E-Collar Suggestions

[hoggs222]

OK. I'm making my first E-Collar purchase. I'm looking for one, mostly for obedience reasons (Digging, not coming in the house when I need to leave for work!, jumping, etc.)My yard is about 1/2 acre, so I don't need anything too powerful. My dog is a black mouth cur (pretty much the same size as a lab). She's about 5 months old now & 35 lbs. I'm looking to spend around $100-$150.

Anybody know of a brand, model that would fit these needs?

Thanks.

[Stratosman]

Not sure about a specific style you might need but I have a Tri-Tronics and let me tell you, those guys are nice to work with, I had a problem with my transmitter (not taking a charge) I called them to inquire about repair, at this point it was about one year old, they just sent me a whole new package no questions asked, didn't even need to send in the old one first, they just told me to return it in the package they sent me that the new one was in.

Any company that does that for anyone will get my business every time. I am sure they have a product that will suit you.

Good luck

[gspman]

Go with Tri-tronics or Dogtra.

[kentuck_ike]

I prefer dogtra, good prices & products

Ike

[marine_man]

I'd also recommend a Dogtra.. I've had mine now for about 6 months and love it....

marine_man

[FISHER ED]

The e-collar question is like Ford/Chevy. They all make nice units but a lot is personal preference. Tri-Tronics has the best customer service out there for repairs/returns. Dogtra is a split off company from DT, both making really nice collars. Myself, I'm partial to DT because I've been treated very well with their sales service and the one time I had problems. If money is no object, go Tri-Tronics. If you are on a budget, look toward DT or Dogtra. I'm not going to say anything about Innotek.

[setterguy]

I've used all three major brands (tritronics, innotek and dogtra) and have found my dogtra collars have had the fewest problems. Tri-tronics are very good collars also, I would stay away from Innotek. I have had my dogtra collar for 5 years with zero problems. I just looked in my catalog and the cheapest model they have is the 175 NCP, for 175 bucks. I can usually get the collars at a little discount, not as big as a difference on the lower end collars but I might be able to save you 20 bucks.....shoot me an email if you are interested. I can get the Tri tronics at a better price also if thats something that you decide on. Good luck.

jnovatney at msn dot com.

[Tripleplay]

I can also vouch for the service side of Tri-Tronics. Had the same exact not holding/taking a charge issue with my collar probably at least a couple of years into its life. I'll firmly admit that this was probably from owner/operator error on not recharging it per the instructions! Tri-Tronics sent me a brand new one and I just shipped them the old one no questions asked.

I have no experience with the Dogtra or Innotek collars. Did have an Innotek invisible fence and had OK service from them when the collar quit working one time.

[Mr. B]

It seems that most people (from what I have heard) have had trouble with the Innoteck collar. Maybe I am the exception to the rule but I have not had one problem with my Innoteck collar.

The reason I went with Innoteck was due to cost and the fact I can go to Cabelas with any problems that I might have. I also did not like that the Tri-Tonics transmitter was huge compared to the others. I have not looked at collars in 3 years so I am not familar with the new models.

[Gissert]

I have had an Innotek for about a year, with no problems so far.

[Phred52]

I have a Dogtra collar for my Lab and not abit of trouble. It's the model 1100NC. The ONLY thing I didn't like about it, was the plastic collar that it's mounted on has a buckle that you need to lace the collar through. I called the company and asked if it would affect the performance of the collar if I would mount it on a woven collar with a snap type buckle. They said it shouldn't, unless it gets saturated. Unit is "waterproof" but dog doesn't swim with it on regardless. After 1.5 yrs, my 10 year old daughter can SAY "collar" and dog comes to Heel. Two precautions, 1, Use it only to get the dogs attention. And 2, DON'T get "power" or "button happy". I still occasionally do put the collar on the dog, but I don't even turn it on. She has learned to respect it and what it can do. Now, I walk the dog EVERY evening, without a leash, in town and all with verbal commands. I even had a cop stop and ask if I had "control" of my dog one night, I told the dog to sit&stay. She dropped and stayed while I talked to him, he drove off satisfied. Bought it from Cabelas', Good Luck!

[hoggs222]

Thanks for all the advice. I'm still up in the air. I'll go to Sportsmans & look at some different models.

[hoggs222]

Well. I went with the Innotek 300 yard range. I tried it out today & she is doing fairly well with it after 1 session. I am working on Sit, stay & retrieve for now. I can tell that she gets bored after about 15 attempts or so, so I quit. I'll keep working with it!

Thanks for all of the input that you guys gave me. This site rules for any kind of info!

[marine_man]

hoggs, make sure that your dog is wearing the collar whenever he's out with you... this way he doesn't get collar smart... (knowing that he can get by not listening to you when he doesn't have the collar on). I would suggest that you let the dog wear it around for a while (about a week or two) before working with it more...

marine_man