Anamarie and I recorded this episode separately because we had different things we wanted to communicate in a format that wasn't really right for conversation.
Me first: What if you're someone who has strong feelings about putting dogs in shock collars and... one of your friends publishes a paper on research she did that involved putting shock collars on dogs?
What if that person is your podcast cohost?
Hi, I'm Annie, and this is my life.
The day after I publish a book that is essentially a paean to Positive Reinforcement dog training rooted in science and research, a major journal publishes a paper (rooted in science and research!) that says that using a shock collar may be more effective when teaching a dog to stop chasing than reward-based training would be in the same period of time. Anamarie was one of the authors.
Do you hop on the bandwagon and hate on this person?
Do you yell at the angry mob -- which contains many of your colleagues -- to stop hating on her because she is someone you respect and love?
Do you hit your desk on the head several times because you know that 99.9 percent of US dog owners don't care about the studies or the ethics and will never consult with experts but are going to use these things anyway because THEY'RE COMPLETELY LEGAL?
Do you ... buy a shock collar?
Join me as I confirm all my worst fears during a series of phone calls with shock collar retailers.
In the 2nd part of the episode, Anamarie responds to attacks on the study that has been the source of so much criticism in the Positive Reinforcement dog training community over the last few weeks.
Links:
GET MY BOOK! Upload a receipt and I'll send you a clicker and a sticker.
Testing dog shock collars on young humans Youtube compilation by me (from 2011)
What happens when you publish a paper showing e-collars can be effective? Anamarie replies to negative feedback to her study. Plus: Annie tries to buy one.