Why Shock Collars are a bad idea

Improving dogs behavior is a matter of understanding how your dog thinks. He thinks by instinct, primarily. Dogs are social creatures that run in packs. In these packs there are normally an alpha male and an alpha female. The other dogs in the pack follow the alpha. When the alpha dogs want to correct a behavior, there are certain things they do. (One of them is NOT use a shock collar...)

While most dogs are very intelligent, they are incapable of speech and speech patterns. When you come home from work, the dog is happy to see you, but they aren't thinking of "words." They can learn some sounds, and learn what is going to happen as a result of those sounds, such as the word "eat." When you say "do you want to eat?" to the dog, he will perk up his ears. He knows that when you say the sound "eat" you usually fill up his bowl. So, if a dog doesn't respond to verbal command, there is a reason. That reason is probably that he doesn't understand what you want. Shock collars do not help them understand.

So, basically, dogs understand dog instinct and they can learn to understand short verbal commands. There are also some ways in which we can in essence, use "dog language" that our dog will understand. This is a series of actions, by the way, and not words, or barks. Improving your dogs behavior is a matter of understanding what it is your dog will understand.

It has been suggested that there are dogs that are just so aggressive that were it not for the shock collar, these dogs could hurt themselves and/or others. Think about that for a moment...

Is a dog who is that aggressive truly happy in life? Now,I'm not saying anyone should run out and euthanize a dog, but giving it a choice between going peacefully and living a life filled with the pain of receiving electrical shocks the rest of it's life sounds like a no brainer to me. However, I believe that there is hope even for aggressive dogs. They need training and they need owners who can be patient but firm with them. Hurting your dog is not teaching him anything, except pain and fear. Positive reinforcement works for animals just like it does for children. Separation also works. Your dog hates to be separated from the pack (you and your family.) Quietly and without fuss, putting the dog in a crate for a few moments when he has done something wrong will speak volumes to him. Shock collars are NOT the answer to Improving your dogs behavior

Choke and shock collars are designed to stop dogs from pulling on a leash
or barking through the application of pain. The dog stops pulling or
barking for one reason-because it hurts.

Halters and reward-based training, on the other hand, can achieve more
effective results without hurting dogs. The SF/SPCA uses halters and
reward-based methods in training all our shelter dogs. And the results
have been dramatic-dogs are making progress quicker, and many are
fairly well-trained by the time they are adopted.
Given that these kinder and more effective alternatives exist, the role of
painful choke and shock collars is questionable at best. In reality, their use
is unnecessary and often ineffective. In many ways, they may even be
cruel.