“No place for these cruel devices in modern dog training” - shock collar ban hailed as step in the right direction for dog welfare by Dogs Trust

Dogs Trust, the UK’s leading dog welfare charity, has welcomed Defra’s announcement that the use of hand-held shock collars will be prohibited in England from February 2024.

Electric Shock Collars are used by some to train dogs by punishing unwanted behaviours through the application of a shock to the dog’s neck. To change unwanted behaviour, the shock administered by electric shock collars needs to be strong enough for the dog to feel pain and be fearful of feeling that pain again. Research has shown that instead of improving behaviour, the use of such devices can actually risk causing further problems.

This step forward in dog welfare will mean that both England and Wales have a similar ban on hand-held electric shock collars, with a ban in place in Wales since 2010 which additionally covers all electronic collars and containment fence systems. The Scottish Government has stopped short of introducing a ban, instead introducing guidance in 2018 condemning the use of shock collars. However, the Scottish Animal Welfare Commission has recently recommended that the use of electronic collars for the training of animals in Scotland should be prohibited. In Northern Ireland, the Code of Practice for dogs advises against the use of aversive training methods such as electronic, spray and prong collars. While Dogs Trust welcomes Defra’s ban on Electric Shock Collars, the charity, which cares for around 14,000 dogs each year using reward-based training methods, had hoped to see the proposed regulation go even further to include a ban on the sale and distribution of electric shock collars, and the use of electric shock containment systems and other aversive training devices.

Studies have shown that the use of devices such as electric shock collars and electric containment systems have serious impact on the welfare of dogs. This includes behavioural and physiological signs of distress and the exacerbation of, or development of new, unwanted behaviours. Robust research evidence shows that such techniques are not needed; positive reinforcement is effective at changing behaviour.

The use of shock collars also requires the dog to associate the shock with their unwanted behaviour. Creating fear in this way risks numerous negative consequences for the dog and owner. Dogs may associate the pain with other things in their environment, such as other dogs or people, and learn to avoid or be aggressive towards these.

• Dogs may not associate the shock with anything specific and become anxious about the wider situation where the collar is used. They may avoid going for walks at all, be very inactive on walks, or stick close to their owner through anxiety.

• Dogs can become aggressive towards, or avoidant of, their owners either in immediate response to the pain, or to avoid further shocks (for example when the collar is put on).

• Where the shock is used in situations where dogs are already anxious (e.g. for barking or lunging), this is likely to increase anxiety potentially leading to more extreme or different unwanted behaviours.

• Collar use can cause physical injury to the dog

Dr Rachel Casey, PhD FRCVS,

Specialist in Veterinary Behavioural Medicine and Director of Canine Behaviour & Research at Dogs Trust, says: “We welcome today’s announcement from Defra that hand-held electric shock collars are to be banned in England. It is both unnecessary and cruel to use these collars on dogs.

“Research has shown that electric shock collars negatively impact dog welfare and instead of improving behaviour, risk causing further behaviour problems. Worse still, they can be a mechanism for abuse if used in anger.

“We care for over 14,000 dogs every year, many of whom work with our team of qualified behaviourists, and we know that positive reward-based methods are as effective without causing harm to dogs.

“I will never forget coming across a little terrier when out on a walk, with no owner in sight. He was crouched down, shaking and screaming repeatedly as his e-collar was activated again and again.

“We ask Defra to look again at banning the sale of electric dog collars and banning other aversive training devices such as electric shock containment systems. There is no place or need for these cruel devices in modern dog training.”

When your cat comes running up to you when you come home, weaving around your legs for a fuss, you might wonder how they recognise you from other people. Similarly, when they give you a blank stare and ignore your calls of pspspsps, you might wonder if they actually recognise your face or voice at all.

If you’ve ever been separated from your cat, for example when you’ve gone on holiday or they’ve gone missing, you might also wonder how long they would remember you for, or whether they would forget you easily when you were apart.

