Aggression in Dogs: Can an E-Collar Help?
Robin,
I was wondering if you use e collars in dealing with aggression in dogs? If so I was wondering if you can shed some light on the subject. I also wanted to take a minute to say thank you. Your information has really changed the entire way that I go about e collar training. I can not thank you enough!
Thanks,
Tony
The question above came to me a couple of days ago, and I thought it a great topic to bring to The Truth About Shock Collars blog.
The answer is yes. I use remote collars as part of the training program when dealing with aggressive dogs. Using the electronic collar as a way to redirect the dog’s attention is a large part of the success in how I go about rehabilitating dogs with aggression issues.
I realize that answer is in contrast to much of the information circulating on the internet. Warnings about NOT using a shock collar to deal with aggression in dogs abound. My guess is those warnings come from people who don’t use the tool on a regular basis and therefore have rather limited knowledge of how to do so properly.
Let me point out right off the bat that I don’t advocate putting a shock collar on the dog, waiting for him/her to display aggressive behaviors, and then pushing the button to punish for those actions. As in “That’ll teach Fido not to chase after other dogs!” Sorry, but that thought process belongs in the idiot’s guide to dog training 101.
Unfortunately, it is what some people do. And then, when the aggressive behavior gets worse or the dog yelps and runs away, those same people blame the tool rather than accepting the responsibility that they did not know what they were doing in the first place.
Seriously folks, if I go to the auto parts store, buy the best wrench set on the shelves, come home and lift the hood of my new Honda Element and start tinkering with the engine…..do I get to blame the wrench manufacturer when my car doesn’t run properly anymore? I’d say I was the problem, not the tool.
So let’s discuss the highlights of how to incorporate the use of a remote collar when working with dogs displaying aggression problems.
The first and most important step is to lay a proper foundation of obedience training with the remote collar. The purpose of the obedience is to give the dog “something else to focus on” (ie. a job) when presented with situations that normally evoke aggressive responses. The dog should be introduced to the collar through the foundation and attention exercises of learning to follow on a leash, come when called, and stay in one place. I also typically teach dogs dealing with aggression a *look* or *watch* command. In this way, we can create higher attentiveness to the owner/handler when the dog is faced with situations where we do not want to allow him/her to focus on the trigger. This initial training should be started in situations that do not trigger aggressive responses in the dog. It would not be fair for the dog to be learning something brand new when under the duress of those situations.
Once the dog has a solid understanding of obedience, we can begin to expose him/her to the triggers. The collar is used for obedience commands while the dog is in those situations that previously brought on an aggressive response. It is important to note that the collar is NOT being used to punish the dog for any aggressive response (barking, growling, lunging, etc) Rather, the collar is used to prompt and enforce an obedience command. The obedience is used PROACTIVELY before the dog reacts improperly. In this way we are redirecting the dogs attention away from the source of tension and back to the handler and the *job* the dog is being asked to perform.
Example: with a dog that is highly reactive to other dogs (growling, lunging, barking etc) I use the collar to enforce a Heel command and teach the dog he/she must simply walk politely near, around, and past other dogs. There is no punishment for being reactive. The e-collar is used to prompt attentiveness to the handler and the Heel command.
NOTE: This is a process that is incremental and advances in the level of challenge with respect to how quickly the dog is grasping the concept and being successful. If the dog can’t walk politely past a dog who is 15 feet away, don’t push him to walk within 5 feet. The goal is to keep the dog BELOW threshold and give him/her success at walking politely in the presence of other dogs.
One of the tremendous advantages of training with a remote collar when dealing with aggression in dogs is that it is far less subject to human emotion getting in the way and further escalating the problems. The handler can remain much more neutral in body language than when using other training collars or halters that require physical force.
The remote collar also has the advantage of being useful at a distance. Being able to enforce a Down command from 50 yards away or recall a dog who is on a sprint to chase a jogger is much more achievable to the average dog owner than through any other training method I know of
So the role that the e-collar has in dealing with aggression issues is that of the attention getter. The collar is used to prompt attention and hold the dog attentive to command even in the midst of those *distractions* (Other dogs, people, etc) that cause the dog to react with barking, lunging, snapping, etc.
