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Link AKC

Posted: Tue Dec 19, 2017 4:50 pm
by Fozzie's Mom
Just thinking about maybe needing a GPS tracker on my dog. He only tends to run far when he's on a bird, otherwise, his obedience is impeccable. I am NOT prepared to spend upwards of $800 on one, currently, as I'm not even positive it will be a necessity (yeah, I know. . . famous last words :roll: ).

Someone was telling me about the Link AKC collar, with a phone app you can track your dog with (among other things). Upon looking it up online, there are mixed reviews, though the company seems to be doing a job staying on top of things and replying favorably trying to assist in trouble shooting and providing replacements for parts not working, etc.

Has anyone had any experience with these? Heard anything positive or negative about them?

Re: Link AKC

Posted: Tue Dec 19, 2017 6:32 pm
by Steve007
How far out does he go? Does he get out of range of a good beeper collar? You can just set on silent and use the locate when needed if the beep bothers you.

Re: Link AKC

Posted: Tue Dec 19, 2017 8:29 pm
by Fozzie's Mom
So far. . . .I don't think so, but I should probably give you a bit of background.

Hunting is completely new to me, and so is all of the equipment. I'm learning slowly along with my dog, who is an 18 month old Golden Retriever. I've only started doing anything working with birds in the past 3 months, so I don't have much experience to draw from.

He is an EXTREMELY obedient and biddable dog (first 3 times in the obedience ring, and we walked out with 2 second places, 1 first, and our CD title). I've always done a ton of hiking with him, and he never leaves my line of sight. I can generally just about whisper commands or give him subtle hand signals and he responds. The exception is when he's chasing a bird. He doesn't stop. . . . . .but he always comes back.

Up until now, I've just been letting him flush birds and allowing him to give chase (he wasn't all that sure about his job, and I was told I just needed to get him on birds and don't worry about making him steady). I'm only just now starting to work on teaching him to steady, and I'm not anticipating he'll at all have a problem or be a habitual runner. . . . .but I suppose nothing is for certain, and it's better to be safe than sorry. I don't yet have plans to neuter him, and he is a different dog when working birds than at another point in time.

I don't have any experience with a beeper collar, so I can't say for certain he doesn't leave range. I've never had need to use one.

Re: Link AKC

Posted: Wed Dec 20, 2017 9:23 am
by Steve007
Aha. Saw the dog in the picture and, as you hadn't mentioned it, presumed you had a pointing dog. A flushing dog is different, and I wouldn't attempt to make observations on them. They do have to stay in gun range, though, or they don't serve much purpose in upland hunting. Seems your problem is range and training, rather than tracking. Plenty of books on flushing dogs available.

corrrected for typo

Re: Link AKC

Posted: Thu Dec 21, 2017 8:57 am
by Fozzie's Mom
Whoops. Yeah. Tarro in the profile picture is a border collie cross. . . . maybe with Brittany(?), but he's definitely all herding, and wouldn't do well with gunfire. :)

I assure you, I agree my problem is ALL training. :roll: He's a great dog that does exactly what is asked. Since hunting anything is totally new to me. . . .I'm learning slowly and am making mistakes as we go. I don't think I really need a tracker collar, especially once we're more experienced (at least not an $800 Garmen), but maybe in these beginning stages until I get him steady to flush, something like this Link would be prudent as a bit of a precaution.

I was also inquiring about these collars for my employer. He has an old beagle that doesn't hear well and has taken to toddling off on him occasionally, so he's also looking into these. The reviews online are mixed, but the company seems to be attempting to address concerns.

Any help, hints, and criticism are received with open arms. I'll take book and DVD recommendations too if anyone has any. I've just ordered SmartFetch and SmartWork books from ebay and am awaiting their arrival. There are just so many choices out there, I don't want to choose poorly.

Re: Link AKC

Posted: Thu Dec 21, 2017 9:31 am
by Dakotazeb
Looks like you have to pay $6.95 to 9.95 per month for the app. That could get spendy over time. If all you want is tracking look for a used Garmin Astro. Or maybe the new Pathfinder from Dogtra would work for you.

Re: Link AKC

Posted: Thu Dec 21, 2017 12:02 pm
by GrayGhost
I haven't had any experience with the Link either, but like somebody else said there is that monthly fee. It seems to me that depending on how long you would want to pay for the service, you could get a new Garmin 430 and Collar for $640.00, that you could use for years, or look online and find a decent Astro 320 for under $500. I guess it just depends if you want to pay up front or over time.

I do also see the value of not having the big antenna sticking out all the time for your boss' beagle. I have the 320 and I really like having it, but I also spend a lot of time in the mountains and backcountry so that's what works best for me. It seems like Dogtra is making a big push on their new Pathfinder and I've heard good things on those as well.

Re: Link AKC

Posted: Thu Dec 21, 2017 12:22 pm
by Fozzie's Mom
Thank you for your input!

I'm being a bit wishy-washy because I'm pretty sure this current dog won't need to use a tracker for very long, once WE (meaning, I) learn to stay steady. I'm thinking maybe through spring, and that's about it? He's not usually at all a wanderer, so I'm not thinking this will be a long term investment, hence my desire to not invest a ton of money up front. I'm not sure if I'll have another hunting dog after this one, or if Foz and I will even continue (though, so far, we're hooked, so who knows?!).

