This is a press release from the KC today and reproduced here for general info only  :)

The Association of Pet Dog Trainers Supports the Kennel Club Campaign to Ban Electric Shock Collars

Since the Kennel Club's calls for the sale and use of electric shock collars to be banned as part of the Animal Welfare Bill have been virtually ignored by the Government, the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT), the UK's largest professional pet dog training body, is also joining the fight. Organisations including the RSPCA, Blue Cross and Dogs Trust too believe that the sale and use of the remote control electric shock collars should be outlawed as part of the forthcoming legislation because they compromise animal welfare.

What are electric shock collars and how do they work?
Electric shock collars can be controlled by anybody with no experience in training dogs to abuse and punish via a remote control. By pressing a button a painful shock is transmitted to the dog's neck via two large electric prongs - the settings on the control of one particular collar range from 0-100. Having tested the collar on the back of human volunteer's hands many concluded that setting 20 was painful and that 35 was practically unbearable. They also described the collars as "vicious", "barbaric" and even "sadist".

Why are the Kennel Club and the APDT leading the campaign against their sale and use?
The Kennel Club strongly believes that the use of remote control electric shock collars to train dogs is not only cruel, but also outdated and unnecessary.

While the marketing of shock collars can easily convince people that they are a fast cure-all to every problem, modern dog training has progressed a long way from the days when punishment was the most common method of teaching dogs - in the same way as education has progressed from caning children in schools. According to the APDT there is no behaviour or training problem in dogs that is best dealt with by delivering an electric shock into a dog's neck. The APDT addresses all problems by using up-to-date reward-based training methods and responsible dog ownership - following its motto of "kind, fair and effective". Such methods of training include basic recall and clicker training.

The APDT and the Kennel Club further recognise that not only are these collars inhumane, but that teaching a dog to respond out of fear and pain rather than a natural willingness to obey fails to address underlying behavioural problems and can give rise to far more serious problems. To illustrate, since a dog will not know where the painful shock has come from it is more likely to associate it with something in its immediate environment than with its behaviour at that time. This is why cases of dogs attacking other dogs, their owner or another animal close by at the time of the shock occur. The dog may also develop 'superstitious' fears to things in the environment (such as birds, wind and grass) that were heard or seen at the time of the shock.

How can you join in the campaign to ban the sale and use of remote control electric shock collars?
The Kennel Club is issuing postcards for members of the public to sign and send to their MPs. These are available to download from the Kennel Club website at www.the-kennel-club.org.uk/pressoffice/documents/KC-ElectricPostcard-060223.pdf
Readers in Scotland will also find a version of the card to send to their local MSP at www.the-kennel-club.org.uk/pressoffice/documents/Scottishpcard.pdf
Hard copies are also available from Holly Lee who can be contacted on 020 7518 1020 or via e-mail on hlee@the-kennel-club.org.uk
Equally well you can write your own letter to your MP or MSP telling him or her about how you feel about such devices. Details of who your local MP is can be found at www.locata.co.uk/commons/

Said Caroline Kisko, Kennel Club Secretary: "The Kennel Club has long been campaigning for the Government to ban the sale and use of remote control electric shock collars and is disappointed that even the Animal Welfare Bill fails to outlaw their use. The Kennel Club is hoping that since MPs have voted on docking they will turn their attention to other issues that the Bill needs to address and is heartened that APDT will also be pressurising them to do so".

Carolyn Menteith, APDT spokesperson added: "We are totally committed to having these barbaric pieces of equipment consigned to dog training history. It is our professional opinion that it is totally unacceptable to train dogs using such inhumane devices, and a complete ban should be implemented as soon as possible. Dogs are meant to be man's best friend - and you don't cause your best friend pain and fear in the name of training."

For further information on the campaign to have electric shock collars banned contact:
Holly Lee, Kennel Club Public Affairs Officer on 020 7518 1020 or hlee@the-kennel-club.org.uk or Carolyn Menteith, APDT Media Officer on 01932 872069 or carolyn@dogtalk.co.uk

21 March 2006

ENDS
For further information please contact
Press Office
020 7518 1008 / 1020
pressoffice@the-kennel-club.org.uk

They were giving out these postcards at Crufts. I got a whole load and took them to my local dog club. Interesting the animal welfare bill is not even looking at these things......... but then an MP or two are involved in importing and selling them........ One of which has been attending the animal welfare bill meetings.

Am I getting cynical in my old age?

I think you're quite right to be cynical Polly! :)

Thanks for that Teri, I knew it was happening but haven't seen it yet. Hopefully it will carry some weight.

Lindsay
x

Anyone who is not cynical about this whole thing quite literaly must have a layer of thick dense fog across their mind.  Its been around the net often enough what happened when that ex MP David Rendel and KC initiated a Associate Parliamentary Group on Animal Welfare meeting to ban, electric anti barks, invisible fences and training collars oat the APGAW April 10th 2002.

Guess who else was also invited to the same meeting, no dont bother gueseing. The chief executive of The Company of Animals (Roger Muford) was invited to speak for a ban.
So whats the connection? Well the connection was an still is, The Company of Animals has the sole UK import and UK distribution contract for Dynavets spray systems, Abiostop and Master Plus.
Anyone retailing or wholesaling the spray systems MUST buy from Roger Mugford (chief exec of The company of Animals,) they have the sole UK import and distribution rights.

So if the chief executive of The Company of Animals had managed to get e-collars banned his product would have been the only remote system legally available in the UK (sonic systems don't work or sell) giving The Company of Animals the sole UK monopoly on the ONLY legal remote system in the UK that had a retail potential indefinately (forever)
BUT, the most important thing is, when the chief executive of The Company of Animals attended the APGAW on April 10th 2002 he never declared he had any commercial interests in the UK market for remote systems, he simply said he was a behaviourist.

He ommitted to tell the Parliamentary Group that if e-collars were banned  he would have the sole UK import and distribution rights on the ONLY other commercially viable remote system. Now was that attempting to remove his ONLY viable competion from the market a good buissiness move or not?

Anyone can get a copy of the miniuets simply by asking their MP to get a copy, anyone is entiteled to it under the freedom of information act, just look at the list of those who attended that meeting and there he is, Roger Mugford, chief executive of The Company of Animals, he just never mentioned his commercial connection, only KC and a few others knew about that, someone complained to David Rendel on 17th April 2002 and the whole cover up was blown from then on., history now but well documented and all in writing available to anyone.
The commercial development of the remote market will worth around 150 million £££s per annum within this next 5 years and the market is a permament market, it does not take a genious to imagine Roger Mugford (the chief executive of The Company of Animals) having the only UK rights to that market, speaks for itself really.

APDT& KC, well APDT currently have the commercial monopoly on dog training and 'behavioural consultations and stuff', - those trainers sell KC silver, bronze and gold courses so they both make out of each other - 'accreditation' is a selling point to owners and KC sell accreditation courses to APDT members, they both have big time commercial conflict of interests, anyone with slightest clear mind can see it all quite easily.

Or maybe the less cynical will have the fog cleared enough to realise that anyone who has gone to the trouble and effort of devising training aids that are not cruel is rather obviously going to be against the sale and use of electric shock collars, simple as that.