13/06/2026
This is not a debate about good or bad; it is simply an explanation of how something works.
If you are an MSc-qualified electronics engineer and disagree, I am happy to post your qualified, detailed response. If not, then it's just an unqualified opinion and of little or no value.
In my previous job, I was an aircraft electrician. Not a very good one, I admit, which is why I changed career paths. But I have a few friends who still work for one of Europe's biggest avionics companies, so I asked for their opinion on how an e-collar works. I let two of them play with a couple of top-selling items to get an opinion.
It wasnāt a debate about whether they were good or bad, because everyone is entitled to their opinion; it is simply about how they work from an engineering POV. I have left out the bit about the transmitter as that isn't in contact with the dog. During testing, the transmitter worked correctly.
āThe receiver contains electronics that create a brief electrical pulse between two metal contact points, often described as prongs. For the collar to work, both contact points must be in contact with the dogās neck.
The dogās skin and the tissues immediately beneath the skin complete the electrical circuit. One contact point serves as one side of the circuit, and the other serves as the return path. When both prongs touch the dog, electrical current can pass from one prong through a small area of skin and superficial tissue to the other prong when the transmitter is activated.
The sensation is produced because the dogās own tissue forms the conductive bridge between the two contact points. The circuit doesnāt have to pass through the dogās whole body, and it doesnāt have to travel to the ground. It is a localised circuit between the two prongs.
Whilst users and manufacturers may describe the output as āstimulationā, āstaticā, ātingleā, or āpressureā, the underlying mechanism is still electrical.
A voltage difference is created between the two contacts, and current flows through the tissue between them; that current produces the sensation the dog feels.
The strength and quality of that sensation may vary. It is affected by how tightly the prongs contact the skin, the thickness of the dogās coat, moisture on the skin, a dogās individual skin resistance, the level selected on the transmitter unit, and the duration and pattern of the pulse.
Describing the device as a āshock collarā or an āe-collarā is not relevant. The device works by completing an electrical circuit through the dogās neck tissue. That is the physical process that allows the collar to affect the dog.
Many factors influence the feeling the dog experiences: Voltage, Amperage and Resistance.
Voltage pushes current through the skin and tissue between the prongs.
The Current, or Amperage, is the actual flow of electrical charge through the tissue and is the part most directly associated with nerve activation, muscle contraction, discomfort, and pain. (If used at higher levels or longer durations, this is likely to cause physical injury.)
The Resistance is the opposition provided by skin, coat, moisture level and tissue. Dry skin and poor contact increase resistance. Wet skin, tight contact, shorter fur, or greater pressure from the prongs can reduce resistance, allowing more current to flow at the same voltage.
So, if the voltage stays the same but the dogās skin resistance drops, the current can increase. That is one reason the same e-collar setting may not feel the same for every dog, or even for the same dog under different conditions.
Electrical sensation and the likelihood of injury are generally affected by current, voltage, exposure duration, tissue resistance, and the current pathway."
Now, some of that went a bit over my head, because I'm not a qualified electical engineer and being a bit of a "doubting Thomas" I asked the same question to an AI bot, it gave this summary, which is pretty much consistent with what the electrical engineers said.
1. Current through the tissue
This is the immediate electrical flow that stimulates nerves.
2. Voltage available from the device
Higher voltage can push current through higher resistance, especially through fur and dry skin.
3. Pulse duration and repetition
A brief pulse may feel like a tap, tingle or sting; repeated or longer pulses can become more aversive. Human transcutaneous stimulation research shows that perception, attention and intolerance thresholds are affected by pulse width, with thresholds decreasing as pulse width increases.
4. Current density at the contact points
Because e-collar prongs are small, the electrical energy is concentrated into a small area of skin. The same current spread over a large pad may feel different from current delivered through two small metal points.
5. Skin and coat condition
Wet skin, thin coat, close clipping, pressure from a tight collar and movement of the prongs can all change the effective resistance and contact quality.
6. The dogās individual sensitivity and emotional state
A dog that is already anxious, aroused or fearful may experience the same physical sensation as more alarming or painful.
The AI search concluded with this summary:
Pain is most directly related to the current passing through the tissue, especially current density and pulse duration, but voltage matters because it is what drives that current through the resistance of the skin and tissue.
So when someone says, āIt is not a shock because the amperage is low,ā that is incomplete. Low current may reduce the risk of physical injury, but it does not mean the sensation cannot be uncomfortable, startling, aversive or painful. The animalās tissue is still completing an electrical circuit, and the device is still using electrical current to influence the dog's behaviour.
