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I've heard stories about shock collars that made a grown woman cry before, and by the end of the tale, I had tears in my eyes. They're items used to scare a dog into doing what they're supposed to, almost like training a slave in a way. While that may sound harsh, some owners do actually use them like this.

My aunt had a little Shih Tzu dog a while ago and tried to keep her in an apartment house. The landlord, however, would tolerate no barking. So my aunt bought a shock collar for the poor little door. She barked and barked and every time get a shock zapping into her body. This only made her bark harder until my aunt removed the collar.

That occurrence, however unfortunate for the dog, was only a gentle experience compared to a cousin I have with yet another dog that barks a lot. She was one who believe that dogs should be seen, not heard. In order to shut the dog up, she purchased a shock collar. It barked and barked until it was hoarse. The shock collar was not removed, however. It burned straight through her fur and left a permanent scar around her neck, a mark that would no longer grow fur. The dog could hardly bark anymore, let alone whisper. It sounded like a person with asthma from smoking too long, or an old squeaky toy that lost the squeaker.

I've also seen a video of stupid teenagers playing with a shock collar. Granted, they were stupid teenagers, but the reaction one of the boys had when the shock collar was turned on was astounding by how high he jumped. Another friend of mine did similarly in the middle of class when someone turned one on that he wore. While I've never personally worn and experienced one, I would not subject my own dog to wear one.

If you want to train your dog, build trust and not fear. That's the meaning of a shock collar. It makes your animal afraid to do whatever they just did again. Would you put one on your own child and every time they snuck a cookie from the plate, shock them? I doubt it. Sure, one might swat a child. The same would work with a dog; a blunt smack on the nose if they try nipping at your fingers. Reward them for the good, punish them for the bad, but for God's sake, don't torture them with electricity streaming through their vocal chords and neck.

It could also be a dangerous thing to do, however. My brother owns a dog that was afraid of him for the longest time. They're guessing he was swatted by a male figure with a newspaper as a pup because the dog would run away from him whimpering any time he picked up a paper. A shock collar could traumatize your dog. Collars are a good thing for dogs, even a pleasure to some. It shouldn't be associated with pain and punishment, however, which is what using a shock collar will result in. It will shock fear and possibly even anger into your dog.

Learn more about this author, Kyuuketsuki Cassis.
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