By Lisa Peterson

and Adria L. Henderson

Like it or not, we live in a remote-controlled electronic society. We sit back and point the remote in the general direction of the item we wish to control and then hit a button for the desired results. Televisions, radios, DVD players, even our palm pilots allow us to “beam” information without ever having to communicate physically with people. Instantly we can control and communicate our needs and desires to an array of electronic gadgetry. 

Unfortunately for our four-legged friends, the world of the remote control and instant gratification is alive and well in the training arena.

Some time ago, I had a woman ask me how to stop her dog from jumping on people when guests arrived at the front door. I explained that she should obedience train her dog to sit and stay when someone arrives at the door. And if her dog gives the desired behavior, she should praise the dog and give it a treat. I told her through repetition and positive reinforcement her dog would learn that jumping is unacceptable behavior and sitting and waiting for the guests to enter is acceptable. I told her she needed to communicate her wishes to the dog in a language that he understood.

“That’s a lot of work!” she exclaimed.

“That’s right.” I chimed back, because it takes work to communicate with your dog in a manner that he can learn and understand what you want of him.

A week later, a mutual friend told me that she had purchased an electronic shock collar and ever time the dog did anything that was undesirable to her, she zapped the dog.

Jump on people – ZAP.

Jump on counter – ZAP.

Bark – ZAP.

Over exuberance – ZAP.

You get the picture. A few weeks later I learned that the dog was scared of its own shadow and had just bitten the owner. This puppy was only seven months old and a perfect example of fear turned to aggression because technology was placed in the wrong hands for the wrong reasons.

As a society we have become lazy and unmotivated. Why sweat to do something when we can get it done by only lifting a finger – but at what cost? There was no term “couch potato” before the age of the television remote. We all stayed slim and fit by getting up and walking over to the television every time we wanted to change the channel. We also thought about what to watch before changing channels.

The problem with using shock collars as a “cure all” for your unruly puppy or dog is that it doesn’t communicate your needs to the dog in a language he understands. It is not a method of mutual respect and trust, which is the basic bond for animal communication. Most pet owners today do not know how to develop this two-way system to let the dog know what your wishes are and to let the dog know when he has been good.

In addition, most owners don’t know what their dogs need. They are uneducated about their dog’s needs. They don’t understand what is normal canine behavior, but offensive to humans (like sniffing the neighbor’s crotch when he comes over for a visit).

 And when owners resort to the old zap collar, they create fear in the dog. Shock collars cause dogs to react out of pain and fear, not learned behavior. And as the old saying goes, “when you train a dog out of fear that fear breeds aggression.” It is the same principle, for example, when a dog is hurt in an accident and you go over to help him and he lashes out to bite you. It is the pain that caused his aggressive behavior.

The dog has no idea what a zap in the neck means. It is not a form of communication between owner and pet because this electronic gadget comes between the two of you. You need direct communication based on respect and trust. Your dog must trust you before any communication can be successful. If he begins to associate you with the zap collar, you may have won the battle but you have lost the war.

Now, we don’t feel that electronic collars are all bad. Some can be wonderful tools for the safety of your pet. For example, invisible electronic fences that keep pets contained in their yards are fabulous inventions. They promote exercise and freedom for a pet and keep it safe from running out into the street and getting hit by a car. They are wonderful for people who have trouble walking a pet and allow the family pet to hang out with everyone while not being on a leash all the time.

However, invisible fences should not be a substitute for walking your dog. Your dog should learn to walk on a leash and benefit from the health rewards of a daily vigorous walk.

And one acceptable example of using an electronic shock collar we heard of involved a roaming dog whose life was being threatened. The dog had trespassed on his neighbor’s yard and killed some chickens. The owner was warned that next time his dog wandered he would be shot (the dog not the owner). The owner of the wandering dog got an electronic collar and trained his dog not to wander in order to save his life. These are acceptable uses in controlled situations.

Even the guys who install your invisible fence send over professional trainers to show you how to train your dog with the fence and electronic collar. We have also seen professional obedience trainers use electronic collars as a tool to train dogs for upper levels of competition. Again, this is an example of a professional in a controlled situation using the collar for a specific problem.

Unfortunately, the average pet owner can order electronic collars over the Internet and no trained professional shows up at your door to show what is acceptable or not to the dog. Dogs are not televisions and VCRs that have an on and off button. They need to bond with their human masters and develop a trust so that you can begin to build communication skills. The dog needs to trust you so that respect becomes the mutual feeling between the parties not an electrical charge.

Because we have seen many dogs traumatized by the use of such collars by uneducated pet owners, we have developed a series entitled “Back to Basics” to demonstrate that basic obedience can go a long way in working with common problems. Yes, it does take a lot of work, just like any relationship. You wouldn’t dream of buying your spouse an electronic collar and every time you wanted a certain behavior, ZAP him with it . . . would you?

Over the coming weeks we will tackle such issues as jumping, barking, biting, digging and chewing among others in the hopes that owners can become educated about what their dogs need and want from their human companions. A happy, trained, well-adjusted pet that truly is a member of your family should be a goal for all of us.

Adria Henderson and Lisa Peterson are owners/operators of Safe at Home, LCC, a Newtown-based pet sitting service. We love to hear from our readers at animallifestyles@usa.net.