No wonder they have a bad rep if they are called "shocking collars". An "electric collar" can be a usefull tool IF used by someone with some knowledge, if used by someone with crap timing and no knowledge of behaviour they can be terrible. They can be used dependent on the dogs temperament and the nature of the problem, far too may people use them as a quick fix with no thouyght as they can't be arsed to solve the problem another way.
Tallyho, the dog should wear the collar off and on for a significant period of time so it doesn't associate the correction with the collar.