Should shock collars be banned in U.S.?

#Middlebury #PawsCorner #ShockCollars

DEAR PAW’S CORNER: What do you think about England banning “shock collars,” which give dogs a mild electric shock when they misbehave or try to cross an electric-fence boundary? – Jim H., via email.

DEAR JIM: I’m all for it. Shock collars are just plain cruel. Never mind that they give purely negative feedback, something that should be limited when training a dog.

England’s ban will take effect this year. Other parts of Britain already have banned or are considering a ban on the use of shock collars, including Wales and Scotland.

Here in the U.S., however, there is no such legislation that I know of in any state that bans the sale or use of shock collars. A growing movement is taking shape, however: The Animal Rescue Site is circulating a petition and plans to deliver it to the House Committee on Agriculture, as well as the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal Care.

Organizations including the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (AVSAB) and the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) have issued statements against the use of these collars. “The least humane and most controversial use of the shock collar is as a training device,” the HSUS says on its website.

As AVSAB says in its position paper on the issue, “Training should focus on reinforcing desired behaviors, removing the reinforcer for inappropriate behaviors, and addressing the emotional state and environmental conditions driving the undesirable behavior.”

In short, owners who want to train their dogs correctly should focus on positive reinforcement. If training a dog becomes difficult, consult a professional trainer rather than shift straight to a shock collar or choke collar.

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