Dogsey

My thoughts on e collars are well known - as is the fact that we used one on Ben as a last resort to train him / teach him to understand that he could TRUST us. Sounds weird I know - but sometimes, just sometimes and certainly NOT as a cheap / quick / easy training tool e collars in the right hands have their place. I strongly and firmly believe that in the case of ALL abused animals - us included - you sometimes need to think outside of the box, step outside your comfort zone, have the guts to go beyond your normal boundaries to save the life of that animal. E collars should never be a quick fix, and easy way to achieve a result - they should always only be a VERY LAST RESORT, LAST CASE SCENARIO TO solving an intractable problem. My Ben would not be even alive today, let alone the well-behaved, obedient and well-balanced, happy, healthy bundle of fun that he is, had we not used a e collar. For a dog like Ben, so damaged, so mistrustful of humans, so misunderstood, this device provided a way for us to communicate with him in the basic animal language that he could understand that we loved him but needed more back from him than he was giving us - we needed him to trust us enough to forgive us and accept the fact that we were inflicting pain on him for a very good reason. I cannot emphasise how strongly I believe that in certain last resort scenarios in the right hands these seemingly cruel devices can be life savers. The problem is how do you legislate against idiots misusing them - it is impossible, I don't know the answer. All I can offer is that for Ben an e collar was literally a lifesaver.

Great to see Wales enforcing this law shock collars are a dark relic from our not-so-distant past. Hope the rest of the UK / world bans them too.

I'd bet my life that America never so much as blinks at the collars. We'd ban the breeds they're most commonly used on before we'd ban the devices themselves.

You're right Myra. There are far more serious things to legislate against than e collars! Mr Ben still routinely wears his, and OH still carries the controller in his pocket, but NEVER has a need to use it, it is just a safety precaution. The dog knows he is wearing it, what it is for and what it can do, and as a consequence has 100% recall off lead - even managed to stop him chasing a hare that leaped up and took off at rapid speed. Ben went to go, but a sharp "Leave!" stopped him in his tracks. He is such a good boy now, beginning to be far less aggressive towards other dogs. On the same walk as the hare incident he ignored a large white GSD in the pub garden, and THREE separate black labradors, one of whom was extremely old and arsey and barked furiously at him!!

Also, the fines are outrageous! They don't fine people that much for criminal animal abuse. It's like really? Who can even afford that?

I'm confused! This was first reported on the 18 July 2011 Maybe the Telegraph is running out news to fill the paper????

Didn't look at the date. It came up on social media and when I saw it, my first thought was 'yippee' action at last and the second was that it may be of interest on the dog forum .

If it was 2011 it's still 'good on Wales' and I hope they maintain enforcement of it

It is such a shame when peeps are so entrenched in their prejudices, they refuse to see that something which on the surface is apparently cruel, can actually be a life saver for a "red-zoner" like Ben.

There are always exceptions to every rule, nothing is ever black and white in life, no-one should ever say "never". I would never say "never" to docking a dog's tail for instance ... I consider this to be the height of cruelty and an unnecessary abuse ... but one day I might have to have a dog - or even a tiny puppy - docked for a very good reason.

I hate bigotry - we should all keep open minds in my opinion. Unless you have used an e collar yourself, and unless you have seen the magical results that can be achieved with a dog who otherwise would very definitely have been put down, you should not judge.

Gnasher. you had an exception, period. We are talking about most dogs with lazy owners. Who unless we say NEVER and ban bad things will never heed sense. Inflicting pain deliberately and knowingly is bad. Magical? No way. You can torture anyone and get "results".The law here is good.

Azz, well said and thank you