Animal Rights Uncompromised: Electric-Shock Training for Dogs

PETA opposes “no-bark” shock collars and “invisible fences,” which electrically shock dogs when they bark or cross an invisible line. In addition to causing physical pain and potentially serious injuries (ranging from burns to cardiac fibrillation), these devices can cause severe anxiety and lead to psychological problems in some animals. No dogs should have to live in fear of getting shocked for engaging in normal behavior such as barking or crossing lines that they can’t see in their own homes.

Dogs trained with shock collars and invisible fences may develop fear or aggression toward what they believe is the source of the shock (e.g., kids on their bikes, the mail carrier, the dog next door). Dogs have also been known to run through invisible barriers when frightened by fireworks or when chasing a squirrel and then to be too scared to cross back through the barrier to return home.

Although invisible fences might sometimes succeed in keeping animals within certain boundaries, they do nothing to protect the confined animals from cruel humans and roaming dogs or other animals who have access to the property.

Real fences and positive training methods in which dogs are rewarded for good behavior are kinder and more effective.