About the Author: Nettie Finley, the Professional Dog Trainer at MyPetDoggie. Specializing in behavior rehabilitation, Nettie leads our team with her effective training techniques. As a certified canine behaviorist, she brings transformative change to challenging behavior cases. Her experience and expertise elevate our content, providing practical, insightful training advice for our readers. Also, she loves her Cavapoo!
When we are talking about the shock collars there is a common question that arises from the buyers. They mostly ask this one: How to use a shock collar to stop bad behavior? Well, a shock collar is designed to control the bad and unwanted behaviors of dogs. They are meant to teach your dog discipline, obedience, and the commands that you want them to learn. All these things are possible by the use of a shock collar on your dog.
Now, the question is how do you use it? There is a proper way and guidelines that you must follow while using a shock collar. You must follow all the steps to use the collar correctly. Because a collar can be useful in that way if you use it properly.
If you don’t use the dog training collar in the correct way it may harm your dog. And this is not a good thing. Now move towards the next and see how the shock collar works actually but if you’re in a hurry then you can skip all this and read from here “How to use a shock collar to stop bad behavior“
How Does a Shock Collar Work?
Shock collars are also known as dog training collars, e-collars, or electronic collars. These training devices work by first giving your dog a warning beep or vibration, which is followed by a remote shock if he doesn’t stop the bad behavior.
Generally, remote dog training collars work as you set the handheld remote transmitter to send a radio signal to your dog’s collar receiver.
This activates the correction or stimulation such as tone, vibration, and static pulse to correct unwanted behaviors or reward positive behaviors.
There are different shock collars available for different dogs. You can choose the best collar for your dog that fits him and he feels comfortable in it.
A shock collar works great on aggressive dogs and helps in changing their behavior. You can train your dog with these collars and teach them different commands that you want them to learn. With the help of a shock collar, they can adopt your commands quickly.
After discussing how the collar works now it’s time to tell you what steps you must take to introduce a collar to your dog.
You might be interested in: Learn when a dog is old enough for a shock collar and how to use it responsibly.
How to Introduce a Shock Collar to a Dog?
There are some important steps to follow while introducing a shock collar to a dog. And if you follow these simple steps you can harmlessly train your dog with a shocking collar.
Place The Collar Right Below The Jaw
Place the collar in the right place so that it works correctly. If you ask me, I usually put the dog collar right below the jaw. So that it won’t hurt any voice organ. Before sending the shocks to the dog make sure that you can try vibration or beep before this step. Due to this, the dog will never get depressed with the shock.
Choose the Right Levels
When you start training with a shock collar you can make sure that you choose the low-level simulation. So that the dog will never get hurt. If you see that the dog will get uncomfortable or disturbed by the high-level settings. Then you can immediately lower the settings of the collar. Later on, you can increase the settings.
Choose an Enclosed area for Training
You can choose an enclosed area for training and it could be your backyard or any other close area. If you choose a close area your dog will never run in a frenzy. Before starting training you can put a leash on first and start training in an enclosed area.
Listen to your Dog after the First Zap
When you give your dog a first shock, note his first expression. There are two possibilities whether he ignores this whole thing or he can run towards you for safety. All you have to do is listen to your dog and not increase the shock until it’s needed.
Associate His Behaviors With The Simulations
There are four simple steps on how you associate the simulation with the behavior.
- Step 1: Take your dog to an enclosed area and put the leash on which is long enough to distract him for a moment.
- Step 2: Let your dog wander around and call your dog with a command whatever you want. See if he responds to it or not.
- Step 3: Now it’s time to start the simulation and many collars have this option. If you continuously give your dog a simulation he gets uncomfortable and finds ways to escape from it.
- Step 4: This is how you can introduce the commands. Call him with that command and see if he responds or not. At the same time when you call him softly pull the leash too. If he responds, stop the simulation, and if he doesn’t respond stop this session for some time.
Change Locations
You must change the locations after a few days. Because dogs behave differently in different places it is good if you introduce him to a new location every few days. This also builds confidence in your dog and he is never disturbed with a new place if you take him to new places again and again.
Incorporate Treats
While training you have to tackle both negative and positive things side by side. When you wear a collar you can attach a treat to it so he can find it a good thing. So, the next time he wears collars his mind reminds him of the treat and he never gets disturbed by the collar.
Training is not Permanent
Dogs do have memories but they can also forget them. Even professional dogs forget their training. So you must not be hard on your dog and remind them of the training if they forget it. Training is not permanent and dogs may forget them after some time. Still, you can use a shock collar again on them to train and it will help you to stop their bad behavior.
How to use a shock collar to stop bad behavior
There are some steps that you follow to learn how you can use a shock collar. And this is good for training your dog with a collar.
Consult a Professional
The first step is you have to consult a professional whenever you start using a shock collar on your dog. Because professionals can teach you all the important things that help you in training your dog with a shocking collar. You can even get some training from professional dog trainers and you can train your dog properly.
Identify the Behavior
While using a shock collar you can identify your dog’s behavior. Like when you introduce a collar to them how they behave and with time they get used to it or not. You can check on them and how they behave while wearing a collar. Because they may not be comfortable wearing a shock collar or it will start hurting them. So, you must have a check on them.
