ARDO have today sent a comprehensive rebuttal of the article below to the editor of ‘The Scotsman’. We have requested that they print our response in the name of journalistic integrity/impartiality.
The Scottsman have responded, agreeing to publish a shortened version of our rebuttal on their letters page.
EDIT: The Scotsman have today published a shortedned version of our rebuttal in their “letters” section. (23rd July, 2025) Please see below.
Training collars
Scotland faces a choice: uphold evidence-led animal welfare, or surrender to ideology. The delay in banning so-called “electric shock collars” is not a “farce” as it has been described – it is restraint in the face of immense political pressure and lobby-driven pseudoscience.
The Association of Responsible Dog Owners represents thousands of dog owners and professionals across the UK. We categorically reject the misrepresentation of electronic training collars (ETCs) as abusive. Our position is grounded in data, law, and lived experience.
In more than 2,500 reports submitted through our five-year user survey 98.6 per cent of users reported no negative effects from ETC use, and 93 per cent stated that the inclusion of the tool helped resolve their dog’s problem behaviour. This is not conjecture. It is the lived experience of real, animal-loving people.
Contrast this with the Scottish Animal Welfare Commission (SAWC), whose 2023 recommendation to ban ETCs fails to declare conflicts of interest: seven of its 11 members are directly linked to organisations already lobbying against these tools.
ETCs are not quick-fix substitutes for considered and effective training. They are often the only effective means of interrupting deeply ingrained behaviours like predation, aggression, and compulsions.
The welfare calculus is simple: how many dogs have been harmed by a responsibly used e-collar in Scotland in the past seven years, versus how many livestock animals have been mauled, maimed, or killed by out-of-control dogs?
In a formal submission to the government, both the Kennel Club and the British Veterinary Association admitted to having no evidence of abuse or harm caused to a single dog in Scotland.
Policymakers must not ignore the weight of international research—including studies showing that e-collars used in accordance with best practices cause no significant distress and are often more effective than treat-only methods for high-stakes behaviourslike recall when chasing and livestock avoidance.
The world is crying out for non-lethal, evidence-based solutions to dog predation. Scottish ministers hold one in the palm of their hands. To discard it for the sake of optics or ideology would be a profound betrayal – not only of the responsible people who rely on these tools, but of the very animals this debate claims to protect.
James Penrith, Association of Responsible Dog Owners
ARDO remains fully committed to represneting our supporters and the welfare of your dogs and other animals on this matter.
‘Farce’: Scottish ministers ‘dragging their heels’ on banning electric shock dog collars
By Rachel Amery
Published: 20th July 2025
Scottish ministers are being accused of “dragging their heels” when it comes to banning electric shock dog collars.
Back in 2018, the Scottish Government confirmed there would be an effective ban on these collars in Scotland – but seven years later, this has not happened.
Roseanna Cunningham, who was environment secretary at the time, said:
“Causing pain to dogs by inappropriate training methods is clearly completely unacceptable and I want there to be no doubt that painful or unpleasant training for dogs will not be tolerated.”
These collars are used to train dogs using electric shocks, but campaigners such as the SSPCA and the Kennel Club argue they are cruel and ineffective as a training device.
Speaking to Scotland on Sunday, [Maurice Golden MSP] said:
“I have a growing sense of frustration. The government agreed to this in the last session and said it would be reviewed by April 2021, so what on earth is going on here? I very much suspect all the stakeholders support a ban, so why is the government dragging their heels on this? It has literally been years and years in the making. There are a lot of unanswered questions on why they have not done it yet. My concern is that like many Scottish Government policies, ministers are running down the clock and then this will be extended over three parliamentary sessions, which is a farce.”
A parliamentary session is the time Holyrood sits between elections – if this issue is pushed beyond the 2026 Scottish Parliament election, it will have been considered across three parliamentary sessions.
Mr Golden, who represents the North East region, added: “Dogs are sentient beings. Giving them electric shocks is deeply harmful, not just physically but emotionally.
If a member of the public tried one on themselves, they would not be using it on a dog.
The worst part of this is dogs do not understand why they are being shocked, they can’t associate behaviour with wrongdoing. So this is just a harmful device that terrifies dogs into acting in an abnormal way.”
Earlier this year the Scottish Greens lodged proposals to criminalise the use of electric shock dog collars.
Ross Greer MSP proposed an amendment to the Welfare of Dogs (Scotland) Bill, but it was voted down by 84 votes to 28. The bill became an act in March. The Scottish Government says it is carrying out a consultation because currently only “e-collars” are recommended for a potential ban.
“To date, the only type of device recommended for a ban by the Scottish Animal Welfare Commission is remote-controlled static pulse training collars, which they describe as e-collars.
On this basis, we have committed to consulting on a potential ban of these specific devices.”