Shock collars? Really? That's insane. So long as your dog knows you're the alpha and the dog is trained properly you should never need leashes, muzzles, shock collars, etc. That means there's either a problem with the dog or you, and it's generally the latter as has been my experience.

I've had a few big dogs over the years and they knew who the boss was. If they were attacked, they'd take care of business in short-order, but otherwise if they even dreamed of starting some shit they knew they'd have to wake up and apologize. I could walk anywhere with my dogs without a leash and never, ever have to worry about them taking off after a cat, squirrel, what have you. I walk into the store and they park themselves outside, quietly awaiting my return. There will be no barking! Of the barking there will be none! I never had to worry about people patting them or kids roughhousing with them a bit.

So I find it when *very* strange when people talk about problems with their dogs. And again, most often - at least with people I know and see how they interact with their dogs, it ain't the dog's fault 9 times out of 10. And if you ever watch the Dog Whisperer - gay as it is - the guy knows what the hell he's doing and it's amazing to see - with the right training - how these "out of control" dogs can easily be brought into line.

Shit, just watch any good wolf documentary, and you see how it works.