Training/shock Collars for Dogs - Any Success Stories or Is It Just Cruel?

I personally think it is cruel.

My BIL set it up at his house and before they used it on the dog, he tried it on himself and after he got shocked... he said they would find another option for training. He would not allow this to happen to his dog.

Guess I'll get ready for the hate mail. last time a question like this was asked some psycho was PM'ing me hate mail, BLAH.

My brother used a shock collar for barking. It didn't help much because the dog just learned to bark in between the shocks. The barks were much shorter and softer but still there. The dog developed a barking pattern that continued after he removed the collar. That lasted for about a year and the dog is now barking loudly and continuously, without the pattern.

Later: My brother set the collar to shock whenever the dog started to bark. That way one doesn't have to see the dog to know when to do the corrections.

It sounds like you need The Dog Whisperer.
My sister used a no bark shock collar and it worked...
If it were me, I'd find the dog a new home. It's too much for you right now.
LBC

We have a strong-willed, wants to be the pack leader, herding terrier. I would suggest that you do need to another round of training, but it needs to be one-on-one instead of group training. Your dog needs the individual attention. Sounds like he may need some more socialization, too. Do you take him to your local dog park and let him off leash to run around, play with other dogs and come in contact with other humans?

I also would suggest using an empty soda can filled w/ a few coins for deterrence training. This has worked enormously with our dog and undesirable behaviors (chasing our cat, jumping on people, trying to run out the front door when it is opened). Dogs have very keen hearing and the throwing down of the coin-filled can at the moment of bad behavior startles the bejeesuz out of them. For instance, have your husband ring the front door. When your dog starts barking or lunging, immediately throw the can on the ground. Do it a few times when the bad behavior comes out and I think you'll see a world of difference in your dog. We did in ours. I personally would not use the shock collars, I don't know of any trainer that recommends these. Try the can.

As for walking, you need to reign in the leash and use a choke collar. Keep the choke chain high up on his neck right under base of the skull and hold the leash high. Have the loop in one hand and use your other hand to quickly pull and keep him in check right next to you. He should not be lunging ahead of you. YOU are the leader. Bring some stinky, smelly tiny treats with you and have them in your hand and reward good behavior. When we were training our dog and someone was walking by, we made our dog sit and stay while they walked by. If he tried to get back up or lunge, we did a quick yank back to us and forced the sit. Give another smelly treat. Have him sit often during walking and give the treat. Change directions in walking quickly if he's trying to pull ahead. Point is, you lead, you make the moves and he follows. YOU are in charge.

You're not going to change this behavior with easy fixes. But it can be changed. The question is are you willing to put the time (and money) into re-training your dog. If he's your "baby," I think you will. Very best of luck to you!!

ADDED: You're getting suggestions other than SHOCK collars because a lot of people don't agree with that method. I think it's ridiculous to post on a forum and tell people how you want them to respond, don't you?

I had a friend use one. She put it on her own neck and zapped herself, after that she never put it on the dog.

I wouldn't zap a Beagle, they are such high energy, barky, hounddogs. THey can't help half the stuff they get into or do. They are also near the bottom of the most intelligent dogs, right near Afghan hounds. I love my Beagle but, we taught our two shepherds to do all sorts of tricks, and the Beagle can sit and come. She's also had more training than the other two, I never took them to obedience class, Becky the Beagle went twice. I think Beagles are the dogs answer to ADHD.

In your situation I would find a good home with older children. Let the new family know her quirks, I'm sure she will be a great dog for a family who can give her the attention she needs.

Personally I think shock collars are mean, and I have never used one. We did think very hard about them when we got our first Shepherd. We are now thinking of getting the underground fence, for them. I;m sure Becky will still have to be tied.

Good luck with him.

I think they are cruel. And No, I've never used one. We have a german shepherd, and I read lots of info on the breed before we chose her. Beagles are known for being barky, dumb, and high energy. I had a friend that had one: he constantly dug his way under the fence in their back yard, barked all the time, and was just generally oblivious to commands. Granted, they didn't really invest a lot of time in training either.

Watching a marathon of Cesar Milan (the Dog Whisperer) might give you some tips to try out that you haven't been aware of before. It's more focused on the RELATIONSHIP between you and the dog, rather than a specific technique. You have to always be the alpha, and if you don't understand dog language (body language in particular) then you will not communicate your alpha status effectively to the dog (the number one problem that underlies almost every other problem with dogs). I found that, even with all the reading I had done and used training our GSD, that watching and using some of Cesar's methods gave me a LOT more control. And my dog is happier too.

