{"id":985,"date":"2021-02-02T18:02:57","date_gmt":"2021-02-02T18:02:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sbahvet.com\/?p=985"},"modified":"2021-02-02T18:02:57","modified_gmt":"2021-02-02T18:02:57","slug":"shock-and-awe-shock-collars-and-your-pet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sbahvet.com\/blog\/shock-and-awe-shock-collars-and-your-pet\/","title":{"rendered":"Shock and Awe: Shock Collars and Your Pet"},"content":{"rendered":"

Our pet care team<\/span><\/a> at <\/span>Sunrise Boulevard Animal Hospital<\/span><\/a> often sees our clients reach for shock collars as a cure all for their pet\u2019s behavioral issues. While shock collars can have utility in some specific situations, they can also cause more harm than good. Keep reading to learn why shock collars aren\u2019t always the answer.<\/span><\/p>\n

Training Basics<\/span><\/h2>\n

To better understand why shock collars don\u2019t always work like you might think, you must first have a basic understanding about pet behavior and training.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Animals (and people) respond and learn best when they are rewarded for good or desirable behavior. This is called positive reinforcement.\u00a0 Alternatively, we tend to want to punish bad behavior through positive punishment (a swat on the nose for biting, rubbing the face in a potty accident). Positive punishment backfires in our pets, especially when that pet does not make the connection about what the punishment is for.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Rewards can be food, but they can also be <\/span>favorite toys<\/span><\/a>, praise, or play time. Every individual pet is motivated by different things. Rewards can have different values, too. For instance, a dog might enjoy playing fetch but get really excited when you bring out the laser pointer. The laser pointer is a high value reward and should be reserved for really special times.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Why Shock Collars Fail<\/span><\/h3>\n

While shock collars might seem like an easy answer to all of the pet behavior problems that ail you, they oftentimes make the situation worse. When you stop to think about it, the reasons make a lot of sense.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Shock collars can:<\/span><\/p>\n