors than did the dogs that were not shocked. Some of these behaviors are repetitive lip licking, becoming context dependent on their handlers, higher Cortisol levels, and alterations in the HPA axis.

Although these dogs showed these problematic behaviors they continued to work, which suggests that their handlers could have used other humane methods to develop the working team relationship with a our dogs. Applied Animal Behavior Science 85 (2004) 319-334.)

A recent study conducted by E. Schalke, et. al. (2006) investigated two key physiological measures of stress; heart rate and cortisol levels. Three groups were utilized: Shock, control and idiopathic shock. The authors concluded that the “misuse of electric collars ... could produce extreme states of anxiety in dogs. They suggest that the use of such devices be restricted ...”to individuals with practical qualifications and suitable training in learning theory.” (Applied Animal Behavior Science 105 2007 pgs.369-380.)

The statement that somehow a remote shock collar can overcome “fear based behaviors” in minutes would be lauded as ludicrous by anyone in the science community. Steven R. Lindsay, MA discusses the causes and effects of fear based behaviors and devotes an entire chapter to the thorough analysis required in order to effectively help the dog learn how to cope with his fear. Lindsay states, “Fear is a normal self-protective response to a potentially injurious stimulation. There are three broad ways in which adaptive fear is expressed: freeze, flight and fight.” (Etiology and Assessment of Behavior Problems: Handbook of Applied Dog Behavior and Training, pgs.69-91, Iowa State University Press 2001).

Clearly, the freeze behavior is what can occur when the dog feels there is no other option. It is interesting to note that often trainers with no education in scientific behavior modification make the claim that the dogs are happy, and the collar does not bother them at all. Interesting claim unless they have the equipment to measure cortisol levels and heart rate and can define what “happy” is to a dog. If, in fact, using the remote collar for training is so effective, then we should be able to remove completely the collar after the training is done and have the “trained behaviors” on cue as is normally done with regular training. Unfortunately, this is not always the case.

Regardless of what training aids a person uses -- a clicker, or a choke collar or a gentle leader -- the MAIN idea is to have the behavior put on cue, such as a verbal command or hand signal without the need for the collar or any other tools. Behavior training does take awhile if it did not we would have no need for Alcoholics Anonymous, Gamblers Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, or any cognitive behavioral specialists, we would just “tickle” the folks and they would comply immediately. We wouldn’t need to have smokers go through a process of behavioral modification we would just shock them and they would quit. The question is after we took their collars off, would they go back to smoking, but now hide behind the barn.

Anyone who has used a “tens” machine for back pain knows full well that there is a fine line where the electric impulse is not hurting and when it can be so intense it can make you jump off the table. If those people are only interested in making their dog a non-thinking, remote controlled robot, they might consider purchasing instead a video game rather than a thinking animal that does require time and energy and commitment.

As Dr. Overall states, if the 1/1000 of a second “ tap” (no information on how such data were acquired or validated) only generates a reaction so subtle that a dog might only look at you or flick his ear, why are we not using a clicker or a voice to get that response? Do we really need an electric collar to do that? If so, we have likely overridden many of the dog’s normal responses.” (Journal of Veterinary Behavior, Vol. 2 # 4).

I would invite anyone who has trained their dog strictly with a remote collar to enter a real competition such as an AKC Obedience, or Agility trial where the dogs are asked to work together to demonstrate their true relationship. I have worked with owners whose dogs received prior shock collar training and now were collar aggressive, afraid to learn, and many other behaviors that can be attributed to incorrect training. Almost unequivocally the behaviors that the owners were seeking to have the dog learn could have easily been taught using other methods. There are many excellent reward based trainers that can be utilized; it is the owner’s responsibility to ask questions about the methods used and the educational background of the trainer. Unfortunately, there is NO licensing or criteria required by any governing body, anyone can call themselves an “animal trainer.”

Dr. Crowell-Davis, DVM, PhD, DACVB, a veterinary behaviorist at the University of Georgia, wrote an article in the July (2008) Journal of Veterinary Medicine discussing the use of electric collars. She speaks of the negative effects employed by these devices and states, “Despite the ethical issues surrounding the use of shock collars, such devices are still promoted and sold as harmless, and the APPEARANCE of authority is used to support such claims.” She further states, “veterinarians who recommend trainers and other animal care professionals need to exercise due diligence in being aware of exactly which techniques local animal care professionals use when interacting with animals.” As Co-Chair of the Scientific Working Group on Dogs, a group comprised of national and international government and canine groups, including all detection disciplines, Dr. Overall speaks eloquently to the relationship of the canine human teams. She says: “The historic use of adversarial, coercive techniques no longer makes sense given what we now know about dog cognition and learning. We can do better. The canine handler teams that work the best are those that understand and trust each other.

Anything that interferes with that trust and understanding is hurting the team.”

