Electric shock collars are used on dogs by some people to give an electric shock when the dog is deemed to be behaving incorrectly. This has been known to cause pain and confusion for the dog, affecting it physically and mentally.

The Kennel Club is campaigning for a complete ban on their sale and use in the UK, and has met the Minister responsible at the Welsh Assembly, Elin Jones, and other Assembly members, to try to persuade them to introduce this.

Encouragingly, the Welsh Assembly has since issued a consultation on banning the use of electric shock training devices, including collars, mats and leads. The consultation opens on 15^th November and closes on 8^th February.

The Welsh Assembly needs to have the support of the people in Wales to bring about a ban of electric shock collars, mats and leads.

The Kennel Club therefore urges anyone living in Wales to write to their Assembly Member to encourage active support of the ban. For more information on consultation for a ban in Wales, visit the Welsh Assembly website.

Anyone in the rest of the UK who wants to support the Kennel Club’s call for a ban is encouraged to write to their local MP/MSP. The Kennel Club has produced a template letter, available by request, and on its website here.

Caroline Kisko, Kennel Club Secretary said, “There is strong political support for a ban from across the parties within the UK and we welcome Elin Jones’s decision to issue a consultation. However, more AMs and MPs are needed to back the campaign and to keep up the momentum, until a ban is brought into place across the UK.”

Pain and fear are not humane methods by which to train a dog. There are many effective positive training methods which are reward based, such as recall training, clicker training and retractable leads. These methods train dogs quickly, easily and reliably, with absolutely no fear, pain, or damage to the relationship between the owner and the dog. There is no justification for electric shock training devices.

First hand accounts prove the psychological and physical damage they cause, dog behaviourists and trainers denounce them, and scientific research proves that electric shock collars can provide intolerable pain when used.

For further information, including the template letter, and advice on the Kennel Club campaign to ban electric shock collars, contact the External Affairs department on 0844 463 3980 ext 301 / laura.vallance@thekennelclub.org.uk or visit www.thekennelclub.org.uk/item/279

More information on electric shock training devices:

• Electric shock collars - worn around a dog’s neck, these work either via a remote control with various settings which, when activated, deliver an electric shock to the neck of a dog or; deliver an electric shock to a dog automatically when a dog barks.
• Electric shock mats - there are two types of electric mats; one is known as a ‘wireless crate’ and emits electric shocks to the dog when it steps off the mat and the other is called a ‘scat mat’ and emits an electric shock to the dog when it steps on the mat.
• Electric shock leads - these emit electric shocks to a dog if it exerts more pressure on the lead than is considered ‘normal’ for its size.

First hand experience

Anjelica Steinker, of the Courteous Canine Dog School and Doggie Gym said; “A friend of mine rescued a Jack Russell Terrier after a professional dog trainer had used an electric shock collar to help house train her.

“When the terrier came to my friend she was very fearful of urinating and constantly checked herself, presumably for urine. It took several months to housetrain this dog because of all the fear that was caused by the shock collar”.

Pat Miller wrote for Whole-Dog-Journal.com; “Rufus was a typical adolescent Labrador Retriever; Rufus’s energy was a bit much for the younger children. A pet supply store (sold) a product that promised to solve problems with the push of a button. One rainy afternoon, a neighbour sent his son out to the pen to take Rufus for a walk. Rufus wouldn’t let the boy get near him. He said Rufus had this green colour round his neck under the training collar. I carefully removed the collar to find a huge gaping hole in Rufus’ neck, under one of the prongs”.

Dr Susan Benson of the Animal Medical Centre in Preston, Idaho who treated Rufus’ injuries claimed: “This was one of the worst electrical burns I have seen other than dogs who have had contact with high power lines.”

Scientific research

Independent scientific research confirms that the collars are both ‘painful and frightening’, and influence the dog’s well being negatively in the long term (Matthijs B.H. Schilder and Joanne A.M. van der Borg, was published in the Applied Animal Behaviour Science Journal)

Professional Trainers

The Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT), one of the UK’s largest professional pet dog training bodies, has also joined the campaign. According to the APDT there is no behaviour or training problem in dogs that is best dealt with by delivering an electric shock to a dog.

Establishments that have already banned electric shock collars, include the Association of Chief Police Officers, the armed forces, and the two largest German Shepherd Dog clubs in the country - they have imposed a voluntary ban on the use of electric shock collars to train their dogs.

Shock collars fail to address underlying behavioural problems and can give rise to more serious problems. Confusion over where the painful shock has come from means the dog is more likely to associate it with something in its immediate environment than with its behaviour at the time. This can make attacks on owners, other dogs and animals more likely if the dog believes that they are the source of the pain.

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