doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Electronic collars

I haven't bought a collar in 14 years and they have changed a lot. I had a Tri Tronics for my previous dog but it is beyond its useful life and a dated technology. They are smaller, lighter and better today. Anyone recommend a good one that you have personal experience with that I can use for a Springer?

Brian Tri Tronics has always been my choice for collars. They have been bought by Garmin and I think this has been a great blend of companies as far as Electronis collars. For about 5 years have used the Astro and then the updated Alpha 100. Now there are improvements including a recently announced smaller collar which might be perfect for your dog. The Alpha 100 combines everything in one unit. All of the regular stuff with the benefit of GPS tracking. PM me I can give you more info as it relates to my hands on experience. Best money I have spent in a long time. Ours get used multiple times a week and are virtually trouble free.

A Springer is (usually) a pretty close working dog-GPS? Really?

Brian, I use a SportDog 425. It is just a collar with tone, vibration, and adjustable stimulation, and I'm just about done with the stimulation-the dog hears the tone and that is enough to get her around to my way of thinking. We use it every day, waterproof, and (so far) psychotic setter proof. I've never used the vibration. I might be old school, but, our "GPS" is still an old sleigh bell on her regular collar. My setters have all worn it when I needed it, about 30 seasons worth of dogs.
It is quite possible to overthink this, but, I'm a firm believer in keeping it simple. I didn't need or want the ability to track 4, or, 9 dogs, or much more than a way to get the dogs attention.
This little unit works well. It says it has a 500 yard range, maybe not in a grouse woods, but, over the open fields it certainly does. Charges in 2 hours.

Good luck, and tell us what you end up with.

Best,
Ted

Brian asked about collar improvements, and mentioned Tri Tronics. Yep sometimes I hunt with 9 dogs (lions) most of the time with just one or two in the field at a time. I can't hear a bell past 5 feet. I hunt my fair share of wild birds and train dogs regularly. I know what works well. For me the collar is used 99% of the time tracking my dogs. The tone is used for commands at times, and the stimulation not so often.
May not need a GPS for Springers, but it will sure come in handy if on that rare occasion your dog gets lost. Then again I am not hunting fields, and such. I can have a dog 20 yards away at times and they are had to see. When I am training like I did last Wednesday in areas like this most of the time GPS is not needed as much. Go 5 miles west of here into the hills and the GPS is worth it's wait in gold.

I have had a few brands- never had an issue with the Tritronics

i'll be going to a GPS set - i can hear the bell for some distance still- but direction is the big issue for me, if the bird is gone by the time I find the locating beeper it does not do me much good- the GPS would take me to the dog without the dump truck in reverse affect

I think for many of us- the GPS feature is the big and most usable new feature

Brian,

I have a Dogtra collar. I always found them to be a reliable company and have had little to no trouble with my collar. As for the need on Springers here is my opinion. I have run Springers for the last 25 years. I train regularly with one of the best training pros in the country. We never ever use collars to train. The only reason i have one and use it while hunting is as a precaution because we are close to people and roads. I use the locator beep once in a while in heavy cover also. I cant remember the last time I used the shock feature. nothing can replace good training. Not sure where in NY you are but if you are near north Jersey you could come to a training session with us. You can learn a lifetime of great stuff from a pro in just a couple of hours. PM me if you would ever be interested.

Bill G.

I "lost" my Tri Tronics a couple of years ago and replaced it with the then current Garmin equivalent. I hated the Garmin for a variety of reasons; the principle one being that the transmitter needed to be charged as well as the collar. When the Ford dealer called and said the shop foreman showed up with a Tri Tronics transmitter that he thought had come from my car I was thrilled. I haven't used the Garmin since!

I find the beeper to be the most effective and very seldom use the shock feature. When my dog hears the beeper she comes on the dead run. I seldom use the shock feature.

I run a Boykin and really have no need for the many features available on the newer collars.

R.

I use the collar mostly for what you say; safety. My last Springer had one and it was needed only when close to a road or when she was getting near something that could prove hazardous and her hunt drive was in high gear.
My dogs have all been trained to the whistle and I have found over the years that with my last dog, it took one tickle the first day of hunting to remind her who was in charge and the collar never got used again, always on her for safety but she knew what it was and minded herself quite well.
I work with a great trainer who schooled me on what not to do with an E Collar.
all of the suggestions are appreciated and I will let you know what I go with.

Bill,
Thanks for the offer. once I get her to a beginner level of competency Ill contact you to maybe hit a session. Right now we are in the play training stage. she is only 11 weeks.

Brian, I have the old Tritronics Sport Dog G3 and the Garmin GPS on both Brittanys. My purchase predated the gps/ecollar combination. In thick cover chasing 'doodles, a bell is sometimes not enough. Have you ever had to find a young dog that jumped a deer or hog? Well, I have. More than once. <g> A buddy has a stone deaf Brittany who is dynamite on woodcock. She was 13 last season. He borrowed my tracking collar and we had to look for her several times and found her locked down on point twice. We were in thick cane and she couldn't see us to find us. With the gps collar, she was easy to find. She wore a bell but was beyond hearing distance. A Georgia trainer has the best story I've heard regarding the value of a gps collar. She was working a dog around an old barn. The dog disappeared. The collar pointed to a the barn. The looked in the barn and couldn't find the dog. The locator pointed to the wall. The dog was wedged between a wall and a stack of lumber. The dog was head down and exhausted. She would have never found the dog without the collar.