Call to ban electric dog collars in Scotland

The devices are already banned in other parts of the UK, and one owner was fined 2,000 in Wales this week for using one.

But the Scottish Government is awaiting the outcome of research by the UK rural affairs ministry, Defra, before deciding to press ahead with a ban.

Some owners insist the collars are a necessary training aid - allowing them to communicate with their dogs from a distance.

But Bill Lambert, health and breeder services manager with the Kennel Club, yesterday branded the practice old- fashioned and unnecessary.

"They are an archaic way of training dogs," he said. "We've long gone past using cruelty. The vast majority of dog trainers and behaviourists recommend positive re-inforcement for training.

The electric charge is administered by two metal probes on the inside of the collar which make contact with a dog's skin. A small plastic box is attached to the outside of the collar, allowing the shocks to be delivered by the owner through a remote control device.

The collars are widely available for purchase by mail order, in shops and on the internet, and the Kennel Club fears anyone can place them on a dog and administer "correctional" treatment.

An evidence paper produced by the club says the collars produce physiological effects and that a dog's body will respond to a shock in the same way that it would to a real injury. This can lead to visible signs of stress.

But some owners insist that the collars can be used responsibly, with proper tutoring, to deliver very small shocks which don't cause serious harm to the dogs.

Duncan McNair of the electric collar manufacturers association, said: "We would say it's the person, not the product."