Britain desperately needs to tackle its dog control problems - The Guardian

Merseyside police seized this pitbull terrier, trained for fighting, after an attack on a five-year-old child. Photograph: Merseyside Police/PA

Dangerous dogs are increasingly linked to worrying and persistent trends in antisocial behaviour, and so it's no surprise that so many of us up and down the country are concerned about the problem. Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, together with the RSPCA and Blue Cross have called for an urgent and overdue review of the existing failing dog legislation. Maybe, just maybe, with the recent appointment of Lord Taylor of Holbeach as the new government minister there could be a glimmer of hope that we will see some effective action.

Lord Taylor has promised to make any future legislation effective and enforceable in tackling the dangerous dogs issues that are so concerning us all. But as the problems around irresponsible dog ownership, stray and dangerous dogs intensify, and budgets get tight or, in the case of some local authorities disappear altogether, it may not be long before there is another serious dog attack on a member of the public, or even a young child.

This is not scaremongering. It is a sad but inescapable fact that a minority of people still continue to treat dogs irresponsibly, use them for the wrong things and care only about their personal status in their community or peer group. Battersea is on the frontline dealing with the repercussions of dog issues, as on average 17 stray, abandoned, abused, or dangerous dogs come through our doors every day.

We are the first to pick up the pieces for these dogs, but the pressures on us, as well as the police and local authorities, are mounting. For more than 150 years we have stood by our founding mission to aim never to turn away a dog or cat in need of our help. But as the stray and dangerous dog problem gets worse, our work becomes harder and harder.

What many people may not realise is Battersea takes in every type of dog, and not just those that are easy to rehome. So inevitably more and more of the dogs coming into the charity's rehoming centres have been so badly abused, or trained to be a dangerous "weapon" that it's too late to help them. Some of these dogs can't possibly be safely rehomed, and sadly we have to put them to sleep. At least most people recognise that the harsh reality is this is the only responsible option.

This is predominantly an urban problem and, like us, many of our local authority partners are struggling to cope with the growing stray and dangerous dogs problem. They are legally bound to accept stray dogs off the street when a dog is first spotted or brought to them but severe budget cuts mean they are having to put to sleep perfectly friendly and healthy stray dogs, before they ever reach rescue centres such as Battersea. And more and more strays remain on the street, presenting a potential risk to the public. Battersea is working with local authorities to help find solutions. We're encouraging them to share their kennelling costs with neighbouring local boroughs, but there is only so much we can do.

It would be simplistic to say these problems will go away if only the government would put its hand in its pocket and support inner city local authorities. But Lord Taylor must now take the lead and develop a national strategy to tackle dog control problems. If stray dog services were given a higher priority, we wouldn't have as many of the dog problems we see on our streets today.

New legislation is a must. You'd be hard pressed to find anybody who would disagree on that. And so animal charities such as Battersea will continue to argue that the existing dog laws need to be urgently updated and consolidated into a single effective piece of legislation to improve public safety and protect animal welfare so there are fewer dangerous dogs that have to be put to sleep.

We cannot afford to have a repeat of the kneejerk policymaking on dog control that happened 20 years ago, and Lord Taylor himself knows the government must get it right this time. We must deal with these problems now before we face another tragedy.

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Sportdog has a wide selection of dog control collars to give you more training ... - Newsbycompany (press release)

 While humans like us can shout, scream and talk to express ourselves, dogs can likewise use different vocalizations to communicate and express themselves. Barking, whining, and howling are only a natural thing for dogs to do. However, when it goes too extreme that you are getting frequent complaints from your neighbors, it may be considered to be a behavior problem. Most probably you have been thinking since then on how to stop dogs barking and how to effectively train him to be well-mannered, right?   Well, worry no more as Sportdog frequently develops their lines of bark control collar to suit any specialized area and any location for dog training sessions.

Depending on the situation, dogs bark to signal one of the following stimuli: loneliness, hunger, thirst, excitement, fear, and need for toilet. Once barking becomes dictatorial might as well think of an effective way on how to stop dogs barking.  Your pet might be overly barking because you “unintentionally” trained him to do so. When your dog barks and you get annoyed, you shoo him out of your sight. When he barks again, you open the door and let him in. When he barks yet again, he gets a treat. Then the cycle goes on and on. Now you see the picture. Dogs certainly know that when they bark, they will surely receive special attention, which is exactly what the dog wanted.

If you have meticulously examined the reason for yapping but you still need assistance on how to stop dogs barking, Sportdog products can help you correct your dog’s inappropriate behavior. A bark control collar is particularly designed for dog training purposes. Training collars are basically used for two main reasons: to help teach basic commands, and to help deal with problem behaviors. Apart from e-collars, the manufacturer also develops new pet accessories to help you in conducting dog training sessions easily.

New developments and inventions in a bark control collar give dog trainers and pet lovers more options than ever before. Sportdog has a huge selection of e-collars that include The Field Trainer Series, The SportHunter Series, The WetLandHunter Series, Specialty Gear, All Purpose Gear, and all of its accessories. Depending on the location where you want to train your dog, these collars are apparently your best choice when you want to impose pet obedience while teaching him new commands and correcting his undesirable behavior.

Most pet owners do not have the time to play with their pets. Through a lack of or out of frustration, masters would basically correct the behavior by yelling or hitting their dogs. Apparently, this is rather inhumane than using a bark control collar instead. Although Sportdog collars are there to help you stop dogs barking faster and more conveniently, make sure that you do not overuse the punishment system to a violent degree. For instance, you may adjust the level of punishment to a minimum once your dog has improved already until such time that your dog has learned to behave well.

Resource Box: So, how to  http://www.dogmaster.co.nz/ stop dogs barking? Similar to picking a new item for your baby, when choosing a bark control collar you must go for the trusted brand—  http://www.dogmaster.com.au Sportdog! You can freely visit our website for a vast array of pet products for your precious buddy.

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