Decade-long effort leads to banning of remote-controlled electric dog collars

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The Pet Professional Guild (PPG) extends it congratulations to The Kennel Club, based in the United Kingdom, on its successful campaign to ban the use of remote-controlled electric collars on dogs in England.

"no dog shock collar" graphic

The ban represents the culmination of a decade-long effort by The Kennel Club.

In an April 28 announcement on The Kennel Club website, Chief Executive Mark Beazley stated, “The legislation banning electric shock collars in England, which comes into force next year, is a historic moment for animal welfare and will put an end to the misery and suffering of countless dogs who are still subject to these cruel and unnecessary devices. There is simply no excuse for using these devices, which cause physical and psychological harm, especially given the vast array of positive training methods available.”

According to the press release announcing the ban, Nathan Watson of PPG’s British Isles Chapter said: “The news that shock collars are to finally be banned in England, quite honestly, is a huge relief. In the past year or so, I have seen them being used increasingly frequently by trainers on social media, and also local dog owners as they follow the social media shock-collar marketing. There are even local trainers now using them, which further fuels the problem. I firmly believe there is no place for the use of pain or fear in dog training.”

“Let’s hope other nations follow suit!” added Watson.

In 2017, PPG launched its own global advocacy campaign, the Shock-Free Coalition, to end the practice of using electric shock to train, manage, and care for pets. The Shock-Free Coalition hosts a Shock-Free Pledge on its website (www.shockfree.org) for supporters to sign, as well as a variety of educational tools and resources to help pet professionals promote the movement and encourage participation across their communities.


Although electric shock collars have been banned in some places, including Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, New South Wales, Norway, Quebec, Scotland, Slovenia, South Australia, Sweden, Switzerland, Wales, and now England, it is still legal in many others, including the United States.

For a related article, visit: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/fellow-creatures/202304/england-moves-to-ban-electric-shock-collars-for-dogs

Source: https://www.prlog.org/12963102-pet-professional-guild-congratulates-the-kennel-club-on-shock-collar-ban-in-england.html

2 comments

  1. Years ago we had those for our dogs, we didn’t know there were bad. Our dogs got to enjoy a large yard space though. We sure wouldn’t use them again.

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