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Thread: E Collars

  1. #1
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    Default E Collars

    School me on E collars. I got a new pointer puppy about 8 weeks ago. The pup is not ready for an e collar yet. I’ve tried to read as many training books as possible and talked to many people who have trained bird dogs. I want to start looking at e collars for training down the road. Do some e collars have a gps function as well or are two collars required? Best brands? Right now I only have one dog so I don’t think I need a remote that is capable of being used on more than one dog at one time but I’m not opposed to the idea in case I get another dog down the road.

  2. #2
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    If you are wanting gps and e collar get an alpha with tt15. You can track and shock upto 20 with one setup. Alpha and a collar is $799 additional collars are $300. Look around and you can find deals. Easy to use an operate. I have 2 handhelds and 12 collars . Very user friendly.
    Last edited by bearclaw; 04-24-2019 at 01:36 PM.

  3. #3
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    Garmin Alpha is what I have, it has GPS and the E collar. Works great and it has been a game changer for me and my hunting dogs. If someone stole it today I would order another today.

  4. #4
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    I've got the Garmin Alpha and tt15 mini for my little Dachshund tracking dog and it is pretty damn impressive. However, when I hunt my pointing dog, I use a Dogtra Train and Beep. It has training (shock) function and a beeper function with several modes. I typically run it on "run and point" mode that beeps occasionally while the dog is moving but switches to a different, faster cadence and tone when he goes on point. It can be set to point-only and you can also make it beep immediately with a button on the remote. A foot-handling pointing dog should frequently check in on his own and not range so far that you need a GPS.

    Some folks use a bell on a dog's collar. You have to stay alert to where you dog is at all times because when he goes on point, the bell goes silent. The beeper is the opposite. You can relax until you hear the beeper.

  5. #5
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    Be very, very careful with one. Never use one when you're mad. I've seen many a dog ruined by an E collar.

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by Gregory View Post
    Be very, very careful with one. Never use one when you're mad. I've seen many a dog ruined by an E collar.
    Yep. And never shock a dog if you can't see it.

    I've trained dogs for years and the more I train, the less I use a collar. About the only thing I use the shock function for anymore is avoidance training with snakes and to teach them to stay out from under the tractor implements, etc.

    I also use a bark collar on my newest dog to keep her from becoming a yapper.

  7. #7
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    I've had good luck with sportdog collars.
    The only reason im on #2 is because I lost the first one (it was on 6yrs though and going strong)
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  8. #8
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    The alpha is the most popular track and train system. I had a Garmin tracker for my coon hounds and bought the dogta pathfinder at the beginning of last season. Found it for 340$ brand new from dogtra. It is an awesome unit. Uses cell phone as your handheld and has very good maps. have had no problems with it and the shock and tone functions work great. I would suggest it, half the price of the alpha and I think it is just as effective . I hunt 5 nights a week in season and it never failed me. Pm me if you want any more insight about it.

  9. #9
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    Default E Collars

    A Swiss bell is infinitely better than a beeper collar. Limited situational awareness will clue you in when the bell goes silent. I cringe every time my buddy hits the hawk screech when we're upland hunting.


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    Last edited by boondoggle; 04-23-2019 at 08:34 PM.
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  10. #10
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    I've never seen a dog "ruined" by a collar. I have seen lots of dogs that can't handle pressure. Those dogs have a tendency to lay down and stop functioning when the collar is put on their neck. Those are house pets. Gun dogs can take pressure. If you find yourself with a soft dog, get used to disappointment.

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by boondoggle View Post
    A Swiss bell is infinitely better than a beeper collar. Limited situational awareness will clue you in when the bell goes silent. I cringe every time my buddy hits the hawk screech when we're upland hunting.


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    Different strokes. I'd rather give myself a rope burn than hunt with a belled dog.

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by Fish View Post
    I've never seen a dog "ruined" by a collar. I have seen lots of dogs that can't handle pressure. Those dogs have a tendency to lay down and stop functioning when the collar is put on their neck. Those are house pets. Gun dogs can take pressure. If you find yourself with a soft dog, get used to disappointment.
    I'm sorry, but this is just wrong.

