There is overwhelming evidence to suggest that training animals using positive, reward-based training is not only better for the animals’ welfare, it also produces more effective, longer-lasting results.

So it is all the more surprising that electric shock collars (ESCs) are still being marketed as training aids and mis-sold to dog owners, in particular, as a quick and humane method of training.

They can be easily purchased on the Internet from well-known brands, and the latest models even link up with smartphones.

They are legally available in England and the Isle of Man, but they are banned in Wales and will shortly be banned in Scotland.

When fitted the ESC delivers an electric shock via a remote control or an automatic trigger such as a dog’s bark.

The theory is that, having received a shock, the dog is more likely to do what is asked.

Research commissioned by the UK’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has shown that, perhaps unsurprisingly, many dogs show signs of stress when they are fitted with an ESC.

They also show signs of pain, with many yelping when they feel an electric shock.

And recent research by Lincoln University has demonstrated that using ESCs to train dogs doesn’t work and ’positive reinforcement’ is a better tool.

More than 60 dogs with ’off-lead behavioural problems’ were involved in the study that focused on the dogs’ ability to respond to commands ’come’ and ’sit’.

The dogs were split into three training groups and given up to 150 minutes of training over five days to improve recall and obedience.

The first group saw dog trainers nominated by the manufacturers use the ESCs, and the other two groups acted as a ’control’ with no ESCs used.

The researchers measured how many times a command had to be given before a dog did as they were asked, and how long it took the dog to obey the command they were given.

The team found that trainers using positive reinforcement saw a significantly better response to these commands than those using the ESCs.

DEFRA states that it is committed to banning ESCs for both dogs and cats and that this will be put into law in the UK ’in due course’.

But what about the Isle of Man? Our Animal Welfare Act should, at long last, be making its way through Tynwald this year, and once the Act is in place it will enable ’orders’ to be drafted.

Such an order could prohibit the use of ESCs.

Meanwhile, what can we do?

If you come across a dog wearing an ESC (they are usually quite chunky with a tell-tale box attached) encourage its owner to speak to their vet, or to us, about the efficacy of the ESC as a humane training device.

We need to make the use of ESCs morally unacceptable on the Isle of Man, and not simply wait for legislation to take effect.

Training relatively biddable dogs is one thing, but it is notoriously difficult to train a cat and it is most likely that an ESC will cause confusion and stress, and perhaps even exacerbate the unwanted behaviour such as wandering, spraying or scratching furniture.

Our cattery team are on hand to give advice and support to pet owners, and this week they have been ably assisted in the cattery office by a new receptionist, Avon.

He is very talkative and eager to please - a real ’people person’ - and he thoroughly enjoys sitting on a chair watching visitors coming and going.

His keyboard skills, however, leave a lot to be desired and so he really needs a new job, one that involves being someone’s companion and loyal friend.

Avon has had a few health issues and so he won’t be ready to go to his new home for a couple of weeks, once he’s finished his course of medication.

He’ll need a quiet, stress-free environment where he can enjoy being top cat and the centre of attention.