Dog trainers oppose shock collar ban

The Kennel Club has urged the Scottish Government to ban electric shock collars, citing “clear scientific evidence” of their ineffectiveness and “wide-ranging evidence” of their detrimental effect on dog welfare. The Government previously committed to public consultation but hasn’t set a date.

KC’s Holly Conway said: “We are deeply disappointed that no meaningful steps have yet been taken. Shock collars are outdated and ineffective. Even though they are touted as a solution to prevent livestock worrying incidents, in reality this is highly unlikely to be the case.”

Trainers not convinced

That opinion doesn’t appear to be shared among Scottish dog trainers, with Charlie Thorburn of Mordor Gundogs calling the KC’s research “flawed, woke bull****”.

He told Shooting Times: “The Kennel Club needs to focus more on the breeding of dogs that can’t even breathe or mate properly and they should leave dog training to dog trainers.”

Mr Thorburn described a flatcoat retriever that had killed six sheep on a west coast island: “The owner was in her seventies – 50-something kilos – and the dog was 40-something kilos. There’s no way she was ever going to control that dog without serious help and a collar.”

Even after months of obedience training, the dog remained dangerous. “As soon as it saw those sheep the red mist came in,” Mr Thorburn explained.

“I can guarantee you I’ve saved dogs’ lives by using a shock collar. Because if I hadn’t, they’d have been killed on the road or shot by a farmer.”

However, Mr Thorburn stressed supervised use only: “Do I think every Tom, Dick and Harry should be able to buy a shock collar because their dog isn’t behaving? No. They need to be used under supervision of someone who really understands dog training, psychology and what the problem is.”

No to a ban, yes to regulation

Emma Mather of Foxhope Gundogs agrees with Mr Thorburn: “I’m a huge advocate of how important this tool is to trainers who get the dogs that many say are untrainable. To see it banned would be a huge blow to many owners including those who have rescued or rehabilitated dogs.”

She advocates regulation over prohibition: “Rather than ban a shock collar they should only be sold to owners who have passed a course. Stop banning the tools and start regulating who can own dogs. Those who see it as a quick fix instead of training are those who should be banned.”

Electric shock collars remain legal in Scotland, England and Northern Ireland. They have been banned in Wales since 2010.

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