Training collars

I use dogtra collars and have been impressed with them.  I have a 2500 t&b and a 2000 t&b. They are used probably ten months of the year only thing i had go wrong was i had to replace the battery on the reciever on the 2500.  If you are hunting upland with a pointing dog that beeper is a must in my opinion.  Good luck.

tritronics hands down never had a problem with mine in 7 years just had to replace a reciever battery.

My tritronics is over ten years old and starting on it's second dog! Never been touched! Battery or anything!

My Tritronics is 15 years old and still going strong. I did have to send it in 3 years ago and have it reconditioned. Cost me $100 but basically I got a new collar back.

Before that I had a dogtra, that one only lasted 4 months. I'm not saying their collars aren't any good. I think I just got a bad one.

-Get at least a half mile of range. (I like a full mile)
-Make sure it's WATER PROOF not WATER RESISTANT.
-The ones that beep are really nice and can really help in the training process.
-Find out how hard it is to change out the batteries if they go bad, on the collar and the receiver. The older units the only way to do this was to send it in to the factory and have them do it.

Tritronics is the king of e-collars. We started out with an Innotek that was cheap and water resistant. Worked ok for about 2 weeks and then ran into a water puddle which took care of that. Bought a DT Systems collar because it had a lifetime warranty. Thank God because it went back 3 times in 18 months. Each time took 6 weeks and was a training and hunting issue.

Finally went with a Tritronics model 70 classic. That was 10 years ago and ended up getting another for our second GSP. Neither have had a lick of problems and the batteries are alll still going strong!

As noted above, get one with a tone feature. Just about all the dog needs after being trained is to be beeped to remind them of their mission and who is in charge.

Note, don't shy away from a rechargeable Tritronics because of battery life. I have hunted 5-7 days in a row for 4-8 hours a day without running out of battery.

Whatever collar you chose, get it before you get the dog especially if you live near a road:

http://www.collarclinic.com/

 

One more thing if have questions on how to use a shock collar don't be afraid to ask. Because as easy as it is to train a dog with a shock collar, it's also that easy to ruin a dog with a shock collar.

I am biased to the tritronics, I have 3 classic field 70 for my 3 wirehairs. When it's time to buy another one it will be a Tritronics. 

fowlattitude21 Said:
Hey guys I'm looking at training collars and dont have much experience with them. The fiance has received her wish and we will be getting a puppy! (Pointing Lab) He will be used for upland obviously but we also do a lot of waterfowl hunting. So I'm wondering what experiences you have with different collars and any opinions on the best overall collar and why. THANKS in advance!

I went down the same road 6 months ago. Went with the Tritronics Basic model and am very happy with it. It will cost you more than the others but you get what you pay for. Tritronic units are made specifically for hunting dogs and I think the others are made for yard  training and light use.

I have friends who went with Sport Dog and the other with the Petco line because they are cheap, and neither are happy due to durability issues and inconsistancies between the correction levels.

I have a Base model Dogtra.  I like the vibration feature instead of the beep.  That was my biggest thing.  I don't like having a car alarm going off out in the field alerting the birds when my dog is fast approaching.   I use my lab for both upland and waterfall.  The battery works great and I've never had an issue for a long weekend hunt.  Even hunting in late fall into winter when the dog get some frost the collar hasn't missed a beat.  She understands that first comes the vibration then comes the strong arm of the law. For her it usually only takes one shock a year and she's back on track. 

My tritronics is 7 years old now, and not one issue.  I use it year round, and no complaints.  Used on a pointing lab also.

 Tri-tronics, mine is 9 years old and no problems. Remember an e-collar is used to re-enforce commands that the dog already knows, not to train a dog.

Stock13 Said:
I have a Base model Dogtra.  I like the vibration feature instead of the beep.  That was my biggest thing.  I don't like having a car alarm going off out in the field alerting the birds when my dog is fast approaching.   I use my lab for both upland and waterfall.  The battery works great and I've never had an issue for a long weekend hunt.  Even hunting in late fall into winter when the dog get some frost the collar hasn't missed a beat.  She understands that first comes the vibration then comes the strong arm of the law. For her it usually only takes one shock a year and she's back on track. 

 

Ditto on the dogtra and the vibration instead of beeper.  no problems with it whatsoever. 

fire angel Said:
 Tri-tronics, mine is 9 years old and no problems. Remember an e-collar is used to re-enforce commands that the dog already knows, not to train a dog.

                                                                            

Hey guys thanks for the help! The pup is due to be born on Christmas eve!

 

bigbrad123 Said:

Stock13 Said:
I have a Base model Dogtra.  I like the vibration feature instead of the beep.  That was my biggest thing.  I don't like having a car alarm going off out in the field alerting the birds when my dog is fast approaching.   I use my lab for both upland and waterfall.  The battery works great and I've never had an issue for a long weekend hunt.  Even hunting in late fall into winter when the dog get some frost the collar hasn't missed a beat.  She understands that first comes the vibration then comes the strong arm of the law. For her it usually only takes one shock a year and she's back on track. 

 

Ditto on the dogtra and the vibration instead of beeper.  no problems with it whatsoever. 

 No matter what type of collar you use they should be used correctly. I am no authority on the subject but I have witnessed incorrect use of them and it isn't good. I try to use mine sparingly and only after the dogs are whistle trained.

I believe that Rick Smith is working on a new training book for pointers. He has lots of great ideas on training and is considered one of the top pointer trainers. Recently he had a good article on the use of e-collars in the American Brittany magazine. 

"One more thing if have questions on how to use a shock collar don't be afraid to ask. Because as easy as it is to train a dog with a shock collar, it's also that easy to ruin a dog with a shock collar"

"No matter what type of collar you use they should be used correctly. I am no authority on the subject but I have witnessed incorrect use of them and it isn't good. I try to use mine sparingly and only after the dogs are whistle trained"

Amen!  
IMHO the misuse of shortcut training collars has ruined more dogs than you can shake electrons at!    When I think of putting a collar on a pup which knows absolutely nothing when you first get it, I shudder! 
Ah well, as my many pro dog trainer friends say, everybody wants a quick easy way out nowadays.....Sign of the times.

Tritronics hands down has my vote. Like stated before, it will out last your dog. 
As far as the beep vs. vibration I'm a little confused. My Trtronics Upland's beep is very quiet, if you're more than a few feet from the dog it can't be heard. The bird will hear the dog coming through the brush way before it will hear the beep tone on a tri tronics collar.