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Collars that Hurt
By Jan Bragoli

Dear WOOF:

My guardian took me to the pet store to buy a new collar to wear to a party. We walked up and down the aisles and I saw some bright, sparkly collars. I thought they were very pretty and I could imagine how gorgeous I would look in one. So, I asked my guardian if I could have one. She looked very sad and she said, "No, Arielle. Those collars hurt the dogs who wear them."  She let me sniff one of the collars. It had curved metal pieces on the inside of the collar. She explained that when the collar is tightened, it hurts. These collars are sometimes called pinch collars and sometimes they are called prong collars.

My questions is `why do some dogs wear collars that hurt?'

Your friend,
Arielle the Leonberger, BDWW TDInc CGC LTA SD

Dear Arielle,

You ask a question which has raised controversy in the dog training world for a long time.

Let me begin by telling you that one of the guiding principles at Trainers Academy, LLC is that we will never, Never, NEVER use any methods which involve causing pain. The reason is simple: it is unnecessary and it doesn't work.

Pinch collars, E-collars and other devices which cause pain, seem to produce results for a while. Dogs learn to perform a behavior because they are afraid of being hurt.  But, animals learn to tolerate levels of pain over time. When this happens it takes a greater level of `pain' to produce the same result.

Sometimes these harsh methods produce the opposite result than the one the human is trying to get. The classic situation is a pinch collar used on a dog who is aggressive when he sees another dog. Think about it. The dog does not like other dogs.  Someone puts a collar on him which causes pain when he approaches another dog. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that the dog begins to associate something really unpleasant with the appearance of another dog. Instead of correcting the behavior, it can actually make the dog more stressed and aggressive when he sees another dog approach.

Dogs who are trained using positive reinforcement CHOOSE to perform the behavior because there is a payoff in it for them, usually a food treat when they are learning something new.

You will often hear people who employ harsh methods use words like `control' to justify what they are doing. You will hear those who train using positive reinforcement use words like `choose', `cooperation' and `communication.'

The use of clickers and positive reinforcement is not confined to the dog world. These methods are used with a variety of other animals including killer whales, dolphins, seals, and other large aquatic animals. Imagine trying to use a pinch collar on a killer whale….I don't think so!!!

There is an age-old question which asks "Is it better to be loved or to be feared." At Trainers Academy we believe dogs should be comfortable in their environments and that they should be well mannered. We know that this is best accomplished with positive reinforcement.

And, Arielle, there some very fetching, cute martingale collars in aisle 3. You will look and FEEL gorgeous in one of those.

Your friend,
WOOF
 

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