Depends on the degree of stress. A dog stressed and thinking ''I'm gonna die'' certainly won't. Mild stress though can increase appetites (also chronic) as they need the increased food intake to cope with the increased energy expenditure of the stress.

Dogs who are in a high drive state (oten excited by something) will also refuse to eat. So is a dof staring fixedly at a ball also experiencing stress?

Adam

A dog that has reached a situation it cant cope with, wont eat, Thats why in a stressed dog , you (well not you obvisley) can use food to de-stress before it gets this far.

Food destresses,Everytime i use it , i have proof

Infact do you even KNOW what stress is, because looking at those horrific vids i doubt it.

Are you short of business at the moment? is that why you are rubbishing "kind" methods in a attempt to get some custom

If you had brought a ball out the adrenalin rush would have masked any stress reaction.

You are teaching your grandmothers and fathers to suck eggs.

We have all had experience of dealing with the reality of dogs with a history of aggression. Probably more than once.

rune

Professor Daniel Mills (Professor of Veterinary Behavioural Medicine at Lincoln university) gave a talk on Putting learning theory into practice, in which he stated that claiming not to use punishment in training reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of the application of learning theory in practise and that, even without any physical punishment, the absence of an expected reward is a form of punishment, and to ignore that punishment is occurring under these circumstances is to ignore an important part of learning that is occurring during training.

He also said instinctive behaviour patterns may response more effectively to punishment that to positive reinforcement, but than this punishment should be used in skilled hands. He also said there can be problems arising from poor timing of rewards

So, according to Professor Mills, you cannot train by reward/positives alone, and even use of rewards/positives have to be carefully managed to avoid shaping the wrong behaviour or bringing about undesirable behavioural tendencies.

However, given the thread context here, it should maybe be noted that Professor Mills is also on record as having lobbied for a ban on shock collars when the AWA was being discussed, prior to its inception.

I thought you might like to read this...