I want to point out there are many other considerations when working with aggressive dogs, and I don’t suggest the average pet owner go it alone. Find a professional who has hands-on experience and a solid track record of success to help you.
In my years of dealing with aggression cases, I have seen many things influence the outcome of the cases. Possible health issues (thyroid, structure problems, ear infections, deafness, and sight problems, to name a few) should be ruled out by a veterinarian.
Dogs that display fear and aggressive issues need confidence-building and desensitization exercises as part of their program. Knowing how to properly time reward markers and use food is important to help build confidence and better behavior with these dogs. The long-term goal is to change their emotional response to their triggers.
And there are cases where genetics play a significant influence.
The most crucial consideration in determining the likelihood of success is the owner. No tool is magic and will solve all the problems. And there are no absolutes in training. Each case is different. It takes consistency and dedication to help dogs struggling with aggression. The underlying cause should be understood, the triggers identified, and then a treatment plan determined.
The e-collar can be a large part of the process by effectively re-directing the dog’s attention. Personally, I would no longer want to work with aggression cases if I could not use the e-collar to help with the process. In my time specializing in this training, I have found that the dogs learn much faster, there is FAR less stress on the dog and on the handler, and total rehabilitation is much more likely due to those factors.
If you are considering ecollar training, This series, E-collar Basic Obedience is the best place to start.
Please note: Comments on this post have been disabled due to the volume of people asking for help with their dog’s aggressive behavior. I simply cannot keep up with the volume and dispense personalized advice to deal with complex situations.
If you are seeking help:
1. Implement leadership structures into your daily routine immediately. You can access my leadership guide here.
2. Find an experienced and successful local trainer who deals with cases similar to what you are dealing with. If you can not find a local resource I may be able to help you through a series of virtual lessons.
3. Be prepared to put in significant time and effort. There is no quick fix. Training is a process and requires you to be committed to it.
Hi,
I have a 5.5 month old Pompsky or potentially full Husky (not sure). She was given to me at 6 weeks (the backyard breeder lied and said 8, but vet verified 6) and was very sassy but sweet until about 2 months ago. She has been showing aggression towards me in particular when putting on or off her collar, resource guarding issues and strangely at the end of walks. She will lift her lips up, growl, lunge and try to bite (or at least it feels like she will but hasn’t actually yet). She has other behavioral issues like chewing, barking uncontrollably, won’t crate trained, etc. I started with a trainer yesterday and he trained me on commands with the ecollar. We’ve been practicing and last night she slept in crate without barking and walked by my leg all due to the ecollar commands. I will say, she’s cowering and mopey – kinda sad today. Plus, we used to bond with her sleeping by my head and I feel a bit disconnected from her now especially with the aggression. My question is this: I was just told by a friend that she he fact that she’s doing better on all levels except no improvement with the aggression today ;actually a bit worse) is not a good sign. Typically things progress all at once and she should learn pretty quickly that I’m the alpha now. I’m wondering and scared that the ecollar is making her scared, cower and not good for her aggression issue. Do I need to just keep trying? At what point do I determine if this isn’t fixable? Should I switch gears to a behavioral dog therapist that doesn’t do ecollars? Finally, I thought one on one would be best but now I’m thinking board and train – but still need to decide about ecollars, either way. I’ve spent like $8k (time in debt) on medical (she ate grapes 3 months ago and needed treatment to prevent damage) and now training (additional 1-2k) so I’m at a breaking point financially and emotionally so my decisions are critical right now, for us. Plus need to decide if board and train route is the way to go before spending too much on one and one. It’s just me and her – thank you for any advice.
Hi Alison,
Thank you for reaching out. Unfortunately I can’t tell you what to do because it is very hard to judge based on the written word and not seeing the dog in person. That said, I tend to believe there is significant hope, given that the pup is still so young. Generally speaking these things can dramatically improve and be resolved when we start young enough that the behaviors have not become engrained habits after years of practice.
