Why I Say No To Prong, Choke, and E-Collars: Understanding the Impact Behind the Tool.

Prong, choke, and E-collars are in the middle of a heated debate in the dog community. Some say they are helpful tools, others say they're cruel. Personally, I believe that every owner has the choice to use their preferred tools for their own dogs; however, saying no to these types of tools is a stance rooted in both compassion, respect, and, most importantly, science. As a positive-reinforcement, Fear Free certified pet professional, I personally refuse to use these tools in any situation, and I firmly believe that any dog can succeed with positive reinforcement.

Why? Keep reading to find out!

Pain and Discomfort

Prong, choke, and E-collars are all aversive equipment. By definition, this means that they create a negative or unpleasant experience that negatively affects the dog's comfort or emotional state and causes pain or anxiety. These tools are specifically designed to cause discomfort to the dog; that is how you get the results.

When a prong collar tightens, it causes discomfort on the dog's neck, which stops the dog from pulling.

When a choke collar tightens, it squeezes the dog's neck and restricts airflow, causing the dog to stop pulling.

When an E-collar pulse (shock, vibration, or spray) is delivered, it surprises the dog with an uncomfortable feeling, causing the dog to not want to repeat that behaviour.

Now, you might be thinking, it's just one second of discomfort, what's the big deal? Here's why that discomfort is a deal-breaker for me.

Impaired Learning.

When a dog is in a state of physical or emotional distress, their stress hormones interfere with their ability to focus and process information. Aversive tools cause the dog to be stressed, whether they are showing signs of it or not. This means that even though they may stop the unwanted behaviour in the moment, they are not actually learning what behavior to avoid in the future.

Negative Associations.

Aversive tools work by causing negative associations with certain behaviour; however, they can also cause unplanned negative associations. Dogs have trouble attaching an emotion to a specific situation, environment, or behavior. This means that while the dog may realize that pulling on the leash = discomfort, they may also associate that discomfort with the street they were walking on, the scents they could smell, the trigger they were pulling towards, or any number of other factors in their environment. In the long term, the dog could begin to develop a negative association with their owner, or even just going outside.

Increased Behavioural Issues.

As the dog begins to develop a negative association with more stimuli in their environment, their risk for developing anxiety, aggression, leash-reactivity, and other behavioural issues significantly increases. If the dog is regularly in a state of stress or distress at the hand of their handler, they will begin to lose trust in their handler. This can lead to fear of the handler, which often leads to aggression towards the handler. In cases where an aversive tool is used to decrease leash pulling, the dog will often develop negative associations with the stimuli that they are pulling towards. In most cases, that stimuli is a person, dog, or other animal. The dog might not be able to distinguish the reason for the discomfort as the leash pulling, and may learn that seeing those stimuli equals discomfort or pain. The dog may begin to develop fear or aggression towards those stimuli, resulting in leash reactivity or aggression, or aggression towards other dogs. It may also result in aggression and redirection towards the handler.

Short-Term Benefits

While aversive tools may seem like they are an easy fix, they only result in short-term changes. The unwanted behavior may stop in the moment, but the aversive tool doesn't address why a behavior is happening, or what the dog should do instead. Without addressing the root cause, the tool is just suppressing a symptom instead of solving the problem. A dog may stop pulling while wearing a prong collar, but they won't understand what behavior to perform instead, and they will most likely begin to pull on the leash again once the prong collar is removed.

Physical Injury

While all dog gear and tools have a risk of injury, the risk of aversive tools is significantly higher. Prong and choke collars have a risk of neck and spine injuries, injury to the trachea, and chafing and sores from the pressure on the neck. There is an especially high risk for brachycephalic breeds (Pugs, Bulldogs, French Bulldogs, etc) for tracheal, neck, and spine injuries, as well as increased pressure on the eyes, which can lead to glaucoma.

Better Alternatives

Personally, I couldn't justify using a tool with this many possible risks when there are so many better options out there.

For walking gear, there are so many different styles, cuts, and materials of harnesses that no matter what shape or size of the dog, you can find the perfect fit. There are harnesses specifically designed to avoid chafing for dogs with less fur, and harnesses that can handle up to 200 lbs.

In terms of training, positive reinforcement is extremely flexible, allowing you to customize your training plan specifically to your dog. Working with a specialized dog trainer or behaviorist is the best plan of action to help your dog get the learning, care, and compassion that they need. Force-free training will lead to a happier, more confident, and better-behaved dog.

Overall, I want my dogs and my clients' dogs to perform a behaviour because they want to, not because they're avoiding something unpleasant. Although animal behavior science is a huge part of this issue, I believe that a dog owner's decision on using aversive tools depends on their personal dog behaviour and training philosophy. It's really a question of whether you are comfortable teaching your dog using pain and discomfort or not.

If you are interested in learning more about the dangers of aversive tools, or about switching to a force-free training approach, send me an email. I would love to talk to you!