Studies have shown that cats can recognise their owners, even after they’ve been apart from them for an extended period of time, but they don’t rely on sight to identify us. While some smaller studies do suggest that cats can identify their owners just from their face (eg from a photo), the way they recognise us is more likely to involve smell and sound, as these are the senses cats rely on most to understand the world around them. Cats certainly recognise humans as a different species, because they are likely to be more wary of other cats than they are of humans.

Cats have very sensitive hearing and so can tell the difference between their owner’s voice and the voice of another person. Interestingly, they can also tell when we are talking specifically to them. A study in Animal Cognition has shown that cats can detect the subtle changes in their owner’s voice when they are talking to them as opposed to having a conversation with another person. They are more likely to respond to this catdirected speech, similar to the way babies are more likely to respond when we use ‘baby talk’. Just because they can recognise your voice though, it doesn’t mean they’ll always listen, as anyone who has been ignored by a cat will know!

Cats are able to recognise their own name and can even be trained to respond to it. Although cats can’t understand the meaning of words like we can, they do recognise the sound of specific words and their connection with particular scenarios. For example, if you call their name when you return home, or just before you’re going to feed them, they’ll learn that this sound is associated with them getting something nice, such as a fuss or some food, and so will be more likely to come running the next time they hear it. If your cat doesn’t respond to their name, then they’re not ignoring you, it’s just that they haven’t built up an association with the sound of their name yet. Find out how to train your cat to respond to their name.

Cats don’t see the world in the same way we do and although they have better night vision than us and are better at detecting movement, they don’t see the full range of colours we can and struggle to see things that are very close up or very far away. It’s unlikely your cat will know you by your face as cats are likely to see their owners as grey and blurry shapes. Instead, they’re more likely to recognise your smell or voice. Dogs, on the other hand, are able to recognise human faces and facial expressions because they’ve been living alongside humans for much longer than cats have.

A good sign that your cat recognises you is if they approach you of their own free will, perhaps rubbing against your hand or legs, or jumping on your lap. This usually shows that they are familiar with you and comfortable in your presence. Some particularly friendly cats may do this with complete strangers though, so it’s not a fool-proof test! The context of the situation may also have an influence over whether your cat recognises you. For example, if you and your cat are in an unfamiliar or stressful environment, such as at the vets, there’s a chance they may not respond to you in the same way they usually would, because they are distracted by lots of different and unfamiliar sounds and smells around them.

Cats have a really good memory and so as long as they have built up a strong bond with you over an extended period of time, they won’t forget you easily. Even if you’ve been separated for a while, it’s likely that they will still recognise your smell and voice, although it’s difficult to say exactly how long they will remember you for. They will be more likely to recognise you if you are reunited in the context of their familiar home environment. If you are reunited somewhere unfamiliar, such as at the vets or on a street far from home, they may struggle to identify you with lots of strange sounds and smells around. Remember to keep your cat’s microchip details up to date so that you can be reunited if they ever go missing, whether they recognise you or not! Find out more about microchipping and what to do if you your cat goes missing. Even though your cat can recognise you, it’s unlikely that they remember you in the same way you would remember them when you are apart. Cats live in the moment and don’t see time in the same way we do. They don’t have a concept of the past or future, so won’t be thinking of you when you’re away, wondering what you’re up to or where you’ve gone. They’ll only remember you when you show up again and they recognise your familiar smell or sounds.

Kitten should stay with their mother and siblings until they are at least eight weeks old, and during this time the mother cat will recognise her kittens, and the young cats will recognise their mother and siblings, because they all have a shared scent. However, once the kittens have grown up and the family has separated, it’s unlikely they would still recognise each other if they were reunited again as their scent would have changed. Find out more about caring for kittens.

While some animals, such as great apes, dolphins, elephants and magpies, can recognise themselves in the mirror, cats cannot. Similar to babies before they are around 18 months old, if a cat see’s their reflection in a mirror, they won’t realise it’s themselves and will either ignore it or think that it’s another cat looking back at them. Seeing an unfamiliar cat in the mirror could cause your cat to become quite stressed, so never force your cat to look in a mirror, and always give them an escape route to run away from the ‘imposter cat’ if they want to.

n https://www.cats.org.uk/catsblog/do-cats-recognise-their-owners