You need to take him to training classes. A shock collar is a training tool to be used in conjuction with training, not AS training.

I know you feel like you don't have time, but if you are going to continue to have this dog as a member of your family, you need to find time. Also, he's a beagle...beagles are very vocal hunting dogs. Asking him not to bark is like asking a labrador retriever not to retrieve. You'll need to learn how to redirect his behavior to proper venues, but you cannot curb it altogether.

I think you need a good dog behaviorist/trainer, and not someone who trains with violence. You don't want your dog to fear you. You want the dog to respect you as his leader. I do not believe in shock collars, pinch collars, choke collars...those are all bandaids for behavioral issues. I have used suggestions from Victoria Stillwell (It's Me or the Dog: http://positively.com/) on family pets and they work. She doesn't hit or hurt the dog to change it's behavior. My mom's dog used to lunge at other dogs on a walk. He was poorly socialized. Rather than yell and pull and make a huge deal of it, I would turn and walk the other way. He learned not to pull and we worked up to him meeting and passing other dogs without much nonsense.

I think that while it might take a lot of work and time that you have little of with the kids, it's time well spent if you truly modify his behavior so you can enjoy him as a family. I do agree that a beagle will bark/howl but you can bring it down a notch or two.

And here's the thing about some of these products - if you wouldn't use it on YOU, why do it to your dog? Get one of those things and see how it feels. I doubt you would use one if you knew how it felt.

I had a fox hound that I constantly thought about getting shock collars for but never did. He was smart enough that when we were trying leash training he knew he only had to obey on-leash. I figured that he would have to wear the collar (or a fake one) all the time to get him to behave - if we took the collar off I knew he would know he could do whatever he wanted.

Those are my thoughts on the shock collars. I don't think they're cruel if used appropriately.

Beagles are hounds - hounds are notorious about being single-minded and focused. It's in their nature - they have to stay on a scent when tracking. That makes it difficult to eliminate habits/bad behaviors.

Do you crate your dogs? I'm a huge fan of crating. It saves us at the door, when people are over, etc.

I know you said you've tried lots of different leashes/collar for walks - have you tried the gentle leader? It goes over their snouts and they CANNOT do anything you don't want them to do. If you put a harness or collar on any dog, it usually rests at the strongest part of their bodies - their chests. The gentle leader controls them by their heads.

Picture dog shows - the collars are up just under the dogs' jaws. You can control a dog if you control it's head.

You also mentioned that he gets a "relatively good amount of exercise daily" - for hounds, it can't be "relative." They need a TON of exercise. They're designed to track over long distances - try adding additional exercise (hire a dog walker if necessary - a local kid can be cheap).

You recently added a fence, but didn't mention the type. A privacy fence is the only thing I could imagine working. Maybe, if he can see through it, try putting something to block his line of sight where the people and animals walk by (not sure of the set-up of your yard - if it's 360 views, then that might be impractical).

I get it. We have a 9 year old dog that was our baby and now we have 2 kids. Everyone says put him in doggy daycare where he'll get attention. I have 2 kids in daycare, can't afford it for my dog too! Give him training classes....again with 2 kids and I work, when do I find time. If I had the time to give him all the attention he is looking for, I wouldn't be in this situation! I totally get it! My neighbors bought the shock collar that they control. You make it beep and then shock. They have it to the point that the dog hears the beep and they don't even have to shock. They love it so we got one. Only tried a few times but you can't leave the collar on all the time. And you have to be watching him to know when to do the corrections. I still need to set up some more scenarios to tempt him so he can train properly. So far it has worked though!

My BFFs have two beagles... they constantly bark like circus seals. Those dogs have known me for YEARS and STILL bark their fool heads off when I go over. They tried the shock collars for a while... it just made the dogs bark more once they got zapped (stupid dogs, LOL!!) The 'husband' wanted to make sure he wasn't hurting the dogs, and yes, you guessed it, put the collar on himself... I'm pretty sure I peed my pants laughing at him ;) He said it smarted for a second, but the 'pain' was almost instantly forgotten. I can hardly see how that would be effective!

I've heard nothing but WONDERFUL results from using a hand held clicker... you might want to look into that.

