The answer
The trainers here do not answer this with reassurance. They answer it with what they have done to themselves, and with what the device physically is.
Kelton has had every collar he has ever used on his own neck, turned all the way up, before it went on a dog: "Because I want to know before I put it on my" dog. Dutchess's handler wore one because his boss required it, and says why that matters to him: he wants to know what the dog is feeling, because he is not big on the idea of 'you didn't listen, zap'. Connor has had a colleague turn a collar to the top of its range and hold it against his elbow as a joke, and reports the result flatly: it hurt a teeny bit, and he does not think most dogs need anything like that. In Bo's lesson Kelton goes furthest of all: he has had clients walk him on the e-collar and use it on him as though he were the dog, so that he can tell them when they are using it correctly. Thumper's trainer presses the button on her own hand at the level she is about to recommend and describes it as the static shock you get touching someone. The September 2026 owner lessons repeat it. Mazi's trainer says wearing the collar 'is actually a requirement', so he can tell people what it feels like (watch 16:13). Kelton (Reaper's trainer) always tests it on his bicep, has worn it on his neck many times and uses that to teach clients and trainers (watch 20:07). Kali's trainer has stood in as the dog, collar on, for trainers and owners, and been shocked when he thought he was in heel - 'it gave me empathy for the dog' (watch 61:05, 62:07). Owners feel it too: Hattie's adopter, at 5, 10 and 15 on his own collar's scale, called 15 'not harsh' (watch 12:07, 12:19).
When an owner says straight out that she is scared of hurting her dog, the reply on film does not begin with 'it's fine'. Kelton, teaching Sofia's family in Spanish, goes one step further than anyone else on film: it is not like electricity or a taser, it is a little uncomfortable when high, and that is the purpose, because 'un castigo, sí, duele un poco' - a punishment, yes, hurts a little (watch 24:34, 24:58). Clark Kent's trainer puts the target sensation in a single image: the startle of someone saying 'boo' behind you - it does not hurt you, it gets your attention - and says that if the dog yelps, the level is too high and should come down. At Sage's go-home the physical claim is made with its one exception attached: any level on the collar is safe and will not create an injury, and the only way to hurt the dog with it is to leave it on tight, in one spot, for hours, which causes pressure sores.
The argument they think is stronger is not about pain at all. It is that an e-collar used without conditioning bewilders the dog - "I don't even know why I'm getting e-collared. I'm just miserable now" - and that a bewildered dog builds a tolerance until the tool stops working. So the case they make is not that the tool is harmless but that it is easy to abuse, and that anyone putting one on a dog should know what they are doing.
The same move is made with the leash tools and in reverse. PK's adopters are asked to put the prong on their own arms and feel a pull before it goes on her. And in Sage's lesson Kelton plans to wear the collar himself and act out the dog's failures while the owner works the remote, because the dog cannot say 'that made no sense' and he can.
(Inferred, not said on film: the persuasive force of all of this is that it is testable. Every claim here is something a client can ask to have done to them.)
More trainers test it on themselves and say the scale aloud, which makes the answer more concrete without changing it. On a trainer's own arm: nothing at 5, 'barely a tickle' at 10, more at 15 and 20, the bicep jumping on the head of the muscle but nothing painful (Max the Goldendoodle, watch 29:45); 'very light' at 10 and a visible jump at about 40, felt nowhere else (Milo, watch 01:55). At the very top it is uncomfortable by design: Bun's trainer wore it at 100 for 45 minutes and says it was uncomfortable, 'that's the point', but left no injury or marks (watch 29:00), and Max's trainer says plainly that it 'would be painful if you cranked it all the way up' (watch 13:27) - which supports this page's existing caution that 'safe' is not 'painless'. The quality of the collar matters: compared side by side on a family member's arm, one collar felt like 'a jolt' and the trainer's preferred one like a blunter buzz, which he puts down to cheaper collars feeling more like static (Kodak, watch 28:48). And Marvin's trainer argues that an unpredicted vibrate is more aversive than a stimulation at a normal level that a word has announced (watch 12:55).
Angier K9 is a family-owned, play-based Board & Train serving Angier, Raleigh and the Triangle, with three full owner lessons.
