eCollar Comparisons

[Harvick]

Has anyone had any experience with the different brands of shock collars out there? Does one brand offer more stimulation than another?

I have a very stubborn shorthair that responds very well to low stimulation until he is distracted with rabbits, mice, and other fun things to play with. He totally ingnores the collar. I currently have a SportDog 400 and was wondering if Tritronics or another brand has a higher stimulation to get his attention during these situations so I can keep him out of trouble. I am more than confident that he understands the commands but is just stubburn enough to ignore them.

Any help you can provide would be appreciated.

[pear]

I'm sure the levels of stimulation vari some from brand to brand, even from model to model within the same brand. I doubt that if he won't respond to a Sport Dog, he'd respond to any other brand any better. Now if you are saying that you feel the SD 400 doesn't have a range of stimulation that offers something he'll respond to besides HIGH then you may want to choose a model of any brand that has a wider range between the lowest and highest setting. There again I'm sure brands aren't the key as much as model. I prefer TriTronics myself but that is just my preferance and sponsor, so of course I do..........If I were leaving TT I'd go with SD but there again that is my preferance, others may have a suggestion they like better. With the exception of Innotec having some issues with reliablity, and service, I'd say all the brands are fairly close. Service and what you like will be the main thing.... Just my thoughts "pear"

[mtlee]

Make sure you have the collar fitted correctly, just below the base of the skull and tightened to where it is uncomfortable to insert 2 fingers between the dogs neck and the e-collar strap (thats what I've been told). This will ensure that the contacts are consistently touching the dogs skin. If that isn't the problem could it be that the dog is out of range when you try to shock it? I noticed that if I hold my transmitter away from my body (like the manufacturer recommends) the working distance is increased significantly. I was hitting the continuous button and the transmitter was on a lanyard around my neck resting on my chest---nothing happened. I pulled the transmitter away and bam---she felt it.

I have a Tri Tronics 60G2, have a had an Innotek, and have tried out a friend's SportDog. All seemed to have plenty of juice on the highest setting. I know the TT and Innotek will both stop my GSP dead in her tracks from a full run on the highest level (only done in emergency situations like chasing things towards the road). I guess it is possible that the dog could just be that tough that he could tolerate it, but my GSP is pretty tough and she can't handle the highest setting.

[Chaingang]

I was thinking along the same lines as mtlee. Make sure the collar is positioned correctly (high on the neck) and snug, but not so much as to choke the dog. I have seen a couple dogs that can take maximum stim. and keep on going, but not many.

[Lab Man]

I suggest you consider a Dogtra collar. A Dogtra collar will definately give you the tools to break your dog from chasing rabbits. I offer a member discount on e-collars. E-mail me at mark@coonriverkennels.com for details. Good luck

[gonehuntin']

When I was a trainer, a long time ago, we noticed that some collars affected any dog, would literally roll them on the ground, and others had virtually no effect on any dog. These were the days before variable intensity. No one could figure it out. Tri Tronics started having us send the "hot" collars in so they could test them and they recorded the information on the collar. All collars put out the same voltage and amperage. What was obviously different was the frequencies. Chad James came to the conclusion that different frequencies bothered dogs more than others. You could probably call TT and ask them for a collar with a "hot" frequency. It can still be dialed down for early training.

I really think it's your collar, not the dog. Some dogs have to be sensitized to electricity, but all can be made to respond to it. You might put some conductive jelly on the dogs neck, or try putting her ear under the collar and see if she has a reaction to that. I'll bet though that either your collar is defective (Have you tried it on your arm?) or you have not correctly sensitized her to electricity.

[Harvick]

Thanks for the replys. The dog responds great to the collar on a low setting when he is not distracted. I always keep the collar charged and make sure it is on correctly. I talked to Lion Country and Collarclinic and they both recommended that I switch to a Tritronic. I talked to Tritronic and they told me that they were not sure that their collars offered any higher stimulation than the other brands. I just want to be sure I am making a good decision before I break open the wallet again for another collar.

[tip]

Before you break the bank I would get ahold of sportdog (email, call) they have some longer/hotter probes that you could switch out on the collar. PM me your address and I'll try to get you a set I think I have an extra set.

[DS]

Have you verified that both the collar and the transmitter both are fully charged? have you tested it on yourself? on a low setting, i set my dogtra on 2 and put them on my palm to verfiy they are working when i have had the same issue. D

[Don]

I've used Tri Tronics and DT Systems both. I detest the one's that give off a warning sound and have the good boy tone. I don't believe they were made to train dog's with, they were made to sell to dog trainer's. The best I ever used was the Tri-Tronics 100 with the 1/10th sec nic. It was flawless for me. I also don't like multipile dog transmitter's. If you have dog's down that need collar's it should be one at a time. You can't give full attention to two or more dog's at the same time and timing is everything. Your early with a nic, late with a nic or nic the wrong dog, you messed up!
Now your not going to ruin your dog with one screw up but it will accomplish nothing. And somehow one screw up leads to another sometimes.

One of the trap's I see are to many gizmo's, good boy tone ect. and the feeling that you need a collar that will reach a mile+, ya don't. Concider this. If you need a collar on your dog, what's he doing out that far in the first place? What that one mile range does is tempt someone to ding a dog they can't even see. The reason they might not see the dog is it's just over the rise standing on a bird! Delmar said, "pay attention to what your training". He also said, "never set your dog up to fail".

[gonehuntin']

I detest the one's that give off a warning sound and have the good boy tone. I don't believe they were made to train dog's with, they were made to sell to dog trainer's.

Boy, do I agree 100% with that! I don't believe the collar should tell the dog he's a "good dog", a "bad dog", or warn him. That should come from only the trainer.

[Windyhills]

I would also suggest getting ahold of sportdog before making the switch.

Could be something wrong with the collar. Have you tested it with the tester that comes with them to insure it is firing every time? I had a problem with a DT collar that didn't once.

The other thing I found out--courtesy of the Dogtra collar I still have-- is that the settings and transition on collars can vary. The assumption that there is a smooth progression in shock amount along the dial is not necessarily true. Some collar designs are set up for dogs who need more shock intensity, some for less. Yours could be set up for dogs that don't need as much shock.

My Dogtra collar had smooth progressions for stretches along the dial but has a handful of points where it jumps up fairly dramatically. I discovered this when my dog responded to one level for normal situations but yelped when I moved the dial ever so slightly up to handle stronger needs.

Those settings can be reprogrammed by the company.

[gonehuntin']

ICould be something wrong with the collar. Have you tested it with the tester that comes with them to insure it is firing every time? I had a problem with a DT collar that didn't once.

Don't like using the tester. Testers, at least TT's, only show that elec. is being emitted from the points, but not how much. I just hold them on my are and start advancine from level one until I get as high as I can take it. That way I know what each intensity is doing. On a TT Pro 500, I can not even fell an intensity 1 or low 2. I can sure feel a 4 high though.