Blogspot - Companion Animal Psychology

Shock collars should be banned, according to a survey of the use of electronic collars to train dogs in France. Photo: SebiTian/Shutterstock Recently, I reported on a study by veterinary behaviourists in Europe that concluded by calling  for a ban on all three types of electronic collar across Europe (remote-controlled, boundary, and bark-activated collars). Another paper by Dr. Sylvia Masson et al, published in the Journal of Veterinary Behaviour, investigates the use of shock collars in France, and some of the results are surprising. For one thing, they show that even amongst people who use shock collars there is a lot of support for regulating them. But they also show a sizeable minority – even amongst people who do not use shock collars – that say they are the most effective way to resolve behaviour issues. This shows a need to get the message out that positive reinforcement is an effective way to train dogs (see  seven reasons to use reward-based training methods and l...

A review of the scientific research finds there are risks to using electronic collars in dog training and says it's time for a ban. Photo: Parilov / Shutterstock Last year, a position statement from the European College of Veterinary Clinical Ethology argued against the use of electronic collars in dog training and for a Europe-wide ban on their sale and use.  Now an article in the Journal of Veterinary Behaviour by Dr. Sylvia Masson et al explains the reasons behind their position that electronic shock collars should not be used. When people use electronic shock collars, it is typically as positive punishment to punish a dog for an unwanted behaviour. They are also sometimes used as negative reinforcement by applying the shock until the dog does the behaviour that is wanted. These days many electronic collars have a time limit on the application of shock, making it less likely they are used as negative reinforcement. The paper considers all three types of electronic collars: Ant...