I'm liking what I'm seeing of the Pathfinder. It seems to offer what I'm looking for, plus the training mode, and has good reviews. I appreciate the help! Thank you! 8)

Re: Link AKC

Posted: Thu Dec 21, 2017 3:31 pm
by Steve007
Well, uh, realizing that I'm the guy who said he didn't know beans about flushing dogs, how many flushing dogs need a tracking collar? Ask about this in the training section.He's got a Novice title, so he's socialized and trainable. Teach him to sit on a whistle or voice. You'll need to do so in Utility anyway. May as well get started. Your employer is a different story.

Re: Link AKC

Posted: Fri Dec 22, 2017 12:05 pm
by Fozzie's Mom
Steve007 wrote:Well, uh, realizing that I'm the guy who said he didn't know beans about flushing dogs, how many flushing dogs need a tracking collar? Ask about this in the training section.He's got a Novice title, so he's socialized and trainable. Teach him to sit on a whistle or voice. You'll need to do so in Utility anyway. May as well get started. Your employer is a different story.
LOL. Truth! I'm sure not many need them. I had been told to get him crazy about birds (he/we knew nothing as of 3 months ago, so he was unsure he was going to like them at first), so have been letting him chase and catch them. Now he's so crazy about them, when on a bird, he won't stop until he catches it! That'll settle down again now that I've started working with teaching him to stay, and it won't be a long term problem, for sure. I'm not at all concerned it'll be little more than an annoyance for a while.

I only recently learned about the whistle (like I said, learning as I go), so am now working on teaching that to him, too. So far so good. He does distance work for obedience already, so it won't be difficult to transfer to bird work.

As far as my boss, I'm thinking he's not going to like the short battery life of this Link unit, either, so his choice would probably also be for something like the Pathfinder, as well.

Re: Link AKC

Posted: Fri Dec 22, 2017 4:06 pm
by Dakotazeb
Your DO NOT need a GPS tracking collar for your dog. From everything you have posted I cannot figure out why you think you need a tracking collar. An E-Collar, maybe. But not a tracking collar. A tracking collar is not going to stop your dog from chasing birds. Training, yes. And after training if he doesn't obey then maybe an e-collar to re-enforce your commands (either voice or whistle).

Re: Link AKC

Posted: Sat Dec 23, 2017 7:29 am
by greg jacobs
Haven't read anything on it. Some of those need cell tower connections. Does that one?
Your dog can be gun conditioned for sure if you want to go that way.
Didn't know you could put a CD on a mixed breed.

Re: Link AKC

Posted: Sat Dec 23, 2017 9:21 pm
by Steve007
greg jacobs wrote:Haven't read anything on it. Some of those need cell tower connections. Does that one?
Your dog can be gun conditioned for sure if you want to go that way.
Didn't know you could put a CD on a mixed breed.
She's got a Golden.The mix is just a pet. The AKC does allow mixes (All American Dogs) in obedience trials (rally, agility, too) if the sponsoring club allows them. Started about 7 years ago. You see very very few, however, in obedience. People with mixed breeds don't do obedience, though there are rare exceptions.

Re: Link AKC

Posted: Thu Dec 28, 2017 9:23 am
by Fozzie's Mom
Dakotazeb wrote:Your DO NOT need a GPS tracking collar for your dog. From everything you have posted I cannot figure out why you think you need a tracking collar. An E-Collar, maybe. But not a tracking collar. A tracking collar is not going to stop your dog from chasing birds. Training, yes. And after training if he doesn't obey then maybe an e-collar to re-enforce your commands (either voice or whistle).
Thank you for the vote of confidence! I'm only worried that IF he takes off chasing a bird, he won't stop until he catches it, otherwise I guess I'm not concerned. I've already started to teach him to whoa, so I think you're right. I just don't want to mess him up, being a total greenhorn, and all. :roll: Thank you for setting my mind at ease!

Re: Link AKC

Posted: Thu Dec 28, 2017 9:27 am
by Fozzie's Mom
greg jacobs wrote:Haven't read anything on it. Some of those need cell tower connections. Does that one?
Your dog can be gun conditioned for sure if you want to go that way.
Didn't know you could put a CD on a mixed breed.
Yeah, the only place I believe AKC won't allow "hybred" :lol: dogs is the conformation ring. They're all over the place in obedience and agility. . . . they're registered as "All American Dog." BUT. . . I'm actually talking about my Golden Retriever here. My border collie mix isn't really good for anything besides cuddling.

Re: Link AKC

Posted: Thu Dec 28, 2017 9:34 am
by Fozzie's Mom
Steve007 wrote:
greg jacobs wrote:Haven't read anything on it. Some of those need cell tower connections. Does that one?
Your dog can be gun conditioned for sure if you want to go that way.
Didn't know you could put a CD on a mixed breed.
She's got a Golden.The mix is just a pet. The AKC does allow mixes (All American Dogs) in obedience trials (rally, agility, too) if the sponsoring club allows them. Started about 7 years ago. You see very very few, however, in obedience. People with mixed breeds don't do obedience, though there are rare exceptions.
Whoops. . .didn't see your answer. We actually have a bunch of them showing around in my area, so I assumed it was a given. Not sure if it's just this area or if people are finally realizing they can do more with their mixed breed dogs these days. My "border collie thing," as he's affectionately known, has his excellent standard and jumpers agility titles, but the old man retired a long time ago.

Re: Link AKC

Posted: Thu Dec 28, 2017 10:44 am
by bustingcover
I would recommend the dogtra pathfinder. Its only $399 and you can use your phone rather than having to carry an extra handheld. I don't agree with a dog not needing a tracker in the field. sh!t happens when you least expect it and its better to be able to find your dog as soon as possible when it does.