Roman and I love to wander the woods with the kids and the dogs, catching bugs and crayfish (Lindsay and Bohdie), eating sticks (Whoopsie) and rousting squirrels (Balderdash).

This weekend we meandered to a favorite swimming hole. The air was warm and still and the water was crystal clear – perfect crayfishin’ conditions. Bohdie was working on his scooping skills, poised over a shallow, rock-filled eddy with his net at the ready.

Suddenly, chaos. An exuberant young Golden Retriever bounded out of the woods and headed straight for the precariously perched Bohdie. Racing to put myself between this bundle of flying fur and my budding crayfish hunter, I saw a woman approaching, frantically clutching at something around her neck. She was not calling to her dog, she was not issuing commands. Her dog continued his non-aggressive rampage. Call your darn dog, I thought to myself, my dog trainer’s cool slipping slightly as I struggled to protect my kids and settle my dogs. Then it hit me: she was using a remote control.

Yes, a remote control. Her dog was wearing what is popularly known as an e-collar, a “training” device that issues an electronic shock to a dog’s neck at the touch of a button. Its purpose?  Behavior management through “varied levels of electronic stimulation.”

In other words, electric shock. The Golden’s owner was pushing a button and hoping her thinking, feeling dog would respond like a robot. But her big, high-spirited dog was having none of it. Water, kids and pure joy was driving this dog. Finally, she reached him, strapped on his leash and zapped him a few more times. Off they went, her dog dragging her back up the path they had come from. I looked at Roman. “I hate those collars,” I fumed. “I know,” he said for the millionth time. And I really do.

Are these collars effective? That depends on your definition. Yes, dogs stop doing certain behaviors when an uncomfortable electric shock is applied to its neck. Wouldn’t you? In my practice, I help clients create a bond between themselves and their dogs. The result? A dog who feels safe and looks to his leader for direction in all situations, much the same way a child looks to a parent. Dogs trained with e-collars simply want to avoid the next “correction.”

Unfortunately, these collars are becoming more and more popular. Even seasoned dog trainers are reaching for the panic button, offering clients “instant control” over puppies as young as 8 weeks.

What, you may wonder, is wrong with instant control? It is this: control at the expense of understanding and communication puts you and your dog in an adversarial relationship. You are the controller, your dog is the controlled. There is no need for empathy, patience, discovery…just a quick zap and your robo-dog will respond just like your widescreen TV.

E-collars were originally developed as training devices for police dogs. Using these collars on a protective and highly specialized dog to teach the finer points of bomb detection and suspect detainment is a very different thing than strapping one on a impressionable puppy or an anxious shelter dog.

We’ve become conditioned to want instant gratification and the allure of e-collars is great. But please think it through. There are many training methods out there, many stressing the intricate, loving bond between dogs and people. Though the e-collar is effective in the moment, it creates an irreparable distance between you and your dog. Save the remote control for your television.