Collars that shock dogs and cats into obedience to be BANNED

Collars that shock dogs and cats into obedience to be BANNED: Gadgets will no longer be licensed for sale, Environment Secretary to announce

  • Michael Gove is expected to make the announcement this week
  • Collars are used with remote-controls to trigger electronic pulses
  • Some of the collars squirt noxious sprays or emit painful sounds

Cruel: A dog in one of the collars

Michael Gove has won a Cabinet campaign to ban the use of ‘cruel’ electric-shock collars for cats and dogs.

The Environment Secretary is expected to announce this week that the gadgets will no longer be licensed for sale.

The collars are used in tandem with remote-control devices to trigger electronic pulses of varying strength as part of programmes to teach obedience or in some cases prevent barking.

Some devices also squirt noxious sprays, which campaigners warn can disrupt a dog’s acute sense of smell, while others emit sounds an animal can find painful. 

Mr Gove, who as Environment Secretary has made animal welfare a key policy priority, was advised that the collars were being misused to mistreat pets and generated ‘anxiety-based behaviour’.

He has said that they are ‘punitive devices’ that ‘can cause harm and suffering, whether intentionally or unintentionally, to our pets,’ adding: ‘We are a nation of animal-lovers.’

The devices will still be allowed in ‘invisible fencing systems’ which feature buried cables that deliver a shock if an animal strays beyond a set boundary.

That decision follows lobbying on the issue from pet owners, including Transport Secretary Chris Grayling. 

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