But that is dependent on having the right help and guidance. When I am dealing with resource guarding or defensiveness with having collars put on (or head shy in general) there are a great many factor I look at. Some of them can be physical and I have seen pups that need a chiropractic adjustment because they likely got twerked in the birth process and actually have discomfort when touched/grabbed by a collar. I also recognize that resource guarding is a normal behavior…just undesirable for our domesticated pets. We need a planned, sytematic approach to teach them to trust and not be defensive when we take “their things”.
With out seeing your dog I can’t say for certain if you are on the right track or not..but I do not believe a dog working on an e-collar should be scared or cowering. I suspect (but can’t say for certain) there is something missing in the technique or approach. Sometimes dogs that are “demoted” from being in charge of everything will be a bit sullen for a day or so…but that should not equate to how they look when actually working on walking nicely or learning their obedience commands.
If you wish to reach out to me privately I may be able to help you more. You can email Robin@robinmacfarlane.com
Hi, I have had a mixed breed beagle rescue for 2 years named Hero, after losing two of our fur babies. He has had separation anxiety from day one. We took in a homeless little guy that roamed our neighborhood for a few days, I am told he is a pugle named Buddy. He is the sweetest thing ever. Hero and Buddy play well together most of the time but there are moments when Hero will be dominant over Buddy and it him off at the pass, walk in front of him. Recently we have had cases where Hero would fight with Buddy, most recently he jumped on him and bit him above his eye, causing it to swell almost completely shut. I feel like it is not fair to have Buddy in an environment where he does ot feel safe. We love them both and do not want to rehome either of them. Can you please help!!
I forgot to add, this is usually caused by showing affection or attention to Buddy when Hero responds by jumping on him in an aggressive manner.
Hi Debbie, It does sound like you need some professional help. You are right, it is certainly not a good situation and sounds like it is becoming dangerous for Buddy. I would suggest you try to find a professional trainer in your area to work with. If you don’t have luck finding someone local, then consider signing up for a coaching call we me and we can discuss how to begin improving the situation for all of you.
best regards,
Robin
I’m looking to see if e-collar training would work for our 9yr old chiwawa mix. She has aggression towards ANY other dog, on and off leash. She’ll bark at anyone, chews all our baseboards and doors and pees in the house still if we leave or overnight AFTER being walked or let out. We’ve had her since she was 2mos old, I want to say it all started when a pit bull who was unleashed ran towards her not once but twice so my reaction didn’t help. Also since then we’ve introduced 3 children and she was involved in a house fire where firemen rescued her 3yrs ago. Her aggression has just gotten worse over the years and I 100% know anxiety is involved as well. But her aggression towards other dogs has us at a loss, we can not have any friends over with their dogs and she’s bolted out of the house to attack a dog walking by with his owner twice now and we are afraid of will happen if it happens again. She has been in a doggy daycare for the past 5yrs, once a week to help with socializing skills, but that hasn’t helped at all, the running joke is that she’s the tiniest one but let’s everyone know she’s the queen. Redirecting her is impossible, once she’s locked on she’s hard and will bite is if we try to redirect her on leash. She’s 9lbs of anger and anxiety. We tried create training again, but had to stop because she would break out of it by chewing it to get out then we had it welded shut, but after 6months we stopped since we felt it was causing her anxiety to skyrocket rather than improve. She truly HATED it.
We honestly just don’t know what else to do.
Hey Robin,
I have a less then a year old black lab that has barrier aggression. He’s very sweet 80% of the time and loves to play with dogs but when I have him on leash or when we come across another dog that is on leash while he is off leash he lunges and snips and barks. He used to be this aggressive while in the car or in his backyard but we’re slowly coming out of that I believe (it’s not a linear process but I think there’s progress? Would an e-collar help with this? Do you have any e-collar brand recommendations?
