Scottish Officials Ban Use of Electric Shock Collars on Dogs

Lori Ennis
by Lori Ennis
The Scottish government has banned the use of electric shock collars on dogs, despite a prior ruling last November that allowed them.


The Scottish government has confirmed that they will ban the use of electric shock collars on dogs, even though in November of last year, they said they would allow their use as training devices.


Roseanna Cunningham is the Environment Secretary and she said that they’ve listened to the concerns from animal welfare charities that say the collars cause unnecessary suffering for the animals.


Related: Calling All Canadians: Sign The Petition To Ban Electric Shock Collars


Members of the Scottish Parliament campaigned for the moves, in collaboration with animal charities like the Kennel Club, Dogs Trust and the Scottish SPCA.


Ms. Cunningham said that she listened to the concerns many had about the collars, most particularly that there are several cheaply made collars available on the internet that could be inappropriately used to painfully shock animals. Because so many of the collars are unregulated and easily accessible on the Internet, she believes the ban of their use in Scotland will best protect animals.


Saying that causing pain to dogs using poor training methods is just unacceptable, she said Scotland will not tolerate any painful or unpleasant happenings to the dog. She also said that in the coming months, the ban will be introduced under the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act of 2006. It will dictate that causing unnecessary suffering with ‘inappropriate training methods’ is an offense under the Act.


Related: 7 Gifts for People Who Love Dog Training


In November, the government said it would tighten regulations regarding using the electronic dog collars, but that under supervision, they’d be allowed. Ms. Cunningham says that this is no longer the case, however, and that even in a controlled and ‘responsible’ way as previously discussed in November, they’d not be allowed. This follows suit with a ban in Wales, though the collars are still allowed in England.

Lori Ennis
Lori Ennis

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