Is the interest in shock collars on the rise? What do search trends tell us?

Here are some charts show search trends around dog training collars and dog aggression. It certainly indicates the interested in shock collars is alive and well. What do these charts say to you?

Shock collar search vs other searches trends for dog collars

dog_collar_chart — CLICK TO ENLARGE
The number 100 represents the peak search interest in generic searches for dog collars
Source: Google Trends

While the amount of people searching says nothing about why they are searching for this particular item, it’s interesting that more people look for shock collars that any other collar. What might this mean?

People may be look a quick fix or for more information on shock collars because there is controversy about them.
Because shock collars, prong collars and choke chains are higher than flat collars, people are looking for information on how collars can help them control a problem.

So with the idea that people may be looking for solutions, I wondered how particular brands of training collars did against the generic search terms of shock collar.

Dog training collar search trends by brand

Searching by brand sugests that there is already some knowledge. People searching for brands may be stage of wanting to learn more about specific products.

dog_training_collar_brands — CLICK TO ENLARGE
The number 100 represents the peak search interest in training collars by brand
Source: Google Trends

Using the shock collar search as a base line, I compared the Gentle Leader head halter against popular shock collar brands. While the search for shock collar may be on the rise, the search for particular brands is diminishing particularly with Tri-tronics and Innotek. The search for Gentle Leader seems to be falling off somewhat with peaks hitting around 2005 to 2007 and slowing down around 2011 to the present.

Finally I was curious to look at the comparison between the generic search for shock collar and dog aggression. Was there any relationship?

Search trends for shock collars vs dog aggression searches

shock_collar_vs_dog_aggression — CLICK TO ENLARGE
The number 100 represents the peak search interest in shock collars vs. people looking for information on dog aggression
Source: Google Trends

Now to be honest, I was expecting to see the search volume for a generic search term as dog aggression to be far higher than the search for shock collars.

I am a little perturbed at seeing an increase in shock collars while there appears to be a decrease to learn more about dog aggression. But again, is there an actual link between dog aggression and shock collars? So I looked up dog aggression and compared it against Gentle Leader and Dogtra.

Dog aggression searches vs the search for Gentle Leader and Dogtra

dog_aggression_vs_gentle_leader_and_dogtra — CLICK TO ENLARGE
The number 100 represents the peak search interest in dog aggression vs training collars by brand
Source: Google Trends

Look how closely matched these search terms are with each other. Are people may be looking for immediate solutions to behavior problems just as much as they are looking to understand dog aggression? Does this mean that people who have an aggressive dog are vulnerable to messages that aim to sell you on an idea of a quick fix solution? Or is it all a coincidence? It certainly tells me that the interest in shock collars have not yet declined despite the growing amount of education about the dangers of using them. What does it say to you?

Using dog training collars

While it can seem that just about everyone is moving over to positive reinforcement training, we know of trainers who still recommend shock collar training to their clients. But when it comes to treating dog aggression there are dog aggression training methods every dog owner should avoid. If you are currently using one, be aware they can make anxiety and aggression worse.

At best any dog collar can only help you solve your problem, not your dog’s problem. However, if you need to get better control of a lunging dog while you learn about the kinds of methods that treat the underlying causes of aggression, it is far better to manage a lunging dog by using a head halter than a chock chain, prong collar or shock collar.

Regardless, given the very real trends in dog training and education, I predict the search trends in specific shock collar brands will diminish more substantially over time. We can only hope businesses who sell shock collars will find better and more humane products to develop their businesses around.

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