Hi Lou,
When you’re working on the on leash reactivity the best way to incorporate the e-collar is to use it to enforce an incompatible, trained behavior. Generally that means using it to enforce a heel command if you want to keep moving and a Sit or Down command if you want to stop and let the other dog/handler pass by.
Just remember that you generally can’t solve this in a day and in fairness to your dog you must first collar condition the behaviors, then gradually work up to increasingly distracting situations. So first practice the Heel and other behaviors with limited distraction, then increase distraction including working at a distance from other dogs. As things improve and both of you get more comfortable begin to close the gap between yourself and the distractions (other dogs/people) until you get to the point of being successful in the intended situations and proximity. Be sure to use valuable rewards for success so your dog is also learning that paying attention to you is more valuable and rewarding than the undesirable behaviors.
I am a Dogtra e-collar user. Depending on what features and range you want with your collar, take a look at the ARC, the 1900S or the 280C. Any of those should be good for your purposes.
You may also want to consider my DVD set available on GunDogSupply.com The 5 dvd set covers a lot of material and you will see examples of incorporating an e-collar with distractions and around other dogs, etc.
warm regards,
Robin
Hi Robin, I have a two year old pit bull. She is great with other dogs 95% of the time, but every now and then will get aggressive when trying to dominate another dog and being challenged. It’s stressful and makes me wary of taking her places where there will be other dogs. She is very excitable and her recall is bad when she gets too excited – especially mountain biking and cross country skiing. Do you think an e collar would be a good solution for these issues?
Hi Cameron,
Using an e-collar to improve your recall training could be very helpful. The e-collar is a good choice for training and enforcing obedience commands. Once properly trained you can feel much more confident having control off leash. I would not recommend using it IF your dog is actually engaged in an altercation with another dog. The ideal way to approach improving your situation is further training and building reliability to command so that you can act proactively to prevent any engagement from occurring.
best regards,
Robin
Hello I have 2 pitbulls , male and female my female is 2 years old and my male is 5 years old. My male use to be an outside dog but both of them are country dogs with little socialization with other dogs and people. Now we live in town amd when my dogs see people or other dogs they go crazy, trying to pull us to whoever is passing by. I know it’s anxiety and fear causing their anger towards other people and animals passing by but how do i fix this problem? Would a shock collar help with this problem?
Hi Isaiah,
A remote collar is not going to provide a magic solution. It can be very helpful as part of a training program. Particularly for off leash recalls and gaining increased reliability around distractions.
What I strongly encourage you do is find a professional trainer in your area and get enrolled in a solid program of private lesson to improve their obedience and overall behavior (a group would not work for this situation). Once you have a pro getting you started with some training you can discuss with them the addition of a remote collar into the training protocols.
Try checking with the International Association of Canine Professionals for someone in your area.
warm regards, Robin
Hi Robin!
I was wondering if an e collar would help or you’d have and advice for my puppy. He’s a 5 month old German Shepard that has fear aggression with people. He will not let anyone else apart from me or my partner get near him never mind touch him. He will lung bark growl and recently snap. He’s the sweetest dog ever with us and is good in all other areas. Just scared and aggressive with people. As he is getting bigger and not been getting better we are beginning to worry. He goes to puppy class once a week and does so well there and can be off leas around people and dogs but anywhere else especially our flat and shared garden he comes across aggressive. Any advice you would have would be very appreciated. Thanks you!
Megan
Hi Megan,
I think the main thing for you right now is to find a pro trainer in your area that can help in person. I would assume this would be getting addressed in your puppy class and if not, then see if that person can either help you with additional private lessons or refer you to someone that can.
This is a critical time frame to get your young dog moving in the right direction with the “stranger danger” issues that are occurring. A remote collar can be part of the equipment used in training, BUT it isn’t something to be used to correct barking/growling/lunging. The collar should be used as a way to gain attention and redirect to other behaviors (come, sit, place, etc) Even if you decide to do some e-collar training for the obedience and to gain more control around distractions, you still need to work on counter-conditioning and desensitizing to being on leash, feeling reactive/defensive around people and have someone show you productive ways to help him build confidence so there will be fewer defensive choices and an increased tolerance as he grows up.
