Are Shock Collars Cruel? What My Mema's Glass Got Me Thinking.
UPDATED OCTOBER 2026
THE QUICK ANSWER
Are shock collars cruel? They can be. So can a lot of things we put on dogs. What matters is the tool, how and why it's being used, and whether the person holding the remote actually knows what they're doing.
I'm standing in my Mema's kitchen making mac and cheese, watching the water boil in her Corning Visions glass pot on her Hotpoint stove from the '60s. That stove is still working after raising three kids, plus grandkids. She cooked potatoes in this same pot when I was little. Everything in her kitchen still works, because she bought good stuff and took care of it. I was standing there trying to figure out what to write about next, what I actually want to teach people, when this pot reminded me of a story. The more I thought about it, the more I saw how much a good-quality pot and an electric collar have in common. Which brings me to a question I get all the time: are shock collars cruel? Honestly, I can't stand the words "shock collar." But it's what most people type into Google, so here we are.
The Spaghetti Explosion
In sixth grade, my mom got our first house in a little town across the way. I wanted to cook her spaghetti. So I grabbed her glass bowl, set it on a coil burner, and put the noodles in with the water. Lord knows I didn't know to wait for the water to boil.
Surprise: the bowl exploded. There was spaghetti on everything possible, and glass everywhere. Mom cleaned it up, got frustrated, and shooed me out of the kitchen.
My defense? "Mom, we cook in glass all the time, and it's always been fine! I don't understand why it didn't work."
It Wasn't the Glass. It Was the Wrong Glass.
Here's what I didn't know at 11. Visions, which came to the U.S. in 1983, is glass-ceramic, made for the stovetop. Mom's bowl was regular glass, which isn't. They looked the same to me. One has lasted about 40 years. The other blew up all over the kitchen.
Glass on a burner sounds like a bad idea, and with regular glass, it is. Glass-ceramic is built for it. E-collars are the same. A cheap shock collar off the internet and a professional-grade e-collar are not the same tool.
That's dog training tools in a nutshell. The wrong tool, in the hands of someone who doesn't know why it works, makes a mess. The right tool, used thoughtfully and with skill, can be a useful part of training without becoming the whole plan.
Funny thing is, Visions was the top-selling cookware set in America for a few years. Then it got a reputation, with stories of pots cracking and food sticking, and it faded away. Good tools can get a bad name, too, especially when people don't know how to use them.
Cheap Tools Give You Cheap Results
A lot of dog training equipment today looks the same whether it's well made or a cheap knockoff. But if I'm cooking on the stove, I need the right pan. And if I'm going to use an educational tool on my dog, it needs to come from a reputable company.
Think about a leash. You don't want one sewn with regular thread. A good leash needs the right thread and the right stitch, or it's going to blow out the moment your dog really pulls. The same goes for collars, e-collars, and anything else that sits between you and your dog. Cheap products give you cheap results.
How Shock Collars Became E-Collars
Old-school training leaned on compulsion and force. The first electric collars were true shock collars, built for hunting dogs in the 1960s. They had one level, and it was hot, more like a hot wire. They weren't about teaching. They were about an extreme consequence the dog would never want to repeat, a once-and-done kind of thing.
Dogs didn't have great lives back then either. A lot of them lived outside, partly because fleas were so hard to control.
Fun fact: In the '60s, even the mustard company, R.T. French, was selling flea collars.
Then things changed. Trainers started using food rewards and building real relationships with dogs. The e-collar companies changed too:
- Tri-Tronics started building remote trainers for gun dogs in 1968 and helped pioneer adjustable levels.
- Dogtra, around since 1979, was the first to add a vibration "pager."
- E-Collar Technologies built its whole company around low-level stimulation, with 100 levels on its Mini Educator.
Today's quality e-collars range from levels so low I can't feel them to levels I honestly don't want to feel. And yes, I've felt them. Kind of like Mema's kitchen: you keep what holds up, and you let go of what doesn't.
Reward-Based Dog Training First, Tools With a Plan
We teach kids differently now, too. A lot of us grew up getting spanked in the '80s and '90s, and kids before us had it even rougher. Now we have better ways to teach kids and to set the right expectations for the age they're at. We learned more, so we made changes. Dog training is the same. Any tool takes more communication, not less.
