It does not matter if your dog trainer has asked you to go for a shock collar or you may have got the idea all by yourself. But it is one of the worst things to use on your dog. Not only it has multiple health impacts but also it brings in a lot of psychological impacts on your dog as well. While it is obviously a good option for the efficient training of your dog, it must be avoided as much as possible.
- The shock
The dog is more like your baby. Even if you treat him as your pet only, it is a life form and you should respect that. When you put a shock collar around his neck, you take out the best part out of their life, their freedom. They cannot even bark freely anymore. This can bring in very bad impacts on their mental health. Also, a continuous shock around the neck is not a great thing either. It can directly affect the nervous system of the dog and in worst cases; they might just lose their sanity when they receive repeated shocks to one of the most sensitive areas of their body.
- The fear
It instills great fear within the dog. They cannot speak and you cannot understand what they are trying to say you. Even more, they do not understand why they are being punished. It may be that they are barking just to say how much they love you and all they get in return is a shock. Or they may be just begging you for help and you have no idea at all. It brings him chronic fears that can directly affect his psychological behavior. Dog is the best friend of a man and putting a shock collar around his neck is now way of expressing gratitude to him.
- Weakens the bond
If nothing of the above happens, it will surely weaken the bond that you can form with your dog. You are their family. But when you use a shock collar for training him, he might just feel threatened and revert back on the bonds you already have. That can be very disturbing especially in cases of aggressive dogs that are generally hard to gain control over. When you lose the bond, there is hardly any chance that they will be ever listening to you without the shock collar. Also, that makes them obedient out of the pain and fear, not out of love. That is no right way to treat a pet.
- Over-correction
Automatic shock collars can be one of the most disturbing items to put around pets. This is because these machines can punish your dog even when they are not doing anything. While it is sensitive to excessive barks, automatic ones often fail to judge the right intensity and apply shock multiple times even when no necessary. That can be really negative for your dog and may reverse all the training. They may start barking even more and the collar would just go on giving more shocks. Would you like that if someone did it to you?
- May increase aggression
While it is one of the best ways for a trainer to gain control over the aggressive dogs, it is also a way of making them more aggressive. The continuous irritation and the barrier to their freedom is enough to turn on the heat in them. When they turn more aggressive, they may even start barking on their masters. That makes it more difficult to tame them. The best way to train them is through love, compassion and passion. Can you really afford turning an already aggressive dog into a more aggressive one? God may keep you safe from his wraths. Once he turns more aggressive, even a continuous shock collar around his neck may not be enough to keep him under control.
- No positive rewards
A shock collar is only for punishment. And all living beings work best when they get some motivation. It is no different for dogs as well. It is a rigorous training tool that has many bad effects despite some of the benefits. Are you planning to make your dog perform in a circus? Or is it just that you brought home a dog more than your capability?
If that is the case that is making you to use the shock collar, you better consider changing the dog to a breed that you can count on more. Did you think you have developed an emotion for the little being and cannot change them? Stop being Hippocratic. If you really had developed an emotion for him, then there are no chances by which you can keep him under a continuous shock.
This write up was brought to you by Perth Based Vet Clinic – The Pet Practice. These are some of the worst impacts that a shock collar may have on your dog. Even if your trainer asks for it, request him to look for an alternative. If you really love your dog, express it to him and he might reciprocate the feeling even more. You might not need to use the shock collar at all.