Jackie Pritchard Dog Training

06/14/2026

06/14/2026

From the archives.

06/13/2026

This is not a debate about good or bad; it is simply an explanation of how something works.

If you are an MSc-qualified electronics engineer and disagree, I am happy to post your qualified, detailed response. If not, then it's just an unqualified opinion and of little or no value.

In my previous job, I was an aircraft electrician. Not a very good one, I admit, which is why I changed career paths. But I have a few friends who still work for one of Europe's biggest avionics companies, so I asked for their opinion on how an e-collar works. I let two of them play with a couple of top-selling items to get an opinion.

It wasn’t a debate about whether they were good or bad, because everyone is entitled to their opinion; it is simply about how they work from an engineering POV. I have left out the bit about the transmitter as that isn't in contact with the dog. During testing, the transmitter worked correctly.

“The receiver contains electronics that create a brief electrical pulse between two metal contact points, often described as prongs. For the collar to work, both contact points must be in contact with the dog’s neck.

The dog’s skin and the tissues immediately beneath the skin complete the electrical circuit. One contact point serves as one side of the circuit, and the other serves as the return path. When both prongs touch the dog, electrical current can pass from one prong through a small area of skin and superficial tissue to the other prong when the transmitter is activated.

The sensation is produced because the dog’s own tissue forms the conductive bridge between the two contact points. The circuit doesn’t have to pass through the dog’s whole body, and it doesn’t have to travel to the ground. It is a localised circuit between the two prongs.

Whilst users and manufacturers may describe the output as “stimulation”, “static”, “tingle”, or “pressure”, the underlying mechanism is still electrical.
A voltage difference is created between the two contacts, and current flows through the tissue between them; that current produces the sensation the dog feels.

The strength and quality of that sensation may vary. It is affected by how tightly the prongs contact the skin, the thickness of the dog’s coat, moisture on the skin, a dog’s individual skin resistance, the level selected on the transmitter unit, and the duration and pattern of the pulse.

Describing the device as a “shock collar” or an “e-collar” is not relevant. The device works by completing an electrical circuit through the dog’s neck tissue. That is the physical process that allows the collar to affect the dog.

Many factors influence the feeling the dog experiences: Voltage, Amperage and Resistance.

Voltage pushes current through the skin and tissue between the prongs.

The Current, or Amperage, is the actual flow of electrical charge through the tissue and is the part most directly associated with nerve activation, muscle contraction, discomfort, and pain. (If used at higher levels or longer durations, this is likely to cause physical injury.)

The Resistance is the opposition provided by skin, coat, moisture level and tissue. Dry skin and poor contact increase resistance. Wet skin, tight contact, shorter fur, or greater pressure from the prongs can reduce resistance, allowing more current to flow at the same voltage.

So, if the voltage stays the same but the dog’s skin resistance drops, the current can increase. That is one reason the same e-collar setting may not feel the same for every dog, or even for the same dog under different conditions.

Electrical sensation and the likelihood of injury are generally affected by current, voltage, exposure duration, tissue resistance, and the current pathway."

Now, some of that went a bit over my head, because I'm not a qualified electical engineer and being a bit of a "doubting Thomas" I asked the same question to an AI bot, it gave this summary, which is pretty much consistent with what the electrical engineers said.

1. Current through the tissue
This is the immediate electrical flow that stimulates nerves.

2. Voltage available from the device
Higher voltage can push current through higher resistance, especially through fur and dry skin.

3. Pulse duration and repetition
A brief pulse may feel like a tap, tingle or sting; repeated or longer pulses can become more aversive. Human transcutaneous stimulation research shows that perception, attention and intolerance thresholds are affected by pulse width, with thresholds decreasing as pulse width increases.

4. Current density at the contact points
Because e-collar prongs are small, the electrical energy is concentrated into a small area of skin. The same current spread over a large pad may feel different from current delivered through two small metal points.

5. Skin and coat condition
Wet skin, thin coat, close clipping, pressure from a tight collar and movement of the prongs can all change the effective resistance and contact quality.

6. The dog’s individual sensitivity and emotional state
A dog that is already anxious, aroused or fearful may experience the same physical sensation as more alarming or painful.

The AI search concluded with this summary:

Pain is most directly related to the current passing through the tissue, especially current density and pulse duration, but voltage matters because it is what drives that current through the resistance of the skin and tissue.

