Interrupt pursuit.
Prevent harm.
Studies involving experienced predators and chasing dogs demonstrate a capacity to interrupt pursuit under tested conditions.
Read Andelt and Johnson & Wynne →The campaign for responsible choice
Protect
e-collars.
Save lives.
Keep electronic collars legal in England.
Protect the choice to prevent serious harm.
Dogs. Livestock. Wildlife.
Every life matters.
Every life matters.
Understand the campaignWhy continued access matters
↗02Look at the evidence32 sources, with context
↗03Make your voice heardPut the case to your MP
↗Our purpose
Effective training.
Continued access.
The evidence records interrupted predation, rapid learning, lasting avoidance and successful treatment of specified aggression.
SPEC campaigns to keep electronic collars available to individual owners and trainers under England’s existing animal-welfare law. The welfare assessment must include the dog, potential victims, practical alternatives and the consequences of unsuccessful training.
What we’re asking government to do →The case for continued access
Capability matters.
A fair policy must account for what responsible users stand to lose.
Interrupt pursuit.
Build avoidance.
Retain learning.
Sheep and kiwi-stimulus research records learned avoidance beyond the first lesson, including retention without the collar.
Explore the retention findings →Assess the whole
welfare picture.
Taking away an option requires evidence about workable alternatives and the consequences of unresolved dangerous behaviour.
Read our policy position →Evidence in focus
Results that belong
in the debate.
Andelt · 1999
13 attempted
attacks averted.
Electronic stimulation interrupted all 13 subsequent attempted attacks on lambs by five captive coyotes over repeated tests spanning 22 weeks.
Context: coyotes, not domestic dogs; no untreated control. The finding demonstrates capability, not a domestic-dog success rate.
Tortora · 1983
36 dogs.
Specified aggression eliminated.
A structured safety-training programme eliminated the specified avoidance-motivated aggression in all 36 dogs tested, with follow-up through one year.
Context: a selected diagnosis and a multicomponent programme. Follow-up was primarily owner-reported.
Dale and colleagues · 2013
15 dogs retained
avoidance without a collar.
All 15 dogs retested one month later retained avoidance without wearing the device, from a study in which all 65 dogs showed avoidance after training.
Context: a retested subset and kiwi training materials, not live birds.
The publication brief
The full case. All 32 sources.
Ten pages of evidence, policy reasoning and source notes, dated 16 October 2026.
Questions that matter
Start here.
What is SPEC asking for?
Keep electronic collars legal for individual owners and trainers in England. SPEC opposes a ban, sale restrictions, compulsory licensing and professional-only access. Retain existing welfare protections and judge misuse by the conduct and harm involved.
Why isn’t walk-time lead advice enough on its own?
A police report covering 1,705 incidents across five forces found owners absent in the majority. Welsh Government guidance says most sheep-worrying incidents happen on land inaccessible to the public. SPEC argues for durable learned avoidance alongside secure containment and supervision.
[1][2]Can collar training be combined with rewards?
Yes. Collar-inclusive programmes can teach and reward alternatives. ARDO’s voluntary survey reports that 84% of respondents also used reward-based training. That describes the respondents, not all dog owners.
[13]Does the evidence prove every use is safe or effective?
No. The studies concern particular animals, tasks and programmes. SPEC’s position is that demonstrated benefits support continued access, with purpose, proportionality and welfare responsibilities governing use.
How can I support the campaign?
Read and share the publication brief, explore the original research, and write to your MP using our editable letter tool.
Prepare your letter →Make the case for choice
Their safety.
Our responsibility.
Help keep effective options available to the people responsible for protecting dogs, livestock and wildlife.
Write to your MP