Glad to hear it, Sarwar!

That’s really interesting Elisabeth, thanks for sharing that info!

You may not know, there are several very different schools of training within the ecollar world as well, and it is possible to train with an ecollar in a way that’s purely positive. Of course some (most?) ecollar trainers use it as an aversive, but it can also be used as a neutral cue at range. In this approach, the ecollar is set at an intensity just enough for the dog to notice – i.e. a tickle or vibration, not a zap. Some (most?) ecollars can also be set to work without any sensation at all, just a beep that the dog can hear. Then, using operant training, the tickle or beep becomes a cue asking for specific behaviors, which can be useful when working with dogs ranging half a mile away or more in fieldwork, for example. The collar serves the role of a whistle, communicating with the dog a long distance away, without causing stress or discomfort.

That said I completely acknowledge that what I’ve just described may be rare compared to the aversive ecollar training that you mentioned in your article. I also acknowledge that a trainer’s goals need to be really clear when using it this way.

Anyway, I just wanted to share that. I did a lot of reading about ecollars while doing deep dives on various training methods that are out there, and I do think there is a corner of the training world that uses these collars in a humane and gentle way. Such trainers are the first to say, do not use this tool as a punishment for what you do not want; use it to cue behaviors that you do want, that you’ve trained.