***Deleting the bulk of my original response after reading Denise K's reasoning against the collars. Never thought of it like that. Though I don't think they "hurt" that bad, well, I can see how it could be counterproductive sometimes. Interesting view.

And some training as well. Have you tried a PROFESSIONAL trainer and REAL classes? Because they make all the difference in the world compared to you trying to do it at home yourself. He's still fairly young, but should be calming down from the puppy phase now. And I have a German Shepherd who has one heck of a bark and loves nothing more than to CHARGE the front door. She has free range most of the time, but other times, we love the crate!!! The crate is my dog's time out, and also where we put her when we're expecting people to knock on our door.

Shock collars can make things much worse and lead to more reactivity. What happens when I do this, I get a pain in my neck- leads to if that dog comes any closer my neck is really going to hurt, guess I better bark louder to keep it away. I would hire a trainer that comes to your home and works with you or a behaviorist. Control Unleased is a great book that is for reactive dogs. For pulling try a gentle leader or easy walk if you have not already, much nicer than a choke. Also if you don't already take treats on walks to distract. Our dog is reactive, but I can have her near other dogs now after lots of work. We do a lot of passive work, she has learned to go to her bed and is not allowed up until released and I do all kinds of crazy things while she is there. For the door ring the bell off and on, but don't react at all and when he is quiet reward. I would write more but my son just work up. Feel free to send me any questions and hope this helps a little.

Added : one thing that helps us is allowing our dog to see her stressor, which took a lot of background work too. I know you are not looking for alternatives, but sometimes it takes awhile to find the correct approach to your dog depending on what is causing the reactivity.

Yes! A citronella collar. We had a shock collar for our dog's barking but I felt too bad about it and we're not sure it even worked. My husband found this citronella collar and it's really good. We've both sprayed it on ourselves and it's totally painless. But I think the scent is more annoying to dogs and it definitely startles them. We don't use it a lot but I feel like it "humbles" our dog just putting it on him.

EDIT: I'm not sure why you say this isn't about barking as you mention barking several times... It sounds like he just needs professional training then to behave better on leash. And as I said, the citronella collar on our dog mellows him out in general.

Luckily enough, I have never had to use a shock collar on any of my dogs.

Have you done the Alpha procedure? Where YOU lay the dog on his side and HOLD HIM DOWN for a count of 10 and look him in the eye..DO NOT look away. Do it EVERY day until the dog stops struggling....then you have established who the "top dog" is.

Beagles are notorious for being barkers...that's their breed.

If you cannot control him, you are doing him and your family a disservice by keeping him. I know how much a pet becomes part of the family...but if you cannot control your dog, then you are not helping him.

Shock collars are supposed to be used in conjunction with training. Call PetSmart or go to Angie's List and look up animal trainers...spend the money to get him trained properly. Like with kids, consistency counts. and if the treats aren't given every time he does what he is supposed to - he will forget. If the same punishment is not given for not listening, he won't know his boundaries.

As to Halloween - lock him in the garage, laundry room or some other room. The dog should NOT be ruling the roost!!

I wish you luck!!

We have a 30 pound mixed breed dog that sounds a lot like your beagle. He is impossible to control and for a little dog, taking him for a walk is really tough because he about pulls my arm off!

We have used underground fencing with a shock collar, a training shock collar with remote and a bark shock collar. The underground fencing was AWESOME for us, sadly we lost it in a garage fire and haven't replaced it yet. We found that the extra freedom that the dog had with the fence, as opposed to being tied out, taught him to stay near us when he was off-leash somewhere else. It is really inexpensive and very very easy to install.

The training shock collar with remote was effective IF you had the remote on you and were ready to send a correction when it was needed. I have found though that it seems like it needs to be charged every time I try to use it lately.

The bark shock collar has been wonderful! I'm ok with a warning bark when someone comes to the door, but if I shush him, that had better be it. With the collar on, he will bark once, yip and then tries one more small bark - and then he's done.

One thing to note - if it is windy or there are constant loud noises - be careful with the bark collar. Our poor dog was out last week when it was really really windy. He was just hanging out on the deck and my husband kept hearing him yip. When he went to investigate, he discovered that the wind was setting off the correction on the collar! He felt terrible because the dog kept getting corrections when he didn't do anything wrong.

