I will try and keep this short but I have a thousand good things to say about this product. I have a 15 month old German Shepherd puppy that is roughly 80lbs. He is stubborn and really loves to 'test' me. His energy level is what you'd expect for a dog of his age and his size times seventeen. He cannot be satiated by a walk and I can't run with him everyday due to knee problems. I have a nearby field where he could run and play if he was just able to heel when someone else came onto the field or walked by. He is extremely nice but most people freak out (which is expected when a GSD is charging at you) if he approaches them. I couldn't risk him jumping up on someone so we normally just took short walks and I dealt with his energy accordingly.I read the reviews here and bit the bullet after swallowing what seemed like a bitter $200+ pill. Boy was I wrong! I took my dog out once. One time. Just a single outing with this thing and his demeanor changed EVEN at home. Just make sure you have the collar VERY tight. My dog is tough so the first time I thought he wasn't feeling it and I continued to increase the intensity until the contacts touched his skin around Level: 70, which delivers a solid pop. I had gone up to 40 on my own arm beforehand. I have shocked myself at this level (70) afterwards to make sure I didn't really hurt him. It's not comfortable but it's nothing bad...especially for such a large animal.
He wandered away from me and I called him back. He continued so he got the nick. It didn't stop him from running off from me so I switch over to constant (back down to level 25, where he is extremely responsive now) and held it for less than .5 seconds. He immediately stopped and looked at me. I called him back and he came immediately. I gave him tons of praise and that was it. That's the whole ordeal. I can take him anywhere now without a leash and I am in complete control. He responds to the device at just level 25 now and we are working on him learning the 'Page' feature so I can completely stop using the actual stimulation, though at this level it is not really any different than the vibration itself. The dog is far far happier and his energy level is lower now that we can spend 20 minutes with him in a solid sprint daily. His eating habits have improved and he is far less interested in people wandering around us.
Now that's what most reviews of this product sound like but they don't actual review this PRODUCT, just the premise of the device. Yes, it works amazingly well and your dog will have behavioral improvement as a direct result of using it but that doesn't say anything about THIS dogtra product. So let me convince you to buy this one instead of the ones for sale at PetsMart and the like. This unit is built TOUGH. It's water resistant and comes in an extremely well packaged carrying case. I am a devices hardware engineer and I am not one that is easily impressed. This thing does it for me. It's going to last forever and it's easy to use. The buttons are not easy to press accidentally and the range has been tested to about 400 yards (half the advertised range) without a hiccup. The charge lasts forever and you can charge them both at the same time. The collar is durable and comfortable for the dog. Mine doesn't even notice it. You can easily change the intensity of the stimulus if your dog runs off and needs a REALLY good jolt, though I have had amazing results with just using constant for about 1s at a VERY low level in those situations, when necessary.
After a few good zaps you won't have to worry about your dog roaming very far from you.
--Can't say enough, this is just fantastic!
Chris
Buy Dogtra 1900NCP Field Star 1/2 mile Training Collar Single Dog Now
Tri-Tronics Pro 200 G3 collar is the one I settled on after researching dog e-collars extensively (the dogtra's and cheaper petco collars). I will write/ link to a more extensive review with pictures and video at a later date. Turns out if you link to anything outside of amazon, however helpful or innocuous it will get deleted and all you see are [....]. I will provide the url in an update (if I can figure out how w/o it getting deleted) but suffice it to say here are some of my findings and I hope this helps a dog lover with an unmanageable/ aggressive dog.PLEASE, if you are considering `giving up' on your dog read on this is a tool that if used properly can really help your dog become a better citizen despite what people tell you about dogs and shock collars/ e-collars.
E-collars are for dogs that are `hard' dogs. This term refers to an aggressive dog toward other animals or humans and views your commands and hollering as `optional'.
The opposite is a `soft' dog may not follow your instructions but listens and tucks its tail between its legs when you raise your voice these collars SHOULD NOT be used with soft dogs (more on this later). For a very good video on this and how to use e-collars see link
We have had a rescue for six years and have contemplated getting an e-collar/ shock collar but have been very reluctant b/c it can cause pain to the animal. Last winter we found a small dog abandoned to die in the woods by our house (still makes me very sad to think that people do this). Our shepherd-mix is very aggressive, so the problem we had was she was ready to kill the little guy. Luckily we have a large home and could separate the two dogs and worked on slowly introducing them. Took some 6 months to where we could allow them into the same room (on leashes). Given the big dogs aggression we needed to get her under voice command every time. Also, given her high prey drive and tendency to roam we walk her on a 50ft. leash. She did break the leash a couple of times and it took a good hour to catch her as she would take off chasing an animal in the woods.
