I had an interesting call the other day from an Animal Control officer wanting to know my take on whether or not a remote dog training collar should be considered the same as a leash. Apparently the idea was proposed that city ordinances be altered to include e-collars as an acceptable substitute for a physical leash.
Those of you that have been following this blog for a while are probably pretty aware that you won’t find a much bigger advocate for remote collar dog training than myself so do you want to guess my response?
It was, without hesitation, an unequivocal, NO.
There is no way I would want a city ordinance to say that an electronic or remote dog training collar is considered as a substitute for a leash.
Blasphemy, coming from me you say?…well, let me explain.
It just isn’t that simple. If municipalities go that route of thinking it is too easy for someone to go out to the pet store, purchase a remote dog training collar, strap it on their dog and go on their merry way believing they are abiding by the law.
Government entities are concerned with dog’s being under control so that their constituents feel at ease with dog’s being in public. An electronic collar strapped to the dog’s neck doesn’t mean the dog is under control of the owner. Or course neither does a leash, a head halter, a prong collar or a bag full of treats. These are all just tools created to assist a dog owner in gaining control through training. How would we know if the person took time to learn how to use these things successfully?
A dog running a-muck, barking, lunging or dragging someone down the street puts a black eye on all of us. It is a problem. (oh yeah, and the pooping on the street and not picking it up, shame on the guilty dog owners for that one)
The remote dog training collar isn’t magic. None of the tools are really all that mystical (although I did have a lovely elderly client once who called her Dogtra remote her Magic Wand which was very cute) 🙂
In the world I envision the laws will allow for dog’s to be off leash in public if owners prove themselves capable of maintaining control despite distractions. A simple test administered by the ACO or other official and the dog/owner team earns a permit for off leash access to the city that year. It would be good for dog training, good as a revenue source for the city, good for dogs and good for helping owners learn more about how to develop that kind of relationship with their beloved pet. A big win all around.
And get this…It is already actually being done! No need to reinvent the wheel if your looking to create this kind of legislation in your area.
It isn’t about the tool. I urge you to remember it about understanding dogs, people and training.
Now don’t get me wrong or I risk losing my Shock Collar reputation! (wink, wink) I still firmly believe a remote dog training collar can help the average dog lover achieve off leash reliability WAY faster than they would otherwise.
Our village has a leash law, but people sort let it slide. some happily use e collars for free running. I think e collars are for command training purposes only. I have my adopted 10 yr old border collie on a leash outside always. He is not controllable due to his famous runner breed, and probably raised free run on someone’s big property. He loves kids and people, and most little dogs. He is gentle but large for a B.C. Other big dogs are aggressive with him. People selfishly let their big dogs loose because they think it’s easier, less pulling, and the dog loves it naturally, and so do the owners who, tho normal nice folks, just don’t think at all. Dog fights can cause very serious injury to themselves and those who try to separate them. Most dogs are not leash trained. Most dogs are not trained well. if at all. They are just grown up cute little puppies that too many people breed to sell, and don’t care who to. I wonder how the ignorance will be resolved.
Hi JJ, I wish I had an easy answer for you, but I think lack of awareness and knowledge only changes as we continue to educate. It can feel like a slow, up-hill climb, but there just isn’t any other way that I can see. Creating awareness is one foot in front of the other for the long haul…just keep talking about and demonstrating responsible ownership.
The thing I remind myself of is…too often we never really notice the responsible owners because they are the ones that pick up after their dog, keep their dogs leashed when needed, quietly go about their walks and never disturb anyone…thus they don’t stand out.
Unfortunately it is only the bad apples that we tend to notice…so next time you see someone “doing it right” acknowledge their efforts. Some positive feedback goes a LONG way toward reinforcing the right behavior. 🙂
And when you see the bad apple…politely remind them to pick up, use a leash, etc.
I try to practice the idea that “if I see something, I say something”. It works to reinforce good behavior and remind people that I noticed their not so good behavior.