Ban the usage and sale of choke/prong/shock collars in Singapore

Stated quite simply, prong/shock/choke collars are an aversive device that will cause pain to your dog. Sure, they can be a quick fix, but:

• Your dog is only walking nicely to avoid punishment.


• Your dog is not being taught WHAT to do, in that the old behavior will return when the prong collar is removed.


• Anything present in the environment at the moment when your dog was focused on while experiencing pain can take on a negative association, including other dogs, children and strangers.


• In NO WAY, does a prong collar emulate the correction of a mothers teeth to a puppy. This is a MYTH plain and simple, and is unproven in any scientific study.

We owe it to our dogs to communicate clearly to them WHAT we would like them to do, instead of automatically punishing undesired behaviors. In operant conditioning, it is a given that a behavior that is reinforced is a behavior that will be repeated. If your dog is reinforced for a loose leash, they understand that. They don`t understand pain, only that something hurt them. They quit offering any behaviors because they are afraid to. This is not much of a life for a dog.

When your dog feels pain and sees children, other dogs, and strangers on a consistent basis, he could make a connection that children, other dogs, and strangers might not be so great, because he feels pain when he sees them. The same thing is true of electric fences: when a dog repeatedly runs at the fence and gets too close to passersby at the boundary, he gets shocked and makes that negative association.

Bitches (mother dogs) DO NOT use their teeth to inflict pain on their youngsters. They may lift an unruly youngster by the scruff, or nudge an overly enthusiastic feeder off a teat, but in no way does that replicate the myth of a pinch collar being like the correction of a mothers teeth. The bitch does not apply pressure to the skin on both sides of the neck with strong powerful pressure.

From Pam Dennison, Certified Animal Behavior Consultant, author of many books, including: How to Right a Dog Gone Wrong, comes the following statement. The Merck Veterinary Manual, in Behavioral Problems Associated with Canine Aggression, states: "Almost without exception, physical punishment, including the use of prong collars and electric shock collars, alpha rolls, and dominance downs can make an already aggressive dog worse. Owners should be discouraged from using these techniques." That sounds like a pretty powerful statement right there.

Misuse of these devices appears to be the most common issue experts have with this technique. Pet owners will typically pull on these chains or use these collars after the dog misbehaved. The problem is that the dog has almost always shifted his or her attention to something else and isn’t thinking about what angered the owner. The dog then associates this random painful sensation with whatever he or she is focusing on. This can be dangerous if the dog is focusing on another object, another dog, a child or the owner.

Other behavioral side effects could occur, including fear of a certain person or a certain area. Or worse, the dog could become aggressive toward people or places he or she associates with the pain.

During my research online, well-respected dog trainers and behaviorists in support of positive reinforcement, include statements also detailing the dangers and side effects of using prong collars. Those with some of the most severe behavioral problems, have had a history of aversive equipment and training methods being used.

As many experts say, choke chains, pinch collars and electric shock collars are often used as quick solutions by uneducated owners (though not necessarily their own fault).
These methods have long been considered acceptable since some well-known animal behaviorists introduced them in the 1960s and 1970s. It’s been only recently that experts have realized the negative effects these methods have. And those negative effects go well beyond simply behavior.

For all these reasons and more, most canine experts, including groups like the Association of Pet Behavior Counselors have spoken out against such training methods. Instead, most say the solution lies in gentle response training.
It’s instant, to the point and it doesn’t harm the animal. It truly is the best way to get the best results from your dog without causing confusion, pain or aggression.

Yet, some trainers in Singapore is enforcing the use of such harmful collars and insisted that their clients purchased and used it on their pets at home, without supervision that it was done correctly at all times.

According to recent medical studies, the use of these methods can cause numerous types of physical injuries to a dog, including vertebrae damage, fainting, spinal cord injuries, organ malfunctions, bruising of the trachea, larynx or esophagus and sharp headaches.

And last i check, causing pain is a form of animal abuse in Singapore. So please ban the usage and sale of all unnecessary pain causing pet collars in Singapore.