Shock collars should not be an option for dog training! There I said it.
This morning I went to Kickstand to get my coffee and watched a few dogs come in. I enjoy dog-parent watching when I'm out and about. Today I was saddened when I watched a beautiful dog walked in and immediately I wondered if the dog was trained on a shock collar.
The first thing I noticed was the low slightly hunched posture and its ears were pulled back and forehead looked worried. As I watched them longer it was obvious that the dog was panting from stress. The temperature was very mild and no other dogs in the area were panting. All clear signs of stress and anxiety.
From my seat I could not see a shock collar but the longer I observed the dog I did see it was indeed wearing a shock collar covered by and matching it's long black coat. This confirmed my hunch based off of its body language.
Continuing to observe the dogs behavior made me want to pull out my phone and record it. Every sign was crystal clear: the lowered head, the darting eye contact, lip licking, ears back, panting, and worried whale eyes. Nothing in this dogs behavior was calm or confident. The poor dog had obviously been suppressed and had no option other than to comply or get shocked.
This is no way for any dog to live. Why do we do this to them completely ignorant of their distress?
Please I beg you don't put your dog through this psychological pain in the name of training. If you need help communicating and training your dog contact us.