What to do
Ask to feel it before it goes on your dog; the trainers have all had it on themselves, and on film owners are handed the tool to feel on their own arm. Then use it the way they instruct: at the level where the dog notices - a startle, like someone saying 'boo' behind you - and if he yelps, bring it down. The harm they warn about is using it with nothing attached, so the dog cannot work out why it is happening and stops responding at all. The one physical injury anyone names is a pressure sore from a tight collar left in the same spot for many hours.
What the trainers say
He might not like it in the short term like I don't like getting shocked, right? Because I' I've used this on myself lots of times, right? Um, I've actually had clients walk me on it, um, and use it like I'm a dog and that I respond. Um, and that way I can tell them like when they're using it correctly.
but so I know what it feels like and it's like it is effective on me as well. Like it will make me quickly figure out, oh, I need to be over there.
it's more of like a just straight shot whereas with this it's a 10 unit i've worn it before like that was a requirement actually right from my boss and honestly like i want to know what the dog is feeling because i'm not big on the idea of just like oh you didn't listen you know zap right
With every collar I've ever used, I've always had it on my neck and turned it all the way way up and use it. Because I want to know before I put it on my button, right?
want to like hurt him okay so let me tell you this though even like i don't advocate like just being like i'm gonna just use it whenever and just like put in your butt and just hit it but like
it is the way the collar works is is not actually like electrical shock it works like a tens unit
okay right so i've actually held the collar and just hit it on like … my co-worker like twice thought it was funny to crank it up to … and put it on my elbow while i was sitting and just like like hit the button did it like hurt a teeny bit … yeah right i don't think most dogs need …
they can sometimes e-collar the dog and the dog's like, "I don't even know why I'm getting e-collared. I'm just miserable now." Right? And then they develop like a um a tolerance to the e-collar and then the e-collar doesn't work anymore
Yeah, and I do believe if you're going to put an e-collar on a dog, you should know what you're doing. Just because I don't think e-collars are bad. I think that they can be abused very easily though.
level don't think about the number at all the only thing that matters is what the reaction that it creates in the dog because any level on the collar is safe and won't create injury
the only way you can hurt it is if you left it on really tight for too long then you're gonna get pressure sores right if you left it in in the same spot for like 12 hours and it was real tight
unless it was like a really like justified reason like as an example if if she was running into the road yeah make her yelp yelp or die choosing yelp right
if you do the wrong thing with her, she can't tell you you like, "Dad, that made no sense." Right? That was completely unclear. I have no idea what that meant. Now I'm freaked out. She can't tell you.
So instead of having you practice and have your experience happen on your dog because it's screwing her up because she doesn't know why you're doing it, I have you do it on me
the like the worst thing I can think of that I could do to a dog is not be clear because that's how dogs end up in shelters. That's how they get put down.
And use them consistently and be like however like use whatever like there's no set level on the e-collar as an example or on how you need to use the pron, right? It just it needs to be enough to be effective
kind of startled like with someone walks up to you in a room and goes boo behind you and you go huh you know that's the reaction you want it the same boo doesn't hurt you it startles you but it doesn't hurt you
use it to a level that he's actually going to recognize that oh that that was that was unpleasant not painful but unpleasant
but the prong collar is really just to startle the dog to just give it an attention being like tapping someone's shoulder
um and then i want you to feel what the dog is going to feel because i know sometimes it you look at this and you're like oh my god like this is scary
i like to feel it just to see this is a … yeah that's a nice little shot it's kind of like when you when you have static and you touch someone
It doesn't feel the same. Yeah. I mean like, you know, I've worn it and been harassed by our kennel deck where he like …
if uh if I looked at you and I was like, "Hey, there's like that box on the floor. Can can you go pick it up?" And you were like, "Sure." You're like, "Okay, cool." But if you were like "No, I'm not going to do whatever you say." And you like got up in my face and then I would just That's really violent, but like you would know why you got punched, right?
worn the e-collar though actually just like I have to like it's actually a requirement so I can tell people that because some people yeah because some people get a little freaked out it's like a 10 unit actually it's not like a full-on just like I mean I'm not gonna lie it's uncomfortable
And I always test it on my bicep. Although I have worn it on my neck lots of times. I've actually used that as a teaching device for people, for both clients and for trainers that I'm teaching.