If you can’t find anyone in your area that you feel comfortable with, send me an email and we can discuss potential distance coaching options.
warm regards,
Robin
Hello,
I was hoping to see if using an E collar would help with my dogs behaviors. I have an almost 1.5 Yr old German that I rescued and when I found her she was aggressive towards me and no one else. That started at the age of 6/7 weeks old. I feel as though maybe she was beaten or something. However she’s not as aggressive now but she does have a tendency to go after me only or gets crazy around her food growl and barks (she is crate trained). She will Bite when I go to put anything on her like her prong collar etc or even when I go to touch her… she doesn’t listen and she has no chill, so she can’t run around my house freely, constantly hyper and idk how to change that since I hike often with her and that doesn’t take much energy out of her. she has been fixed that doesn’t help either. Also she has a bad chewing problem. Destroys my mother’s backyard chewing plastic things and ripping up cushions while I’m at school and I need to find a way to fix that ASAP. She knows small commands like sit etc but doesn’t stay in those positions even though i had been persistent before. Previously took her to puppy class some time ago and was possibly looking to take her to another training class if that’s what she needs. I feel like I don’t have a connection with her because she’s so wild and bites. Please lemme know what you can recommend. I live in Covina, CA.
Hi Natalie,
I don’t think an e-collar is a solution for you at this time. I think your best bet, given the wide scope of problems you are having with her, is to enroll with a professional trainer and take a series of private, one to one lessons with her to build a much better relationship. It sounds like many of the basics of establishing a bond and respectful relationship haven’t been mastered yet and that is where you need to start.
Robin
Hi, Robin
I adopted a chihuahua mix from a local shelter. They are uncertain of what she’s mixed with but to me it seems as though she’s part terrier. When I adopted her she was 10 months old. She is now 1 year and 8 months old. When I brought her home she had showed small signs of aggression toward our other dogs, myself, and my mom. Mostly when there was food around. I tried to work with her, socialize her, and everything I could. She has since gotten worse. She has pinned down my sisters dog and her kitten. She has bitten me. She has bitten my brother-in-law. She lunges at all the animals and she also lunges at people. She knows sit and does stay pretty well, but when she’s locked in on a target, she doesn’t listen at all. I can’t take her out to socialize at this point out of fear she will attack a stranger or their dog and I’d have a lawsuit on my hands. I just don’t know if it can be trained out of her or if I need to give her to a home where she is the only animal. Anything will help me.
Thanks so much.
Hi Victoria,
I do believe most behavior issues can be greatly improved with proper training. At this point I believe you need the help of an experienced and knowledgeable professional trainer. For the time being I would recommend you keep a light weight leash attached to her at all times so you can safetly get a hold of her and direct her away from problem situations. If you would like to send me an email with your location (Robin@robinmacfarlane.com) I will see if I can find you a referral for a trainer in your area. If not, we can discuss some long distance coaching to get things moving in the right direction.
Robin
I have a 2 1/2 year old female blue pit and a 2 1/2 year old male pit/lab mix. Both are fixed. The female is the alpha over the male. They have lived together for one year now. In the past 6 months or so my female blue pit has started to become aggressive with the male. At first it seemed it was when I was not home (I am the “pack leader”), then it seemed as though it was when she felt as though he may be “stealing” attention away from her. More recently it’s just random outbursts. No blood has been drawn, but I need to get a handle on this. What do you suggest? I live in Houston, TX
Hi Maggie,
It certainly sounds like you have a serious situation brewing. I suggest you find an experience trainer in your area to work with. Find someone with a track record of working with inter-dog aggression as well as someone with skill and expertise in working with strong breeds such as the pit bull. You may want to call several veterinarians in your area for some referral possibilities. You need someone that can come in to your home, assess the situation and dogs and begin working on a comprehensive plan of how to manage and train them going forward before things get worse.
good luck,
Robin
Hi! I was wondering if you think this would work on my pup she’s a 7 month old German Shepherd who has food and water aggression towards other dogs. I’ve been socializing her at our doggie day care since she was 8 weeks but sometimes she also randomly lunges at dogs
Hi Lyndsey,
I would suggest you find a professional to help you better train your dog, particularly with the random lunging. Resource guarding is necessarily abnormal behavior within a group of dogs. If you think about sitting in a restaurant while you are eating, you don’t necessarily want other people reaching over and taking food off your plate or drinking out of your glass.