Along comes the Tri-Tronics Pro 200 collar. After following the leerburg dvd instructions and some 12 months later I can truly I WISH I HAD BOUGHT THIS SIX YEARS AGO. I can take our big dog off leash in the woods and SHE ALWAYS COMES BACK. I can make her stop in her tracks with my voice command NO. I have used the shock feature about 10 times in one year. Only one time have I used it on a high setting (66% of full power). The rest of the time it has been on low settings (16%) it snaps her out of her prey drive and makes her pay attention to me. I MUST EMPAHSIZE I ALWAYS HAVE DOG TREATS IN MY FANNY PACK for both the little dog and the big one and I FOLLOWED THE DVD INSTRUCTIONS EXACTLY. Had I not bought the DVD I would have done it all wrong so I cannot recommend the product enough (see url above).
Why I chose the Tri-Tronics Pro 200:
1. I wanted a collar that would allow me to control my dog from a distance. If you are in the woods and there are rock outcrops the stated distance on e-collars at which you can control your dog drops off considerably. Given how much I love my dogs and how paranoid I was about the distance issue I wanted one that would, without a doubt, control my big dog, whatever the terrain I therefore settled for the one with a range of one mile. Keep in mind I had never used an e-collar but envisaged letting my dog roam free with the little dog (the recent addition) probably following her and wanted to ensure that I could control her over a long distance both dogs off-leash. This was the ultimate goal and I was very unsure how long this would take but wanted to have a collar that would work to satisfy this endpoint.
2. There are two different ways to `shock' your dog. One is `CONTINUOUS' lasts for ~10 seconds the other is a `NICK' last for ~0.5 seconds and is momentary. Reading up and watching all the material I could find I felt that the NICK in the end would be what I used more than the continuous. A year later I can confirm I was right.
3. Gradations More the gradations for the shock nick or continuous the better so I could dial in the exact setting to get our big dogs attention fine tuning the device to her sensitivity.
4. Expandability keep in mind we had just found the second dog. He was small, very badly abused. I wasn't sure with time if he too would turn out to be a stubborn guy so I wanted to be able to use two collars (one on each dog) controlled with one remote (in my hand) if need be. After a year I can say with certainty that this is not the case at all and so I will never use an e-collar on the little fellow. He does wonderfully with my voice commands.
5. The two manufacturers that came to the top early on were Dogtra and Tri-tronics. Each of these manufacturers have several different models and this is where it gets tricky and why I am writing this review (for now without the pictures and videos of my beta-testing). I decided I needed a 1 mile range and as many nick gradations I could get. I looked at the Dogtra 3500 NCP and the Tri-Tronics Pro 200 because they met my criteria. I decided to buy both and then keep the one I felt was best returning the other one.
6. The Dogtra has 127 continuous gradations for both the nick and the continuous mode. It is smaller than the tri-tronics and I was leaning toward this manufacturer. After having bought both to test out I quickly realized that the tri-tronics is actually far better for both the dog and the trainer. The way the e-collar works is there is a component that sits around the dogs neck (the receiver) and the transmitter (you have in your hand). The component on the dog's neck has two prongs that push into the dog's neck and this is what carries the electric shock to the animal after you press the button on the transmitter. The prongs on the Dogtra were brutal. They were significantly more pronounced and pushed into the dogs neck in a way that I thought was excessive, especially when compared to the Tri-tronics design. Keep in mind I was using the SMALLEST prongs from both manufacturers. The prongs have threads that screw into the receiver and you get a couple of different sizes in each box. Dogtra is a Korean company and I felt that keeping the dog comfortable while it has the receiver around its neck was not a priority and came through in the design. Remember the receiver is only activated for a very small fraction of the time the dog has this around its neck. This was something that I never did see in any reviews and was surprised to find out when I actually had both units in my hand and was beta-testing them for my use.
