Thanks to Mrs Doreen Lancaster for this photo of her Westie puppy, Olivia.

The Welsh Assembly has banned electric shock collars, do you think the rest of the UK should follow this lead or do you think these collars have a place in the training of dogs?

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There are 3 Member comments associated with this week’s Hot Topic. Here are the three latest:

3

Have you ever felt the jolt from such an electric charge? If you had then there is no reason on earth to justify putting such a contraption around a dogs neck. If a dog is that badly out of control then it should not be allowed to run loose. No they shouldn't be tied up or starved or beaten but at least by banning these instruments of torture then the Welsh AM's have made a start on improving the lives of dogs.

Posted at 13:33 on 04 Jul 2008 by
CarolM | Report as inappropriate

2

Shock collars can be very effective and I have seen one used to stop a dog chasing tractors - something that would easily killed or seriously injured him. People daily abuse dogs with check chains to a far greater extent but no one is stopping them. I think like many things there is a time and a place for the shock collar, but it is not suitable for Joe Public to use without training.

Posted at 18:33 on 03 Jul 2008 by
beepy | Report as inappropriate

1

Personally I would not use an electric shock collar on my dog but I don't think the Welsh Assembly should have banned them. There are plenty of owners, breeders and trainers who use them responsibly and to good effect. Once again it is not the fault of the collars but people who abuse them and use them in the wrong way. If collars are banned in the UK then why not ban keeping dogs outside or using dogs to work? There are plenty of animals in terrible conditions who are ignored but instead the Kennel Club seems to focus on issues such as a collar.

Posted at 12:02 on 03 Jul 2008 by
monk | Report as inappropriate