Petco Will No Longer Sell Shock Collars
Petco announced yesterday that they will no longer sell specific electronic shock collars to pet owners.
According to their press release, the company wants to strengthen 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.
Petco CEO Ron Coughlin:
Electricity may be critical to powering your microwave, but it has no role for the average pet parent training their dog. 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.
Personally, I'm not a fan of electronic shock collars and would never use one on my dog. However, I do use a training collar that beeps and vibrates. The one I use works so well that I rarely ever have to use the vibrate feature, the beeps are enough to put him in his place and keep him calm.
In addition to Petco pulling shock collars from their shelves this week, they also launched a new look that boldly declares "Petco, The Health + Wellness Co."