HAVE you ever heard of the word ‘shock collar’ or ‘electric collar’ and thought it was some sort of torture device? Well, what if this device could be used to save the lives of thousands of farm animals every year?

I chatted to Jamie Penrith, from Take the Lead dog training, all about what can be done to stop these horrendous dog attacks on livestock that we are seeing year after year.

Jamie runs a dog training business in Devon, with a focus on training dogs to stay away from livestock. He has been training dogs for 25 years, and worked with police dogs for ten years.

“It is very easy to prevent dogs from attacking livestock in the first place, or to stop it from happening again,” said Jamie.

Training session with Jamie.Training session with Jamie. (Image: Jamie Penrith) “Dog owners must keep dogs on a lead and be responsible, but they must also go further and teach their dogs to stay away from livestock.

“Dogs are opportunistic predators, so they will climb a fence or run off to chase livestock. If a dog is trained not to go near sheep but escapes or runs away from their owner, then there won’t be any attacks on livestock. There is powerful evidence to prove this works.

“I use electronic training collars, and people mistakenly think you always have to be there pushing a button – but you don’t. Once the dog has been startled for approaching sheep, they will think the sheep are responsible, and so they won’t want to go near them again. It doesn’t take long at all, and the results can often last a lifetime.

“If we could put together a livestock avoidance training course and encourage dog owners to attend, then we could help to tackle the issue of livestock worrying.”

Jamie explained that while some people have issues with using electric collars, they actually work similarly to a TENS machine (a device generally used when a woman is in labour). The dog wears a box with a battery on their collar, and there are two contact points that touch the skin. The electric current runs between these two points, which does not harm the dog – it just startles them.

“I think a lot of people don’t know that it is possible to train dogs this way,” Jamie added.

“When you show people and you see the impact on their behaviour within minutes, you think ‘why haven’t we been doing this forever?’

“But we are trying to make it clear that the collar is an addition, not an alternative, and keeping dogs on a lead when required is still important.”

As part of his passion for helping to combat livestock worrying, Jamie has set up the Association of Responsible Dog Owners (ARDO). He believes that when it comes to livestock worrying, many hear the voices of the farmers, the police and so on. But they don’t often hear the side of the dog owner – and by hearing the dog owner’s story, we can help to prevent such attacks happening in the future.

  • Over the course of the next three days, the dog owners from ARDO will be sharing their stories, so keep an eye out.