We had to use shock collars for our dobermans about 10 years ago- they would literally attack the front door if anyone came to the door it got worse when we brought my son home because they banded together to protect him. We put the collars on them I would let them bark at the door(because that is why I have dogs) but when they started to jump and lunge we would shock them it took a little while but it finally worked- However we now have two American Bulldogs and the shock collars have never worked on them. Wrangling two 120lb dogs every time the door bell rings is a really good time :-} I would try the shock collar do some training with it- have someone ring the bell or knock and then use the collar if it doesnt work in a few weeks it will never work.
good luck

I used to have an incredibly strong samoyed. I could barely walk him, they are sled dogs, and he would just pull me along like I was nothing, so my vet recommended a halti headcollar. Worked like a charm.
As for the barking, you could try the citronella spray collars, I think giving an animal an electric shock for doing something that comes natural, is a little OTT.
Some dogs. like some people are naturally more nervous, or exuberant, or plain naughty! Training classes would help!

A relatively good amount of exercise for a beagle, should be 2-3 miles a day - that is what I was told for my Samoyed, so I walked him a mile in the morning, a mile in the evening.

I don't know that I'd use a shock collar but we're using a choke collar on our dog now in conjunction with training and it's making a huge difference. Within two training sessions, our dog now sits and stays on a leash (instead of lunging, jumping and biting and generally going bonkers). You might consider a training program that uses the choke collar system (which doesn't hurt the dog), rather than some of the "softer" programs out there.

Good luck!

I dug all around my old house & installed an invisible fence. Took me days. 2 weeks of "flag training" and finally we were ready to "allow the dog to receive a correction." Guess what? My dog didn't even feel the shock. :(

I think you would be better off spending your money on a dog trainer, really.
Beagles bark. A lot. It's their nature. But a trainer can really help.

Good luck!

Shock collars are fine IF used appropriately. I HIGHLY recommend that you DO NOT try to train your dog with the collar by yourself. You can do more harm than good if you make mistakes. Send him to a professional trainer who advocates the use of training collars. It's worth the expense to know that the job will be done right, and you will be pleased with the results.

We've used one on our dog for the last 7 years. We keep it on her most of the time but sometimes don't but when we do forget to put it on, she knows where her boundaries are and won't leave. There was one time we didn't notice the light was blinking for the dead batter, and she did sneak out but it had probably been that way for a few days. Also there was a time I took her on her daily walk and forgot to take it off, before we reached the end of the driveway, she was yelping and crying so much. I felt bad and moved back as soon as she would let me, there was no way I could get the collar off since she was squirming so much while being shocked. So just watch the battery and always remember to take it off when you walk her or put her in the car to leave.
As far as being cruel, you start off at a very low frequency and if she's still leaving the premises, then you boost it up a little each time she does it. We had to get one cuz she was tearing into other dogs, she's half chow and I've been told that's what they are known for.

My ex roommate had a VERY barky dog, we tried 'Bark Off', and it was no use, so she bought the collar. At first when the dog barked she would stop immediately after getting shocked, but after a while, she (the dog) learned how to bark quietly enough to not get shocked, so she still barked all the time, just not loudly...so I guess, some success? I have had limited success using the 'Bark Off' with my two dogs (1 yr old mutt and 2 yr old Prague Ratter), ew have had it about two weeks and they are slowly cutting down on the barking. The first day I got it, they barked, the thingee squeeled, and the dogs went crazy barking AT it! crazy dogs! I guess it takes them a while to learn that the barking is the cause of the unpleasant noise.

I think that, if used as directed, these can be great tools for pet owners, but you have to find the right fit of pet, owner and equipment.

Were you asking about invisible fences? After reading the other responses, idk, so I'll chime in on mine...I installed an invisible fence in March of this year, and LOVE it! It was not too difficult to install, and after the two week training period (which was kind of time consuming) life is easy peasy, I just let the dogs out back!

