• There's a big difference between training a dog with compassion, and breaking his will to do a humans bidding. Just MHO.

    No shock collar for me…ever.

  • Houston

    I have never used it, although my hubby was raised with them using it on all their dogs. It was a struggle to not let him use it on our first dogs together and I won..We did have to put an electrical fence on the top of our 8' fence, to keep Lou, our mutt from jumping out…he did it anyway so we turned the current off. He only jumped out to pee and once he was done, he would jump back in...weirdo..He just crossed teh Rainbow Bridge in April...an awesome dog he was. I do have some friends that use them and they say they work great, but I haven't felt the need yet, nor will I.


  • Electric Fence is 100 times worst than a collar. Our neighbor had one on theres and when they were out of town we would over see the dogs. It was always on low but that hurt and it could burn you. I got into it by accident trying to get the dogs toy after I got hit I knew why the toy was there and he was not. Smart dog stupid human.

    Rita Jean

  • Houston

    Yes I know I am a horrible person, aren't you glad you got a jab at me? Luckily Lou was a Golden/Chow/Dalmation mix with lots of fur, so needless to say he didn't feel diddlesquat..he cleared that 8' fence with inches to give, so he wouldn't have felt it anyway…thus is why we turned it off and dismounted it..To each his own.


  • @Rita:

    Electric Fence is 100 times worst than a collar. Our neighbor had one on theres and when they were out of town we would over see the dogs. It was always on low but that hurt and it could burn you. I got into it by accident trying to get the dogs toy after I got hit I knew why the toy was there and he was not. Smart dog stupid human.

    Rita Jean

    Actually, I would be WAY more likely to use an invisible fence, or hot wire fence, because the correction is absolutely predictible for the dog, the timing is always perfect because there is no human delivering the correction. Also the dog does not associate the shock with the human, it more like an 'act of god' for the dog. They can still superstitiously make an incorrect association with the shock…but it is less likely because, again, the sequence and timing are absolutely predictible and consistant. Unlike most human trainers.


  • @Basenjimamma:

    Yes I know I am a horrible person, aren't you glad you got a jab at me? Luckily Lou was a Golden/Chow/Dalmation mix with lots of fur, so needless to say he didn't feel diddlesquat..he cleared that 8' fence with inches to give, so he wouldn't have felt it anyway…thus is why we turned it off and dismounted it..To each his own.

    That is CRAZY that a dog would clear an 8' fence just to go pee, he must have had some serious determination!!! I would tear my hair out!

  • Houston

    What is real crazy is that he would jump back in when he was done..I think he did all this to pi–off our Westie, Bogus..because he couldn't get out.. Lou would even jump up on a 4x4 fence post and sit there all 42 lbs of him, like a squirrel..funny sight. The first time our elderly neighbor lady saw this I though she was going to keel over..poor lady. She litterally though he was a gigantic squirrel. To get him to jump over when he would get to the frontyard if we were playing with the kids or something, all you had to say was "do you want a bath?" he flew over the fence to get back in...he hated water more than I have seen Otis hate it..
    Here is a pic of him taken a few months before he passed away in April.


  • What a cutie…. thanks for the picture... and what a "nut" to be jumping the fence to pee... gggg silly boy.....

    And I agree with Quercus about the hot wired fence.....


  • He is adorable! I can just see him perched on a pole 😉


  • @Basenjimamma:

    Awww…he looks so soft & cuddly in that photograph!


  • @tanza:

    Did I say anything about 6 month old puppies? You said "we all know these aren't sit on the chair and watch TV dogs", I said mine do?… Did I say puppies and that was all they do? I don't think so... you are comparing your one puppy, one experience with a Basenji which is fine and it might work for your pup... long term, who knows. Chances IMO using things like shock collars will come back to "bite" you in the end.

    And I still believe it is the easy way out... and if the day comes that one of these dogs that are wearing a shock collar has enough and bites back... who will suffer? The dog... who brought it on the dog... the human

    Have you just read horror stories about shock collars or have you actually USED ONE? I've spent over $1500 on trainers and classes alone. I have done so much to try and train him and spent so much time and worked my butt off!! For me this is in no way shape or form an "easy way out" I'm glad that the only experiences you have had allow you to see this way as the "easy way out"

    and just because the collar is called a "shock collar" doesnt mean thats all it does. Like i said before right now i rarely use the shock option and if i do its the lowest setting. What i think is cruel are bark collars because there is no control over them and they just shock the dog over and over


  • @shep_18:

    I have decided that I want to do some shock collar training with my dog. Can anyone tell me what the best collar under $100 is? I want the kind for inside the house with a remote and i can't decide which one is the best one. He is a basenji mix so he is about 40lbs.

