On April 11, 2011, I received a very kind email from a purely positive based dog trainer who is obviously keeping an open mind while seeking the truth about shock collars. Â This is encouraging especially in light that the dog training community has divided itself into different camps and often times view the other side as being either inhumane or an ineffective trainer as noted in my blog post, Dog Trainer Labels.
Her kind email read as follows:
- “Hi Michael, I’ve been perusing your website. I wanted to say a quick “thank you” for the various info you have there, particularly the info and link about remote collar training. I went to the “truth about shock collars” site and learned a lot. A few years ago I would not have imagined leaving a site like that with any sort of positive feeling. Anyway, it’s helpful to see someone who focuses on rewarding desirable behaviors be brave enough to openly discuss electronic collars. I came away making plans to educate myself further in the upcoming year.”  Best regards, (name withheld for confidentiality) CPDT, CDBC, IAABC certified
A majority of things we are afraid of are things we don’t understand.  So it’s awesome that this trainer is curious and brave enough to step outside of her comfort zone, test the validity of things she has been previously taught (regarding the so-called horrors of shock collar training) and see if there are additional tools she can place in her training tool box to better serve her clients and their dogs.  She reminds me of myself, a positive based dog trainer who added the remote training collar to my toolbox of training tools (much like the leash, verbal/physical praise, treats and toys) and thus became a more well rounded and experienced professional dog trainer.
I applaud her willingness to be open minded and to engage in respectful dialogue for the intention of understanding and learning. Â These characteristics will not only aid the dog training profession but ultimately better serve the needs of dogs and their human companions.
