How to read NAPET's owner survey results without overstating them
An owner's experience matters. So does being clear about what that experience can and cannot establish.
NAPET's owner survey records experiences from people who have used an e-collar with their dog. The published figures cover responses up to 30 September 2026. They help describe the support these owners tried, the outcomes they reported and some of the difficulties they encountered. They are not an independent test of training effectiveness or a representative picture of all UK dog owners.
What owners tried beforehand
In this survey, 83% reported seeking professional help first and 64% said they had tried other training for seven months or more. A further 52% reported having used an exclusively reward based trainer, while 42% said they had spent over £500 on training beforehand.
These answers offer context about the owners who took part. They do not show that a particular alternative method failed, was delivered well or badly, or would have produced a different outcome with another practitioner. Different dogs, goals and circumstances cannot be treated as equivalent simply because they appear in the same survey.
The responses also describe difficult management decisions. Some 73% had considered keeping their dog on lead permanently. Some 20% had considered rehoming, surrender or behavioural euthanasia. Those are reported considerations, not evidence that any of those outcomes occurred or that an e-collar prevented them. Respondents could select multiple answers, so these percentages should not be added together.
Professional involvement is context, not verification
Some 96% of respondents reported receiving professional instruction specifically relating to e-collar use. That makes the quality and accountability of professional support a useful question to explore.
It does not establish a trainer's qualifications, assessment status or compliance with any professional standard. Nor does it mean NAPET supervised or independently checked that training.
Read the positive and negative outcomes together
In the published responses, 91% reported that the main behaviour was fully resolved or substantially improved. Some 96% reported being much better able to manage their dog safely.
Alongside those answers, 5% reported skin irritation or injury at the contact points and 1% said safe management became much worse.
Those adverse outcomes belong in the explanation, not in a footnote that is easy to overlook. The survey does not independently establish their severity, cause or duration. Equally, it would be wrong to infer that everyone else experienced no harm: an answer to one question is not a complete assessment of a dog's welfare.
What the survey cannot establish
Owners chose whether to take part, and all had used an e-collar. Their experiences may differ from those of owners who did not respond or did not use one. The results have not been independently reviewed, and the outcomes were not independently measured or verified.
There is no independently assessed comparison group in these results. They therefore cannot establish that an e-collar caused an improvement, that it was better than an alternative, or that it is safe for every dog. A large reported improvement remains an owner reported finding, not a clinical conclusion.
How to use the findings responsibly
Start with the full results and collection notes. Keep the reporting date, exclusions and limitations attached to any percentage you quote. Read published research separately, paying attention to the behaviour tested, comparison groups, measurements and welfare outcomes.
Owner experience can help identify practical concerns and questions for further research. Its value is strongest when it is described honestly and placed alongside other evidence, rather than asked to prove more than the method allows.
Read the results and methodology:
https://www.napet.co.uk/resources#survey-results
Explore research findings and their limits:
https://www.napet.co.uk/learning-centre
Source and method
NAPET owner survey, responses to 30 September 2026. Excludes responses identified as coming from NAPET board members or a NAPET-linked equipment supplier. Self-selected owners who have used an e-collar. Outcomes are owner reported.