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Studies on why aversives cause problems for dogs
Hi! I was hoping someone could share credible resource studies on the damage shock collars, prong, anything that cause fear, pain, anxiety, long term psychological damage to a dog. I could go online but there are so many articles and hard to know what to trust.
Thank you!
Jackie Congdon
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29 Replies
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Hi Jackie, Thanks for bringing this good topic. It’s important to stay up to date on the methods we are using and on the effect they are having on our dogs and their pet parents.
Here’s an article by AAHA that you might find interesting, which cites a few studies.
Zazie Todd has a similar take on the Portugal study and also cites another study about increasing a dog’s optimism.
Here’s an older article by Eileen Anderson which cites a number of older research studies that are worthy of notice.
Are these heading in the direction of what you were searching for?
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Yes thank you so much!
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Hi @JCongdon !
I always look for peer- reviewed research. Here are 5 links that I have collected over the years! Some you may not have full access to if you are not a member. I hope they help!
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0225023#
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0168159108003717
Shock collars are unnecessary and detrimental to animal welfare. J. J. Cooper, N. Cracknell, J. Hardiman, H. Wright, D. Mills.
. “The effects of using aversive training methods in dogs—A review.” Journal of Veterinary Behavior: Clinical Applications and Research 19 (2017): 50-60.
China, L., Mills, D.S. & Cooper, J.J. (2020) Efficacy of dog training with and without remote electronic collars vs. a focus on positive reinforcement. Frontiers in Veterinary Science,
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Thank you! Anything helps!
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Thank you for the reminder about peer-reviewed research @jenz. It can be very tempting to refer to any study or article that supports a point we feel we need to make but we are on far stronger ground when we have these sorts of studies to back us up.
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@jenwalker Agreed-many people often side with statements that align with our emotions or beliefs.
I had an online discussion in an animal advocacy group a few years back where an animal control officer in my state supported the use of prongs and shocks because they “do not hurt when used correctly” and the “dangerous” dogs “listen” to him. I stated my knowledge of the side effects and explained the “whys” of the dogs seemingly “listening”. I posted several peer-reviewed research articles (I have quite a few but only shared 5) supporting my statements. I asked for him to post his peer-reviewed research supporting his position. After a few “I don’t have to prove anything” posts from him, he finally posted an article that started out ” I think prongs may work because……..”.
I simply replied thank you for your effort but this is an opinion based commentary, not peer-reviewed research.
I had to do quite a bit of researching and summarizing research for college so… peer-reviewed was the only research accepted in any of our homework assignments!
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Well done for keeping your cool in that situation, remaining kind and calm but not taking any guff either @jenz! Most people don’t have this ability. Do you recall how you came to have it and/or how you keep your response to such situations consistent?
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I think a good question to ask is what do we mean by adversive when we discuss this issue and review these studies I have a question. If a Gentle leader is used properly, would this be considered Adversive?
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@bmacwatt You are bringing up a great point, that for some dogs (I would argue, most dogs!) a head halter of any kind is unpleasant. This is why trainers who embrace LIMA go through the process of desensitizing the dog to the head halter, or at least creating a positive conditioned emotional response to wearing it.
The definition of aversive is something that the individual finds unpleasant or painful.
What is aversive will vary with the individual. As empathetic trainers, we need to observe the dog’s response to what we are using and adjust accordingly. A harness may be a better tool than a head halter. That said, there may be a situation where a head halter is necessary in order to safely work with the dog. LIMA would have us consider all the options before choosing something that is unpleasant for the dog, but we also have to be sure that the trainer/handler can be safe. I know in the shelter where I was a behavior program manager, there were dogs who could only be walked on a head-halter by a trained staff member in order to prevent bites. In that case, we are balancing the welfare of the animal, the safety of staff and the best choice of tools to ethically manage the dog.
In the scientific, peer-reviewed research world, you can be assured that the methods employed are methods that all dogs find unpleasant. Usually, it’s shock collars that they are specifically looking at. How hard the shock is may be set by the trainer using the stimulus – these are trainers who rely on this sort of technique. The parameters will be defined in the research methods section of the paper. This is why it’s good to go to the source and read the entire article for yourself.