the dog they really have to try hard um how do i know this because i have stood in for the dog many times and been the dog so to speak um for like when i was teaching trainers or i've also done it for owners
um crazy feeling but this one's more like a like a tens unit you would use at a doctor right where it stimulates the muscle and it's it can be uncomfortable if it's turned up but it's not as sharp like static electricity feeling
pero no es así. Es un poco incómodo si está alto, pero eso es el propósito, eso es por qué estamos usando, porque un castigo, sí, duele un poco,
English meaning (our translation): but it isn't like that. It is a bit uncomfortable if it's high, but that is the purpose, that's why we're using it, because a punishment, yes, hurts a little, but you can also learn to understand why
so this is a five okay i doubt you can feel anything no i don't think you're gonna feel this one either this is a 10. a little tiny bit it's a tickle temple yeah this is a 15.
all the way up yeah that's the point but did i get injured no no i didn't have any marks my neck
okay i mean it would be painful if you cranked it all the way up yeah right like it depends on
How it looks, dog by dog
Bo
Kelton's strongest version, said to a client who has just been told she needs to be more disciplined with her dog. He has used the collar on himself many times, and he has had clients walk him on it and use it on him as though he were the dog - not as a stunt, but as a teaching method, because from the working end he can tell them when their timing is right. He reports the effect honestly: he does not like getting shocked, and what it produces in him is working out very quickly where he needs to be. Around it sits the ethical frame of his lesson: the worst thing he can think of doing to a dog is to be unclear, because unclear dogs end up in shelters and get put down, and the alternative for this dog is an owner who comes to resent him and a life in a crate.
On film
He might not like it in the short term like I don't like getting shocked, right? Because I' I've used this on myself lots of times, right? Um, I've actually had clients walk me on it, um, and use it like I'm a dog and that I respond. Um, and that way I can tell them like when they're using it correctly.
the like the worst thing I can think of that I could do to a dog is not be clear because that's how dogs end up in shelters. That's how they get put down.
because then his world doesn't end up being cuz I've seen it happen too many times is where like somebody will get a dog and they love the dog and then over time they end up resenting them.
Deuce
The case where the question is asked by a frightened owner, and the answer is worth studying for what it does not do. She says she is scared of hurting him. Connor does not tell her it is fine. He concedes first - he does not advocate using it whenever and just hitting the button - then explains the mechanism, that it is not an electrical shock but works like a TENS unit, and then offers his own body as the evidence: a co-worker who thought it was funny to turn a collar right up and hold it to his elbow. His verdict is measured rather than heroic: it hurt a teeny bit, and most dogs do not need anything like that. The first lesson makes the harder argument from the other side: the reason not to use one without conditioning is not that it is cruel but that it does not work - the dog has no idea why it is happening, is miserable, builds a tolerance, and the tool is dead. E-collars are not bad, he says, but they are very easy to abuse.
On film
i feel like she more scared she's scared i gotta get used to it but yeah scared of this i don't want to like hurt him
it is the way the collar works is is not actually like electrical shock it works like a tens unit
they can sometimes e-collar the dog and the dog's like, "I don't even know why I'm getting e-collared. I'm just miserable now."
Yeah, and I do believe if you're going to put an e-collar on a dog, you should know what you're doing.
Dutchess
He sets the collar against cheap units - a straight shot, where this one works like a TENS unit - says he has worn it because his boss required it, and gives the reason in his own terms: he wants to know what the dog is feeling, because he is not big on 'you didn't listen, zap'. It is a statement about how the business trains its own staff rather than about this dog. A minute later he tells the owners her working level is low - enough to be uncomfortable, not cranked up for fun - and names the reaction he does not want to see, which is the one owners imagine.
On film
it's more of like a just straight shot whereas with this it's a 10 unit i've worn it before like that was a requirement actually right from my boss and honestly like i want to know what the dog is feeling because i'm not big on the idea of just like oh you didn't listen you know zap right
so you saw like she didn't like out there she's backed off a little bit you saw this kind of thing um the reaction you don't want is like a thing and they're like like that thing that's not what you want
Sage
Kelton's version comes in three parts. His own practice: every collar he has used has been on his own neck, turned all the way up, before it went on a dog. The physical claim to the family, with its exception attached: any level is safe and will not injure her, and the only way to hurt her with it is to leave it tight in one spot for hours, which gives pressure sores - with one named circumstance where a yelp is acceptable, a dog running into a road, 'yelp or die'. And the reverse move: before the owner uses the remote on the dog, he plans to have the owner use it on him while he acts out the dog's failures, because the dog cannot say 'that made no sense' and he can - and because the owners who do badly in the program do so from lack of guided practice, not because of the dog.
