According to a recent 194 page european research study dissertation, YES, the electronic remote collar or invisible leash, is more humane and more effective than the Pinch/Prong/Choke type collars.
The “pinch or choke collar’’ is a standard tool or piece of equipment traditionally used in dog training and widely used by dog owners. An alternative method is the ‘’electronic training collar’’, however, it remains a highly controversial issue. On one hand, supporters claim that electronic training collars, when used properly, are safer than the mechanical training aids and, further, they have no adverse effects at all. Opponents, on the other hand, argue that the use of electronic training collar is painful, unethical and unnecessary regardless of the severity of the training situation or problem behavior.
This large study was designed to compare the Stress and Learning Effects of three different training methods: Electronic Training Collar, Pinch Collar and Quitting Signal. There were 42 adult police dogs of the breed Belgian Malinois that served as subjects for this study. The decision to use only Belgian Malinois was made in an attempt to avoid variability, due to breed characteristics. All dogs in the study were previously trained for the official police service dog certification.
The results of the present study indicate that the electronic training collar induces less distress and shows stronger “learning effect” in dogs in comparison to the pinch collar. The quitting signal is, on the other hand, not found effective in police dog training although it causes the “least distress” reactions in dogs when comparing with the electronic training- and pinch collar. Altogether, concerning the “bodily reactions”, the pinch collar was evaluated as the most distressful method and considering the “learning effect”, the electronic training collar was found to be the most effective method.
Our 2 cents worth is that electronic collars, used on low level stimulation or vibrate mode as an “invisible leash” can be an invaluable tool in training and handling of your dog but you must learn how & when to use it. some of the country’s most known trainers believe, use and recommend remote training collars.