...No, not that one.
I'd like to talk about shock collars.
Now, before y'all get righteous on me, we aren't going to dissect how you may feel about their use in "training." We are not going to get into whether or not you may feel they are abusive. Or if you think they're wonderful.
We are briefly going to talk about the automatic bark- control variety of these electronic collars.
We are going to simply share two things:
One; those things pack a punch. Most run of the mill, bought-it-online or the-guy-at-petschmo said it was their bestseller collars are WAY too strong for your dog.
Two; very few people who strap these things to their animals read anything about what this can do to them behaviorally, or physically.
They don't follow the instructions past how to charge it, or how long you "should" leave this on your animal.
How does a long-haired coat, or a double-coat effect this tool?
Should your pet be unsupervised in this collar?
The collar itself (not the shock-box) is usually made of weather-proof, strong, plastic material, and Does Not Have a Quick Release, or Safety Breakaway.... how many dogs are wearing these alone to chase squirrels in the backyard?
Or to wrestle with other dog friends? Have you ever witnessed a dog with its jaw hung up in another dogs collar?
Ok, I lied... we are going to talk about a third thing. If you aren't comfortable with gross pictures, I suggest you read this, but do not look at the photos at the end.
The pictures are of two different dogs, from two different families. They were the second and third victims to come to the same hospital facility in the same week. They came in on the same day, not even hours apart. The first dog (not pictured) was in even worse shape.
The dogs have infected wounds on their throats from bark collars. The collars were cinched tight (cannot get good connection with the electrode points unless it is snug) and were not checked, or removed daily. The collars obviously did not silence these dogs, as these wounds are from electric burns. The infection is due to the electrode points sitting on those burns for a long time.
Most likely these humans did not know the collars weren't keeping them quiet, because these dogs were most likely left alone wearing them.
In the first photo, you will notice the dog has four burn points. One set looks a little less gooey than the other. This tells me the collar burn was noticed, and the box was moved and re-cinched, or the dog managed to scratch the collar hard enough to change the contact point's position at one time.
The dog not pictured? The technicians who witnessed the removal of the collar described it as an open hole with "stringy puss" as they peeled the box out of the dog's neck.
The dog pictured : The infected area expands almost two inches in any direction around those green goo filled contact point holes.
I know life is busy. It's Christmas for goodness sake. You've got family in town. Babies to put down for a nap. People and places to be at and entertain with, but seriously???
If you choose to strap a heavy electric shock to your pet, I would hope you have shocked yourself at least once at whatever level you have set it at for your dog (not kidding, bark collars are the worst! Ow).
I also hope you have decided after reading this, to check that thing. Take it off your friend for at least 12 hours a day (close the dog door if it's a barking at night problem).
Move it around every few hours, and change the collar type to breakaway for safety (you're not supposed to clip a leash to them anyway).
Or even better, figure out why your dog is barking and start working on that. What kind of personality does your dog have? Is he bored? Does he spend all day in the backyard, with nothing but barking to do?
There are so many alternatives to this method of attempting to silence your pup's annoying mouth. Maybe reaching out to a good Professional Teacher (of the dog-specializing variety) would be a good place to start.....
*pictures are below, keep scrolling....
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