Focus on Positive Reinforcement
All you have to do is to put your focus on the positive reinforcement of the shock collar. You may hear the negative points of using a shock collar by people. But still, you put the focus only on positivity. Shock collars are used for training dogs with good discipline and giving them some treats while training. Then it will portray positivity.
Choose the Right Settings
The main part of using a shock collar on your dog is that you can choose the right settings for the collar. You can select the right level and this must not be too high. High-level setting at the start may cause harm to your dog and he gets fear from the collar. At the start, you can use a low-level setting and gradually you can increase the intensity.
Use a Clear Command
During training, you can use different commands to teach your dog. Whatever command you are using it must be clear so that your dog can easily understand. Do not overflow the use of commands. Only use one command at a time and after learning that command you can use another command. That’s how they easily learn all your commands.
Monitor Stress and Anxiety
At the start when you are using a shock collar on your dog it may have some possibilities that this may cause stress and anxiety in them. They may feel uncomfortable in the collar and they get disturbed after wearing it. So, all you can do is maintain their stress and anxiety while you are training them. You can feel changes in their behavior as they don’t take an interest in anything and also not eating properly. This may be a sign of stress or anxiety.
Be Prepared to Stop
If you are using a shock on your pet it doesn’t mean you can do it continuously. You can take a break and stop training for some time. Excessive use of shock collars can harm the dog’s neck and also cause some skin allergies. So, prepare yourself to take a break and give some rest to your pet. Rest is important but you must use a shock collar on your unruly dog.
Is It Bad to Use Shock Collar Training on An Unruly Dog?
The answer is no, it is not bad to use a shock collar on an unruly dog. I use remote collars as part of the training program when dealing with aggressive dogs. Using the electronic collar as a way to redirect the dog’s attention is a large part of the success in how I go about rehabilitating dogs with aggression issues.
Moreover, these collars help to correct the bad behavior of dogs and maintain some discipline and obedience in them. Lastly, when you fully train your dog with a shock collar you can slowly move towards the vibration collar and then no collar.
How to move from shock to vibrate to no collar training?
Well, it is not as difficult to move your training from shock collar to vibrate and then no collar training. First, you can train your dog with a shock collar and after that slowly move him towards the vibrating collar.
Now when you train him the vibrating collar for some time. Then it’s time to give him training without any collar. This may take some time to move him from one collar to another and then no collar. But it is going to be worth it. Once you train your dog what you want then there is no need for any collar. Moreover, while using a collar, maintain the safety of your dog’s neck.
You might be interested in: Learn about the safety concerns surrounding shock collars and their potential impact on dogs
How to Use a Shock Collar Safely on Your Dog’s Neck?
The best way to use a shock collar is to follow the two-finger rule. There should be enough room to slip two fingers between the collar and your dog’s neck.
Alternatively, you can add a few centimeters to the size of your dog’s neck. Moreover, the Improper use of a shock collar on a dog can lead to neck sores. But if you use the collar correctly it works for the dog’s training and gives good results.
Do Shock Collars Work For Dog Training?
Yes, shock collars work for dog training. There are a few reasons why one might choose to use a shock collar. First, it allows you to fix behavioral problems from a distance. Other types of training methods only work when you’re close to your dog, but that’s not the only time he might engage in unwanted behavior.
Another benefit of the way shock collars work is that you don’t have to be there. When you use a dog training collar in combination with an electric fence, you can shut down those aggressive behaviors, barking, and your dog’s tendency to run through the neighborhood when you’re not around. Moreover, you can teach them various commands through these collars.
How To Use A Shock Collar To Teach Basic Obedience Commands?
To teach them obedience commands all you can do is to start with the basic commands. A shock collar won’t magically transform their behavior; it takes time. So, start easy and go over simple commands with them like come, lie down, sit, stay. Remember positive reinforcement and use the same voice marker like ‘Yes’ or ‘Good boy. Moreover, use their favorite treats as well.
Common Question:
Are vibrating collars cruel?
No, Vibration collars will simply send a buzz to your dog’s neck. They will not shock or cause any pain. These collars are not made to hurt the dog but to train the dog.
Do shock collars hurt?
No, they don’t hurt but an Improper use of a shock collar on a dog can lead to neck sores. If you use the collar in the correct way it will never hurt your dog.
How strong is a shock collar?
A dog shock collar can be as light as 400 volts, which feels more like a good massager, and can go up to a range as hostile as 7000 volts.
Why do people hate shock collars?
People are against shock collars because they think that they can create more challenging and aggressive behaviors. Moreover, they thought that a shock collar could hurt the dog and damage their skin.
Do shock collars increase aggression?
No, it does not increase aggression in dogs but it can be used to fix the bad behavior or aggression problems of dogs. They are meant to fix the aggressive behavior of dogs.
Can humans feel dog shock collars?
Yes, humans do feel the shock of the collars. Shock collars are not safe for humans. They can cause a lot of pain, anxiety, and distress to the wearer.
Conclusion
Moving towards the end note of this article I wrote on how to use a shock collar to stop bad behavior. This will help you if you have an aggressive dog and you want to train him with a shock collar. But you are confused whether to use a shock collar or not.
Because there are some myths circulating that shock collars are not safe so and so. In this article of mine, you can get all your answers.
Moreover, if you properly use a collar with proper guidelines then it will never hurt your dog. Otherwise, if you use it for long hours and with high voltage this will hurt the dog.