On film
With every collar I've ever used, I've always had it on my neck and turned it all the way way up and use it.
the only way you can hurt it is if you left it on really tight for too long then you're gonna get pressure sores
So instead of having you practice and have your experience happen on your dog because it's screwing her up because she doesn't know why you're doing it, I have you do it on me
if you do the wrong thing with her, she can't tell you you like, "Dad, that made no sense."
Clark Kent
The go-home lesson frames both tools as startle rather than pain, and gives the owner the test to apply. The prong is a tap on the shoulder that pulls the dog out of tunnel vision - and anything round a dog's neck can hurt if you use it too hard, so no dragging him across the yard. The e-collar level is found by starting low and raising it until the dog is startled the way you are when someone says 'boo' behind you: it does not hurt you, it gets your attention. Unpleasant, not painful; and if he makes a small yelp, it is probably too strong - bring it down. The trainer adds that numbers are brand-specific, which is why he gives the owners a reaction to look for rather than a setting.
On film
but the prong collar is really just to startle the dog to just give it an attention being like tapping someone's shoulder
kind of startled like with someone walks up to you in a room and goes boo behind you and you go huh you know that's the reaction you want it the same boo doesn't hurt you it startles you but it doesn't hurt you
makes a small yelp yelp uh that might be a little too strong so try bringing it down a couple of notches
Peque (PK)
The same move made with the prong, at a follow-up in the adopters' home. Before PK wears it on the walk, the trainer has the adopters put it on their own arms and pulls, because she knows the tool looks frightening: 'do you feel anything' - 'not really'. Later she tells them it does not hurt PK and that the prong carries meaning rather than pain: it goes on for walks and comes off after, and PK knows that when it is on it is not play time.
On film
um and then i want you to feel what the dog is going to feel because i know sometimes it you look at this and you're like oh my god like this is scary
do you feel anything not really no okay okay you want to try it yeah so that's what she feels
and it doesn't hurt her she understands when that's on i can't play like this is we're going on a walk
Thumper
At the go-home lesson the trainer presses the button on herself at the level she is about to talk about, and describes it: a nice little shot, like the static when you touch someone. It is a small moment, but it is the habit the other cases describe, done on camera in front of the owner before a number is recommended.
On film
i like to feel it just to see this is a … yeah that's a nice little shot it's kind of like when you when you have static and you touch someone
Finn
A side exchange between two handlers on a park session. The point is about hardware: the harm sits in cheap units, not in the tool as such.
On film
It doesn't feel the same. Yeah. I mean like, you know, I've worn it and been harassed by our kennel deck where he like …
Hattie
At Hattie's follow-up owner lesson the trainer has the adopter feel the household's collar on his own bicep before they talk about levels. He explains that this smaller collar runs about thirty percent weaker than the larger one for the same number, then steps up through 5, 10 and 15 on that collar: the adopter feels nothing at 5, a tiny tickle at 10, and at 15 'a little bit more' but 'not harsh'. The levels are then compared with how effective the family has found it with Hattie.
On film
This one's a little smaller than this one. So this one's about 30% less strength for the same number.
so this is a five okay i doubt you can feel anything no i don't think you're gonna feel this one either this is a 10. a little tiny bit it's a tickle temple yeah this is a 15.
Still kind of tickled. I feel that a little bit more, but it's not. It's not harsh.
Kali
At Kali and Kane's in-program owner lesson the trainer gives the family both halves of the answer. On the equipment: having tried many collars, he says a cheaper collar feels like being electrocuted - sharper and less consistent - while the one he recommends is more like a TENS unit at a doctor's, uncomfortable if turned up but not sharp. On wearing it: he has stood in as the dog many times, collar and leash on, for trainers and for owners, and been shocked when he thought he was in heel and the handler did not - which, he says, gave him empathy for the dog.
On film
like like you're getting shocked like you're like you're like kind of like more like being electrocuted is what it feels like to me um it's like like way sharper and like less reliably the same every time
um crazy feeling but this one's more like a like a tens unit you would use at a doctor right where it stimulates the muscle and it's it can be uncomfortable if it's turned up but it's not as sharp like static electricity feeling
the dog they really have to try hard um how do i know this because i have stood in for the dog many times and been the dog so to speak um for like when i was teaching trainers or i've also done it for owners
this and i even thought i was in the right place i thought i was in heel and they didn't and i got shocked right so um so it's basically what i'm saying is it gave me empathy for the dog
Mazi
At Mazi's second in-program owner lesson, fitting the owner's collar, the trainer says he has worn the e-collar because it is a requirement, so that he can tell people what it is like when they get freaked out: like a TENS unit, not a full-on shock, and - he will not lie - uncomfortable. He adds a story from a former workplace, where a friend would turn a collar up to 99, near the top of its range, and press it on his arm while he stood around.
