Petco is known for having everything you could ever imagine for your dog and your other animals. They have it all from food to toys, to grooming supplies. But now, there’s one product you’ll no longer be able to purchase at Petco stores: shock collars.
Shock collars have long been a controversial training method for dogs. As Petco enters 2021, they strive to focus more on the health and wellbeing of their canine customers. So, they decided that shock collars had to go, leaving customers with very mixed responses.
Why Did Petco Remove Shock Collars?
Petco’s actions against shock collars are part of their rebranding plan. By early 2021, their goal is to move to “Petco the Health + Wellness Co.” as opposed to just Petco. However, this means that they will need to reconsider some of their popular products. So, they decided to start with shock collars, which are one of the biggest debates in the pet industry.
Many new dog parents purchase shock collars without knowing better. It might seem easy to redirect bad behaviors by sending a shock to your dog, but it actually causes added stress and fear. Many professional dog trainers have spoken out against shock collars because many people abuse these fear-inducing products.
“Electricity may be critical to powering your microwave, but it has no role for the average pet parent training their dog,” said Petco CEO Ron Coughlin. “As a health and wellness company, our mission is focused on improving pet lives and we think selling shock collars does the opposite.”
In 2019, approximately $10 million of Petco’s $4.4 billion sales went to shock collars. Yet, they still gladly said goodbye to the controversial products. Luckily, they have a better plan for helping dog parents train their furry friends.
Petco’s Shock Collar Alternatives
Now, Petco is encouraging dog parents to use positive reinforcement training instead of inhumane methods like shock collars. Positive reinforcement isn’t just about giving your dog lots of treats, but it’s a way to focus on their good behaviors instead of dwelling on their negative ones. It’s a much better way to create a bond between you and your dog.
“The vast majority of folks that are coming into our stores and buying [shock collars] are just regular consumers that don’t know any better,” said Coughlin. “So we’ve got a job to make sure we’re providing the right options for them.”
To help dogs get the training they need, Petco now offers plenty of dog training courses, including online training sessions. These sessions all focus on the importance of positive reinforcement training to help steer customers away from shock collars.
When dogs get trained with shock collars, they’re learning based on fear. This means that they are more likely to avoid you or be scared of you than to trust you. So, Petco found that shock collars were one of their most returned products in the past. They’re now encouraging other customers and companies to say no to shock collars by sharing #StopTheShock.
The Future of Dog Health
Shock collars were quick to leave Petco’s shelves, which caused a mix of reviews from customers. If you search “shock collar” on Petco’s website, it even redirects you to a page that explains why the company no longer sells them.
“Today, we stop the pain for Buddy because he barks at the doorbell. We stop the stress for Sadie because she jumps for joy all over the neighbors when they walk in the door. And we stop the fear for Cooper because he prefers a good pair of sneakers over all the chew toys on the market,” wrote Petco. “As of today, Petco no longer sells shock collars operated by a person with a remote in hand. Because, as a health and wellness company dedicated to improving pet lives, they have no business in our business.”
Dog trainers have praised Petco for their decision. However, many dog parents still seem upset by the news. Some have pointed out that this “health and wellness” company still carries plenty of other unhealthy products, such as animal enclosures that are too small and unhealthy brands of food. While this might be true, removing shock collars is at least a step in the right direction. Hopefully, Petco will eventually only sell healthy and humane products.
Dogs are a part of the family. We don’t use shocks to punish our human family members, so why do that to our four-legged ones? Petco is brave to take a stand against this popular product. Hopefully, this will encourage more dog parents to use positive reinforcement training, which will help more people further bond with their dogs.
H/T: today.com
Featured Image: @Petco/Facebook
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