Tel: 01934 516714
Web: www.animalsinmind.org.uk
Email: andrew@animalsinmind.org.uk
Registered Charity No 1063919

Calling for a ban on the sale and use of shock devices

Abstract
Since October 2001, Animals in Mind has been campaigning against the sale and use of electric shock collars in the UK.
During consultation for the proposed animal welfare bill, we requested that a ban on shock collars be included.
In July 2004, the draft bill was released. However, it did not contain any specific ban on the sale or use of shock devices.
We have submitted written evidence to the Government committee examining the bill, again asking for a ban on their sale and use.
On 8th September 2004 we have been invited to give oral evidence to this committee in support of a ban.
There are several other initiatives against shock collars, including MP David Rendel, who has tabled two requests for the government to introduce a ban in 2001 and again in 2003.
Tim Yeo MP has entered an Early Day Motion calling on the Government to make provision for a ban on the sale and use of shock collars in the Animal Welfare Bill. To date this motion has the support of 34 MPs.
The existence of better, positive methods and the huge potential for cruelty, abuse and misuse, acknowledged by manufacturers and advocates, leads us to conclude that the Government needs to ban the sale and use of shock devices.

Introduction
Andrew Constant, Animals in Mind
In the last ten years, we have learnt staggering amounts about animal behaviour. There are thousands of web sites, articles, scientific reports and books showing us how we can live with and treat our animals, humanely and fairly.
Advocates mainly agree that general use of shock collars is wrong, but often say that in occasional extremes, they may be warranted. On balance, we cannot agree with this. We should put our efforts into promoting positive methods, which, when universally adopted will negate the need for shock collars.
In any situation where there is change, there will always be those who argue for no change, and firmly believe that the status quo should be maintained. Thirty years ago there would have been many teachers giving impassioned reasons why they couldn’t teach without the aid of a cane or substantial 2 foot ruler.
Further back in history, there were people saying that it was in a child’s best interest to work in mines or that women didn’t need to vote when they had men to decide for them.
The current situation with shock collars is very similar. They are outdated, outmoded and have been replaced by more compassionate and informed methods, this needs to be demonstrated and emphasised in law.
There are thousands of ways that owners can learn how to understand and teach their pets, with love, understanding and compassion. We don’t need to use aversive methods. Quite simply, we do know better.
Almost every village, town and city has dog clubs offering reward based training. Ten years ago dog schools instructed owners to bring a choke chain and a loud voice. Today they are asked to bring a selection of tasty treats, squeaky toys and lots of praise.
Advocates often suggest that shocks do not cause pain. In March this year, a detailed observational study concluded that being shocked is a painful experience. For anyone who knows and understands animals, that comes a no surprise. The increased aggression, avoidance behaviour, whimpers, whines and squeals of the dogs in the study, finally gives us irrefutable proof that shocking a dog is cruel and that they do find it painful.
Advertisements for shock collars are great at suggesting that the devices are the only way to train an animal. They even advertise shocks to stop puppies from barking. Despite the claims that shock collars don’t cause pain, the same advert describes the device being capable of ‘a serious attention getting jolt’. Is this really how we want to treat our animals and encourage our children to behave towards their pets?
Our work with behaviour problems has put us in contact with many dogs that have been abused by trainers. A traumatised dog may show no outward signs of a problem until something reminds them of their traumatic event. Just like people with Post Traumatic stress, their defence mechanism is triggered and they use what most people would understand as a ‘fight or flight’ response. Once again, leaving the animal confused, traumatised and potentially aggressive.
With positive reward, trauma problems do not exist. Imagine trying to over-praise a dog for responding as asked. You may get over-excited, your dog may think that you are slightly mad, but the only traumatic experience is going to be yours, when you look up and realise that half the park are watching you going overboard with praise.
Plainly and simply, shock collars are a tool used by the ignorant and sold to the vulnerable and uninformed, with the potential to dispense oppression, punishment and torture. This isn’t just our opinion, but that of many MPs, almost every behaviourist and welfare organisation in the country, including the Blue Cross, Dogs Trust, Kennel Club and RSPCA.
Anyone with a genuine empathy, understanding and contemporary knowledge of positive dog behaviour methods, finds the very idea of shock devices redundant, not to mention sickening and abhorrent.
Mahatma Ghandi said, that for peaceful ideas to prevail there are four basic stages. He said “First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win”. Well, over the last ten years those of us against shock collars have been ignored, then we were laughed at, now we are being fought, the next stage is that we (or should I say the animals), win.