On film
worn the e-collar though actually just like I have to like it's actually a requirement so I can tell people that because some people yeah because some people get a little freaked out it's like a 10 unit actually it's not like a full-on just like I mean I'm not gonna lie it's uncomfortable
but there was a hot moment there where one of my friends that worked there every time I would just be like standing around he would like crank the e-collar up to 99 and like have the metal piece and he'd just like hold the button put it on my arm and I was like ah
Reaper
Walking with Reaper's owner, the trainer talks through how the levels feel and says he always tests a collar on his bicep, has worn it on his neck many times, and uses wearing it as a teaching device for clients and for the trainers he teaches.
On film
And I always test it on my bicep. Although I have worn it on my neck lots of times. I've actually used that as a teaching device for people, for both clients and for trainers that I'm teaching.
Sofia
At Sofia's in-program owner lesson, given in Spanish, Kelton has a family member feel the collar ('muy poquito' - very little, at first) and then tells the family what it is and is not: not like electricity or a taser, as people tend to think; a little uncomfortable if it is high, and that discomfort is the purpose, because a punishment, yes, hurts a little - and the dog can learn to understand why.
On film
Ok, eso es en los pies, lo sientes? Es mucho o es un poco? Muy poquito.
English meaning (our translation): OK, that's on the feet - do you feel it? Is it a lot or a little? - Very little. (Trainer's question and the family member's answer run together in one cue.)
aquí ven es un poco más pero no está como como electricidad o como un chaser o algo así normalmente toda la gente piensa que eso es como como estás usando un cable
English meaning (our translation): here, see, it's a bit more, but it isn't like electricity or like a taser ('chaser' in the transcript) or anything like that; normally everyone thinks it's like you're using a cable (a live wire)
pero no es así. Es un poco incómodo si está alto, pero eso es el propósito, eso es por qué estamos usando, porque un castigo, sí, duele un poco,
English meaning (our translation): but it isn't like that. It is a bit uncomfortable if it's high, but that is the purpose, that's why we're using it, because a punishment, yes, hurts a little, but you can also learn to understand why
Bun
Explaining why he uses the e-collar rather than a stick or a hard leash pop, Bun's trainer says the e-collar cannot injure the dog, and gives his evidence: he has worn it on his neck turned all the way up to 100 while people worked him like a dog for 45 minutes. Uncomfortable at the top - 'that's the point' - but no injury and no marks.
On film
them that way. So that's why I use the e-collar because the e-collar, you can't injure the dog.
I know. How do I know? Because I've put that e-collar on my neck, turned it all the way up
to 100 and had people work with me like a dog for 45 minutes in a row and like is it uncomfortable
all the way up yeah that's the point but did i get injured no no i didn't have any marks my neck
nothing it didn't hurt me or anything like that um it was just uncomfortable right um so it doesn't
Milo
The trainer shows Milo's family on his own arm: the collar puts out a blunt, TENS-like stimulation; at 10 it is 'very light', at about 40 it makes his bicep jump - and he doesn't feel it anywhere else in his body.
On film
a blunt stimulation um so the way that it works is it actually like puts out like a tens unit so
I want you to watch my muscle and see, let's see if it does anything on the 10.
No, it's very light.
Maybe I can get it to jump on like a, maybe like a 40.
But I don't feel it anywhere else in my body.
Max (Goldendoodle)
A self-demonstration with the scale spoken: on his own arm the trainer can't feel 5 at all, 10 is 'barely a tickle', 15 a bit more and 20 more again; on the head of the muscle the bicep jumps, but nothing painful. At the level used with Max he would expect a yelp only from surprise, not pain.