I love this blog article by Victoria Stillwell. I thought she handled this topic really well. She gives a great alternative to using aversives of any kind: One of the most effective ways to stop unwanted behaviors is to teach your dog alternative ones. If a dog is doing something that I deem to be unsafe or inappropriate, I will give teach her new coping/life skills to deal with the situation. This gives clients the freedom to teach their dogs’ new skills rather than punishing old ones. For example, I teach a jumping dog to run and get a toy to show off to a new person that has just walked into their home. This gives the dog something to do and diverts excitable energy onto something that makes everyone happy. The dog has the toy, the client does not have to tell their dog off for jumping and the guest is relieved not to be jumped on.
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Thank you Catherine! Well stated! I believe my standard poodle would consider a front clip harness aversive – not the harness itself but the process of putting it on. She can’t stand putting it on. Runs away and treats do not work – no motivation. But yes – I was asking more about training methods that causes an animal pain and fear under the guise of “correct training.” My poodle was trained on an e collar as a young dog because I didn’t know any better. Now I personally see the negative ramifications of aversive methods with her reactive behaviors. While I can share my story, it’s nice to have scientific proof to back it up. Thank you for all of your input. Very helpful.
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@JCongdon You are very welcome. And, your poor harness-averse poodle! I can relate – my Vizsla (may she rest in peace) HATED anything on her body and looked like Max, the dog from Grinch, anytime I put on a harness. I ended up using a martingale collar for her as a regular collar would slip right over her skinny skull. I could have worked through a desensitization protocol, for sure, but as badly as she hated them, I figured it was better for her to avoid them altogether. I prefer simple solutions!
With your poodle, is using some other equipment an option?
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Hi Catherine – nice seeing you today! I could try a gentle leader but I’m certain she would not like it. Even with positive conditioning. Just have to use her flat buckle collar I guess.
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@JCongdon I was doing some research for another purpose and found these studies summarized on another blog by Zazie Todd and thought you might enjoy looking at them, too!
- There is a risk of an aggressive response with the use of confrontational methods (Herron, Shofer & Reisner, 2009). 31% of people who did an alpha roll, 39% who forced the dog to let go of something from their mouth, and 43% of people who hit or kicked the dog reported an aggressive response.
- If people use aversive training techniques, their dogs are 2.9 times more likely to be aggressive to a family member and 2.2 times more likely to be aggressive to a stranger outside the home than if the dog had been trained using reward-based methods (Casey et al 2014).
- Greater frequency of punishment is associated with an increased prevalence of aggression and excitability (Arhant et al 2010)
- Dogs trained to sit and walk on leash using leash jerks or tugs and pushing the dog into a sit position (negative reinforcement) showed more signs of stress (mouth-licking, yawning, and lowered body posture) than those taught with reward-based techniques. They also gazed less at their owner, suggesting the human-canine relationship is not as good (Deldalle and Gaunet, 2014).
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Thank you!
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@jenwalker
” Do you recall how you came to have it” The conversation actually got started when I wrote a post regarding aversives on my personal FB page. The educational coordinator in an animal advocacy group I belonged to at the time shared it to the group page as an educational post. An ACO, new to the group was the first to try to denounce the post. So, I ping ponged posts and debated with him for 3 or 4 days. I, using science based info and he was just spewing emotions and opinions.
“and/or how you keep your response to such situations consistent?” I stick with the facts- peer-reviewed research and data- no emotion, no opinions!
How do you handle the ” I don’t even have to shock my dog anymore. He/she listens as soon as she hears the beeping now. The prong just mimics the mother’s bite. It works and doesn’t hurt!” statements as “proof” of their “need” by the users?
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Hi Jackie-Sometimes I find the response to aversives has to be customized for the person.
If I have someone that I think will listen or read studies then, like the others who have posted, I will share that info.
However, what I have found works especially well (for the people who don’t connect with studies or science) I often say, “I too used to use a prong collar many, many years ago (as I suspect did many of us in the “senior” ????age group), but then someone introduced me to other pieces of equipment that actually turned out to be kinder and, in the long run, more effective, so I switched.”
We even use visuals with our clients to reach the heart and mind. We have a “Things we like table” and a “Things that make us sad” table. And, the visual of seeing a cutesy-type colored martingale next to a prong seems to make an imprint for some folks when we talk about equipment.
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@pamm I’m intrigued by your visual! Do you have a photo to share that can show us what you mean? Is this something you have in your training center? Do clients engage with it or is it just a display? So many questions! ????
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Hi Catherine, Jenn and Jackie-I think you all had expressed interest in seeing our “Things We Like” Things That Make Us Sad” tables. Clients visiting our nonprofit can see and play with the items while we talk, teach and explain pros and cons. We only work one-on-one with rescued dogs so we have a bit more time to have those longer, personal discussions about aversives and why there are more humane and effective options.
