Tayla Mulhern  

15th April 2019 Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development Dog Standards and Guidelines Consultation Animal Welfare Regulation To whom it may concern, I am writing to you today as a current client of The Holistic Hound Dog Training based in Perth, WA to oppose some of the new standards proposed in the Draft Standards and Guidelines for the Health and Welfare of Dogs in WA, specifically those outlined below;

The flat ban on prong collars S12.2 Prong collars must not be used on a dog. The adjustments to the accepted method of use of Electronic Collars, points (a) & (b) S13.1 An electronic collar must only be used on a dog in accordance with the generally accepted method of use. For the purposes of these Standards, the generally accepted method of use includes: (a) if a reasonable and documented effort has been made to use other training techniques to modify behaviour and these have not been effective; (b) a veterinarian has examined the health and temperament of the dog and reasonably believes that the dog is suitable to wear an electronic collar. I own a now 2 year old staffy that suffered lots of separation anxiety issues and issues about being scared of basically everything that moved on walks (dogs and people included) and was extremely destructive, ripping up fake lawn daily and even chewing some of the plastic parts of my car. I contacted Lauren who fitted me in ASAP after he had eaten some of my dining room chairs while I was away on holiday.

Lauren came out and explained why we were doing what we were doing, she started by using a slip collar on Shadow but explained that she thought that a prong collar and e-collar would work much better for him, after a few weeks of trialling the slip collar I asked Lauren to order me a prong collar, once she received this she came over to show me how to fit it on him properly and how to use it in a safe and effective manner. If prong collars and e-collars are banned for use on dogs I will basically be left with little to no control of my two strong dogs, as I walk them alone most of the time (husky and staffy breeds) I really need to be able to walk them relaxed on a loose lead and this tool has honestly been a life saver in helping to teach both my dogs how to walk properly in a way that I am able to feel confident and in control, even in high energy situations.

Tayla Mulhern  

Thank you for taking the time to read my submission. I would be happy to substantiate the above information by answering any questions or submit further if needed as I feel so strongly about this cause. Kind Regards, Tayla Mulhern

Client of The Holistic Hound Dog Training Lauren Maslen (Owner-Operator)

ABN: 38 322 407 514