Every dog we work with here in Sacramento starts with reward-based training. A prong collar or e-collar isn't required for every dog. Sometimes, though, a dog's environment asks a lot of them, and we want to give them more freedom safely. When that's the case, we explain why a tool might help, what the risks are, and exactly when to use it. Nothing happens without your okay. That's how our private lessons and our Feral to Focus behavior package work.
Think about flea and heartworm medicine. They're pesticides, they protect our dogs, and they carry real risks, because some dogs react to them. That's controversial too. Some owners give them every month without a second thought. Others work out a different plan with their vet, based on their dog and where they live and travel. Either way, the point is the same: you know what you're using, why, and what to watch for.
Training tools work the same way. I'm pro-choice on how you train your dog. I mean an informed choice, made with someone who will tell you the whole truth about every option.
E-Collar vs. Shock Collar: Isn't It the Same Thing?
Here's how I use the words. When someone says "shock collar," it usually tells me one of two things: they haven't been taught how a modern unit actually works, or they're going for shock value. (Pun intended, but I'm serious.) So in this post, a shock collar means the cheap, unsafe, inhumane kind, with poor level control, used with no teaching. An e-collar means a quality remote collar with fine level control, in the hands of someone who's been taught. Technically, it's the same kind of technology. The difference is the quality, the control, and the person holding the remote.
Yes, it's still electric stimulation, and yes, it can be misused. In my experience, that's rarely on purpose. It happens when someone skips hiring a trainer and learns from a few YouTube videos.
A TENS unit is a good example. I once had one on each arm. On my right arm, the level was right. My muscles contracted, loosened up, and felt better. On my left arm, it was set too high for too long. I didn't speak up because I didn't know it was too high, and my muscles were inflamed and sore for a couple of days. Same tool, same day, two different results. The person running it should have been watching me and checking in. With a dog, that matters even more, because your dog can't tell you at all. You have to know how to read them. That doesn't make the tool the problem. This is about education and safety.
And if you're not interested in learning it, that's okay. You don't have to. Most dogs never need one. A tool doesn't decide whether training is kind. The person holding it does, and so does how they were taught.
What Good E-Collar Training Looks Like
I'm not going to hand out my whole system here. It takes hands-on coaching, and a how-to on a blog is exactly how people end up skipping the trainer. But here's what the process looks like, so you know what to expect from anyone you hire.
- Fitting the right gear. We pick the collar, contact points, strap, clip, and long line together. I order it and deliver it.
- Wearing it like clothes. The collar goes on in the morning and comes off at night, never overnight. For the first week we don't use it at all. It should just be part of getting dressed.
- People first. Owners learn every button and setting and get a video to take home. Then we find each person's lowest level on their forearm and practice tone of voice, body language, long-line pressure, and timing. Homework is practicing on a spouse or friend before ever working the dog.
- Starting with a skill the dog already knows. We begin with recall on a long line. At first, the tap comes almost together with "come," and the moment the dog turns toward you, it's a party with cookies. Over a few days, the dog gets a full second to respond before any tap.
- Nothing hidden. When I work the dog, owners can watch with a tone box that beeps every time the button is pressed.
Practicing on a person first might sound strange, but it's how every hands-on profession works. Physical therapy and medical students practice on each other before they ever touch a patient. When I trained in massage therapy, I worked on other students first, then on people who knew I was still learning, and only then on clients. Two people can talk to each other and give consent, so mistakes get caught early. That's the whole point.
Someone might say a dog can't give consent. A dog can't say yes out loud, but it can make a choice. We already teach dogs consent for things like petting, and the collar works the same way. Give it a name, and make it predict cookies and fun. With food, a dog can learn to put its own head into the collar, so wearing it starts as their decision. Your dog should see that collar and get excited.
How Low Is Low?
The right level is so low you can't tell if your dog is responding to the collar or just listening. On a 100-level collar, most dogs I work with start around level 3, because levels 1 and 2 are often too faint to notice. I watch for the tiniest sign: a raised eyebrow, an ear flick, a head turn. If you see a head shake, a big movement, or anything that makes you say out loud, "Oh, he felt that," the level is too high. Turn it down.
Could a dog feel that tap as a correction? People can argue semantics all day. For me, it depends on how it's taught. When the tap is paired with cookies from the start, it means "check in with me," not "you're in trouble." It backs up the cue when you need it.
