11/06/2025
“When used correctly, it doesn’t hurt” …
a dangerous justification in dog ‘training’.
😳The phrase “when used correctly, it doesn’t hurt” is frequently used by advocates of prong and shock collars in dog training. But let’s call this what it really is: a justification for applying pain under the guise of ‘control’.
🔻I’ve heard and seen this statement being made countless times, but what’ve never seen is anyone being able to explain what that “correct” and painless use look like …
🔻These statements of “correct use” are totally a subjective interpretations and never based on science, or ethics.
🔻When the bar for “correct” is vague, inconsistent, and open to misuse, harm is not just possible - it’s inevitable.
‼️Prong and shock collars do not teach dogs what to do. They simply suppress unwanted behaviours immediately, through pain, discomfort or fear.
🔻What happens when these tool are removed? The original behaviour returns. Why? Because the dog was never given the opportunity to learn a new, appropriate behaviour, which could have been rewarded / reinforced and repeated until becoming a new habit.
🔻So if you have to continually rely on the use of these “training tools”, what are you actually training ? Isn’t training about learning a new skill, which help, until that skill (behaviour) can be performed reliably and without support (meaning no training tools)? Can you see the massive flaw here ?
🔻That’s not training. That’s coercion.
🔻The use of tools in training can be ethical. And there is absolutely a place in dog training to use training tools - leads, harnesses, and long lines serve as temporary support structures while dogs practice or perfect behaviours in real world settings. But any tool that causes physical or emotional discomfort AND is used indefinitely is NOT a teaching aid. It’s an ongoing method of control through persistent pain & trauma .
✅Science supports this. Studies have shown that aversive training methods, including the use of shock collars, lead to increased stress, anxiety, and behavioural fallout (Cooper et al., 2014). Even the European Society of Veterinary Clinical Ethology (ESVCE) and the British Veterinary Association (BVA) oppose the use of these tools. They advocate for force free reward based training, which builds trust, enhances learning, and leads to long-term behavioural change.
♥️The goal of training should be guidance, not compliance at any cost.
‼️If the only way to control a dog is to keep them in discomfort, we haven’t trained the dog ➡️ we’ve failed them.
Do what’s right for your dog. Not for you.
