Blue Cross urges Westminster to move to ban electric shock collars

Blue Cross is pleased to see Westminster follow in the footsteps of Scotland and Wales and moving to ban the use of electric shock collars. 

Speaking during a Westminster Hall debate today on this issue, we were pleased to hear the Minister confirm the Government are also inviting views on the restrictions on the sale and distribution of these cruel and unnecessary devices. We believe that a ban on the sale and distribution of electric shock collars is essential as without it a complete ban on their use will be extremely difficult to enforce.

We wrote to Michael Gove following the announcement of the ban in Scotland calling for Defra to follow suit and we are happy to see they have listened to us and other welfare organisations who have long campaigned for the use of these outdated devices to be outlawed.

Such devices impact negatively on animal welfare and have no place in 21st century dog or cat training. Blue Cross strongly believes that the only effective way to train a dog or cat is through positive reinforcement. 

There is no evidence that shock devices deliver better and more effective results than using positive methods for training. Further, we know causing pain to a dog or cat has a detrimental effect on the relationship between owner and pet and can cause problems such as anxiety-related issues. We believe all adverse training methods compromise welfare and are therefore in contravention of the Animal Welfare Act.