Our focus is on coaching to calm so there is a slant as to why you don’t see many other kinds of items on the tables. And, we generally switch out items every 2-3 weeks to keep the display interesting and engaging for repeat clients. The pictures below are May’s tabletops.
AN OOPS!- After I took these pictures I just now realized that one of our clients must have taken both the prong collar and an e-collar type device off the Sad table and left it somewhere else……what are the odds-just the thing we were discussing (prongs) and it isn’t on the table in this picture. NOTE TO SELF: Find the darn prong and e-collars! ????
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Thank you for sharing this @pamm – it seems like a welcoming way for visitors to expand their knowledge! I’ve seen other organizations that put up posters with a similar messaging but having an engaging, hands-on display invites interactions and learning in a different way. Well done indeed!!!
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I’d love to see a picture of those tables too @pamm! It brings to mind the way that bling, spangles, and even fun colored duct tape are used to jazz up some of the muzzles on the Muzzle Up Project‘s page.
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Also – I love that we have a couple other threads going on this same topic, essentially. It’s great that everyone feels comfortable asking these difficult questions. This is a safe space to do so!
Here are the other threads to check out.
Great job, everyone! Keep up the professionalism and support as we work through these challenging topics!
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Thank you for your answer. I too used a shock collar for training 3 years ago on my standard poodle because I didn’t know. Today she is fearful of other dogs and has high reactivity. The training center taught us how to use it and assured us it was humane. I now know I did not always use the remote correctly and truly believe it made her into the reactive dog she is today. Now I am working on counter conditioning and desensitization which will take a good while – she’s almost 4 years old. So many dog owners think these aversive methods are no big deal – I see it all the time and I cringe!
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Oh, Jackie… what a compelling story you have to share. I’m sorry you and your sweet dog have had to go through all that but isn’t she lucky to have you help her find a new way!? We can only do the best with what we know at the time and as we know better, we can do better, right? I grew up using aversives and wouldn’t have been caught dead with a cookie in my hand to train a dog, until I read Culture Clash. It was transformative for me.
We keep learning, we keep an open mind and we try to have the very best relationships we can have with our dogs, every day. If we listen closely, I’m sure we’ll hear their gratitude. Thanks for being vulnerable here and sharing your experience.
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Thank you for sharing too! ❤️
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@pamm These tables are amazing. And have created even more curiosity! Which is an AMAZING outcome of a teaching method. I have to ask, why don’t we like spray cheese? Also – that little Bassett statue on the floor by the sad table is PERFECT! ????
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I agree with you Catherine – I love those tables! And yes my dogs would kill for spray cheese! ????
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Catherine-Good catch about the spray cheese being on our “Sad” table. We recently placed it there as a result of a reading at this site linked below
https://eileenanddogs.com/blog/2016/06/30/spray-cheese-dog-treat-caution/
When I read this posted story about this person’s “incident” with the air bubble in the spray cheese resulting in a dog’s backward progression I thought it best to share the story.
We don’t use spray cheese at our facility, but a majority of our clients use it at home, and having the spray cheese bottle displayed on the table when we are doing our introductory meeting with clients prompts me to have a talk about the need to carefully think about things that might go wrong when treating (like timing, treats with low values, etc.). And then I offer up some possibile alternatives to things they may be using at home that might be improved upon. The article linked above also has an embedded link within to the idea of food tubes (vs. spray cans), which then have the added value to help folks get creative and leverage the use of more healthy food contents if they wishfor treating.
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Great point about the spray cheese – and Eileen Anderson is a wonderful and inspiring author. Thanks for sharing!
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She has some excellent videos too-There is one about “lumping” that we refer to frequently
https://eileenanddogs.com/blog/2012/09/04/lumping-it-a-public-service-announcement/
This link is especially helpful when sharing with clients who are not making good progress because we feel they might just be raising criteria too fast at home (even afater we demo it in person). We think what may be happening is that clients just assume that their dogs will “get it” and jump too far. We find it best to explain by using the video link. The link illustrates that some clients might think that her dog, Zany, would just easily make the transition from targeting tape on a hand to targeting the tape on the wall with ease.
To all reading this….I am thankful to everyone who expends the time, energy and planning to make videos for sharing. I wish our organization had the ability to do more on videos as we have some phenomenal clients (two and four legged……and some tripawds as well).
Happy Memorial Day to all!
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