So when someone says, “It is not a shock because the amperage is low,” that is incomplete. Low current may reduce the risk of physical injury, but it does not mean the sensation cannot be uncomfortable, startling, aversive or painful. The animal’s tissue is still completing an electrical circuit, and the device is still using electrical current to influence the dog's behaviour.

06/12/2026

"Be very choosy about which trainer you hire. It's still the case that you could hire somebody who's going to come and make it worse." That's Jean Donaldson of The Academy for Dog Trainers talking about how careful we have to be when hiring a dog trainer to make sure that we only hire someone who will use modern, reward-based methods. The full conversation is full of tips about resource guarding in dogs. Jean also tells us why she wrote the second edition of her book Mine!. This book is a must-read if you have a resource-guarding dog!

Listen to The Pawsitive Post in Conversation wherever you get your podcasts, watch on Youtube, or do both and read a transcript on my blog (link in bio).

Mine! is available wherever books are sold.

06/12/2026

I AIN’T REALLY MISBEHAVING - I’M JUST DOING WHAT DOGS DO!

What we may label as bad behaviour is often nothing more than a dog behaving exactly as nature designed them to.

Dogs are not born understanding human rules, household etiquette or the expectations we place on them.
They don't automatically know that some things are not meant to be chewed, that food left on a countertop is strictly off-limits or that they’re expected to walk calmly on a leash.

When we bring dogs into our lives, we expect them to automatically adapt to a world that is not naturally theirs.
We confine them to houses and yards, expect them to fit into our busy schedules, keep quiet and ignore the countless natural temptations that surround them every day.

When we view behaviour through this lens, frustration should begin to give way to understanding.

Understanding behaviour does not mean allowing dogs to do whatever they want. It means recognizing that behaviour serves a purpose and is fulfilling a need.

Instead of punishing a dog for behaving naturally, we can guide them towards behaviours that are acceptable. We can prevent rehearsal of unwanted behaviour, teach new skills, meet their physical, emotional and social needs, and provide appropriate outlets for their natural needs.

Dogs who are given opportunities to sniff, explore, chew, forage, play, problem-solve and engage with their environment are far better equipped to cope with the expectations placed on them.

The more we understand why dogs do what they do, the more successful we can become at helping them navigate our human world.

When we stop viewing every unwanted behaviour as misbehaviour and start seeing it as communication, we shift from trying to control our dogs to supporting and meeting their needs.

One of the greatest gifts we can give our dogs is our understanding.

06/12/2026

06/12/2026

FLOOD WARNING/ TV "TRAINER" BEHAVING VERY BADLY . . .

For those of you who may not have come across it before, “flooding” is the term used in dog training for fully exposing our dogs to the things which frighten them. It is throwing them in at the deep end so that they “face their fear” and will "get over it". Whether or not the act of flooding is actually intended, it can still occur. It may be used deliberately with the aim of suppressing certain behaviours, or it may happen accidentally, with the best of intentions in trying to help the dog.

Flooding is a technique which is sometimes used in human exposure therapy to help overcome fears, a practice for which the patient gives their consent, fully understanding what is involved. However, when applied to dogs, who cannot give consent and have no understanding or rationale regarding the process, it becomes unethical.

Despite the common belief that this approach will result in habituation (the dog becomes used to something over time), repeated over-exposure will not help a dog become comfortable with something they fear. In fact, it is more likely that he will sensitise to it further, reacting increasingly to a specific stimulus and becoming more fearful. By removing his ability to escape, he will either shut down emotionally, or he will opt for the fight response in desperation.

To avoid flooding, the dog should always be given the choice to move away from a trigger and have a clear escape route to help him feel safe. Exposure should always be very carefully managed and controlled at a neutral level, which will allow him to think clearly enough to process the situation and facilitate learning.

By now, you may be wondering where I am going with this. Well, as you may have noticed, many of my posts are inspired by something I have seen or read on social media, and this post is no different. This time, it is a clip advertising Graeme Hall's "show" which caught my eye:

https://fb.watch/qEbFUa61Oe/

At the beginning of the clip, GH states that he believes Bertie had a scary incident with a vehicle as a puppy, but from thereon in, Bertie is referred to as being angry, seeing red, having roadside rage, needing to get his temper under control, etc.

