Fellow Creatures: 2 New Posts on Dog Training and England's Shock Collar Ban

I've got 2 new posts about dog training on my Psych Today blog, Fellow Creatures.

A woman gives a treat to a Yorkshire Terrier outside on the lawn, with a skateboard behind. Only the person's arm and leg are visible.
Photo: Pezibear/Pixabay

By Zazie Todd PhD

In what the Kennel Club calls "a historic moment for animal welfare," England has announced a ban on the use of electric shock collars on dogs (and cats) from 1st February 2024.

I wrote about how the ban came about, why there are concerns about the use of electronic shock collars, and some of the organizations in Canada and the US that have spoken out against the use of aversive methods.

Read the post here: England moves to ban electric shock collars for dogs.


The other post looks at some recent research by Anamarie Johnson and Clive Wynne about the ways dog trainers describe their training methods on their websites. They looked at 100 websites and found that many don't give clear descriptions--making it harder to find a reward-based trainer.

Read the post here: You have to read dog trainers' websites closely, study says.


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