Why ‘Electric Shock Collars’ are bad for dogs, cats, and the humans who love them.
- Jan 28
- 4 min read
There are few things more unsettling than watching a dog yelp, freeze mid-stride, eyes wide, tail low, after receiving an electric shock from a collar that was meant to 'train' them. Yet these devices are still marketed as e-collars—a softer, tech-friendly euphemism that disguises what they really are: remote-controlled electrocution devices.
If that sounds dramatic, it’s worth asking ourselves a simple question: If a product relies on pain, fear, or startle to suppress behaviour, is it truly training—or just coercion? And why are they being marketed as acceptable to use on our animal ‘best friend’.
My understanding is that this type of device maybe used as instruments of torture in gangs, some warfare hideousness, or for the more risqué individuals out there, who knows, that’s a lifestyle choice!
Increasingly, science, ethics, and lived experience all point to the same conclusion: electric shock collars are harmful, ineffective for long-term behaviour change, and damaging to the human–animal bond. They have no place in modern animal welfare, and it’s time England followed the growing number of countries that have banned them outright.
Suppression, not learning, shock collars do not teach animals what to do. They teach animals what not to do and only in the narrowest, most fragile sense.
From a behavioural science perspective, electric shock collars work through positive punishment (adding something aversive to reduce a behaviour). The problem, suppressing behaviour does not resolve the underlying emotional state driving it.
A dog that stops barking because barking causes pain has not learned calmness.
A dog that stops lunging because lunging triggers a shock has not learned safety.
A cat that stops climbing the fence because approaching it causes pain has not become more bonded to the home.
They have learnt one thing only, the world is unpredictable and unsafe. When behaviour is ‘shut down’ through fear, the emotional pressure does not disappear, it builds, this is where these devices become dangerous.
Shut-down dogs or cats are not ‘good or reliable’.
One of the most troubling side effects of electric shock collars is behavioural shutdown. Dogs or cats may appear obedient, quiet, or fixed, internally they are stressed, hyper-vigilant, and disconnected.
A shut-down animal may:
Stop offering behaviours altogether
Avoid interaction with their human
Show learned helplessness
Suddenly explode into aggression without warning
This is how bites come out of nowhere and how dogs go from fine to unpredictable. This is the moment when I have been asked to help for many clients who were coerced to using this devices. Most of these clients felt incredibly guilty and uncomfortable about using them.
Devices like this remove warning signs ‘growling, barking, retreating’ electric shock collars make animals more dangerous, not less. You do not get rid of the problem; you remove the early warning system.
Congratulations, your dog no longer growls, now they bite!
Fear and pain erode trust and trust is everything. Animals learn best through safety, consistency, and trust. Electric shock collars undermine all three. When pain comes from a human or from an object the human put on their body the bond suffers.
Dogs and cats may not logically understand why the shock happened, but they absolutely form emotional associations.
The park becomes scary
Other dogs become predictors of pain
The owner becomes unsafe
Studies link aversive training methods with:
Increased anxiety
Heightened aggression
Reduced problem-solving ability
Avoidance of handlers
Real behaviour change comes from engagement, not intimidation. Animals learn faster and retain skills longer when they feel secure enough to try, fail, and try again. You can not build a good relationship on a do this or else approach!
E-Collar: The soft language of a hard reality
Calling a shock collar an e-collar is a marketing trick—plain and simple.
It’s designed to:
Sound modern
Sound harmless
Sound similar to a regular collar or harness
But let’s be honest, if a device delivers an electric shock to an animal’s neck to cause pain or startle, it is an electrocution device. Words matter because they shape what we tolerate and this rebranding has allowed outdated, harmful practices to masquerade as progress.
Real behaviour change comes from relationship, not coercive control. Long-lasting behaviour change is rooted in, trust, bond, choice, clear communication.
When animals feel safe, they can learn, it is common sense and the same as how we feel. When they feel heard, they can adapt. When they have agency, they can cope.
Giving animals choice where harm does not come to them is one of the most powerful tools we have. Choice reduces stress, increases confidence, and leads to more reliable behaviour because the animal is participating, not complying under threat.
This might look like:
Teaching alternative behaviours instead of punishing unwanted ones
Managing environments so animals are not constantly pushed over threshold
Advocating for your dog or cat rather than forcing them to cope
Meeting emotional needs, not just physical ones
Sometimes the most responsible training decision is not ‘How do I stop this behaviour’ but, 'why is this behaviour happening', and how can I help?
A Final Thought (and a slightly lighter note)
If shock collars truly worked the manner claimed, we would use them on humans.
Did not meet workplace target? Zap.
Passing a speed camera too fast? Zap.
Voted Brexit? Definitely zap, well done if you read this far!
Of course, we don't, our dogs and cats deserve the same understanding.
