Shock collars should be banned as they can only teach dogs “fear and anxiety,” a leading veterinary surgeon has said.

Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue announced today the devices will be banned in Ireland following a public consolation.

Shock collars are controlled with hand-held remotes and used by owners to train and discipline their pets.

On The Hard Shoulder today, Donal Ryan from CityVet in Limerick said he was “thrilled” to hear they’ll be banned.

“What I dislike about them is, the whole training and teaching of an animal is based on hurting them,” he said.

“It’s through fear really and that’s not the best way to get the message across.

“It increases their stress, anxiety and fear - and animals don’t learn under those circumstances.”

Shock collar ban

The veterinary surgeon said some people shock their dogs excessively.

“They press the button and shock the dog repeatedly as if the channel on the TV just won’t change,” he said.

“In that sense, they are inflicting pain on the animal to get it to do what you want it to do and that’s a negative experience for the animal.

“I am dubious as to how effective it is; it may work very well in the hands of a very good trainer when the dog might learn how to avoid the shock.”

A Golden Retriever looks over a fence. Image: ARCTIC IMAGES / Alamy Stock Photo

Mr Ryan said shock fences to keep dogs inside a perimeter, which will remain legal in Ireland, are a different story to collars.

“It’s a useful training device if people have large properties or large gardens that are difficult to secure,” he said.

“If you bring a dog into me with a broken leg because it got out and hit by a car, versus him getting a little shock and he still has his four legs in one piece – it’s a no-brainer, a humane tool.

“The whole purpose behind it is training the animal to understand where the perimeter is and stay away from the area so they never get shocks.”

Common sense

Mr Ryan called for more awareness of the risks dogs can pose to the public.

“The lack of common sense in these areas astounds me at times,” he said.

I see lots of dogs every day and thankfully I still have my ten fingers – but they can bite you in the blink of an eye and you need to be aware of that.”

The shock collar ban in Ireland, which will be introduced in the coming months, follows similar actions in other EU member states.

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Main image: A dog wearing a shock collar. Image: Brook White / Alamy Stock Photo