How Long Does E-Collar Training Take?
When a professional trainer like me is working the dog, I can usually get a really consistent recall in about 30 days. When an owner with no prior training is doing the work, it's more like two to three months of solid, consistent practice before off-leash recall is reliable. There's no shortcut on that part. The collar doesn't do the training. The practice does.
A Real Example: Paddleboards and Ski Trips
One of my clients is a veterinarian. Their dog had no behavior problems and already had amazing recall. We didn't use the remote collar as a correction tool. We used it for communication, so the dog could come along paddleboarding and skiing, places where there's no room for error. If the dog falls off the paddleboard, it needs to lie down and wait on shore. If you fall skiing, or need paramedics, your dog needs to lie down beside you and stay put. Now that dog rides the paddleboard out on the lake and runs through the snow on ski trips, having a great time.
Control is a good word, and control is a bad word. It's all in how you use the power you have, and you have to respect that power.
What the Vet Behaviorists Say
There are a lot of trainers out there like me. We love this tool, we use it, and we're safe with it.
The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (AVSAB) used to say tools like this could be okay, but only after reward-based training had been tried first. I believe they meant it when they said it. Then they rescinded it. In 2021, AVSAB put out a new position: only reward-based training should be used for all dog training, and aversive tools, including e-collars, shouldn't be used. In 2025, they said again that they stand by it.
AVSAB says the change was based on the science. Honestly, if I were them, I'd probably have done the same thing. When you're talking to the masses, you put out the safest, most neutral message you can. Even writing this post, I've had to think about how many people are going to troll me for it.
Here's where I land. I don't agree that an e-collar should never be used. I'm not hurting my dog, and my dog loves our relationship. I use this tool to help people have more freedom and fun with their dogs. But I agree with AVSAB more than people might think. Someone could put an e-collar on a dog, crank it all the way up, and cause real harm. People can abuse a dog with any tool. That's exactly why I think there should be rules on who can buy one, and on who can train with one.
Why I'm Writing This
This post is about education. You can use an e-collar, or you can choose not to. You never have to. But if you want to learn to use one correctly, you should never feel ashamed of that.
What makes me unhappy is seeing someone use one with no trainer at all. Honestly, I don't think e-collars should be sold to just anyone. A doctor has to write a prescription for medication. Try buying a syringe at the pharmacy, and you'll probably get asked why you need it. But you can buy a TENS unit or an e-collar on Amazon with no questions asked, and no idea how well it's made. You might go through a few before you find a good one, if you ever do. I think trainers should have to be vetted before they can use e-collars with clients.
I've been training dogs since 2012. I'm a Licensed Family Dog Mediator (LFDM), and my team and I have worked with over 3,000 dogs. I've trained hundreds of dogs with e-collars, and hundreds without.
Regulation won't be simple, though. Rules tend to favor one side, and I don't know which side that would be. When the time comes, I plan to be involved. I'm a member of the International Association of Canine Professionals (IACP), and that's part of why I support them. I trust them to speak up for fair rules.
Heat's heat. But the pan and the cook still matter.
Common Questions
Are shock collars cruel?
They can be. So can a lot of things we put on dogs. What matters is the tool, how and why it's being used, and whether the person holding the remote actually knows what they're doing.
What's the difference between a shock collar and an e-collar?
Technically, they're the same kind of technology: electric stimulation. When I say shock collar, I mean a cheap, unsafe collar with poor level control, used with no teaching. An e-collar is a quality remote collar with fine level control, used by someone who's been taught.
How low should an e-collar be set?
So low you can't tell if your dog is responding to the collar or just listening. On a 100-level collar, most dogs start around level 3. If your dog shakes its head or makes a big movement, the level is too high.
How long does e-collar training take?
When a professional trainer is working the dog, a really consistent recall usually takes about 30 days. When an owner with no prior training is doing the work, expect two to three months of solid, consistent practice for reliable off-leash recall.
Do you use e-collars for dog training in Sacramento?
Sometimes, but not for every dog. We start with reward-based training. If a tool would help your dog, we talk it through with you first and teach you how to use it safely.
Does my dog need a training tool?
Not always. Many dogs do great with rewards, management, and a clear plan. A tool is one option, not a requirement.
Want to talk through which tools fit your dog? We'll give you the whole truth on every option.
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