Following a decade-long campaign led by The Kennel Club[1], the UK’s largest dog welfare and training organisation, the UK government has officially banned the use of remote controlled electronic shock collars on dogs and cats, with the new legislation[2] due to come into effect on 1 February 2024.

Electric shock collars are controversial pet accessories often used as a training device to control or punish unwanted behavior in dogs. Such devices can deliver painful electric shocks to dogs’ necks via a hand-held control or an automatic trigger, for up to eleven seconds at a time and from up to a distance of two miles – meaning that a dog unable to see its owner can still receive the shock.[3]

Research has shown that the use of electric shock collars can have a serious detrimental impact on the welfare of dogs, including behavioural and physiological signs of distress. According to The Kennel Club, a 2019 study conducted by the University of Lincoln indicated that the use of electric shock collars even by “professional” e-collar trainers can compromise a dog’s well-being, and were found to be no more effective in training than positive reinforcement.[4]  

Dogs Trust, a leading dog welfare charity in the UK, has pointed out that the use of electronic shock collars can actually exacerbate behavioural problems rather than correct them, and may even become a “mechanism for abuse if used in anger”.[5]

The proposed ban was initially announced in 2018 by the UK Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, with the Secretary of State Michael Gove describing shock collars as “punitive” and “harm[ful]” to pets.[6]  In November 2022, a coalition of leading British animal welfare organisations – including, among others, The Kennel Club and Dogs Trust – came together and urged the government to fulfill its promise.[7] The draft legislation was finally laid before the UK Parliament on 27 April 2023.

The Kennel Club labelled the legislative ban as a “historic moment for animal welfare” that will finally put an end to the suffering of dogs who have been subject to such “cruel and unnecessary” devices. The organisation estimates that up to half a million dogs will benefit from the proposed regulation, with as many as 5% of dog owners reportedly using shock collars on a regular basis.[8]  

Whilst Dogs Trust welcomed the announcement, it also called for an extension of the ban to cover the sale and distribution of electric shock collars, as well as the use of other aversive training devices such as electric shock containment systems. [9]  

Electric shock collars have already been prohibited in Wales since 2010, along with all other electronic collars and containment fence systems. Many other countries including Germany, Finland, Denmark, Sweden, and most recently, France (see our previous article here), have also banned the use of electric collars.

Overseas Comparison

In Hong Kong, there are currently no laws regulating or prohibiting the sale and/or use of electric shock collars, which can easily be purchased from pet shops or on the Internet. In a report published by the Legislative Council (LegCo) in April 2020 on the outcome of a public consultation regarding proposed measures to enhance animal welfare, it was briefly mentioned that one animal welfare organisation suggested regulating the possession and use of electric shock collars and prong collars for training or controlling dogs.[10] Unfortunately, this concern remained unaddressed in a subsequent LegCo paper dated May 2022 concerning the government’s key proposals to amend the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Ordinance (Cap. 169)[11], and there have not been any further related developments since.

Other Asian jurisdictions similarly do not have any laws or regulations in place concerning the use and/or sale of shock collars, likely due to the lack of public awareness regarding their use and impact. In February 2021, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals launched a campaign with Forsman & Bodenfors to demonstrate the cruelty of electric shock collars used in dog training. The campaign, titled “Tough People vs Shock Collar”, is a film featuring strong athletes getting shocked by an electric shock collar, which aims to portray an “unfiltered and intimate look at the very real pain” a shock collar inflicts on animals.[12]

We hope that similar educational campaigns can be organised in Hong Kong to promote public awareness in this regard, which is the first step to pushing for legislative intervention. In the meantime, we encourage all pet owners and trainers to adopt positive rewards-based training methods, which have proven to be effective without compromising the health and welfare of our beloved pets.

Courtesy of Ruby Tam

Main Sources: The Independent; The Mirror; Daily Mail; Pet Business World; Psychology Today

Footnotes

[1] Information on The Kennel Club’s campaign to ban electric shock collars can be found here: https://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/about-us/campaigns/electric-shock-collars/.

[2] The Animal Welfare (Electronic Collars) (England) Regulations 2023 was laid before Parliament on 27 April 2023, the full text of which can be found here: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukdsi/2023/9780348247305.

[3] https://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/media-centre/2023/april/cruel-electric-shock-collars-banned-in-england/

[4] Ibid.

[5]  https://www.vetclick.com/news/no-place-for-these-cruel-devices-in-modern-dog-training-shock-collar-ban-hailed-as-step-in-the-right-direction-for-dog-welfare-by-dogs-trust-p9592.php

[6] https://www.gov.uk/government/news/cruel-electric-shock-collars-for-pets-to-be-banned--2

[7] https://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/media-centre/2022/november/call-for-end-to-shock-collars/

[8] https://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/media-centre/2023/april/cruel-electric-shock-collars-banned-in-england/

[9]  https://www.vetclick.com/news/no-place-for-these-cruel-devices-in-modern-dog-training-shock-collar-ban-hailed-as-step-in-the-right-direction-for-dog-welfare-by-dogs-trust-p9592.php

[10] https://www.pets.gov.hk/english/animal_health_and_welfare/files/fseh20200421cb2-832-4-e.pdf

[11] https://www.legco.gov.hk/yr2022/english/panels/fseh/papers/fseh20220510cb2-277-3-e.pdf

[12] https://www.marketing-interactive.com/spca-unveils-shocking-new-film-to-promote-humane-dog-training