I don't recommend a shock collar. My ex-husband had a Boxer and he put up one of those invisible fences. Well it shocked him if he crossed the invisible line. Well, the poor dog started to have seizures. Now, it could be a coincidence, but the dog got shocked a lot. He was ALWAYS crossing the line. So I just don't like anything that shocks dogs. I will tell you though, our Labrador is a big puppy too. She barks, jumps, licks, tries to play with EVERYONE. She is terrible on walks. We got her a Gentle Leader and it works like a charm. She is a completely different dog with that on. COMPLETELY. So calm. It's wonderful.

we had a shoke collar for our 100+lbs mastiff, I think she thought it was a fly bugging her, and we had the thing cranked. So in our instance it did not work, but she also has a really fat neck, lol.

as for walking your dog they have a metal prong collar that the police use in training the police dogs. Works fantastic!!! you can get it at TSC for cheaper than at a pet store. A couple of quick snaps with that and I can guarantee your dog will be at your side not wanting to get snapped again. That worked best for both of our mastiffs. I can put it on them and they are walking by my side, and if I am comfortable I go with out it to work them on just the harness or reg collar.
and for the barking thy a muzzel as long as he is secure in the back yard. and nothing can get to him. a bark collar is good as long as its not just shock, they have some that elimanate a scent that dogs dont like also a buzzer that lets them know you are going to get shocked if you keep it up. gl and try the prong collar its awsome. and it does not hurt them but it does get their attention quick.

I wont have another dog without training them with a pinch/prong collar if used correctly or find a certifified police dog trainer & they would know how to use it for correction of bad behaviors. It will be like night & day difference with your dog.

Beagles bark and howl that's what they do. You don't mention what he's mixed with. My dogs bark when someone comes to our door that is not a behavior I would want to stop. I think you need to find the time and take him to more classes or ink about rehoming him. I don't know how he's getting exercise when you say you can't have him outside in your fenced yard because he barks. Dogs bark I wouldn't get a bark collar I'd focus more on taking him to dog walking classes, good citizen classes, etc. if you don't have the time then it's time to give him to someone that does.

Some dogs are very fearful and sensitive to pain, while others seem to not feel pain or fear at all. Whatever you try, use the least amount of pressure needed to get the point across.

We have a shock collar that we use for our Jack Russell. He would dig under the fence and escape in like 2 seconds. We put him on the chain and he would pull the chain out of the ground and still get out, dragging the chain behind him. We attached the chain firmly to the deck and I would come home and he would be on the chain, on the other side of the fence with the chain pulled as far as he could. We got an electric fence, attached it to the bottom 6 inches of our fence and the shock collar, the first couple of times, he really zapped himself and wouldn't come off the concrete patio then he finally got the hang of it and knows exactly where to stop. We can even leave the shock collar off of him for a couple of days before he realizes he can get close to the fence. His barking is another thing, we have a muzzle that we put on him but he still barks. We are thinking about getting the bark collars that have the audible sound first then the shock, for both our dogs- the Jack Russell and Blue Healer. My ex-husband has two beagles and my daughter says they (her dad and step-mom) use the shock collars on them for barking but they still bark. Maybe it's a breed thing or maybe it's how they are being used. I would get one and try it out. If you get it at a pet store like Petsmart, they will let you bring it back with in 14 or 30 days.

I think from my experience with dogs it is too late now to train your dog with shock collar or any other training-you have to do it when they are young.Now he will just feel misserable and angry and might get weird mental problems , and cause even more trouble to you and others.Some dogs just don't get .Having a pet should be safe , pleasure to you,your family and not bothering other people.If you can't control them-why have them?
And yes,I think it is kinda cruel.

Instead of getting a shock collar, try a vibrating dog collar. It has a remote that you use to vibrate when he misbehaves. It is a gentle way to redirect his attention without the pain of a shock collar. Just google Vibraiting dog collars and find one that would work for you. They run about $125 but if it works it isn't much different then the shock collars. My 12 year old cockerspaniel isn't hearing very well and I worry about her hearing me call her. I want to get one of those so when I want her attention outside, I can use it.

My neighbors used one to teach their dogs to stay in their yard. Their dogs have never come into my yard, which I am so thankful for. The dogs only wore the shock collar until they were trained.

I do not think shock collars are cruel , when used properly. That being said, I would also suggest, if you havent, watching Cesar the Dog Whisperer. I think the name of the show is something along those lines, he has helpful hints. We used a choker collar for our beagle/shi tzu dog. it took a couple of weeks but he got used to it and learned how to behave on walks. even after he learned to "be good" on walks we still put it on him just in case there was a new distraction etc and we would just have to give one easy tug and he would behave. good luck.

and by the way, I know you said you don't want to get rid of him because he is like "one of your babies", but if he is acting like that and disrupting your family and making your life that hard, maybe it would be better for your REAL children and the dog himself if he had a new family. maybe one with a huge yard or out in the country where he could just run free and he happier. you should have your real family be the priority.