In a ‘historic moment for animal welfare’ The Kennel Club has welcomed news that the Government has laid legislation which will completely ban the use of remote controlled electric shock collars in England, as of 1 February 2024, following a ten year campaign to #BanShockCollars.
Electric shock collars deliver an electric shock to a dog’s neck via a remote control, up to a radius of two miles – meaning a dog not within sight of its owner could still be shocked – and for up to 11 seconds at a time. With five per cent of dog owners reportedly using electric shock collars, a complete ban on their use across the UK should mean half a million dogs will be saved from being trained by these highly aversive devices.
The announcement from Westminster comes thirteen years after these cruel and outdated devices were banned in Wales, under The Animal Welfare (Electronic Collars) (Wales) Regulations and they have also recently been banned in France, as of January 2023. Following a cross-welfare organisation event in Westminster in November 2022, co-hosted by The Kennel Club, the organisation also continues to ramp up its campaign to see regulations introduced in Scotland – last month hosting a drop-in session for MSPs with MSP Christine Graham and the Scottish SPCA – after the Scottish Government’s guidance, condemning the use of shock collars in 2018, has been shown to be ineffective.
There is wide-ranging evidence demonstrating the detrimental effect that these can have on the welfare of dogs. In 2019, a study carried out by the University of Lincoln showed that electric shock collars compromised dog’s well-being, even when used by ‘professional’ e-collar trainers, and were no more effective in training than positive reinforcement methods.
Mark Beazley, Chief Executive of The Kennel Club said: “The legislation banning electric shock collars in England, which comes into force next year, is a historic moment for animal welfare and will put an end to the misery and suffering of countless dogs who are still subject to these cruel and unnecessary devices. There is simply no excuse for using these devices, which cause physical and psychological harm, especially given the vast array of positive training methods available.
“This is the culmination of over a decade of campaigning for us and we applaud Defra for helping to safeguard the welfare of our nation’s much-loved dogs. More action is urgently needed in Scotland, where regulations are needed to replace the ineffective guidance currently in place, and we will not rest until we see the complete ban on these devices that cause suffering and harm.”
Battersea has welcomed the publication of new Regulations to ban the use of remote-controlled electric shock collars on dogs in England.
Michael Webb, Head of Policy and Public Affairs at Battersea said: “We are delighted to see Regulations to bring about this long-overdue ban, bringing England at last in line with Wales.
“At Battersea, we’ve spent years calling for these training devices to be prohibited, which are widely considered by animal behaviour experts to be both cruel and ineffective. Not only will this move make a huge difference to the welfare of dogs up and down the country, it also brings us one big step closer to our longer-term goal of stamping out the use of harmful training methods on animals once and for all.”
Dog welfare charity Dogs Trust has also welcomed the announcement as a step in the right direction for dog welfare. While Dogs Trust welcomes Defra’s ban on Electric Shock Collars, the charity, which cares for around 14,000 dogs each year using reward-based training methods, had hoped to see the proposed regulation go even further to include a ban on the sale and distribution of electric shock collars, and the use of electric shock containment systems and other aversive training devices.
Dr Rachel Casey, PhD FRCVS, RCVS Specialist in Veterinary Behavioural Medicine and Director of Canine Behaviour & Research at Dogs Trust, says: “We welcome today’s announcement from Defra that hand-held electric shock collars are to be banned in England. It is both unnecessary and cruel to use these collars on dogs.
“Research has shown that electric shock collars negatively impact dog welfare and instead of improving behaviour, risk causing further behaviour problems. Worse still, they can be a mechanism for abuse if used in anger. We care for over 14,000 dogs every year, many of whom work with our team of qualified behaviourists, and we know that positive reward-based methods are as effective without causing harm to dogs.
“I will never forget coming across a little terrier when out on a walk, with no owner in sight. He was crouched down, shaking and screaming repeatedly as his e-collar was activated again and again.
“We ask Defra to look again at banning the sale of electric dog collars and banning other aversive training devices such as electric shock containment systems. There is no place or need for these cruel devices in modern dog training.”
