Kennel Club welcomes research on ‘ineffective’ electronic collars

The Kennel Club has welcomed the findings of a recent study that assessed the effectiveness of dog training with and without remote electronic collars, compared to training with positive reinforcement.

The research was carried out by the Animal Behaviour, Cognition and Welfare Research Group at the University of Lincoln.

The findings from the study, entitled ‘Efficacy of Dog Training With and Without Remote Electronic Collars vs. a Focus on Positive Reinforcement’, was published in Frontiers in Veterinary Science.

According to the Kennel Club, the study “refutes the suggestion that training with an electronic shock collar is either more efficient or results in less disobedience, even in the hands of experienced trainers, than positive reinforcement”.

Holly Conway, head of public affairs at the Kennel Club, said: “These findings provide evidence that dogs can be more effectively trained without the use of electronic collars and therefore there is no place for them in dog training today.

“The Kennel Club, along with veterinarian bodies and other welfare organisations, has long campaigned for a ban on electric shock collars and this study proves that positive reward training is all that dogs need. The findings are clear and should be reviewed by the government immediately to stop the unnecessary suffering of dogs.”