Petco Ends the Sale of Electronic "Shock" Collars, Rebrands as the Health and Wellness Company for Pets

Petco says it has stopped selling specific electronic "shock" collars, strengthening its commitment to positive reinforcement training methods and solidifying the company's evolution from a leading pet specialty retailer to a category-defining health and wellness partner for pets and pet parents. Recognizing the opportunity to create real change, the company is calling on the industry and consumers to join its movement via an online petition aimed at creating responsible regulation for the retail sale of shock collars to general consumers.

"Electricity may be critical to powering your microwave, but it has no role for the average pet parent training their dog," says Petco CEO Ron Coughlin. "Shock collars have been shown to increase fear, anxiety and stress in dogs, and we believe there's a better way – Positive Reinforcement Training. As a health and wellness company, our mission is focused on improving pet lives and we think selling shock collars does the opposite. It's our responsibility to ensure that we, and others, aren't putting potentially harmful products in the wrong hands."

The decision, which was confirmed in consultation with the Petco Pet Wellness Council (PPWC), includes all human- and bark-activated electronic pet collars, commonly referred to as "shock" collars, which have been removed from Petco's in-store and online assortment as of today. Pet parents will be encouraged to try products and services rooted in positive reinforcement training methods backed by experts, including a newly launched online training program, as well a suite of private and in-home training classes, all led by more than 1,200 Petco Certified Dog Trainers.

"Shock collars are misguided, antiquated, harmful equipment," said Dr. Alexandra Horowitz, MS, PhD, a member of the PPWC and senior research fellow, adjunct associate professor and head of the Horowitz Dog Cognition Lab at Barnard College. "It's great to see Petco taking the lead in removing this merchandise from their stores, in support of their advocacy of positive reinforcement training."

The change also reflects concerns pet parents have today on shock collars. According to a recent study*, 70% of dog parents feel shock collars have a negative impact on their pet's emotional or mental well-being, while 69% consider shock collars a cruel training method. In fact, 59% of dog parents say they would rather shock themselves than use a shock collar on their dog. In line with Petco's push to affect change on this issue, the same study also found that seven in 10 (71%) dog parents feel there should be limitations on the retail sale of shock collars to prevent human error or abuse, while more than half (51%) say they should only really be used by professionally trained dog trainers.

To underscore its commitment to positive reinforcement training methods, Petco is offering a free introductory online training class to pet parents interested in exploring positive reinforcement training.
 

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