Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee Written evidence submitted by the Animal Behaviour and Training Council

Is there a need for a more fundamental overhaul of dog legislation, and its enforcement, including that relating to dog attacks on people, livestock and pets?

Current plans to fine tune the extant legislation will improve the situation however as long as it revolves around a list of banned breeds it will always have limited success. An approach that is based on the actual behaviour of the dog and its owner rather than the breed or appearance of dogs must be regarded as a more sensible approach to tackling the issue of dangerous dogs. Any dog is potentially dangerous. The assessment of dogs being of a certain type or their potential for being a danger to society is also not well managed currently. There is no specific, scientifically validated test or standard applied to the training of individuals to make such decisions. The ABTC has recently established a comprehensive set of standards in conjunction with Lantra (the Sector Skills Council) for animal trainers and behaviourists and have the acknowledged expertise through its wide membership to develop such a test and standardised training if required to do so.

Will compulsory microchipping of puppies improve dog welfare and help prevent dog attacks at an affordable cost to dog owners? Should a dog licensing scheme also be considered?

Our opinion is that micro-chipping all dogs on transfer of ownership (including the purchase/acquisition of puppies) will have a positive impact on a range of welfare issues and will achieve a form of registration that is not encumbered with the administration and running costs of a licensing system. Defra has produced projections of how long it will take to include the majority of the dog population in the UK. Inevitably there will be those that avoid micro-chipping and a significant proportion of problem cases will undoubtedly fall into that category however the same could be said of a licensing system.

Should the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 be extended to include offences committed on private property?

Yes, but with caution. Safeguards need to be in place to protect the property owner from individuals attacked during an unauthorised entry of that property. In such circumstances a dog would be exhibiting appropriate, if not desirable behaviour. Defra have indicated that they are aware of such circumstances but not only need to consider not prosecuting the owner but restricting the intruder’s rights to pursue legal action against the owner for damages as well. Extending extant exemptions may provide a solution.

Are Defra’s proposals for wider community and educational approaches to support responsible dog ownership sufficiently ambitious?

There are a number of schemes that have local success such as: Wood Green Animal Shelter have an excellent outreach service offering community based projects and 1-2-1 help to encourage responsible dog ownership. Blue Cross reached 30,000 young people last year and held 41 status dog workshops for teenagers. The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour is launching a free dog bite resource for schools and the Blue Dog initiative is available across Europe, no doubt other similar efforts are being made but funding is always an issue and none of these organisations are acknowledged in the Defra proposal. All of these schemes would benefit from a higher profile nationally and a coordinated approach. The remit of the ABTC covers the promotion of education and animal welfare and given the diversity of its membership it is ideally placed to provide the management required given adequate financial support.

Dog Welfare

In respect to concerns expressed in Professor Bateson’s report over poor welfare that has arisen in the course of breeding dogs:

Has the response by dog breeders and the veterinary profession been effective?

What actions should Government take to address these issues?

Are further controls required on dog breeders, including puppy farms, and those selling or importing dogs to ensure the welfare of bitches and puppies? 

Consideration needs to be given to the socialisation of puppies, to date the emphasis has been on their physical needs which are obviously important however adult behaviour is strongly influenced by early learning and little is done to address this. As with many aspects of educating the public work is being done by independent agencies of their own initiative. In order to improve the situation these efforts would benefit from a coordinated approach, bringing together the knowledge and experiences of these organisations and presenting a national approach. The ABTC is currently preparing a free download advice sheet on this subject.