On film
but this isn't painful enough for him to just like scream
say like a five, I actually can't even feel it.
i start feeling that but it's like barely a tickle and then on a 15 i start feeling that a
little bit more right and then on a 20 that starts to be that's more right but you still you don't
my bicep it just jumps but it's not like oh like painful or anything like that right um and then
Kodak
Two things from Kodak's lessons. The trainer puts two collars on a family member's bicep in turn and has them compare: one (Rocko's collar) feels like 'a jolt', the other like a buzz - a 'blunter' block stimulation, because the cheaper the collar, the more it feels like static electricity. And teaching the heel, he warns that he has been the dog himself, collar on, and been shocked when he thought he was in heel and the trainer didn't - so be reasonable with the dog.
On film
You feel like a little tiny tickle?
It's like a jolt.
so it's blunter instead of it being sharp like a shot yeah it's more like block yeah it's not so
much like electricity yeah because that's why the cheaper the e-collar the more it feels like
how fast you're walking within reason obviously because if you've ever been the dog which i have
with an e collar on and been shocked for not being in heel um there was one time even that
i thought i was in heel and the trainer did not so he shocked me so um it can be difficult to to
Max
To the family's question the trainer separates the modern collar from old-school shock collars, which had long metal prongs and were cranked to 100 so the dog avoided everything out of pain. The newer ones use TENS-type stimulation that tightens and relaxes the muscle: irritating, not painful - though, he adds, it would be painful if you cranked it all the way up.
On film
the big difference is like old school shock collars right they were full metal prongs that
were like super long and the idea was it was cranked to 100 all the time because you wanted
a term but the big thing with like the newer ones is it uses stimulation but it's the same
stimulation that like tenzunits use okay right okay so it makes the muscle tighten okay and
relax right okay so what you want is it is irritating right right but it's not like painful
okay i mean it would be painful if you cranked it all the way up yeah right like it depends on
Marvin (Giant Schnauzer)
The trainer argues the vibrate setting is the more aversive one: an unexplained buzz is like a gnat by your ear, while a stimulation at a normal level that a word has predicted is expected. Speaking from having worn e-collars, he says the gnat bothers him more than a 20 on the collar.
On film
yeah right but I'll tell you right now a shock for him on a normal level is less
aversive than the vibrates the reason is because the vibrates like oh what is
by my ear yeah that is just annoying me is more aversive than me have I've worn the e-collars is
more aversive than a 20 on an e-collar for me right okay right I don't like the gnat but you're
Bane
After Bane's muscle twitches, the trainer says the movement was probably involuntary rather than a pain reaction: the collar stimulates the muscle like a TENS unit, and the family, who own one, recognise the comparison. (Owner and trainer run together in these cues.)
On film
like you know here's the funny part is that that muscle movement was probably involuntary right
and not an actual like reaction to him like feeling pain funnily enough it probably did
hurt a little bit well no it actually stimulates the muscle oh okay it's like a tens unit oh if
Roman
Asked whether he has felt one, the trainer says he did it to himself first and has done it many times since: whatever muscle it sits on tenses and jumps, 'and that's it'.
On film
to learn about the e-collar for them it's like oh shock bad right um have you ever felt any color
yeah yeah i did it to myself first and then i've had plenty of experience with i've done it lots
no feel it right here and everything yeah whatever muscle it's on it makes that muscle
tense up and jump and that's it and so the reason it's effective is because it's weird
Stormi
The conditioning half of the argument: the e-collar is 'not just a be good button', you have to know how to use it, and some dogs - the trainer names bullies and sometimes Rottweilers, though not Stormi - must first be taught what the pressure means, or their first reaction is to fight it or bolt.
On film
You know, the e-collar is one of those things where you have to, like,
it's not just, like, a be good button.
You have to know how to use it.
but some dogs you have to teach them what the e-collar means.
You have to teach them what the pressure means, like, instead of,
Dolly
The leash-tool version: asked whether the prong is very painful when guiding Dolly into a down, the trainer says people look at it and think the dog is being stabbed; at worst it pinches - 'ow, that's a little painful' - and that is not a big deal.
On film
go over the down is that super painful exactly yeah because sometimes people
look at it and they're like oh my god you're stabbing them yeah and then like
little bit more like it pinches but it's not like oh my god you've killed me it's just like ow that's
Why it works
Said on film: the device is described as working like a TENS unit rather than as an electrical shock. Thumper's trainer describes the feel as static. Kali's and Mazi's trainers say the same in September 2026 (watch 21:11; watch 16:13), Kali's setting it against a cheaper collar that feels 'like being electrocuted' (20:25).
