Is it a total ban on collars for use in training? The UK government has announced a ban on ecollars in England, but does this go far enough?
What is banned?
The ban is an amendment to the Animal Welfare Act 2006, and prohibits the use of certain electronic training collars for dogs and cats in England.
This applies to collars that deliver an electric shock when activated using a remote control.
This does not apply to…
- Anti-Bark Collars
- Collars that emit a noise, vibrate, or spray a liquid.
- Collars that deliver an electric shock if the dog or cat leaves a predefined area, i.e. invisible fence systems.
- Dogs being used for defence purposes by the Ministry of Defence.
It will become an offence to attach an electronic collar to a cat or dog in England or to cause an electronic collar to a cat or dog in England. In short, you can’t put a shock collar on a dog or cat, or get anyone else to attach the collar to a dog or cat in England.
If you are responsible for a cat or dog wearing an electronic collar it will be an offence to be in control of the remote that would deliver the shock.
It is not illegal to import or sell these collars.
Why Ban Ecollars?
Can we start by not pretending that an ecollar, or any device designed to give an electric shock, isn’t designed to cause pain, or at the least discomfort? Next can we not play whataboutism? What about choke chains, half-check collars, head collars, invisible fences and more, some of those are also aversives, and need campaigning against, others are more complicated and yes need a wider discussion, but that’s not the topic today.
DEFRA studies showed that harm and suffering can be caused by ecollars, that many owners don’t even read the manual before fitting the collar, and there is evidence that the use of this sort of aversive can lead to other, often worse issues.
It’s not just the DEFRA-funded study, many studies have shown that there are issues, that for the average pet owner are far and above what is acceptable for training their dog. The argument that many dogs will suffer without them is rooted in the argument that their dog can not be trained by any other means.
When does the law change?
The amendment will come into effect on the 1st of February 2024. This means you have plenty of time to reach out to trainers that use none aversive methods.
