E-collar recommendations - Page 1

Okay, I'm working with a dog that I need to be able to correct when I am not close enough to touch her. I was discussing her issues with our trainer, and she suggested an e-collar might be a good idea.

I can't spend a lot of money, but would like to have one that will beep or vibrate as well as shock.

The trainer is experience with the use of e-collars, and I will be doing this under her direction and supervison.

I think the Einstein collars are pretty good.  I was using Gun Dog but stopped when one of the buttons got stuck in the on position.  I like the Einsteins because the buttons are solid and the design makes it very difficult to accidently push the button.  The connections for the chargers leave something to be desired - easy for the collar to be disconnected - but they look hard to break (also an issue with gun dog).  The collars also come with a strobe to make it easy to locate the dog at night.  It has a vibration mode, but I would prefer a tone - a low level sensation could be used instead of a vibration.

They have several different models at different price points but they aren't cheap.

I bought this last year (for a lot cheaper!!! $29.99) and they are great! i use vibrate only but when needed there is a mild shock and high...and u can also V - vibrate 2 collars at the same time which is what i needed when 2 dogs would start their "eyeing" thing....I also LOVE that collars are rechargeable don't have to mess with batteries and 1 charge lasts me over a week (partly due to the fact that i rarely have a need to use it)....for what i paid i did not expect it to last a year although i dont always have it on dogs only when i see an issue that comes up and usually 1-2 days of reminding and they are good for few months...i recently put collars back on (didnt use it all summer) neighbors got 2 poodles and with high level of excitement 2 girls get all riled up and start barking so we are back to collars....but yea if you need something temp. and dont expect it to last forever, i say this is a great way to go, and good customer service, the light on one of collars stopped glowing but collar was still working, i called the seller and they replaced it within 3 days...

http://www.amazon.com/Dogwidgets%C2%AE-Rechargeable-Training-Individual-Vibration/dp/B00771WQIY/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1383063979&sr=8-4&keywords=electric+collar+for+dogs

HD, I can only afford to spend about $100.  Even the used Dogtras on e-Bay are going for more than that!

We're dealing with some dog aggression issues here, but I think I will only need one collar. However, it might be wise if it could be expanded to two...

Have been doing some research, and I am thinking of getting one of the SportDog collars:  http://www.gundogsupply.com/best-sellers.html

The cheaper one is tone only. The more expensive one will handle up to 3 dogs and has both a tone and vibrate feature. The man who owns the website (Steve) says the vibrate feature is superior to the tone, as the tone may confuse the dog if he hears beeps from a microwave or cell phone, or overhears the beep from another dog's collar.

I wouldn't skimp on an E collar.  I would be very careful with a $29 or $69 collar.  The collar will not be reliable enough to deliver a consistent correction.  I use a Tri-tronics G3 and it has been extremely reliable.  Our guys use the Dogtra collars or the Tri-Tronics.  When using an E collar it is imperative to have a quality training device.  Cheap E collars often will not correct at the desired level, the corrections may be delayed, too weak or too strong.  You can actually hold the collar, give stimulation and feel the delay in some of these cheaper devices.  When it comes to E collars the old adage of "You get what you pay for" is apropos.    

SS,
For dog aggression, granted this won't increase the aggression, you really need a good collar.  You'd be better off to save your money and buy a better collar.  I can pretty much guarantee that you will be throwing out the cheap collar to to replace it with a more reliable one.  I have had my Tri-tronics for almost 6 years and it functions reliably and consistently still.  Adding multiple collars on to get a stronger correction needs to be done very carefully.  I have seen people train with multiple receivers on one dog and those were the folks that had the most screwed up dogs.  Screwed up by the handler/owner and poor application and employment of an ecollar.  

I have a dogtra, and while I really love the collar (it is the 1/2 mile one dog model) I'm not all that impressed with the distance. If the dog happens to go behind a building, too bad so sad. Anyone else with that issue??

Melissa

Jim, do the SportDog collars have a bad reputation? The 2-dog model is $169, which is not exactly cheap, and it really does sound like the guy who runs the website (see link above) has done his homework in testing the collars out.

Not going to touch the real cheapies.

SS,
I have never tried the sport dog collar and have no experience with it.  The "Garmin Delta" is made by tri-tronics and is $199.  I have had very good results with Tri-tronics.  I have two collars here, one is about 9 -10 years old and the other is about 5 or 6 years old.  They both work great and I've had no issues with either one.  I would think that website has a lot of experience with E-collars and probably knows what they are doing.