Training Collar

[hollymadsenripley]

I am new at this and trying to get the proper equipment. I was looking at all the TriTronic training collars and there are SO many. Different types, then series within that category. I am starting with a GSP and want to start with the basics commands...here..whoa..etc. I am starting from scratch. Never used a collar before and have trainer who is going to start working with me and a dog in a couple of weeks. Can anyone direct me to a good collar to purchase? Is it just what you wanna spend?

[topher40]

Ask the trainer that you are employing, they should know what to recommend.

[Sharon]

I assume you are just shopping and not planning on using it on the dog yet. I normally wait until the dog is 4-6 months old.
I have a Tritronics Sport Basic G3 . It is very basic but has been all I've needed. Very durable, no problems.

[hollymadsenripley]

Thank you. I do plan on asking the trainer. I like to get more feedback and more than one opinion. Thank you so much I was looking at the Sport collar and wondering if that would do.

[RayGubernat]

Some of the things you may wish to consider when deciding which collar to buy are related to exactly how the collar is going to be used. For example:

Will the training techniques you will be using require continuous stimulation, momentary stimulation, or both? Will your training include cueing the dog with a vibrator or buxxer or tone?

If you will only be using continuous stim, you do not need a unit that does momentary. if you only very rarely will be using momentary stim, you can approximate it with a quick bump of the continuous.

If, on the other hand, you will be using mostly momentary stim, you will probably want a unit that does some continuous stim, just in case you need to do some trashbreaking.

Obviously, if you will be training the dog to respond to a vibration or tone, the e-collar will need to have that feature.


Beyond that, you need to figure the maximum distance that you may need to correct or cue the dog. For training in a confined area, liea fenced in pasture or yard, a qurter mile range unit may well be sufficient. For a bird dog in the field , I believe a prudent transmitter range would be 2/3 mile or more, because as the terrain gets more uneven or as the cover gets thicker, those advertised ranges can shrink dramatically. Dogs can also cover a lot of ground in a hurry if they are chasing deer, for example.

The last thing you want to consider is ease of use. Ideally, you should be able to reach down and apply a cue or correction without taking your eyes off the dog.

I personally have used aTT Flyway Special for many years and am perfectly stisfied with it because the vast majority of my e-collar usage is in the form of momentary stimulation cues and corrections.

I do not use a tone cue. If I did, I suspect the Pro 200 would then be my choice.

RayG

[eastwash]

The Tritronics sport basic is an excellent entry level collar.

[hollymadsenripley]

Thanks again for the responses and messages. Helped A LOT

[snips]

I like to only do Here stuff and get the dog exposed to birds, pointing before much if any other obedience stuff gets going. You do not say anything about the dogs expoerience or age.

[kninebirddog]

ditto on the tri tronics

the pro 100 and the classic 70 are good the basic sport is alright also

Tri tronics has a sale going on with some of the g2 series collars since they are all G3 series now www.tritronics.com

as for how to use the e collar should only be used to maintain commands known ...unless you are doing aversion training

Think they should change the name from training collars to maintain training collars

[gonehuntin']

Like, K-9, Pro 100.

[hollymadsenripley]

Well, I should be getting a pup in a month. So all the tips and input have been very helpful. Gave me some much needed info. Thanks. I don't know if it was the right way to start? I kinda wanted to start from the very beginning with someone helping me learn the way to train the pup and work my way up? Been researching all the collars...which I won't need for a while from what I have been told. So I'll start with the GPS collar and the go the training ( or maintaing!) colloar

[56-26]

you also want to keep in mind if the collar you get is expandable or if you can use a beeper with it. I bought a collar and then a year later bought another dog and found out that it wasn't expandable. I just went a bought a new Sportdog 1850.

[kninebirddog]

Good point the Tri tronics get the EXP version, as those are expandable versions of their collars

[Texas Mike]

You might also consider a good training video to get you off on the right foot. I just got Training a Retriever Puppy by Bill Hillmann today, it is loaded with all the stuff you should do to get your new pup off on the right foot.

[hollymadsenripley]

I just bought a couple of books...but a video would be evevn better! Thanx

[Texas Mike]

You never did mention what kinda pup you are planning on getting.

[hollymadsenripley]

Get my GSP the end of the month. Got the TroTronics Sport G3. Seems to be able to do what I need for now. Won't be using it my GSP for months, however, my Catahoula will use it it first. Thanks again for the innput and advice, it really gave me some footing on what to look at.

[dogirl]

I assume you are just shopping and not planning on using it on the dog yet. I normally wait until the dog is 4-6 months old.
I have a Tritronics Sport Basic G3 . It is very basic but has been all I've needed. Very durable, no problems.

This is a good, reliable collar for a beginner.

[Sharon]

I just bought a couple of books...but a video would be evevn better! Thanx

Google " Perfect Start, Perfect Finish" DVDs

[A/C Guy]

When picking an e-collar, pick one that has a rechargeable transmitter so you do not need to keep buying 9 volt batteries. Make sure it is water resistant. Compare warranties, we had one that only had a year warranty. It broke twice, once in the first year and then again after. The company was very rude to my wife regarding any repairs, so we then bought a different brand (rechargeable and longer warranty). I use the vibrate function 95% of the time. I only use the electric stim when it is a safety issue (running towards the street),chasing something, or sticking a nose into a hole (snakes and scorpions and black widows live there). Our dogs know that the vibrate means they did not obey a command and they then immediately obey.

[kninebirddog]

If you get the G3 sport basic My 1st battery lasted over 10 months and when I replaced with a top quality battery the lithium 7x battery now the 8x and got 11-12 months out of those and that is with quite a bit of use starting pups and stuff with it

Only time I see people having problems with the 9volts is when they buy the 99 cent cheapies

[Greg Jennings]

I liked Perfect Start a lot. Especially the way they start the dogs on birds. I liked the HuntSmith puppy DVDs as well. Good, methodical progression.

Greg J.

[birddogger]

All good advice, but the best one probably came from topher. I have the sport basic G3 and it is all I need. I like to keep it simple, but more important than the one you choose, is learning to use it properly. Having a trainer to work with is a huge plus!!!!

Charlie

[Greg Jennings]

What are you wanting to do with the dog? Conformation, agility, fly ball, hunt tests, field trails, NAVHDA or what?