Leerburg / Dog Training Articles / Remote Collar Work / We Need to Admit a Mistake

We Need to Admit a Mistake

By Ed Frawley

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Leerburg has a long-standing tradition of producing premier dog training videos and equipment. Over the years, we have collectively worked directly with thousands of dogs and served hundreds of thousands of customers. We understand that the content we produce and the information we distribute has a very real and direct effect on the lives of countless dogs and their handlers so we take very seriously the responsibility that the advice, instruction, and knowledge we share is accurate, honest, and moral.

In the past, we have produced videos claiming that electronic collars are not painful, which is incomplete information. We regret a few of the videos we've produced that trivialized or made light of the potential for harm that improper use of e-collars can have. We have removed those videos from YouTube and our website.

While modern electronic collars will not physically harm your dog from the electricity itself, the fact is if they are misused, they certainly have the capability of creating pain and stress in your dog. Electronic collars are a very effective and humane tool when used properly. However, when used carelessly or recklessly, e-collars have an enormous ability to cause undue stress, create behavioral issues, and can ruin your relationship with your dog.

Leerburg has been blessed to team up with some of the best minds in the industry to create content that serves both our clients and their dogs to help them understand the proper use of electronic collars in an effective and humane manner guided by both science and morality. The electronic collars Leerburg recommends and chooses to offer to our customers are not without consideration to the dog's well-being as well as the needs of the trainer. We do not and will not sell subpar electronic collars.

The cheap collars you can find everywhere on websites like Amazon, Chewy, or the popular pet supply stores, are poorly made and can greatly affect your dog in a negative way. These collars are produced to meet the growing demand for inexpensive e-collars. However, due to their cheap construction and poor quality of electronics, these collars are inconsistent and unreliable.

It is critically important that if you choose to incorporate an e-collar in your training program, that e-collar should be reliable, consistent, and accurate. Any compromises you take in your education or the products you purchase will be paid for by your dog. There will always be a push by certain activist groups to have the government regulate or ban specific training tools so it is important that we have an open and honest conversation amongst ourselves about the tools we use and how we use them. The last thing we want is ill-informed lawmakers making those decisions for us.

Living and working with dogs is a privilege we do not take lightly. It is each of our personal responsibilities to ensure the well-being of our dogs. It is our job, our responsibility, to provide the fullest life we can and that we continue to pursue the best, most humane training methods we can find.

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About Author

Ed Frawley

Ed Frawley is the founder of Leerburg. He has been training dogs since the 1950s. For 30 years, Ed bred working bloodline German Shepherds and has produced over 350 litters. During this time, Ed began recording dog training videos and soon grew an interest in police service dogs. His narcotic dogs have been involved in over 1,000 narcotics searches resulting in hundreds of arrests in the state of Wisconsin. Ed now solely focuses on producing dog training courses with renowned dog trainers nationwide. If you want to learn more about Ed, read about his history here.