During GH's explanation of Bertie's behaviour and how they will tackle it, he instructs Bertie's guardian to simply use a verbal cue. However, when GH demonstrates, he fails to make any progress, and resorts to delivering corrections by way of yanking on the lead. At one point, GH uses enough force to cause the dog to lose his balance, and Bertie collides with his leg. The narrator comments that no amount of losing it at the wheels, the thing Bertie is scared of, is going to make them go away.

During "training," Bertie is given no respite. He is over threshold right from the beginning, and continues to react to his triggers with barking and lunging, until he is physically punished and flooded sufficiently to stop the reactive behaviours from happening. Bear in mind that we do not know how long this continued in order for the apparent quick fix to be achieved, due to editing.

To some, it may look as though his methods have worked, and in a sense, they have. After all, punishment works. But at what cost? The behaviour may have disappeared, albeit temporarily, but Bertie will still feel the same way about that trigger. Except, now it has also been paired with punishment, along with the knowledge that when he feels scared, the people he should be able to trust are going to ignore his attempts at asking for help, leaving him to flounder in the deep end, so to speak. He has learned that his feelings and communications don't matter, and he will be punished until he gives up trying to make himself understood. A classic example of flooding, which leads to emotional shutdown and Learned Helplessness.

Have no doubt, this is not how you address fear and ethically modify behaviour. This is not the work of a skilled, educated, and qualified professional. Flooding only serves to suppress the emotions driving the behaviour, and it is only a matter of time before the fallout of these actions becomes apparent. This type of "training" will result in irreparable damage to the bond we share with our dogs, as well as to their physical and psychological well-being.

Please do not think that, because he is on the telly, he must know what he is talking about. Canine professionals are continually campaigning to have him removed, and are outraged that he is given airtime and the opportunity to cause harm. Know that there is a very good reason why he has become known as the "**at in the cravat"!

* * *

For information on ethical behaviour modification and addressing fear by changing emotional responses with positive reinforcement, why not check out my blog:

https://www.trailiepawsforthought.com/post/part-one-a-guide-to-counterconditioning-it-s-both-magic-and-science

©️ Trailie Paws For Thought
www.trailiepawsforthought.com

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Image text reads:

"Successfully changing an existing emotional response takes time, careful planning and management; it isn't simply a matter of pairing food with a trigger. In order for counterconditioning to work, a neutral level of exposure and very graduated steps are essential so that the dog remains below threshold, otherwise we are in flooding territory. Exposing our dogs to triggers at full intensity will not help them overcome their fear, it will only increase it."

06/09/2026

It makes me sad that many dogs are locked in their house for 23+ hours a day.
Please give them opportunities to be a dog and do dog things.

After a long day of work, most of us dream about one thing: getting home, putting our feet up, and finally relaxing. We've spent hours working, commuting, running errands, managing responsibilities, and dealing with the demands of daily life. By the time we get home, we've earned that rest.

But what about our dogs?

While we've been out living our day, many dogs have spent most of theirs waiting at home. Maybe they had a quick walk in the middle of the day, maybe not. Then we come home, tired and ready to switch off, and it's easy to assume they should do the same.

Try this exercise: write down everything your dog does in a typical day, truly see what a day in the life of your dog looks like.

Maybe we should even rethink the phrase "walking the dog."

The goal isn't really to walk the dog. The goal is to get the dog out of the house to just be a dog ( of course each dog varies behaviour and health play a role in the variables)

When we focus only on the walk itself, we often measure success by distance, pace, or how many steps we've done. But from the dog's perspective, the real value is getting out into the world, sniffing new scents, exploring different environments, making choices, seeing new things, and simply experiencing life beyond the same four walls they've been in all day.

Rest is important for dogs. They need plenty of it. But being a dog is important too.

Dogs need opportunities to explore, sniff, move, learn, play, and interact with the world around them. Those activities aren't extras or luxuries, they're a big part of what makes life fulfilling for them.

The next time you come home exhausted and ready to collapse on the sofa, take a moment to think about how your dog's day looked compared to yours.

You might discover that while you've completed your daily life, your dog's favourite part of the day is only just beginning.

Maybe instead of asking, "Have I walked my dog today?" we should ask, "How have I given my dog enough chance to be a dog today?"