# Shock collar!!!



## maya's mommy

I just want to let every one know about Shock collars... We got one for Maya on the 31st. And she learned very fast to stay in the yard. Well a few days ago my daughter said she being Maya smelled bad and we just thought she gone in to heat. BUT no it was way worse. her neck is badly burned. we took her to her vet this morn and the vet said its not our fault. but we feel so bad. she is now on meds for 10 days.

please dont get one take it from us they do more damage then good..

MAYA'S sad mommy


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## RonM

Ow.

They're good only for America's Funniest Home Videos but otherwise not too much use.


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## JasperLoki

I think they are good with other family members that can't seem to get with the program









Jack


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## Branca's Mom

It's for annoying office mates too!!! Brought 2 in here once and two guys took turns seeing who could withstand the highest number!!! These are grown 40 something year old men


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## Shandril2

I have one for Max. It's fine.


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## blackbirdzach

Sorry to hear about Maya. If you continue using one, check the batteries often. Certain models will malfunction when the batteries get low and can zap your buddy for no reason.


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## L_Dan

They are called "training collars" and should be used for "training" by someone who knows what they are doing.
They are not to be left on the dog as if...

These collars are not bad.


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## big_dog7777

E-collars just like prongs, chokes, fur savers, dominant dog collars (nylon slip) and halti's can be effective training tools when used properly on certain dogs. They can also be inhumane torture devices when used improperly.


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## Chris Wild

Actual burns or sores?

I cannot imagine an ecollar burning a dog. Maybe one with a serious malfunction, but otherwise burns are not going to happen.

However sores certainly can develop if the collar is left on the dog for extended periods of time. As was said, an ecollar should never be left on a dog. It is for training, not for wearing around all day, every day.


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## Dohhhhh

> Originally Posted By: maya's mommyI just want to let every one know about Shock collars... We got one for Maya on the 31st. And she learned very fast to stay in the yard. Well a few days ago my daughter said she being Maya smelled bad and we just thought she gone in to heat. BUT no it was way worse. her neck is badly burned. we took her to her vet this morn and the vet said its not our fault. but we feel so bad. she is now on meds for 10 days.
> 
> please dont get one take it from us they do more damage then good..
> 
> MAYA'S sad mommy


Little clarification please...did you get a remote training collar or an underground fence?? They are not the same devices.

Sorry to hear about Maya. Hope she is doing ok.


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## kutzro357

"Little clarification please...did you get a remote training collar or an underground fence?? They are not the same devices."

And yet there are manufacturers that now offer a dual purpose collars. What brand collar are you using? The big issue with burns is inattentiveness. Some dogs also react to the metal and some just wear through the skin and get infected not actually burned. I don`t believe in leaving the collars on 24/7. I take them off when crated or in the house. Mine hang by the door and they stand for collars when waiting to go out.


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## Branca's Mom

I know lots of people that leave the collars on the dogs 24/7 for boundary control. It may not be advisable but people do it all the time. I can certainly see how those points could cause some real problems in this situation.


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## zyppi

Wondering what brand/model you used?

I've used 'Invisible Fence' collars and have left them on for long periods with no problem.. I've also used the Dogtra Ecollar - only for certain situations- and have never had a problem.

I would call the manufacturer ASAP and report the issue.


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## Chris Wild

Also, many dogs are more prone to skin irritation or have mild allergies to the metal ecollar points. Just as some people can't wear metal jewelry without having skin reactions, some dogs are the same. Making those dogs more prone to developing sores if the metal collar prongs are in contact with their skin for extended periods.


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## kutzro357

Sometimes the collar probes will wear through the skin and get infected and some have had issues with the metal. There are some brands that use a softer rubber probe and these can wear through the skin too. 
I did have an issue with longer probes on a dog that had a shorter coat but got the med length probes. I have a bunch of different length probes at home and some different stimulation level shunts that I can change.


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## AbbyK9

I'm surprised that, with the amount of replies to the original post, only one person has asked what kind of collar we're even talking about here. I'm going to second that question before I say anything else on the thread.

What kind of collar are we talking about?

