The use of electronic training devices has become more and more widespread. In 2006, pet owners around the world purchased more than 500,000 remote training collars, more than 1,000,000 restraint systems, and nearly 900,000 anti-bark collars.

Why the popularity? These training systems have become much more affordable, and pet owners are discovering them as a safe and effective means of controlling various behaviors that they find unacceptable.

As sales of these products increase, so do less-than-favorable opinions about them: that they make dogs aggressive, that there’s more chance of failure than success when using them, that the shock they deliver is painful, that will result in significant injury to your pet.

All of these can be classified as “myths” as there is very little data available to prove or disprove them. However, recent studies are providing results that allow a more reasoned analysis of this technology.

Last year, one of the major manufacturers of electronic training products contracted with an independent laboratory to compare the level of correction produced by a pet restraint system receiver with the impact produced by other common circumstances and devices. The evaluation showed that the “shock” produced by a containment system is nowhere near the intensity that some people believe.

The “shock” produced by the containment system is almost 40% less than that which would be received when walking on a carpet. (Note that static impact will vary greatly depending on relative humidity: the lower the humidity, the greater the impact.)

In addition, this study demonstrates that the training “shock” is one-fourth the level of a cattle fence and one-twentieth the level of a stun gun, two devices to which electronic training equipment is often unfairly compared.

But even this study tells only half the story. He compared the voltage emitted by these devices… the intensity. It is also necessary to take into account the duration. Reputable brands of electronic training equipment correct only for a short period of time. The mark that has the UL approval mark on your receiver features a correction that lasts only 1/40th of a second, less time than it takes for the average person to snap their fingers.

But what this study does show is that not all “crashes” are the same. And that the correction in question is not “painful”, “powerful” or even “uncomfortable”. “Surprising” perhaps, but none of the above.

Still, each animal will react differently to correction. Therefore, you should always approach a training situation with caution when using this type of equipment. As is often the case, education is the answer. When you’re training a pet, you need to have as much information as possible…and a behavior management plan to support it, just like you would with traditional training techniques. When looking to select a product, select one that provides both instruction manuals and videos.

By choosing a product that provides you with these necessary educational materials, you will greatly increase your chances of success when trying to improve your dog’s behavior. To help demonstrate this fact, let’s look at a survey that was recently completed by a leading manufacturer of electronic training equipment.

This company surveyed 1,025 dog owners who had been using one of three types of electronic training equipment: invisible dog fences, anti-bark collars, and shock collars for a period of no less than 90 days.

The most significant findings arose as a result of asking the pet owner the following question: “Since using the electronic training product, how would you describe your pet’s general behavior?” The owner was asked to respond with one of the following: a) better behavior (and specifically how), b) no change in behavior, or c) worse behavior (and specifically how).

The results are amazing. Just over 2/3 (860 of 1,025 dog owners) responded that their dog’s overall behavior had improved since using the electronic equipment.

Reasons why these dogs would show an overall improvement in their behavior would include that the owners used the equipment correctly. Correct use includes spending a significant amount of time working and socializing with your dog. When a dog receives increased time and attention, her behavior often changes for the better.

This survey also helps dispel another myth about the use of electronic dog training equipment: that it causes dogs to act aggressively. None of the dog owners surveyed purchased the equipment for the purpose of eliminating aggressive behavior. However, approximately 12% stated that another positive side effect of using the equipment was that their dog no longer exhibited the occasional aggressive behavior seen in the past. In addition, of the owners who stated that their dogs’ behavior worsened in some way since using the equipment, none reported that the worsening was in the form of aggressive behavior.