Four Legged Scholars LLC – Dog Training – Salt Lake City

Do you wish that your dog would just listen to you all of the time? We understand, and your dog can learn to listen to you. We are here to help you create just that!

There are many methods and techniques that can be used during dog training. Salt Lake City has a variety of trainers that train in many different ways. In fact, many of them a strong advocates for shock collars.

These trainers will tell you many positive reasons shock collars work and that they are safe for your dog. Most of they tell you are myths and are not proven through science.

At Four Legged Scholars LLC Dog Training (Salt Lake City), we believe knowledge is power. As a result, we wanted to educate you about the myths of shock collars.

1.) They are awesome in training your dog to “come” when called. False. Imagine running away from your parents as a child and getting spanked. You have absolutely no positive incentive to “want” to come to your parents.

If you do come to your parents it is probably due to fear of a painful spanking. Do you really want you dog to come because he is scared of getting shocked?

Also your dog has no way of knowing what to do instead. If you reward your dog with “super yummy” treats like hamburger, your dog will now have a positive incentive to come to you. He will want to come to you and will feel happy.

As a child, if your parents rewarded you with treats, toys, praise, you would trust your parents. You would come to your parents because you get fun rewards and because you trust (feel safe) with them.

2.) A shock collar isn’t that painful for your dog and your dog won’t be shocked that many times so your dog will be fine. False.

The shock hurts and this is why your dog stops what he is doing. Some dogs may be so scared of the pain that they actually freeze in their tracks. This is called “learn helplessness.”

A dog in this state is incapable of learning because they are so stressed-out.

3.) You can train your dog quickly with shock collars. False.

Science has actually proven that dogs learn faster when they are trained through rewards. This is because they actually feel safe and their emotions are more grounded. They are not fearing pain.

There are some other things to be aware of when thinking of using a shock collar:

4.) A dog can become dependent on them. If by chance they actually do work for you, your dog will only listen when he is wearing it. If you forgot the shock collar, you have no control over dog.

When you use reward-based training your dog will actually begin to listen to you without food so if you forget the food no big deal. I think this is crucial in dog training. Salt Lake City has many areas that you can hike.

Loosing your dog in the mountains is very scary so a reliable “come” is important.

5.) If you still are wanting to use a shock collar, science has also proven that shock collars can increase “bad behavior” which includes aggression and fear.

Do you really want your dog to start biting people or start developing phobias because you chose to train your dog this way?

The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior has a great article on why reward-based training is so important.

Trust me there are many ways to train your dog in a positive fashion.

Fortunately, there are many trainers that use reward-based dog training. Salt Lake City has many choices check this link for positive Salt lake City dog trainers.

Johanna Teresi, Salt Lake City Dog Trainer, Four Legged Scholars LLC, Dog Training, Salt Lake City

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