1) E-Collar for training (comes with a remote)
2) Invisible fence system collar
3) No-bark collar

I'm assuming it's either collar #1 or collar #2, since the OP said that the dog "learned to stay in the yard pretty quick." Which then begs for the question to be asked, when your dog was not outside in the yard, did you take the collar off or leave it on? Did you ever inspect the site where the prongs touch the dog's neck during your regular grooming every other day or every couple of days?


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## maya's mommy

We got her a E-collar.. 
We did take it off i never looked at her neck my husband put it on and he didnt look either. ( we feel really bad) I called the manufacturer and they are paying for her vet visit and the next two that we have to go to. and they are giving us our money back for the collar. 

Maya is doing much better now she is awake and eating.


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## Branca's Mom

I assumed it was a invisible fence collar that was left on all the time. Were the points at the same place on the dogs neck each time it was put on? I mean did it fall to the bottom of the neck each time or did you put them at different places each time? 

Thats good that the company is paying. Which company is it?


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## AbbyK9

What brand is the collar you used?


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## kutzro357

Is this an anti bark collar, a training collar or a fence collar?


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## MaggieRoseLee

maya's mommy, please help our confusion.

What was the collar for? Barking? Boundary (like invisible fence?), or training (which means you are with the dog when the collar is on).

What was the brand and type of collar?

Please explain about the burn? Was the dog screaming when it activated and that's how you found the injury? Or was it possibly infection from where the prongs touched the neck and just caused and abrasion?

I've used a TriTonic e-collar for training for over 7 years and never had a situation like yours so need to know more details, thanks.

I just read your post from last week and you were worried about her whining so much. Could it have been from the sores under the collar? (from http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/ubb...true#Post527556 )


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## Dohhhhh

> Originally Posted By: maya's mommyWe got her a E-collar..
> We did take it off i never looked at her neck my husband put it on and he didnt look either. ( we feel really bad) I called the manufacturer and they are paying for her vet visit and the next two that we have to go to. and they are giving us our money back for the collar.
> 
> Maya is doing much better now she is awake and eating.


I am glad to hear that Maya is doing better. 

For anyone that decides to use an e-collar here are a few points to help reduce the chances of skin breakdown:

* The e-collar has to be rotated (ever so slightly) about every two hours to keep from causing a breakdown in the skin from the constant pressure of the contact points. (Also known as hot spots which become oozing, smelly sores that can get huge and if let go too long will require a vets care) Dogtra has even started putting instructions in their collar manuals about rotating the collar to remove constant pressure to one area from the prongs.
*If the e-collar is put on too loose, the constant friction from the prongs moving back and forth on the skin can cause contact sores(hot spots) and or irratation. Rule of thumb, you should be able to slip two fingers under the snuggly fitted collar.
* Sometimes the rubber collar that comes with the e-collar can cause skin breakdown and hotspots. I had a female GSD that was apparently allergic to the rubber collar. She developed hot spots everywhere the collar touched. She ended up shaved and on antibiotics but it was not the e-collar par say, but her reaction to the rubber or something used in the rubber of the collar. I put the e-collar box on a regular cloth collar and never had a problem with her after that.
*Shorter haired dogs require shorter prongs. Dogtra e-collars come standard with medium size prongs but longer ones are available as are shorter ones.

If you do not mind saying, what brand of e-collar did you get?


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## LouCastle

Tracie pretty much covered this but I'll just add a few comments. There are only a few possibilities. I can guarantee that the injuries your dog sustained are NOT electrical burns. No Ecollar, even the older ones that had much higher levels of stim, put out enough current to cause burns. 

It's possible that your dog is allergic to the Stainless Steel used in the contact points. I've only seen this a couple of times and there are a couple of solutions. 

Another possibility and this is probably the most common one is something called _ "contact necrosis" _or _"moist eczema." _ The most common cause for this is leaving the collar on the dog for too long a period of time. Most manufacturers say that 10-12 hours is the maximum time that they should be left on. Even then they should be moved so that the "box" is on a different part of the dog's neck every couple of hours. 

This can also result from having the collar strap too tight. This causes the contact points to dig into the dog's skin, compromising circulation directly where they sit on the skin. This causes problems as would anything that was tight against the skin for too long, such as a rubber band left around a finger. 