    (if you don't like shock collars please do not comment.)

    Honestly, it's not always necessary for everyone to voice their every opinion.
    As I tell my children, every thought that pops into your head does not need to fall out your mouth {or keyboard}.

    Obviously, Shep KNOWS that many people do not like to use shock collars, and politely requested that those folks NOT reply. And yet, somehow, this still disintegrated into an argument about shock collars.😕

    Everyone has had their own life experiences, everyone has done their own research. Why is it so impossible to believe that there may be a small off-chance your opinion, experience, research is not the ONLY correct opinion, experience, or research. It really is quite maddening.


  • @JazzysMom:

    Honestly, it's not always necessary for everyone to voice their every opinion.
    As I tell my children, every thought that pops into your head does not need to fall out your mouth {or keyboard}.

    Obviously, Shep KNOWS that many people do not like to use shock collars, and politely requested that those folks NOT reply. And yet, somehow, this still disintegrated into an argument about shock collars.😕

    Everyone has had their own life experiences, everyone has done their own research. Why is it so impossible to believe that there may be a small off-chance your opinion, experience, research is not the ONLY correct opinion, experience, or research. It really is quite maddening.

    Oh, believe me…I haven't typed every thought that pop into my head. But honestly, on a public chat board, you have to expect that if you post something controversial, people are going to respond. Especially if you 'know' the people on the board at all. EVEN if you include a very polite request to not react. The original poster would have been better served to find a forum on e-collar training, or hunting dog training, or some such...then he/she wouldn't have needed to face controversy.


  • @shep_18:

    Have you just read horror stories about shock collars or have you actually USED ONE? I've spent over $1500 on trainers and classes alone. I have done so much to try and train him and spent so much time and worked my butt off!! For me this is in no way shape or form an "easy way out" I'm glad that the only experiences you have had allow you to see this way as the "easy way out"

    and just because the collar is called a "shock collar" doesnt mean thats all it does. Like i said before right now i rarely use the shock option and if i do its the lowest setting. What i think is cruel are bark collars because there is no control over them and they just shock the dog over and over

    I won't address the points of your argument, since obviously there are people that are wishing this thread would die….but I am wondering, if you spent all that money on trainers...couldn't you have asked them which shock collar was best?


  • Quercus I was just wondering if you made your living training dogs would you answer the question you just ask what collar is best. Does this not take your life line away.

    JazzysMom Thank you I like your wording.

    For me to each there own. HAPPY 4TH OF JULY TO ALL…..........

    Rita Jean


  • @Quercus:

    Oh, believe me…I haven't typed every thought that pop into my head. But honestly, on a public chat board, you have to expect that if you post something controversial, people are going to respond. Especially if you 'know' the people on the board at all. EVEN if you include a very polite request to not react. The original poster would have been better served to find a forum on e-collar training, or hunting dog training, or some such...then he/she wouldn't have needed to face controversy.

    OR maybe we would ALL be better served by simply respecting one another's opinions and respecting one another's requests.
    Once someone reads, "If you do not espouse this particular approach", then those who do not espouse it could simply move away from that thread and let those who are interested or in agreement and who may have experience or knowledge share. It's easy –just a click of the mouse.


  • Everyone did respect Shep's request until someone else asked for opinions on shock collars. At that point, the thread really couldn't stay a one sided discussion. Even then what was posted was information supported by veterinary behavorists about the effectiveness of this training and probably would have just been left at that but as in any discussion thread those simple statements fired up a debate.


  • I do not think it is fair for anyone to expect that they should be able to post a one sided thread and not have people speak up that there are other considerations that should be made.


  • Thylacine ask about sitmeanssit and if it really worked. Since it seems that no one else on here has ever used them the question was answered and then if you look Quercus came back with comments. A simple question that was answered with a simple answer could have been said and done.

    Rita Jean


  • @lvoss:

    I do not think it is fair for anyone to expect that they should be able to post a one sided thread and not have people speak up that there are other considerations that should be made.

    I disagree. Shep said the decision had been made, and requested info as to the best collar.

    Had Shep said, "I am considering the use of, and would appreciate opinions and experiences with….." that would have been an opening for a discussion as to the pros and cons of the collars.
    This was not the case - a specific question was asked, and should have been answered as such.
    IMO, of course.

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