Prong collars are a prohibited import into australia under federal law. Strap one on your dog at any public dog show training event in this country and I wouldnt be at all surprised if people called the cops on you and I think there is high chance you would be charged for cruelty to a animal. I do know however that they are for sale here (very very quietly like elmer fud says) and working dog trainers do use them.

Im a little more hazy on the e collar position. I had understood they too were prohibited imports however Ed told me a while ago tri tronice were bringing them in. The position re the collars and any dog club event would be the same as for the prongs, if you strapped on old sparky theyd stone you to death or something.

There was a case here a a couple of months ago where Dr.Hugh Wirth, vet & president of the royal society for the prevention of cruelty to animals (RSPCA) here in victoria was sued in the victorian county court by the guy brining in the tri tronics collars for libel. Wirth is a loud mouth in love with the sound of his own voice. Wirth had said the e collars caused burns on dogs, caused them extreme agony etc etc. The judge in the case basically said wirth was not a truthfull witness and exagerated. The RSPCA runs dog shelters and prosecutes cruelty offences under the relevent legislation. Theyre aginst things like duck hunting and battery egg farmers as well.

I saw a news segment a while back where the victorian police were showing off some new vidoe transmitter gear mounted on their dogs. They were a little coy about explaining how the dogs were controlled if they disobeyed at long distance, they came out with some bullshit about it being a operational secret. Ive no doubt they use ecollars on their dogs but just didnt want the bad publicity. Theyd get crucified if that came out.
Forget all the bullshit about australia being a rugged frontier sort of place, something like 95% of the population lives in urban areas. In rural areas dogs work or they get shot but in the cities its just the same as anywhere else. The golden rule here is the same as in the US, do what the hell you like just dont get caught.

I don't understand so many of the new laws in Austraila, the UK, many places in western Europe, etc.

Why has this become like this, and it seems to have happened so rapidly?

I think the reason Australia has banned the prong is because we are so quick to make decisions based on what we don't want the rest of the world to think of us that we don't actually think about what our own stand is on those given subjects.
We are so worried that the rest of the world think we are behind the eight ball and we are putting ourselves there by thinking like that - am i making sence???

I'm not sure that this is a big enough of an issue that everyone really thinks about all that much to be worrying about what the rest of the world thinks. Most people(mainly non-dog owners) probably don't even know what a prong collar is. The first time they see one.....it dosen't look good so it must be cruel.

Im preety sure prongs have been illegal here in Australia for a long time, decades at least. The RSPCA here would of followed the precedent set by the brittish RSPCA.`Paul Wotton would be the man to ask re the situation in Brittain.

Prong collars are illegal here in the U.K. but E collars are allowed

Gwen

Are you sure about that, Gwen. Prongs come through UK customs with no problems.

It is what I have been told by several people. I am a Pet Food & Accessory Retailer here in the U.K. I can get hold of most everything you can think of for dogs inc E Collars but no prongs. Some of my customer that have prongs have sneaked them back from Germany when they have been over there for various reasons.
Ed recently confirmed to me that he cannot ship them to the U.K. He figures we are all tree huggers over here LOL

Gwen

How strange!
I've ordered them from a US site for my own and for family dogs a few times with nary a problem. Which just goes to show, we're not all tree huggers! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

GSDeez,

Where are you in the U.K. I am in Cornwall

Gwen