There are many studies that examine this but I love this recent one that was published this year. Full article available: Efficacy of Dog Training With and Without Remote Electronic Collars vs. a Focus on Positive Reinforcement
What I love about this study:
-Professionals from both fields were chosen by their respective organizations.
-Training was done organically (ex. shock trainers were free to also use food)
-The study environment was not a sterile laboratory
-The study group was representative of the pet owning community
-The study chose common and realistic behaviors for training (sit and come)
-The study does not discount the efficacy of P+ or R- training (ALL groups were able to train the dogs)
Here are some quotes that highlight these points. Though the entire article is a very accessible read.
"manufacturer-nominated trainers (ECMA) (chosen to represent best-practice use of the E-collar). Trainers followed approved practice as recommended by ECMA, including assessing the dog's sensitivity to electric stimuli prior to training, and pairing vibration cue with the electric signal with the aim of modifying behavior through negative reinforcement. Dogs in this group also experienced positive reinforcement, such as rewarding dogs with food and negative reinforcement such as lead pressure."....."professional trainers who were members of Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT UK); an organization which does not support the use of E-collars in dog training (chosen to represent best-practice use of positive reinforcement or “reward-based training”) "
"Training mainly occurred in field locations, with penned sheep, penned chickens and other (on lead) dogs, as potential distractors during training."
"Trainers in all groups had access to food rewards and could use them as the trainer deemed appropriate during training."
"Each of the three training groups had successful training outcomes to both “Come” and “Sit” commands."... "These findings are consistent with owner satisfaction with training outcomes as reported previously (31) and should be expected as all trainers were professionals, with extensive experience of training dogs to improve recall and general obedience. "
Absolutely no surprise that positive reinforcement training was found to be most effective, even though all three groups were effective. Many studies support this. I just found this to be a very neat, relatable, fair study.
What I love about this study:
-Professionals from both fields were chosen by their respective organizations.
-Training was done organically (ex. shock trainers were free to also use food)
-The study environment was not a sterile laboratory
-The study group was representative of the pet owning community
-The study chose common and realistic behaviors for training (sit and come)
-The study does not discount the efficacy of P+ or R- training (ALL groups were able to train the dogs)
Here are some quotes that highlight these points. Though the entire article is a very accessible read.
"manufacturer-nominated trainers (ECMA) (chosen to represent best-practice use of the E-collar). Trainers followed approved practice as recommended by ECMA, including assessing the dog's sensitivity to electric stimuli prior to training, and pairing vibration cue with the electric signal with the aim of modifying behavior through negative reinforcement. Dogs in this group also experienced positive reinforcement, such as rewarding dogs with food and negative reinforcement such as lead pressure."....."professional trainers who were members of Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT UK); an organization which does not support the use of E-collars in dog training (chosen to represent best-practice use of positive reinforcement or “reward-based training”) "
"Training mainly occurred in field locations, with penned sheep, penned chickens and other (on lead) dogs, as potential distractors during training."
"Trainers in all groups had access to food rewards and could use them as the trainer deemed appropriate during training."
"Each of the three training groups had successful training outcomes to both “Come” and “Sit” commands."... "These findings are consistent with owner satisfaction with training outcomes as reported previously (31) and should be expected as all trainers were professionals, with extensive experience of training dogs to improve recall and general obedience. "
Absolutely no surprise that positive reinforcement training was found to be most effective, even though all three groups were effective. Many studies support this. I just found this to be a very neat, relatable, fair study.