It can also result from having the collar strap too loose. In that case the contact points will rub against the skin as the dog moves about, and the problem then comes from friction. 

There can also be problems if the contact points are too long. Then, even if the strap tension is correct, there will be too much pressure against the dog's skin. This problem is rare because most manufacturers supply fairly short contact points. 

You should know that the single biggest problem that new Ecollar users have is that they don't put the collar on snugly enough. *Snug * is the operative word. I like to have the strap as high on the dog's neck as possible, under the jaw in front and right behind the ears in back. 

The best way to tell if the strap tension is right is not to put some fingers under it but after you have it adjusted, grasp the "box" and try to move it around on the dog's neck. If you can do so easily, it's too loose. If you can't move it at all, it's too right. If after you move it, it immediately falls back down to the lowest point on the dog's neck, it's WAAAY too loose. If the dog shakes his head, which they often do after you move the box, and it moves back to the bottom of his neck, it's to loose. It should stay where you put it and only move back to the lowest position on his neck, after 30 minutes or an hour or so. 

There's another possibility and that is if the collar you used had user replaceable batteries such as AA's or AAA's. If they get wet they can leak an acid and that can cause problems all by itself. 

There's an article on my site that talks more about this. Http://loucastle.com/fit.htm 

Most manufacturers put some kind of instructions with their products that cover this. Did you read and follow the instructions?


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## chjhu

There is simply not enough power stored in the batteries of the e-collar to cause electrical burns. The reasons for the skin injuries are explained very well in the previous posts. Veterinarians inexperienced with the e-collar immediately assume it is electrical burns just because of the operation of the e-collar. 
A regular collar that is too tight can also cause skin injuries - we occasionally see dogs with ingrown collars in rescue. An improperly fitted harness can also cause skin injuries (as can tight shoes in humans). It is important to check the neck of the dog regularly when using e-collars and the collasr should be removed when not needed.


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## chjhu

This is a good and sad example why it is so important to work with an experienced trainer who would teach the dog owners the proper adjustment and use of the collar.


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## L_Dan

I venture to say that "burning" doesn't happen from the pulsating-stimulation when the collar is activated.

Most e-collars will only stimulate for a few seconds even if you continue to hold the button for longer (unless it is a very cheap one).

The power-source is only from the batteries in the collar. A malfunction could have caused the batteries to short and all their energy would then be turned to heat.

You can prove this yourself if you connect the two ends of a AA battery together with a conductor (wire) it begins to get hot and the longer you hold it connected the hotter it gets.
(with a small wire the wire itself will heat up, with a larger conductor the battery will get hot)

Trust me though...you don't really "need" to try this...it's true.

Nevertheless, it's not fair to claim a training tool "bad" just because of one incident. How many times have brakes failed on cars? We still like our cars.


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## chjhu

It would take brutal force (like a hammer) to short circuit the metal probes that the dog is exposed to - surely the owner would notice that. The rest of the electronics is in the insulating box and in no electrical contact with the dog. If the electronics is short circuited within the box, the box would have to melt before the wires can contact and burn the skin. Again, hopefully the owners would notice a box that has melted (apparently this was going on for a week). However, the batteries (with their limited capacity) would discharge (and die) in a short circuit long before the box would melt.
A poorly adjusted collar is a much more likely explanation.


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## kaslkaos

Maya's Mommy, I would really like to know more about what happened to your dog, and how the collar malfunctioned. 

I did have an old collar (and I mean more than ten yrs old) that malfunctioned and stopped working (no stim when pressing the button) but the receiver box got very warm to touch (not hot, but still worrisome). In hind sight, I should have contacted the manufacturer, but I threw it out instead. I assumed this was a problem with old collars and bought a new one of a different brand.

I use a dogtra collar now for Dynamo, and haven't had a problem. But like many, it's her, 'going for a big run through the woods' collar, and is only on for one to four hours at a time. When she's done her walk, I'm handling it myself before I turn it off. My husband (who doesn't mind the buzz, 'tests' it after re-charging). If I ever noticed my dog getting upset, I'd be checking her out, collar, paw pads, legs, to find out what is wrong. I don't think I'd want my dog wearing a live collar if I wasn't there to watch her.


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