Good News For Pets | Vets on Behavior Proclaim, Never Use Shock Collar.
I recently came across this article through a friend that shared it on Facebook. I never used a shock collar and have always been opposed to it. However, I did use correction type training which is also mentioned in this article. I think it is a step forward in the right direction when veterinarians and trainers/behaviorists agree on dog behavior. What caught my eye in this article was “in most places in Australia, these collars are actually considered illegal.” Can you imagine a place where people couldn’t buy shock collars just like toys and treats?! That would be amazing! Truth is, the average person that goes to the pet stores that sell shock collars have NO idea what the psychological effects could be if they choose to put one on their dog. Their thought process doesn’t get past “Wow! I could get Fido to quit barking!” or “Fido would never do THAT again if I got this collar!” It’s certainly not because they want to be mean to their dog, they are just uneducated about how animals learn and think that a quick fix is a good answer to their behavior problem. In reality, it can traumatize dogs even when used correctly. Dog trained on e collars only perform tricks or commands to avoid a zap instead of because they actually want to! They act like a puppet on strings performing everything that is asked of them for fear of being zapped.
Isn’t that a concept: Doing something because you actually WANT to do it…
Even in schools children are rarely rewarded for what they are “supposed” to do. They are merely expected to act a certain way to avoid punishment. Without knowing, we have created a correction type environment for the children we love. Instead of asking children to perform a certain behavior for a reward, we expect them to act that way so that they can avoid a spanking or time out. What do you think this world would be like with a reward system instead of the current punishment system in our schools? Did you ever enjoy going to school? Would you have enjoyed it much more if you had had the opportunity to earn candy, or extra recess, or getting to leave early for good behavior rather than acting appropriately to avoid getting detention? I want your thoughts!