Petco will stop selling ‘shock’ collars

Animal rights groups have long opposed use of the collars, arguing that they cause animals distress.

The move comes as part of a broader corporate transformation of Petco, which is seeking to establish itself as a health and wellness brand. The company on Tuesday announced it would rebrand in 2021 as “Petco, The Health + Wellness Co.”

“Shock collars are not consistent with our mission of improving lives,” Petco CEO Ron Coughlin told CNN Business in an interview.

The collars, which accounted for roughly $10 million of Petco’s 2019 sales of $4.4 billion, deliver electrical pulses of varying intensity and duration. They’re used to curb behaviors such as excessive barking or to act as an invisible fence to keep pets from running away. Some trainers say that when used correctly they can be a useful training tool without harming the animal. Most e-collars also have non-shock cues such as beeps or vibrations that act as a stimulus for training.

However, the collars have the potential to be abused and can cause a significant amount of pain, Coughlin said.

“You see those human shock collar challenges,” he said, noting viral videos of people trying to order fast food or complete other tasks while receiving unexpected jolts from a shock collar. “They’re funny, but sad because pets don’t know what’s coming their way, and they didn’t ask for it to happen.”

Petco, which says the decision was made on its own volition, also started a petition to have the collars regulated and used only by certified training professionals.

The move comes two years after Petco became the first major pet retailer to pull dog and cat food that contained artificial ingredients and colors.

Petco instead will continue to sell other training products considered more humane and tout positive reinforcement training. That includes its own offerings, which were expanded with online courses during the pandemic.