Kennel Club re-ignites debate in Welsh Assembly

Representatives from the Kennel Club met with members of the Welsh Assembly last week, as part of an ongoing campaign to ban the use of electric shock training devices in Wales.

The National Assembly for Wales has already issued a consultation regarding a proposed ban which closed in February.  The Kennel Club has had an excellent response from Assembly Members (AMs) across the political spectrum on the issue, and is now hoping to step up political pressure again to ensure that this important welfare issue remains high on the Ministers’ agenda.

The Kennel Club met with representatives including Trish Law AM, Andrew RT Davies AM, Brynle Williams AM and Angela Burns AM, who were all in agreement that the campaign should remain a priority for companion animal welfare in Wales.

Shadow Minister for Finance, Angela Burns AM (Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire), pledged her support for a ban: “I am horrified that these devices are being sold and used in Wales. As a dog owner myself, I consider them to be a lazy training tool which will not teach the dog involved to truly obey and respect the commands of its owner.  I have absolutely no hesitation in supporting the case for a ban.” 

Trish Law AM (Blaenau Gwent) said “As an Assembly Member who responded to the consultation, an animal lover, and owner of three dogs who is completely opposed to these barbaric devices, I will be urging the Minister to publish the results and to make an announcement as soon as possible.”

Shadow Minister for Rural Affairs, Brynle Williams AM (North Wales), said: “I first met with the Kennel Club to discuss this issue 18 months ago and during this time I have heard countless cases of dogs who have been injured because of these so-called training devices.  The Assembly cannot allow this to continue.”

Shadow Minister for Transport, Andrew RT Davies AM (South Wales Central), echoed these comments: “I have been a supporter of this campaign for almost a year now, and I am deeply concerned that the longer it takes for a decision to be made, the greater the opportunity there will be for more and more products to find their way onto the market, as we are already beginning to see.  I will be writing to the Minister to highlight this and to reaffirm my support for a ban.”

The Kennel Club has long been campaigning for the use of electric shock collars to be completely banned across the UK.  Electric shock collars train a dog to respond out of fear of further punishment, having received a shock when it does not perform what is asked of it, rather than from a natural willingness to obey. 

In order for the collar to serve effectively as a training tool, the dog has to perceive the shock as painful - moreover if the dog does not respond then the punishment has to escalate, creating further potential for abuse. 

Caroline Kisko, Kennel Club spokesperson said: “The Kennel Club is delighted that so many AMs remain committed to helping us take forward this campaign.  The issue always evokes strong reactions and we are extremely encouraged that AMs from all political parties remain as committed as we are to seeing a complete ban in Wales.  We will continue to lobby the Minister and to raise the issue in the Assembly over the coming months.”

Notes to editors

Attached picture (from left) Holly Lee, Laura Vallance, Andrew Davies

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 or enters a pre-defined perimeter shock zone.

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.

ENDS

29^th April 2008

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For further press information, images or interview requests please contact:

The Kennel Club Press Office

020 7518 1008

press.office@thekennelclub.org.uk

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