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About Bark-, Shock-, Electric-, Prong- Collars Sept 27, 2013 22:48:04 GMT 2

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Post by Admin on Sept 27, 2013 22:48:04 GMT 2

Fear & anger are shocking enough!
Filed under: Helping fearful dogs

The use of punishment, of any kind, for cases of fear and aggression is contraindicated, meaning the risk of making the situation worse is greater than potential benefit. The idea that you can slap someone across the face and have them come to their senses is the stuff of old movies. Try it with a person and then be ready to duck while you’re waiting to hear, “Gee thanks I needed that,” when instead they take swing back at you.

If a shock collar or other means of punishment is needed to interrupt a commonly occurring problem behavior the solution begins by keeping a dog out of any situation in which the behavior is likely to be displayed. Changing responses, especially responses that are the result of an overwhelming emotion, is slow going. So while it is possible to manage a dog’s behavior using punishment*, the emotional response does not go away and may intensify. A dog that has been managed with positive punishment around its triggers** often will, when given the chance (and these chances occur more than we’d like), revert back to his original response to the trigger.

Studies that looked at anger and violent behavior in children found that kids exposed to violence or trauma themselves are more prone to angry outbursts or have what we’d call ‘short fuses’. The reason lies in the very real changes that occur in brains that have to process fear, pain and trauma.

There are ways to manage behavior which can help bring about the desired emotional change, but these methods do not hurt, scare or intimidate a dog to get the job done. Get a dog to sit and breathe calmly and just like a person, they will begin to feel less upset. For more information about how to use operant conditioning to work with reactive dogs check out the work that Grisha Stewart has been doing with Behavior Adjustment Training.

Few would argue that it makes sense to punish a dog that is cowering and hiding. The problem arises when the dog’s response looks less like fear and more like anger. While we may never know exactly how a dog might discriminate between their emotions, punishing a dog that is behaving aggressively because they are afraid, doesn’t make sense either.

I know how it feels to be on the other end of the leash with a dog that is doing its best to imitate Cujo, and the emotional rush I get does little to help me remain calm and think rationally. I want the behavior to stop and may also be scared or angry and my ‘gut’ response is to just get the dog to ‘KNOCK IT OFF!’. This is only a stop gap measure, for permanent positive change to occur I have to work with the dog, get the dog to draw on her own resources and internal controls, rather than continually having to control her outbursts myself.

When upset or aroused, anything which adds stimulation to the dog’s experience can backfire.

Here’s a story about a man who killed another man because of their dogs’ tangled leashes. According to the story, what appears to have been the final trigger that led to the fatal stabbing occurred when the victim put his hand on the other man’s wife’s arm, in way, which as it is described, was nonviolent and nonthreatening. But the fellow with the knife was upset. He was angry and already aroused due to the previous interactions he had. Surely he ‘knew’ that using violence against someone was wrong, he’d been punished for it in the past (served jail time). Yet one man had his throat slashed and another was killed. Why? Because a couple of little dogs got their leashes tangled? Doesn’t make sense does it?

And that is the point. Sense was not involved.

In order for our dogs to learn what it is we are trying to teach them they need to be able to ‘make sense’ of what is happening to them. An upset, over threshold dog has a hard time seeing the dots we’ve laid out for them, never mind connecting them. But herein lies the beauty of working with dogs. If we don’t want our dogs out barhopping at midnight, it’s easy to control that.

If we are going to change behaviors which are based on powerful emotional responses we have to work on changing the emotional response in order to guarantee, with any kind of success, that the alternate behavior we want will be reliable. Classical counter conditioning and desensitization are effective and safe techniques to use for making this happen.

Having reasonable expectations for our dog’s behavior is important. The reasons for their fear may be such that they are not easily modified. Medication can help the process along with desensitization and counter conditioning, but in the end a dog might always prefer the life of a country mouse.

How much an owner is willing or able to modify their dog’s environment is a component of how successful a dog can become. A dog can be walked during quieter hours of the day or night and they don’t have to join their owner in the pet shop. Strangers or other dogs can be kept away.

It takes time and energy to change the behavior of a fearful or reactive dog. Just because we can put a device on a dog to control their behavior, doesn’t mean that we should. The best controller of a dog’s behavior is the dog herself. Together with our dogs we can help them gain the skills and confidence to navigate their world so we can both enjoy ourselves when we’re out in it.

*Punishment is any consequence that makes it less likely for a behavior to be repeated. Positive punishment refers to ‘adding’ something to the situation, like a collar jerk, a shout, or hit. Negative punishment refers to the ‘taking away’ of something to stop the unwanted behavior, for example a dog that resource guards its owner learns that the owner gets up and leave whenever the guarding behavior occurs.

**The things that cause the dog to behave in a way that appears to be fearful or aggressive.

About Bark-, Shock-, Electric-, Prong- Collars

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