It’s ‘A Dog’s Life’ - manifesto to ban electric pulse training collars in Scotland in the face of welfare concerns

May 2016 will bring the next Scottish parliamentary election, and ahead of this event, a canine-focussed manifesto has been launched.

Developed by the Kennel Club and Scottish Kennel Club, the manifesto calls for greater recognition of the KC Assured breeder scheme and highlights the need for a ban on electronic training devices. This aligns with the BVA and BVSA position calling for a complete ban on the sale and use of electric pulse training collars after the Scottish government consultation in 2016.

Electric shock collars have raised a number of welfare concerns and BVA is also calling for regulation of all aversive training devices, pending further research, in order to mitigate any potential welfare impacts.

Heather Bacon of the JMICAWE was involved in the consultation, as a member of the BVA’s Ethics and Welfare Group.

She said “There are a variety of aversive training aids in common use, from ‘choke’ chains through to electric pulse training collars. The evidence for the negative welfare impacts of electric pulse collars, and their inappropriate use, has led to the call for this ban. There is a significant body of literature in dogs, which shows that reward based training is more successful than punishment or aversive training.”