Collars that give electric shocks to dogs to be outlawed

ELECTRONIC dog collars that shock animals into obedience are to be banned under proposals unveiled by Michael Gove.

The Environment Secretary announced that the Government will introduce new legislation to outlaw cruel training collars, which are used on dogs and cats.

The remote-controlled collars use an electric shock that can vary in strength, or a noxious chemical, in order to modify a pet’s behaviour.

However, there are widespread concerns about the use of the so-called e-collars because they can be misused to inflict unnecessary suffering.

Animal rights campaigners cite evidence that the collars can cause pets to

‘We are a nation of animal lovers and the use of punitive shock collars causes harm and suffering’

develop anxiety problems, which can result in challenging behaviour and cause health problems to worsen.

Mr Gove, who has made animal welfare and protecting the environment key planks of the Government’s domestic agenda, said the ban would help protect animals, as he urged pet owners to adopt less harmful training techniques.

“We are a nation of animal lovers and the use of punitive shock collars causes harm and suffering to our pets,” he said. “This ban will improve the welfare of animals and I urge pet owners to instead use positive reward training methods.”

The Government conducted a public consultation on the issue and the results prompted ministers to water down their initial proposals.

As a result the ban will not be extended to include invisible fencing systems, which are used to keep animals, particularly cats, away from roads and from escaping the home environment.

Approximately 50 per cent of the 7,000 respondents to the consultation said they did not want the containment fences to be banned.

The use of e-collars has already been banned in Wales and earlier this year Scotland began a move towards stopping dog owners from using them. However, it is only the UK Government that can ban their sale.