***The below is to be copied and sent to this email address: animalwelfare@agriculture.gov.ie
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Dear Advisory Council for Companion Animal Welfare,
As a concerned dog owner residing in Ireland, I strongly oppose the banning of any dog tool, and I oppose the banning of the E-collar. The E-collar has a multitude of research papers showing its effectiveness at preventing livestock and wildlife predation by dogs. When properly trained by a reputable trainer or experienced dog owner, the E-collar is an ethical training tool [1].
There are many misconceptions surrounding the E-collar, namely that it delivers electric 'shocks'. Modern, trainer recommended E-collars do not deliver electric shocks. In fact it doesn't even generate any heat, even at its highest levels. The E-collar acts like a muscle stimulation machine, such as a TENS machine used by doctors and professionals. While misuse of the E-collar is possible, as with any dog training tool such as a leash and collar, recommended E-collars have over 100 levels, and a cut-off which prevents a dog from recieving stimulation for more than 10 seconds at a time [2].
Proper use of the E-collar utilises the lower levels of the stimulation, which are not painful, to condition the dog to its use. These low levels are used to effectively communicate with a dog, without causing distress or discomfort. A correction can be delivered at higher levels if required, and because a dog has been conditioned to understand what the stimulation means - it does not produce fear or confusion. A dog that understands the rules of the E-collar is not frightened when it is used.
Banning the E-collar will have an impact on Ireland's livestock farmers. In 2019, there were 3000-4000 sheep affected by worrying, injury and death caused by domestic dogs[3]
Since banning the E-collar in Wales, sheep attacks have increased, with farmers reporting 4X more attacks than in the year before the E-collar ban[4]. Former Welsh Secretary David Jones MP says the ban has "failed" and is"leading to many more animal deaths".
As a responsible dog owner, I do not want Ireland to follow in Wales' footsteps.
Banning the E-collar will have a detrimental effect to the thousands of responsible owners in Ireland that use the E-collar, protecting their dogs, families and wider communities from out-of-control dogs. It will prevent dog trainers from assisting owners with these dogs. Rescue organisations have been reporting record numbers of dogs being surrendered for behavioural problems in 2023. Why would the Irish government consider banning a tool which has been shown again and again in study after study, to reduce and eliminate aggression, and to extinguish problem behaviours?[5]
As a responsible dog owner, I urge the Advisory Council to reconsider this proposed ban. It will lead to more dog, sheep and other livestock deaths, and more dogs surrendered to rescue organisations.
[1]
The science:
“The collar averted all 13 attempted attacks on lambs”
“No dogs showed interest in or attacked a lone sheep in the path test” Christiansen: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11278032
“The electronic training collar induces less distress and shows stronger ‘learning effect’ in dogs in comparison to the pinch collar” Salgirli 2008: https://leerburg.com/pdf/comparingecollarprongandquittingsignal.pdf
Negative reinforcement “desirable and necessary”
Marschark and Baenninger: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.2752/089279302786992685
E-collars “the most effective” training,
Howell and Bennett: see page 6: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S016815912030071X
[2]
[3]
[4]
[5]
“Electronic training collars can be an effective remedial measure for some types of problem behaviour in dogs”
Coleman and Murray: http://aiam.org.au/resources/Documents/2000%20UAM/PUB_Pro00_TaniaColeman_RichardMurray.pdf
E-collars “resulted in complete and permanent elimination of aggression in all of the 36 dogs tested… the only treatment that has potential for success”
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