The same goes for dogs. However, if she is bullying other dogs away when they are having their turn taking a drink or she is not waiting politely to receive her treat, etc, that is behavior you can work to improve.
A remote collar can be a useful tool in working on her obedience but I would encourage you to find someone with experience to help you learn to use it properly.
If you can not locate someone in your area, I do have several DVD’s available that can help you learn how to train with the e-collar.
warm regards,
Robin
Hi Robin,
So my dog has been well trained with the e-collar. He heels on command very well, unless another dog is around. If he is heeling and then breaks the heel to chase a dog do I give a correction with the ecollar? I understand that I should try to focus him with the ecollar before he breaks the heel, but what if he does anyway?
Zach
Hi Zach,
I would suggest you go back into training mode and do more practice heeling around distractions, particularly dogs. You should be using the e-collar more proactively in your practice situations. If he is rock solid maintaining the heel, then reward him, but if he is just about to break position, use the e-collar to interrupt his lost focus, while repeating your verbal command. This way you are reminding him to remain in position.
This is how he will learn that Heel = Heel regardless of the distractions present. As he improves you will see less need to use the e-collar to remind him to maintain behavior and he will get better at ignoring the other dogs. More practice will build a stronger habit of how to heel around distractions like such as other dogs.
Because your above descriptions says “he heels very well..UNLESS…” I believe the situation is essentially about practice, rather than correcting after the fact. Make sure you are practicing with a leash attached as you back up and fine tune this skill. The leash allows you to assist him in doing the right thing (IF he needs the help) and it allows you to fix mistakes more quickly if he breaks away.
Hope that make sense. Keep training!
regards,
Robin
Great, thank you! I would like him to get to a point wear he wants to play with other dogs instead of just ignoring them or obeying my command. Obviously this would take a lot of socializing. What kind of things do you do when you have a reactive dog meet another dog?
We utilize a group of already well socialized dogs to help facilitate a reactive dog’s learning new/improved behavior. The dogs do most of the work for us. We only interrupt in minor ways to help the reactive dogs learn they can “move away” if they feel uncomfortable or we interrupt if someone is too pushy like mounting over the back behavior.
Pack socialization is not something I would advise the average person to attempt on their own. A trained eye can run a group very well and it can make a dramatic difference for reactive dogs…but the key is having access to an already decent group of dogs with good social skills and having the skill to see potential for problems BEFORE they happen.
I think it is very important for humans to recognize and honor that not all dogs WANT to play with other dogs. And also realize it is not necessary nor really all that necessary as they mature. Puppies play with one another but as they mature the energy and activity they prefer to participate in shifts.
Just as with humans, most adults would have little desire to go to the children’s daycare and interact with the energy of a large group of toddlers all day long. Most seniors would have little desire to hang out at a frat party.
Normal development must allow for transition from one stage of life to the next. We seem to have a misguided idea that dogs should remain “toddler like” all of their life and too often we force them into social situations they simply have no desire to be in. Well intentioned owners put their dogs into situations where they feel trapped and thus the dog strikes out due to a sense of over whelm.
It is also important to recognize that dogs, just like people have differing preferences for social activity. Some love big play groups, some play well with a certain one or two others but don’t do well in a group. I, myself am an introvert. I like small, intimate social settings with key friends, but I tend to uncomfortable in large, noisy, more chaotic environments.
I hope that make sense? Don’t wish something on your dog that he doesn’t actually desire. It is more important that you are his best buddy and he can trust you to keep him safe. If he learns tolerance around other dogs, that is fantastic and you’ve done your job as a good owner.