More than 30 years ago, electronic dog collars made their way into the dog-training scene. However, because the first generation of dog shock collars were only capable of delivering one level of stimulation to the dog, they where appropriately nicknamed shock collars. 

The shock collar required the trainer to select the level of correction by inserting an intensity plug into the collar (before putting the collar on the dog for training, once the shock collar was on the dog they could not change the intensity level). This plug would then cause the shock collar to emit the same level of stimulation for all corrections issued during the session, regardless of how small or large the infraction, hence the nickname shock collar. Recognizing the limitations of the first generation of dog shock collars, manufacturers worked to refine their design. It was only until the release of the second generation of dog shock collars that allowed the trainer to vary the level of intensity from the hand-held transmitter. 

The trainer could now select from one of three levels of intensity for a particular intensity plug: high, medium and low. This design still had its shortcomings. The trainer still only had 3 levels of stimulation to choose from and the lowest level of stimulation was typically inappropriate for simple corrections. While the second generation of dog shock collars was a great advancement in shock collar systems, this technology was replaced in the last decade by collars that gave the trainer the ability to select multiple levels of intensity from the transmitter. This single advancement combined with customer education has done more for the widespread acceptance of the shock collar than any other advancement in the collars history. Manufacturers quickly recognized that a great design alone was not going to give their product the acceptance needed to support their newfound industry; it was only through education that new customers would understand how to use these training devices to advance their dog in a proper manner. 

The most significant form of education came when Tri-Tronics released a book written by Jim and Phyllis Dobbs and Alice Woodward,Tri-Tronics Training Retrievers. This book focused on incorporating dog shock collars in all phases of training retrievers and walked the reader through a series of detailed steps, bringing a dog from A to Z. As a result of the technological advancements and the educational support provided by manufacturers, the days of the shock collar are gone, giving way to the remote training collars. Today, like cell phones, its becoming more difficult to find someone who trains without an electronic dog collar.