It is essential to Train dogs when they are young because it will define their nature in adulthood. Pet owners use helpful training tools and invest a lot of work, patience, and time into teaching their beloved furry friends how to behave around their family, other dogs, and strangers.
However, with the considerable opposition to shock collar side effects, people have now begun protesting against the use of this cruel training gear. These collars are deemed harsh, and even dog experts advise against using them.
Why should you not use shock collars?
Also popularly referred to as remote training collars or e-collars, the shock collars inflict electromagnetic shocks to dogs at the push of a button. Most people use them to get their dogs to behave in a certain way or teach new tricks. But this can be a hazardous and potentially barbaric method because e-collars do more than inflict pain in dogs.
Here is a list of some unpleasant and unfortunate shock collar side effects in canines.
- They can change the behavior of dogs irreversibly, with many animals ending up confused and hurt all the time.
- The electrostatic shock from the collar can cause severe psychological distress in dogs, resulting in long-term phobias, panic attacks, and extreme anxiety.
- It is a punishment-based training method that animal experts worldwide advocate against. Unlike reward-based positive training techniques, these methods are highly ineffective.
- Using e-collars nonstop will change your relationship with your pet, as the dog will not trust, love, or look up to you anymore. Instead, the constant infliction of pain will instill a deep fear of you in the dog.
What are the Alternative collars?
Whether training puppies or adult dogs, using the appropriate collar is highly crucial. Here are some excellent options to consider.
Flat collar
A gold standard gear, flat collars are the most typical, everyday-use gear in almost every pet-owning home. The design is deceptively simple but can help keep dogs of all sizes comfortably in control. The primary idea is to get the canine used to the collar without roughly pulling or tugging at it. The ideal way is to use verbal commands to make the dogs obey rather than focus on the collar.
Harness
Available in front-clip and back-clip variants, harnesses take the strain off dogs’ necks, enabling users to have steady control on small-nosed but powerful dogs such as Boston Terriers or Bulldogs. The advantage of a front-clip harness is that it will cause no pressure on the back if the dog tries to pull away.
Headcollar
This particular style is very similar to a horse’s halter, quickly slipping over your pet’s snout and attaching behind the ears. It is instrumental in training aggressive dogs who tend to bite or bark suddenly. It can have a calming effect on them, helping them give up control and begin to feel safer during walks.
Besides the above options, Martingale collars are also good options as you can tighten them to prevent restless pets from slipping out. Rest assured that a stopping mechanism effectively prevents the collar from closing off entirely.