Mar 54 min read

'E-collars Illegal in Ireland Since 2014!' and other 'shocking' myths

Updated: Mar 6

It recently came to my attention that a piece of Irish Legislation brought into force in 2014 is being co-opted by some anti E-collar groups, in an attempt to prove that e-collars have been illegal in Ireland since 2014.

The legislation reads:

2.(1)A: A person shall not use, or cause or permit to be used, any electrical equipment or an instrument, which applies a sustained electric current or impulse directly to a live animal... (a) as a means of restraining the animal (b) as a means of immobilising the animal, or (c) for any other purpose

Looks legit...right? Game over for E-collars in Ireland?

Taking the time to define some terms is tedious, but necessary to figuring out if this means E-collars have been illegal since 2014.

Electrical Current or Impulse (an impulse is a burst of current) definition:

Electrical current - An electric current is a flow of charged particles, such as electrons or ions, moving through an electrical conductor or space.

By the very definition of electrical current, the charged particles are creating a current...moving...flowing.

Why does this matter?

Because electrical current is what live electricity is. Current high enough can kill. Think of an open household electrical socket, lightning or an electrical fence. An electric current applied to flesh can generate tremendous heat, is affected by moisture, and can cause immense pain and burns.

Electrical current can have severely detrimental effects on humans and animals alike, including our dogs. The HSE state that:

Electric Current affects the body when it flows through

The above linked HSE page goes on to state over multiple paragraphs the dangers of electric current on the human body. An electrical current injury can be catastrophic, and sometimes fatal.

This is important, because electric current is what some groups claim the E-collar applies to the skin of a dog.

Lets take a look at E-collar technology:

Dogtra, a popular brand of E-collar, state their E-collar technology generates a static pulse and is similar technology to a TENS machine. TENS machines are used widely in the medical industry to re-educate muscles, for pain relief etc. Here's a screenshot from their Instagram account.

E-collar Technologies, another popular brand of E-collar also states in their FAQ that their technology generates a static pulse which is described as a:

wide pulse stimulation providing a muscle reflex response

Dogs Trust Ireland also states that E-collar technology generates a static pulse (but unfortunately directly after that they incorrectly name this static pulse an 'electric shock - which it isn't, that's what an electric current is. Also, many E-collars have rubber protrusions on them, not all are metal.)

As demonstrated above, E-collars generate a static pulse; static electricity.

To reiterate what I said above about Dogs Trust Ire being incorrect about a static pulse being an electric shock, an electric shock is it defined as:

An electrical injury, or electrical shock is damage sustained to the skin or internal organs on direct contact with an electric current.

Now to define static pulses, also known as static electricity.

Static Electricity Definition:

Static electricity is an imbalance of electric charges within or on the surface of a material. The charge remains until it can move away by an electric current or electrical discharge. The word "static" is used to differentiate it from current electricity, where an electric charge flows through an electrical conductor.

By the very definition of static electricity, the charge is static...stationary...not moving.

We can clearly see from the above that static electricity is very different to an electric current - in fact its the exact opposite of an electric current by definition. In fact, a common term in the electronics industry goes something like this:

If its static electricity we're talking about, then the current is zero. Always.

Now we've defined and demonstrated that E-collar technology is the exact opposite to an electric shock, in terms of electrical outputs - we can safely say that E-collars are not covered by the legislation in question.

Did you also know that E-collars are so safe, that they have been granted the European CE safety mark? This means they've been tested to death and deemed safe to sell to the public in Ireland. I don't believe if these devices could deliver live current that the EU would deem them safe.

Here's a picture I took this morning of the back of one of my E-collar Technologies E-collar units to prove it. No endorsement - I own multiple brands.