Publication
E. Schalke, J. Stichnoth, S. Ott, and R. Jones-Baade. Clinical signs caused by the use of electric training collars on dogs in everyday life situations. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 105:369–380 (2007; available online 11 December 2006). [26]
DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2006.11.002
Site summary — not the original abstract
Schalke and colleagues studied 14 laboratory-bred Beagles in a controlled indoor setting with high-level electric pulses: one group received a pulse when touching a moving rabbit dummy, another after failing a recall during pursuit, and a third unpredictably. [26]
The authors reported no significant salivary-cortisol rise in the prey-contact group but increases in the other two groups, including at a return to the test area four weeks later; they found no significant heart-rate differences between groups. [26]
These findings distinguish timing conditions within this small sample, not the absence of pain or all long-term harm: the authors’ conclusion emphasized the risk of severe, persistent stress with poorly timed high-level pulses and advocated restricted use with qualifications. [26]
Responses