The target sensation is named as a startle, not pain. Clark Kent's trainer: the 'boo' behind you that does not hurt but gets your attention; unpleasant, not painful; a yelp means too strong (watch 17:28). The same trainer calls the prong a tap on the shoulder. Kelton tells Sage's family to ignore the number and read the reaction the level creates in the dog (watch 16:35).
The safety claim has a single stated exception: any level is safe and will not create an injury; the only injury named anywhere is a pressure sore from a tight collar left in one position for many hours (watch 16:51). Nothing in these files says the dog feels nothing - the level is chosen to be noticed, uncomfortable at most. One line says more, in Spanish, to Sofia's family: a punishment 'duele un poco' (hurts a little), and the discomfort is the point (watch 24:58).
The argument the trainers think is stronger is about information rather than sensation. A collar used without conditioning produces a dog who does not know why it is happening and is miserable, and a miserable dog acclimates until the tool no longer works (watch 28:21). The comparison Connor uses is blunt: being punched after a refusal is violent, but you know why (watch 27:26).
The credential underneath all of it is that the handlers have been on the receiving end on purpose, at settings above anything a dog is worked on, and in two cases have had someone else - a client, an owner - hold the tool.
Inferred, not stated: this answer persuades where 'it doesn't hurt' does not because it concedes the objection before answering it, and every claim in it can be demonstrated on the person making it.
Common owner mistakes
- Buying a collar and using it at home before anyone has shown you how - which produces a dog who has no idea why it is happening and then a dog the tool no longer works on.
On film
they can sometimes e-collar the dog and the dog's like, "I don't even know why I'm getting e-collared. I'm just miserable now." Right? And then they develop like a um a tolerance to the e-collar and then the e-collar doesn't work anymore
Deuce · Watch at 28:21 ↗ - Correcting when there was nothing to correct, so the dog gets the sensation with no context to attach it to.
On film
that is that there was no context like he didn't hit the end of the leash he didn't blatantly
Deuce · Watch at 5:51 ↗ - Being so frightened of the tool that you correct late or not at all.
On film
i feel like she more scared she's scared i gotta get used to it but yeah scared of this i don't want to like hurt him
Deuce · Watch at 6:44 ↗ - Using the prong too hard - dragging the dog with it - when it is meant as a tap.
On film
trying to pull them out of that tunnel vision now again this and this is true of anything you put around your dog could hurt the dog if you do it too hard
Clark Kent · Watch at 13:27 ↗ - Leaving the collar on tight, in the same spot, for hours - the one physical injury anyone in these files names.
On film
the only way you can hurt it is if you left it on really tight for too long then you're gonna get pressure sores right if you left it in in the same spot for like 12 hours and it was real tight
Sage · Watch at 16:51 ↗ - Assuming the kindest thing is to be vague with the dog.
On film
the like the worst thing I can think of that I could do to a dog is not be clear because that's how dogs end up in shelters. That's how they get put down.
Bo · Watch at 44:42 ↗
Questions owners ask
Does it hurt?
Nobody here says the dog feels nothing. What they say is what it is and what they have felt. The device is described as working like a TENS unit rather than an electrical shock, and the feeling as static. The level is meant to startle - the 'boo' behind you that gets your attention without hurting - and if the dog yelps it is too strong and comes down. Connor, who had a colleague put a collar at the top of its range on his elbow, says it hurt a teeny bit and that most dogs do not need anything like that. Kelton puts it most plainly to Sofia's family, in Spanish: not like electricity or a taser; a little uncomfortable when high, which is the purpose, because a punishment does hurt a little (watch 24:58).
On film
it is the way the collar works is is not actually like electrical shock it works like a tens unit
kind of startled like with someone walks up to you in a room and goes boo behind you and you go huh you know that's the reaction you want it the same boo doesn't hurt you it startles you but it doesn't hurt you
pero no es así. Es un poco incómodo si está alto, pero eso es el propósito, eso es por qué estamos usando, porque un castigo, sí, duele un poco,
English meaning (our translation): but it isn't like that. It is a bit uncomfortable if it's high, but that is the purpose, that's why we're using it, because a punishment, yes, hurts a little, but you can also learn to understand why
Have you actually felt it yourself?
