Calls for New Zealand to ban electric shock collars for training dogs - 'It's inhumane'

August 28, 2018

There are calls for New Zealand to follow Britain and ban their use.

There is renewed debate over the use of electric shock collars for training dogs.

Britain is planning to ban their use and now there are calls for New Zealand to follow.

The collars are described to give a short, sharp jolt to train animals.

An animal behaviour expert Elsa Flint says shock collars are cruel.

"I think it's inhumane and from an animal welfare perspective it's just not right," Ms Flint says.

She says there is no benefit to using them and she says she has even seen dogs with burns and absesses from the collars.

"I've worked with dogs that have been traumatised by electric training collars, remote training collars and are so bad that they redirect back into owners.  They get aggressive with their owners.  They become much more aggressive."

As well as being misused to inflict unnecessary harm and suffering, there's also evidence e-collars can re-direct aggression or generate anxiety-based behaviour in pets, making underlying behavioural and health problems worse.

Britain are banning the collars, they say they inflict unnecessary suffering.

But, other animal experts say it's an efficient training method.

Shock collars are also used to train dogs not to kill or disturb kiwi and they have backing from the Department of Conservation.

The dogs are fitted with electric collars and if they go near the native birds, they're punished with a small electric shock.

The Government says it has no plans to ban electronic collars here and the code of welfare for dogs already states training aids must not be used in a way that causes unreasonable or unnecessary pain or distress.

Police say they only use e-collars as a last resort, instead they use positive reinforcement techniques to train police dogs.

Experts say that is the best approach.

Ms Flint says there is just no merit in using them.

"You can totally destroy your dog by using them, there are much better ways of training a dog."

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