'˜Cruel and barbaric treatment' - your view after animal charity secures ban on electric shock collars

The collars, which send volts into a dog’s neck to train them out of certain behaviours, will no longer be available to use in the country. Dogs Trust, who have been pushing for the ban, said that a third of the people they surveyed believed that the collars were already banned.

Environment secretary Michael Gove has welcomed the ban. He said: “The use of punitive shock collars causes harm and suffering to our pets. This ban will improve the welfare of animals and I urge pet owners to instead use positive-reward training methods.” Some experts believe the practice can worsen underlying behavioural problems.

"Good it’s torture."Jayne Burrows Webster

"Thank goodness, why on earth were they be allowed in the first place?"Denise Bentham

"It’s great news. Well done Michael Gove. Now stop foxes being ripped to pieces."Paul Killeen

"Good. Because if we put shock collars on “badly behaved children”, they’d have been banned a long time ago. And I feel bad for any dog who has suffered this brutal torture."Danielle Jones

"About time, too. Cruel and barbaric, and absolutely no need for them."Pat Culshaw

"And so they should be. The owners should put one on and see how they like it. It’s just so cruel."Rachel Whittingham

"You will not find a single registered behaviourist that uses anything other than positive reinforcement because anything else confuses the dog and damages the relationship with the owner, leading to long term anxiety and even learned helplessness."Emily Cawley

"About time they banned them."June Lawton

"About time. Would not dream of using this on any of my dogs."Aaron Marsden

"Really are they really a thing? Surely not."Georgia Daly

"You should not be allowed a dog if you seriously think shock collars are an acceptable ‘training tool’. More like torture tool."Georgina Meek

"What idiot thought of making these in the first place?"Lynn Francis

"Thank goodness for that. Cruel and unnecessary."Brenda Teasdale

"So let’s see how many more dogs end up in shelters needing re-homing again because positive reward training does absolutely nothing to help some dogs."Maria Green

"Any dog owner who support shock collars needs to do some serious research on canine behaviour and training. They do not work and to suggest otherwise is clueless."Emily Siobhan