The problem with shock
By Angelica Steinker, M.Ed., PDBC, CDBC, NADOI Endorsed, CAP2
It isn’t that shock collar training doesn’t work, because it does. The question is at what price? Some extremely skilled trainers may be able to offset some of the problems shock collars can cause. However, shock collars are for sale at almost every pet store making them readily accessible to the general public. A shock collar can potentially lead to very serious problems if not managed by a skilled trainer. There are a multitude of other powerful training options including obedience, behavior management, and positive reinforcement.
Malfunction
The first potential problem is that the unit itself may malfunction. Malfunctioning shock collars can cause electrical burns, creating holes in the affected dog’s neck and causing serious physical and emotional damage.
Logistical issues
Any clicker trainer can tell you timing and reward delivery are mechanical skills. When you are a clicker trainer if you click late or fumble to get your treat you haven’t done any harm. Learning may be delayed or the behavior may not be quite what you wanted but you have not hurt the dog. For effective shock collar training superb timing is needed, a skill that even very few professional trainers possess.
Abuse
Shock collars can too easily lead to abuse. Many people don’t want to hurt their dogs. Thus they set the shock at a low setting which is typically ineffective for stopping the undesired behavior. They then raise the setting and again this is ineffective. So the setting is raised yet again. Since the dog is exposed to the pain gradually, the surprise effect is lost and the shock may not be effective at all.
As trainers we must understand that some people feel powerful when punishing a dog. When a person of this type is given a shock collar it can lead to a vicious cycle of abuse. Many professional trainers have seen dogs “housetrained” with shock collars. In one particular case a terrier had learned to avoid urinating in front of humans, not a useful concept when you want to housetrain a dog. The professional trainer who rehabilitated this dog had to work months to undo the damage that had been done to this small terrier. Without the use of a shock collar she housetrained her and placed the dog in a loving home where the owners adore her and are committed to training without pain.
Side Effects
The primary reason shock collars are effective in stopping behavior is because they hurt. The problem is that when you train with pain you have unwanted side effects. These side effects are called fallout. Murray Sidman, a famous behavior analyst, wrote an entire academic text on the topic which those looking for a thorough exploration can read (Coercions and its fallout). Fallout is when we use shock that will be associated with both the trainer and the training process causing stress for the animal. That stress can then be associated with the behaviors we are training, with the equipment we are using, the training field and of course with the trainer.
Slow work and Frantic work
Dogs who are shocked during training are stressed. In a scientific study dogs who were trained with shock displayed stress signals when they were approaching the training area. This behavior is the opposite of what we want as dog sport enthusiasts. Dogs that are trained with shock will frequently work slowly and deliberately. They are over thinking and being very careful to avoid being shocked. If the punishment of the collar outweighs the joy of the sport, they won’t love their work and won’t do it with speed and happiness. Of course highly skilled shock collar trainers can force a dog to work quickly. It’s simple. If the dogs work slowly they are shocked if they work fast they avoid the shock. In behavioral science this is called negative reinforcement. The dog’s behavior makes a bad thing go away, so the behavior increases. It does work, but it does not make the happy attitude that training with positive reinforcement does.
Stress
The bottom-line is that shock can cause stress. In a well known experiment Stanley Milgram showed that shocking another being is very stressful for most humans. Professional trainers should be familiar with Milgram’s obedience to authority studies. Authority carries with it power, and that power is something that should not be exploited. The reality is that if you have credibility people will comply with even abusive training instructions.
A dog who is shocked for several different behaviors may go into a state of shut down, or a global suppression of behavior. Owners may mistakenly assume the dog is now “trained” because the dog is suddenly very quiet and not doing anything. In reality this dog is afraid to do anything. The ultimate step of the global suppression of behavior is learned helplessness. This occurs when the dog fails to do anything, curls into a ball, and gives up. Many who work with rescue dogs have seen the traumatic and long lasting effects of learned helplessness.
Aggression
A dog that is being hurt may become aggressive. If a dog has a history of aggression the use of a shock collar is particularly dangerous. Aggressive behavior should NOT be punished (suppressed). When you punish a dog for aggression and you don’t teach a substitute behavior you simply hide the problem. You then open yourself up to a much bigger problem where without warning the dog may become aggressive. You may have punished the barking, lunging and growling, so the dog may go straight to biting which is VERY dangerous.
Shock yourself
Shock collar users often attempt to argue that the shock doesn’t hurt. For this specific reason I bought a shock collar and used it to shock myself. It does hurt. It is common for underground fencing companies to put the shock collar on the lowest setting to show the owner the shock sensation. Do not be fooled, a shock collar works if it hurts.
E-Collar
Many shock collar supporters use euphemisms for shock collars to soften their image. They call them e-collars, training collars, e-touch, stimulation, tingle, etc. They do this to avoid the fact that shock collars shock.
Ideal training
The ideal training methods prevent unwanted behaviors before they ever occur. Trainers read their dogs’ subtle body language signals to avoid stress which may lead to aggression or fear. Ideally a trainer never sees the unwanted behaviors in the first place. They play with their dogs instead of forcing behaviors, thus deepening their bond with their dogs. They act instead of react and their dogs love them for it. Most widely recognized associations in the world forbid the use of shock collars. A well informed trainer should not need to use shock. Sports, tricks, and training are supposed to be enjoyable and reinforcing for canines and humans on their own merit without the use of force. Let’s make training and competition fun, and shock free.
Recommended reading:
Articles
Pat Miller, Whole Dog Journal, February 2006 Shock or Awe
Pat Miller, Simply Shocking is WDJ 2/03
Books
Coercion and Its Fallout, Murray Sidman
Canine Aggression Workbook, James O’Heare
Control Unleashed, Leslie McDevitt
Scientific Articles
Polsky R. “Can Aggression in Dogs Be Elicited Through the Use of Electronic Pet Containment Systems?” Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science, 3(4): 345–357, January 2000. An abstract is available free online at www.Informaworld.com. The full article is also available for purchase.
Hiby, E.F.; Rooney, N.J.; Bradshaw, J.W.S. “Dog training methods: their use, effectiveness and interaction with behaviour and welfare.” Animal Welfare, Volume 13, Number 1, pp. 63-69(7) February 2004.
Schalke E, Stichnoth J, Ott S and Jones-Baade R. “Clinical signs caused by the use of electric training collars on dogs in everyday life situations.” Applied Animal Behavior Science, 105(4): 369–380, July 2007.
Websites
www.TrulyDogFriendly.com
www.PeaceablePaws.com
www.AskDrYin.com

I think she put into an article exactly what everyone on Dogsey (except those "trainers" who use shock collars") was thinking and trying to put into words. Very good article actually!

Oh come on Adam - do you really believe that?

Not getting the treats?? Did you miss the part about setting up for success/breaking exercises down so that they are easily achievable??

There's certainly some attempts at 'kidding' going on, Adam, but I think you need to look a little closer to home to determine who's self-delusional

and, presumably, using your logic, this would be highly stressful too

Stress triggers an imbalance of homeostasis. Appetite is one of the first systems to close down so as to conserve and divert energy. Hence the reason why those in a permanent state of stress lose weight

Yep it all creates some stress, you can't deliever a constant stream of treats and if you could you would have rewarded all behaviours! The delays and absence will create stress. Deprivation increases motivation. Waiting until a dog is hungry to do some training (not desperatly though) will ensure a higher level of try in the dog. Same as only using a special toy.

I'm not saying anythings wrong with that! Just that it happens.

Adam