Garmin: Stop Letting Pet Owners Shock Their Dogs Remotely with Delta Smart

The new Delta Smart, made by Garmin International Inc., includes a device that can be attached to a dog's collar and connected to the pet owner's smartphone via Bluetooth and the Garmin CANINE app.

From their smartphone touchscreens, pet owners can keep track of their pets' activities when they're away from home — and they can also remotely zap their dogs with an electrical charge when the dog does something he's not supposed to, such as bark excessively or jump on the furniture.

Shock collars like Delta Smart use negative reinforcement — punishing unwanted behaviors instead of rewarding desired behaviors — which is a training method that's opposed by many animal behavior experts, including the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior and the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants. Because they're ineffective and cruel, these types of collars have been banned in some countries in Europe.

What's especially disturbing about Delta Smart is that dogs may get zapped even when they're not doing anything they shouldn't be, due to possible delays between the time pet owners push the "Stimulate" button and when the collar actually emits the charge.

"We believe this device has the potential to cause harm to dogs and should not be recommended by behavior consultants, trainers, or used by members of the public," stated the board of directors of the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants.

This isn't the first "training collar" Garmin has produced, but hopefully it will be the last. Please sign and share this petition asking the company to remove the electric shock capabilities of the Delta Smart device.