Summary of support for a ban
· Shock collars are outdated, outmoded and unnecessary. Advocates are old school
· A recent scientific study concluded that ‘receiving shocks is a painful experience for dogs’
· Their use is an abuse of our stewardship and responsibility for animals in our care
· Advocates will state that in some cases, it is the only way, but there are alternatives.
· Several of the larger welfare organisations who had reservations, now support a total ban
· Police dog Acer Died, Prompting a review of training procedures. The Police and prison service have banned collars in favour of animal welfare
· Using positive reward, San Francisco SPCA reduced serious behaviour problems by 12%
· American Humane society cites symptom substitution as a reason not to use bark collars
· In the USA where sales have been greatest, their use and support is declining
· Juneau County, USA, 2003, parents use shock collar to punish a child, it was called torture
· Thousands of books exist on positive reward based training, shock devices are not needed
· Virtually everyone has access to a trainer that teaches positive, reward based methods
· Thousands of books, articles and publications that advocate and describe positive methods
· Not used where dogs have to use initiative, as they would be counter-productive
· There are no limits on their use or abuse, positive methods cannot be abused
· Dogs have learnt to drain the battery on a collar, then they can pass the ‘invisible fence’
· Dogs have learnt to run at a perimeter fence wire to reduce duration of the shock
· Perimeter fences do not prevent stray animals crossing onto territory
· There are many cases of perimeter fences failing or malfunctioning
· Just another punitive device that go together with prong collars and beatings
· Would be universally condemned if the same procedure used kicking or beating
· Even advertisements and advocates warn of the potential for misuse or abuse
· Manufacturers state, never use for aggression or biting problems, they often are
· An advert for use on a puppy states that the collar gives a ‘serious attention getting jolt’
· An ad claims ‘Your puppy will never fear you for the correction received’ which contradicts a published study on the effects of shock collars
· Manufacturers target people that are stressed and seeking any solution to a problem
· Advocates suggest reward based training before using a collar to reinforce commands, this makes no sense – if a dog is trained why does that need reinforcing?
· Collars worn for extended periods cause pressure necrosis – very similar to bed sores
· At least one photo documented case shows horrific injuries caused by a fence system

Quotes
David Rendel MP
The fact of the matter is that electric shock equipment is used mainly by those who simply cannot be bothered, or do not have the patience, to train a dog properly with the use of rewards, and are prepared to inflict pain in the hope that it will prove a short cut to good behaviour. Let me make it clear that I have no doubt that the equipment can be at least superficially effective. There is, however, considerable evidence that the electric shock collars, even when used as intended, can have unfortunate side effects.
The Kennel Club
The collar trains the dog to respond out of fear of further punishment - having received a 'static shock' when it does not perform what is asked of it - rather than from a natural willingness to obey. This is not the type of training method that the Kennel Club would endorse. Unwanted behaviour in dogs is best discouraged by positive training methods.
Furthermore, an angry or inferior trainer or even novice owner could misuse a collar to abuse and punish
Beverley Cuddy – Editor, Dogs Today magazine
Despite considerable pressure from companies wanting to advertise these products we resisted. When we ran a story by an American writer about the problems that could result from using electric collar and the invisible fences we extended our ban to include these products too and received a huge mail bag in support of this action and our stance on electric collars generally.
Association of Pet Behaviour Consultants
A dog experiencing an unpleasant shock to the neck 'out of the blue' will associate the sensation with whatever the dog happens to be focusing on at the time. Used incorrectly, this could be an area, object, another dog, the owner or even a child. Unwanted side effects could easily occur when the dog being shocked becomes afraid of being in that area, or it could become afraid of, and as a result, potentially aggressive towards owners, children, other dogs or strangers.
Gwen Bailey BSc(Hons) Behaviourist
To use electric shock collars effectively and humanely you need a very high degree of understanding of how animals learn, what motivates them, what learning experiences they have had already, and how they are likely to react to the new experiences. This requires a level of empathy and understanding that only comes with great knowledge and experience and if you have this, you will also know how to use kinder, more positive ways with fewer side effects to do the same job thereby rendering electric collars redundant.
Dr Ian Dunbar, PhD, BVetMed, MRCVS
Using choke, prong or shock collars are ugly face tactics.

Further reading and other references
This is just a small selection of the books available that can ensure that we understand and can get the best behaviour from our pets, without any force, coercion or punishment.
· Don’t shoot the dog – Karen Pryor
· Reinforcement training for dogs – John Fisher
· Ain’t Misbehavin’ – David Appleby
· Before you get your puppy – Ian Dunbar
· Dominance, fact or fiction – Barry Eaton
· The Dog Listener – Jan Fennell
· Excel-Erated learning – Pamela Reid
· The Culture Clash – Jean Donaldson
· Coercion and it’s fallout – Murray Sidman

Dogs punished with shocks and spikes
BBC News, Thursday 29th October 1998
A witness to police dogs being punished with shocks and spikes said: “I have seen a dog react to an electric collar by jumping off the ground with all four legs, looking round to see where the pain had come from, then lying down on the floor and yelping”.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/204137.stm

Collars ‘turned dogs into killers’
this is Brighton & Hove, Thursday 25th October 2001
‘But the first time the dogs got a shock was by mistake, after a small dog they were walking past made Miss Langridge jump. From then on her pets associated the shocks with small dogs and became afraid of them’.
http://www.thisisbrightonandhove.co.uk/brighton__hove/archive/2001/10/25/NEWS321ZM.html

Training dogs with the help of the shock collar
Applied Animal Behaviour Science Journal 25th March 2004
‘receiving shocks is a painful experience to dogs, and that the S-dogs evidently have learned that the presence of their owner (or his commands) announces reception of shocks, even outside of the normal training context’.
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_aset=B-WA-A-B-WU-MsSAYVA-UUA-AUEDACUCVU-AUEVDBABVU-ZUCVZVCEC-WU-U&_rdoc=4&_fmt=summary&_udi=B6T48-4B668HX-2&_coverDate=03%2F25%2F2004&_cdi=4968&_orig=search&_st=13&_sort=d&view=c&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=3e9c4354221f8a79899cf2d017e3c72d

Article by the owners, about their dog Rufus
‘It was then he became sickened with the grizzly scene. Perhaps Rufus was protecting the boy from being shocked - because it appeared that Rufus had been tortured for many hours’.
http://www.itsfortheanimals.com/RUFUS.HTM