I know the benefit of exercise just like anyone. I know my dogs need it and I need it. I like the knowledge of how many steps I do in a day by wearing a pedometer. Specifically I wear a Fitbit now. Do I hit my goal? Not as often as I should. Why, because I hate what it does when I do!
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The unassuming FitBit
For those who don’t own one, when you hit 10,000 steps is vibrates on your wrist. Not long but long enough you can’t ignore it. Is it painful? Nope. Then you may ask, what is the problem? It startles me. Unfortunately, I must not have a good startle/recovery response because this short-circuits my brain for quite a few minutes after the event. I have developed a conditioned emotional response (CER) to my Fitbit. Not unlike using a vibration collar on an animal.
Why am I posting this on a dog training blog? It is about the company’s attempt to use positive reinforcement. I am sure the makers of the Nike Fitbit had great positive reinforcement in mind when they developed the leading pedometer. I like the website and the interaction of following my friends progress. All those things are cool. But let me tell you when my pedometer hits 10K steps and it vibrates on my wrist I want to scream! This is not what Nike had in mind but they can’t control what I feel.
Back to the animal correlation; I developed this response from it sitting on my wrist, think about how this would feel on your neck. Or what about your dog’s neck? Why even consider something like this for your dog? It isn’t doing any physical harm but psychologically you never know. You don’t get to decide how your dog feels about ‘just the vibration’. I can take my Fitbit off. A dog can’t. Just don’t Do It.
At Canine Fine LLC dog training we promote force free learning for both our human clients and their dog companions. Stop by and talk to us sometime at our training center in Longmont, The Paw Market.[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]