Many countries have banned the use of shock, electronic, and prong collars including Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, and Canada. The United States is far behind these thought leaders in advocating for dogs. Most dog training gone wrong has been at the hands of E and Prong Collars and Veterinarians would attest to that. Severe burns, serious skin conditions, anxiety, stress, throwing up, irritable bowels, aggression, biting, excessive chewing, nipping and barking, other unruly behaviors, emotional suppression, passivity, and an inability to learn are all results of these devices. The devices will emit a shock or vibration or pierce the skin with prongs when a dog showcases a behavior that the person would like to stop (this is called positive punishment). The physical and psychological damage these devices cause dogs is extremely concerning. E- and Prong Collars are dangerous tools that are rarely used appropriately, and even if they are, they are still psychologically damaging. Usually someone will opt for these devices due to a lack of knowledge and insist on a quick fix to stop a behavior but don’t understand the long-term repercussions of aggression, fear, health issues and other problem behaviors that manifest because the root problem of the behavior is not addressed and is simply displaced and showcases with another problem behavior.   

A study done by Martin Seligman emphasizes the psychological phenomenon that occurs with the use of these devices. Performed at University of Pennsylvania, the study intended to test how prior Pavlovian fear conditioning influenced instrumental learning, a type of learning where behaviors are strengthened or weakened by the behaviors' consequences. For the study, they restrained dogs in a hammock, played a noise, and administered 64 mild-moderate electric shocks to their back paws. One day later the dogs were placed in a shuttle box and were supposed to learn to escape by jumping between two chambers. The administrators hypothesized that the dogs would practice avoidance learning i.e. the dogs would hear the tone in the shuttlebox & the fear elicited from hearing that same noise would accelerate the speed the dogs jumped. But speed could not even be measured because the dogs waited the shock out and froze in place (Leaf, 1964; Overmier & Leaf, 1965)

This study is pivotal in the dog industry for understanding how ineffective adverse physical punishment can be to a dog. Even if you don't continue to administer the punishment (i.e. your dog wears the collar but is not administered the shock or vibration, spray, or prong), the threat of the physical and psychological/emotional damage creates the same response as if it were present, the dog freezes and cannot perform any behavior which severely impacts their ability to learn because their brain is nonfunctional. Learning to freeze in response to the shock is not a learned behavior, it is an ingrained subconscious response to prolonged aversive events which causes the lower part of their brain to trigger a freeze response. The dogs learn something called learned helplessness, that they are unable to control or change a situation not matter what so they do not even try even if a circumstance changes. In contrast, In order to protect themselves, the dog could subconsciously respond with a fight response which is what we see with aggression in dogs. 

While physical punishment may be effective in suppressing a behavior because the behavior decreases, the effects to the dog are physical harm, feelings of animosity, distrust, a constant state of fear, suppressed emotions, and anxiety.  The dog's mind will not be at a restful place, full of anxiety and with heightened negative emotions. Dogs in this state cannot perform other tasks since they are not meeting their baseline physiological needs. The end result for the dog: a weakened ability to learn effectively, aggression, anxiety, problem behaviors, rehomings, overcrowding of shelters, a prematurely ended life due to either being housed in a kill shelter, potential abandonment, or due to attacking a person or animal. 

Instead of using shock, vibration, or prong collars, the least intrusive minimally aversive techniques should be enacted to maintain physical, emotional, and mental equilibrium for dogs and their well-being. I am proposing we stop with the quick fixes. I am proposing we start using the humane ways of teaching behaviors and use a proactive approach to identify the root cause of problems so they can be effectively and humanely addressed. I am proposing we advocate for a species who has been domesticated by man, is at the will of man, but is let down by man's need for immediate gratification with convenience –– a need that seems to circumvent doing the right thing. Dogs have become a part of the family and should be treated as such with love and respect. While we should still enact boundaries and not grant our dogs full freedom, we should do so in the most humane way possible.

I am a firm believer that these devices never need to be used to get the results we are seeking. If positive reinforcement isn't working on a dog, there are so many reasons why -- the timing of the delivery of the reinforcer is off, the dog is confused and has unclear directions on what is wanted , not everyone in the household is applying the same boundaries or rules and so your dog is confused, and the list goes on. There is genuinely no circumstance where these devices need to be used. It is time South Carolina steps up to its responsibility as a leader in animal advocacy. So many dogs are saved and adopted in South Carolina and the altruism should not stop there. 

Similar to New York Representative Linda Rosenthal's proposed bill, I propose a $500 fine for anyone found selling or distributing these devices in the State of South Carolina. I propose a ban on the use of these devices. I also propose an incentive program to upcycle donations of devices already made or purchased that owners would like to return after learning about the horrible repercussions of these devices.

Thank you so much for reading this far. There has always been a symbiotic relationship between human and dog but the scale has always tipped just a little bit more towards the human side. Together we can return the relationship between dog and human back to the mutualistic relationship it was always intended to be. 

I welcome any conversations with thoughts, comments, and concerns to me, Jackie Carleen, at jackiecarleen@gmail.com

Your signature on this petition is a signature for the future of all doggos that may become a victim of trauma from poor dog training methods. We are calling for a legislative change.