Currently the market has many types of no shock training collars for dog guardians and trainers
Are shock collars cruel? This is probably the biggest question in every dog guardian’s mind. Those who use shock collars will say, “No this is a dog training collar and it does not hurt my dog”.
If I am to answer this, I’d say, “use the shock collar on the lowest setting on yourself. If you love your dog, I bet you will never use that on your pup again”.
Shock collars are very painful for dogs. Even though these can be extremely effective in training dogs, especially those who do listen to the guardians and are very hard to train, they also land up causing some serious mental and physical trauma to the dog.
However, if you are looking for dog training collars, there are many types of no shock training collars available which are safe for your pup. These collars primarily belong of the following types:
- Spray collars for dogs
- Citronella anti-bark spray collars for dogs
- Vibration collars for dogs
- Ultrasonic collars for dogs
Let’s have a look at these different types of no shock training collars, how they work and finally, what makes them better alternatives compared to shock collars.
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Different types of no shock training collars
Vibration collars for dogs
Vibration collars for dogs work on the same principle as shock collars. However, they cause less pain compared to the shock collar to the pup. Vibration collars are very effective at addressing the negative behavior of your pup but it does not do do at the cost of causing your dog pain.
The vibration module of the vibration collars for dogs is attached to the collar and features either metal or rubber prongs which touch your dogs neck. Some vibration collars only have vibration modes while others have either tone or static shock along with the vibration feature.
According to some dog trainers, vibrating collars should only be used to call the dog or gain his attention. These collars must never be used for the purpose of behavior correction. However, other dog trainers feel the other way round. So basically, it is up to you to decide which way you wish to go. Whether you want to use these types of no shock training collars for calling your dog or for training your dog, it is completely dependent on you. All I would suggest that you conduct a proper research about the different types of no shock training collars before narrowing down on a specific type.
Citronella spray collars for dogs
These collars work on the basis of spraying bursts of citronella. The underlying mechanism of these collars are same as the vibration collars. However, instead of sending vibration to your dog’s neck, these collars send out bursts of citronella oil to your dog.
Citronella is a plant based natural oil. It causes no harm to your pup. However, dogs are not known to like the smell of the citronella plant. Overtime, dogs start to associate the citronella burst with the negative behavior like excessive barking. Hence, they stop the negative behavior just to avoid getting sprayed by the citronella oil.
Most of these spray collar for dogs come with their own built in microphone. When your dog barks over a certain level or past a certain period of time, the collar detects it and sprays a burst a citronella.
Citronella spray collars for dogs also come with built in citronella cartridge. Most often the collar holds a certain quantity of citronella. However, the cartridge can be refilled from the citronella bottle which comes along with the collar’s purchase. In case your dog hates water, you can also use water as an alternative to citronella. These collars are mostly battery operated.
Some of these spray collars for dogs are battery operated and automatic while others are manually operated by a remote.
Some of these collars are of the hybrid sort. After these collars are turned on, the manual nodes can be activated but pressing a button present on the transmitter. When the dog barks, if the collar does not recover a signal from the transmitter for the period of one full minute, it will go into the automatic mode. The built in microphone of the collar detects the bark of the dog. The collars are mostly USB rechargeable.
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Ultrasonic collars for dogs
Another one in the arsenal of the different types of no shock training collars are ultrasonic collars for dogs. These collars work on emitting a high pitched noise to stop the unwanted behavior in the dog.
Just like the other collars described above, ultrasonic collars for dogs have built in microphone which can detect the dog’s bark. In response to the bark, the collar emits an ultrasonic stimulus. This stimulus cannot be heard by the humans since it above 20kHz. Humans can only hear sounds up to 20kHz, whereas dogs can hear sounds up to 50kHz.
Ultrasonic dollars have been deemed to be safe for both dogs and humans. The main problem with the ultrasonic collar is that the collar must be in contact with the dog’s neck to be effective. The constant contact with the collar can cause skin irritation in the neck of the dog.
It is said that the ultrasonic collars for dogs are the best choice when it comes to small dog breeds. These collars are also good for dogs who are in the senior age group, a dog who gets startled easily or dogs with my mind temperament.
The new forms of ultrasonic collars do not require the dog to wear the collar all the time. The effect is achieved solely through the transmitter which is held by the trainer. Since these collars are safe for dogs and humans, they can be used indoors as well as outdoors.
The tone emitted by these collars is specifically designed to startle the dog. This is what makes these types of no shock training collars more effective than an actual scream or shout from the guardian.
These collars work well within a range of 30 feet. Hence these make for very good close range training collars for dogs. Most of these collars have two types of tone ranges. One is the positive tone while the other is the negative tone.
When the dog follows the commands like sit, come or stay, the positive tone reinforces the action. The positive tone can also be accompanied by treats so the quickly learns to associate the positive tone with something good like treats.
The negative tone is primarily used to discourage unwanted behavior in the dog. When the dog does something undesirable like displaying aggressive behavior jumping on furniture, eating items which should not be eaten, chewing stuff which they shouldn’t or if they are pestering their siblings or other guardians.
Indoor use of ultrasonic collars
These collars make a great option for indoor use since the sound emitted by them does not hurt humans. The sounds can not be heard by the people living the house or even by the neighbors. However since the tone works till 30 feet, care should be taken that other dogs or pets are not around during training time.
These types of no shock training collars are great for outdoor training as well. They are very effective at correcting potentially dangerous behavior when you are giving your dog an off leash training like chasing cars, going towards traffic, chewing, lunging at other dogs, digging etc.
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Conclusion
Now that you know all the types of no shock training collars, mention in the comment section which type of collar do you feel would be the best for dog training or should you go for the no collar method itself. I, for one am a no collar person. Delta does not wear any type of collar at all. I prefer to use treats, love and patience to train him.
Have you used any of the different types of no shock training collars? When did you first heard of these? How was your experience? Do you think these collars make for effective dog training collars? If you were allowed to change a feature in these collars what would you like to change? I would love to hear your thoughts, so mention them in the comment section.
If you have any queries or doubts, you can either mention them in the comment section or you can reach out to me on any of my social media channels. I would love to help you out
See you in my next post
Shruti
Frequently asked questions:
Yes! There are ultrasonic collars, vibration collars and spray collars which can be used for behavioral correction but do not administer shock to the dog. These collars are uncomfortable but not dangerous to your dog’s health.
If you are trying to correct your dog’s pull during walk behavior, then gentle leader is a better choice than shock collars.
No shock training collars are actually a better option for dog raining compared to the shock collars. These collars do not cause permanent mental, emotional and physical trauma to the dog while correcting negative behavior. However, these still use negative reinforcement and give your dog an uncomfortable experience when used. It is best if you train your dog using positive reinforcement and lots of treats.