Every trainer who is asked says yes, in more than one way. Dutchess's handler wore it because his boss required it. Kelton has had every collar he has used on his own neck, turned all the way up, before it went on a dog - and has had clients walk him on it as though he were the dog so he could tell them when their timing was right. Thumper's trainer tests it on herself in front of the owner before recommending a level. In September 2026 Mazi's trainer called wearing it a requirement, Reaper's tests it on his bicep and has worn it on his neck, and Kali's has stood in as the dog for owners and trainers and been shocked when he thought he was in heel (watch 16:13; watch 20:07; watch 61:05).
On film
it's more of like a just straight shot whereas with this it's a 10 unit i've worn it before like that was a requirement actually right from my boss
He might not like it in the short term like I don't like getting shocked, right? Because I' I've used this on myself lots of times, right?
worn the e-collar though actually just like I have to like it's actually a requirement so I can tell people that because some people yeah because some people get a little freaked out it's like a 10 unit actually it's not like a full-on just like I mean I'm not gonna lie it's uncomfortable
And I always test it on my bicep. Although I have worn it on my neck lots of times. I've actually used that as a teaching device for people, for both clients and for trainers that I'm teaching.
Can it injure my dog?
The claim made to one family is that any level on the collar is safe and will not create an injury, and the only physical harm anyone names is a pressure sore from leaving the collar on tight in the same position for many hours. That is a reason to take it off and move it, not a reason to think 'safe' means 'painless' - nobody here makes that second claim.
On film
the only way you can hurt it is if you left it on really tight for too long then you're gonna get pressure sores right if you left it in in the same spot for like 12 hours and it was real tight
Isn't it cruel to use one at all?
The position taken is narrower: e-collars are not bad, but they are very easy to abuse, and anyone putting one on a dog should know what they are doing. The abuse they describe is using the tool with nothing attached, so the dog cannot work out what is happening; that dog is bewildered and miserable, and then the collar stops working. Against that, Kelton argues that the worst thing you can do to a dog is be unclear, because unclear dogs end up in shelters.
On film
Yeah, and I do believe if you're going to put an e-collar on a dog, you should know what you're doing. Just because I don't think e-collars are bad. I think that they can be abused very easily though.
the like the worst thing I can think of that I could do to a dog is not be clear because that's how dogs end up in shelters. That's how they get put down.
I am frightened of getting it wrong. What if I hurt him by mistake?
That fear is met with practice on a person instead of the dog. In Sage's lesson Kelton plans to be the practice dog while the owner works the remote, because a mistimed rep confuses the dog and the dog cannot say so; PK's adopters feel the prong on their own arms before it goes on her. The owners who do badly, he says, do so from lack of practice and education, not because of their dog.
On film
So instead of having you practice and have your experience happen on your dog because it's screwing her up because she doesn't know why you're doing it, I have you do it on me
um and then i want you to feel what the dog is going to feel because i know sometimes it you look at this and you're like oh my god like this is scary
The lesson
The goal
The handler can answer the tool objection without reassurance - conceding the owner's point, naming the mechanism, and offering a personal experience the client can test - and can run the exercise where the owner feels the tool, or practises the remote on a person, before using it on the dog.
Learn first
- Fit before level: check the tool before you judge the dog
- The level is not a number
- Contingent, avoidable, and the right size
See it done
- Deuce: A frightened owner says it out loud and the whole answer arrives in forty seconds: concede, explain the mechanism, offer the personal experience, end on a measured verdict. Watch ↗
- Bo: The ethical case for clarity and the disclosure that clients have walked the trainer on the collar. Watch ↗
- Peque (PK): Adopters feel the prong on their own arms before it goes on the dog. Watch ↗
- Clark Kent: How to find the level by the dog's reaction - the 'boo' startle - and what a yelp means. Watch ↗
The drill
From the record: the owner feels the tool first (PK's adopters with the prong on their arms, watch 13:54; Thumper's trainer pressing it on her own hand, watch 25:51). Then the level is found on the dog by reaction, not number - raise until the dog is startled, bring it down if he yelps (watch 17:09). The role reversal, in which the trainer plays the dog while the owner works the remote, is described as planned in Sage's lesson (watch 52:09) but was not filmed.
Watch out for
- Opening with 'it doesn't hurt', which a frightened owner discounts.
- Letting 'safe' be heard as 'painless'.
- Offering the personal-experience story without the mechanism, so it reads as bravado.
- Sending an owner home to practise on the dog instead of on a person first.
- Testing a collar or a channel on a dog rather than on a person.
Check yourself
An owner says she is scared of hurting her dog. What is the first thing you say - and why is it not a reassurance?