The Government are set to ban E-collars, the modern version of the Shock collar.
Having read the results of the governments’ consultation, a hugely confusing document to my tired eyes, it showed most participants were against the ban. (There’s a link at the bottom of this page)
Personally I have never used one, 2 pairs of glasses, a phone, notepad and pen, spare lead, poo bags, treats, whistle and soon to be a camera, I’ve no room for a remote control, id likely lose it just like the telly one…. But I can’t help but feel sad for those dogs that are benefiting from them.
So why is this? Surely anyone wanting to shock their dog shouldn’t own one.
Before I started working towards a behaviour role my understanding of these type of punishment collars was limited, I remember some people using them back in the 70s and it was pretty obvious they worked purely on pain. Dogs would be shut down and obeying their owners commands out of fear rather than understanding what the owner wanted. So when I started to broaden my knowledge and experience, particularly as I wanted to specialise in difficult to train dogs and behaviour problems, I started talking to owners that were knowledgeable about dog training but still used an Ecollar, why would you use one on a dog?
One such dog is the very handsome looking Doberman in the photo. When his new owner took him on he had already developed lots of general behaviour problems, but the most worrying was his high drive and poor recall. He meant no harm but his excitement would quickly get the better of him and that meant anything from knocking another dog or walker flying as he belted past or disappearing off in search of anything that got that drive going. This could have easily gotten him lost, shot or run over.
The owner worked hard on training, using reward based methods but for this dog the call of the wild was too rewarding already and eventually after lots of effort the dog had to be kept on a lead. To a young Doberman who needs lots of exercise and stimulation, never getting to run is a big deal and that boundless energy started to come out in other behaviours the owner was trying to get on top of. So the decision was taken to use an Ecollar.
The modern ecollar can simply vibrate, make a sound response or deliver sensations from a mild tingle right the way up to the sort of unpleasant sensation you get from a static shock you might get off a lift or car door. At the bottom there’s a link to a morning TV show where the presenters try one out. They can go up quite high, as Phil Scofield shows, but the owners and trainers that use them use them at the level that works with a certain dog, often using enough just to break a dogs focus so it can be recalled for a reward. Anything over that is going to be counterproductive.
It’s worth talking about drives here, for some dogs it’s like a switch is activated, they pick up the scent of deer or see movement and with no warning to the owner they are off, not only have they completely gone deaf to the owners cries ( who could forget FENTON!) but they are utterly trans fixed on the target. Some are so good at this it’s impossible to distract them, look at greyhounds racing around a track, oblivious to the noise, the screams of the punters bright lights… it’s not as if it’s a real rabbit either, it doesn’t matter it looks furry and it moves. In fact any working dog that gets distracted by treats is not going to be as focused on the job as one that doesn’t. Bloodhounds are bred to enjoy and be exceptional at tracking, German shepherds are bred to tell burglars off so with these breeds a treat or toy is nothing on the reward of doing what comes naturally. It’s not just the known working breeds, I’ve met lots of pet Cockerpoos with a very determined hunting/foraging drives. It seems to be unique to each dog.
So the collar can be adjusted to the level of drive the dog experiences. And in the case of our happy bouncy Doberman and his friends the level certainly hasn’t shut the dog down, but it has allowed him to enjoy the environment burn off energy and get lots of stimulation from his daily runs.
In the case I’ve outlined above the Ecollar has given freedom to this dog when other methods had failed, it’s given an outlet to the dog which has made him easier to train, and therefore maximised the joy and fun that owning a dog is all about. Where Ecollars are used like this I cannot support any ban, I don’t have the heart to tell this beautiful happy dog to go on the lead and stop having fun. Taking away a huge part of a dog’s world like that in my mind is cruel, and in this case certainly unnecessary.
The Doberman is a real dog, which will get up tomorrow and want his walk and run, not a dog in a science study being observed in a controlled environment.
Which brings us up to the reasons why many think they should be banned?
The first argument is science says that every issue and every dog can be solved by using reward based methods. So there’s no need to use Ecollars or anything else. In truth this isn’t what science says. Every study out there gets varied results when applied to the real world, and most of them do in the lab too. Look at our Doberman for example. Rewards didn’t work for him.
So the argument then becomes if rewards don’t work then managing the dog is the answer. Well I think our Doberman would disagree if the collar isn’t shutting him down or making him frightened then putting him on a lead instead is punitive and pointless.
The last argument is that people could still use them wrong and torture dogs. So now it’s because people are stupid that our Doberman suffers? That’s the poorest argument of the lot. This dog’s owner clearly knows what they’re doing. But the rest that might not? Well, the only way to combat that is through both training and education or in the case of someone who gets a kick out of hurting dogs is taking the dog away from them, and then doing something unspeakable to them. They aren’t going to wake up in love with their dog because you’ve taken the collar away. They’ll probably go back to kicking it.
Any tool, leads, flat collars, head halters, even harnesses can hurt dogs if used incorrectly, next time you’re at the vets ask them how many injuries they have seen from those items, ask them what the biggest issues are with dogs, you’ll hear obesity mentioned, aggression, separation anxiety, but I’d be very surprised if they were inundated with issues caused by Ecollars here in the UK.
Reward based training is a fantastic way to help modify behaviour or train a dog. Owners love it, I love it, the dogs love it. I’m glad in the UK it’s the go to method for dogs for the vast majority. But for that small amount of dogs that it’s not successful with, it’s wrong to limit their lives where, like our Doberman, Ecollars can give them a happier, safer life without causing harm.
Perhaps then if we accept that some dogs can benefit them, even a small percentage the dog should be able to wear one and have that freedom.
So I hope somehow the government will have another think and perhaps limit their strength, or regulate who can use them rather than an outright ban. We have lots of skilled, qualified people who work with dogs in the UK, theres enough expertise to guide owners and support them with training. The law is already in place through the 2006 animals act to prosecute individual owners who harm or are negligent towards their dogs.
So although this ban won’t affect me directly, I’m sad that we’ve ignored the dogs that benefit from them, and they might have to spend the rest of their lives attached to a lead. I would guess that many of the loud voices out there against them are people who have never used one or their particular dog would never need one.
I hope this post hasn’t rattled too many cages and perhaps opened a few minds.
Peace to you all, love life, love you and most of all love your dog!
I’ve linked the DEFRA consultation results and one of the TV shows showing these collars below for you to look at if you wish.
TV show.