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No Shock Coalition


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Open Letter from Dr. Karen Overall Regarding the Use
of Shock Collars

REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION FROM DR. KAREN OVERALL - JANUARY 2009

Dr. Karen Overall is a Diplomat of the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists and certified by the Animal Behavior
Society as an Applied Animal Behaviorist. Overall received her VMD degree from the University of Pennsylvania in
1983, completed a residency in behavioral medicine at the University of Pennsylvania in 1989, and holds a PhD from
the University of Wisconsin. After running the Behavior Clinic at Penn Vet for more than a dozen years Dr. Overall is
now a Research Associate in the Department of Psychiatry and Center for Neurobiology & Behavior at the University of
Pennsylvania. She has spoken extensively nationally and internationally, and authored numerous articles on
behavioral medicine and lizard behavioral ecology. Overall is author of the authoritative textbook entitled, "Clinical
Behavioral Medicine for the Small Animal". A detailed biography for Dr. Karen Overall can be found online at the Animal
Behavior Resources Institute website.

Date: Tuesday December 6, 2005

No, I have not changed my opinion and it is that there is never any reason for pets to be shocked as a part of therapy or
treatment. If anything, I have strengthened this opinion. There are now terrific scientific and research data that show
the harm that shock collars can do behaviorally. At the July 2005 International Veterinary Behavior Meeting, held in
conjunction with the AVSAB and ACVB research meetings, data were presented by E. Schalke, J. Stichnoth, and R.
Jones-Baade that documented these damaging effects (Stress symptoms caused by the use of electric training
collars on dogs (Canis familiaris) in everyday life situations. Current Issues and Research in Veterinary Behavioral
Medicine, Papers presented at the 5th Int'l IVBM. Purdue University Press, 2005:139-145. [ISBN 987-1-55752-409-5;
1-558753-409- 8]).

This follows on the excellent work done by Dutch researchers, in cooperation with their working dog groups and
trainers, that showed that working / patrol dogs were adversely affected by their 'training' with shock, long after the
shock occurred (Schilder MBH, van der Borg JAM. Training dogs with the help of the shock collar: short and long term
behavioural effects. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 2003;85:319-334).

Research meetings can be attended by anyone paying the fee, and most published work is available either in the
public domain, from an organization, or from someone with a university library connection.

There is no longer a reason for people to remain misinformed. Let me make my opinion perfectly clear: Shock is not
training - in the vast majority of cases it meets the criteria for abuse. In my patient population, dogs who have been
'treated' with shock have a much higher risk of an undesirable outcome (e.g., euthanasia) than dogs not subjected to
shock, and I never recommend euthanasia. In all situations where shock has been used there is some damage done,
even if we cannot easily see it. No pet owner needs to use this technique to achieve their goal. Dogs who cease to
exhibit a problem behavior usually also cease to exhibit normal behaviors. The only data available support the idea
that shock is neither an effective nor suitable training tool.

That said, it's time we replaced everyone's personal mythologies and opinions with data and scientific thinking. Such
opportunities are now available, but are often not exploited.

For example, the statement: " Major veterinary universities have tested E-collars since the mid 60's when they were
invented. No evidence of any damage, Physiological or psychological has ever been found." is patently and wholly
false. For the evidence re: data - see above. As for the initial statement - it's WRONG. It's a MYTH. The specialty college
(ACVB) even conducted a census a few years ago to see if we could find ANY truth to this and there was NONE. We
couldn't get anyone to say that they had - or knew someone who had - participated in such tests and studies. This
pattern of behavioral repetition is representative of the danger of myth, and also of the power of the scientific method.
Science tells you when you are wrong. Myth allows you to steal credibility where none is earned. That particular myth
has damaged universities too long, and it has traded on the reputations of people who neither endorsed that decision,
nor supported the finding, and it must stop.

I hope this helps. I have never thought we could get via electricity what we couldn't get by advanced training and hard
work.

Karen L. Overall, MA, VMD, PhD, DACVB, ABS Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist

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