    Otherwise good, and even great, dogs are ruined by handlers who think an e-collar is a fix all button when they can't solve the problem.
    "This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you." John 15:12

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  13. #13
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    I've never seen it. And I've been around a lot of dog training.

    How many dogs have you seen ruined? Where did you see it happen?

  14. #14
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    Off the top of my head, saw a GSP come in to a trainer last summer that had "issues". Dog had lost all confidence because of a collar, he essentially shut down. 3 months later, in the hands of a decent trainer, brand new dog who could run with the best of them.

    Also, just because a dog can't handle pressure from a collar, doesn't mean that it doesn't have potential to be a great hunting dog. Would you select that dog to run field trials, probably not. But whoever said field trial dogs and great hunting dogs were synonymous.
    "This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you." John 15:12

    "Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord." Hebrews 12:14

  15. #15
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    I did. A soft dog has limitations. If you want a limited dog, that's your call. I was lucky in that regard. My dog could take a lot of pressure. Also, I don't get emotional about dogs.

    About that GSP, did anyone see someone misusing a collar on him or was it assumed? I trust what you're saying, but breaking a dog in on a collar can take time. Was it a young dog? Also, just in case you missed it, that dog wasn't ruined.

  16. #16
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    A dog has limitations based on intelligence and breed characteristics, not because of their ability to handle negative reinforcement.

    You have limitations in your training ability if you can not create a scenario that teaches a dog to do what you want without the use of said negative reinforcement.
    "This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you." John 15:12

    "Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord." Hebrews 12:14

  17. #17
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    Also, the reason no one will choose that soft dog for a field trial is because no one wants to devote the time it would take to get that dog to that level, not because it would take any more time but because most of us don't know how. We have developed programs that put some dogs on the fast track because of their ability to handle pressure.
    "This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you." John 15:12

    "Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord." Hebrews 12:14

  18. #18
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    You left out temperament. This is the element that dictates a dog's ability to handle pressure. As to the training comment, my dog was finished. There were no limitations in his training. I won't put up with the limitations of a soft dog. They are house pets.

    Let me give you an example of soft. I had a female lab that was terrified of going over the side of a boat. When the river was in flood stage, I had to leave her home. That is unacceptable. What is acceptable was the temperament of my male Chesapeake. He would go over the side, break ice, claw his way back up on the ice, run until he broke through again, pull himself back up on the ice, and repeat as many times as necessary. That is a dog that could take pressure.

    Again, in your second post here, you acknowledge that soft dogs have limitations.

  19. #19
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    Yes, you're right. Temperament, including prey drive, are factors.

    But, read my post again. I acknowledge that WE have limitations on our ability to train soft dogs because we have built programs around negative reinforcement as the main motivator.

    It sounds like your female lab lacked drive which could be a temperament issue. OR the dog had a bad experience with going over the side of the boat, which would be a training issue.

    I think your version of "soft" is my version of lacking drive. My version of soft is a dog who will not handle negative reinforcement as well. Which usually means they handle positive reinforcement really well and the slightest negative correction gets the point across, even to the point that you have to watch your body language. In my opinion, that makes their ability to be trained better than the dog who can run through 4 levels of stim before he stops.
    "This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you." John 15:12

    "Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord." Hebrews 12:14

  20. #20
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    Quote Originally Posted by Fish View Post
    I've never seen a dog "ruined" by a collar. I have seen lots of dogs that can't handle pressure. Those dogs have a tendency to lay down and stop functioning when the collar is put on their neck. Those are house pets. Gun dogs can take pressure. If you find yourself with a soft dog, get used to disappointment.
    This is just plain wrong. Dogs respond to pressure based on their personality. I have owned, trained, judged a lot of dogs. Just because a dog is a little soft doesn't mean it can't run with the best of them. It just requires a smarter trainer.

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