7. The Dogtra has 127 gradations while the Tri-Tronics Pro 200 has 18 for Nick and still fewer 6 for Continuous. On the face of it I thought this was a major drawback with the Tri-Tronics Pro 200. Also, the Tri-Tronics Pro 200 has a bigger transmitter (the part that sits in your hand). Surprisingly the Tri-Tronics is really a more thoughtful design and SUPERIOR product despite having less fidelity in the transmitter. Turns out the 18 gradations for the Nick and the 6 for continuous in the Tri-Tronics Pro 200 ARE MORE THAN ENOUGH. IMO there is also a design flaw in the Dogtra transmitters (regardless of model #) that again I only discovered because I bought both and was trying them out side-by-side and I haven't seen mentioned anyplace.
The Dogtra feels like a thick cell phone (think Motorola startac vintage but 2x thicker) that has a knurled knob where the antennae would go that you rotate and as you rotate it the level changes in a little LED screen on the face of the device, displaying the setting value (between 1 and 127). As you rotate it the value changes from 1 127. You have two rubberized buttons labeled nick or continuous positioned on the side of the instrument (where the volume buttons on a cell phone would be). You also have a vibrate button (more about this later) but this is on the face of the device above the LED display .
The Tri-Tronics Pro 200 has a knob on the top, with hard stops, and these go from 1-6. This device looks like a 2D maglite flashlight, albeit smaller and lighter. On the SIDE of the cylindrical device you have three buttons that control the levels of the shock low, middle and high. Take a look at the picture else it will be very confusing
So, if you set the knob on TOP of the device to a 3 and press the low button on the SIDE of the device the dog get a nick at the 3 level. If you press the middle button instead (again on the SIDE) the dog is now nicked at a 9 level. If you press the low and middle buttons together the dog is now nicked at a level 12. So, you are ramping the level at which your dog is being shocked very rapidly. The third button is colored red and will provide a continuous shock (for ~10 secs) at a high setting (keep in mind the knob on the top stays at a 3 in each of the scenarios I listed). This is VERY IMPORTANT in your training and let me give you a real scenario where this became CRITICAL.
My large dog was out in the woods and as I have mentioned she has an incredibly high prey drive. She saw a woodchuck and took off after it down a valley (this is after we got the e-collars but were still testing them out). She was off leash b/c of how well the e-collars worked out. She had the Tri-Tronics Pro 200 on that day. I use it at a "3" on the top of the device and press the low button to get her attention. So, I am nicking her at 16% of the full power. Once she had locked onto the Woodchuck and took off I could not get her attention at this setting or the middle setting. I was worried she would catch and kill the woodchuck and so I pressed the red button, again with the setting on the top remaining unchanged and still at 3 (Here it is 66% of full power). She came back squealing really quickly. This has been the ONLY time in a little over a year that I used the high setting on her and I have never had a problem stopping her with a NO voice command since. Had I had the Dogtra system I would have had to have fiddled with the knob first, raised the setting level, and then pressed the continuous shock button. In the heat of the moment I am quite sure I would not have gotten this right and it would have taken me longer because I would have been messing with device. With the Tri-Tronics set up you are pressing a large button, without even really looking at the device in your hand. So, I went from pressing one button to pressing one above it almost reflexive never taking my eye off my dog. I think if you are training you want there not to be a time lag of any kind so there is no confusion in the dogs mind. Also, in this instance, I was able to avoid an untoward incident. If you have an aggressive dog you need to be able to switch to the highest setting instantly, without taking your eye off the dog.
8. Both units clearly work well. I think the Tri-Tronics Pro 200 is a better unit. If you have a dog that you are considering euthanizing or giving up for adoption because of behavior issues PLEASE CONSIDER trying an e-collar Dogtra or Tritronics in conjunction with the video I mention above. You will find your dog changes dramatically within a week. If you follow the instructions and the prep work in the video to the letter the first 15 minutes where you actually use the e-collar on the animal will have a DRAMATIC impact on behavior. Please do the prep work, it takes about 2 weeks but the results are truly stunning.
It took us rescuing our little dog to actually look into an e-collar for the Shepherd-mix. I wish we had done this sooner because she now roams without a leash and really enjoys herself on walks where before she was always on leash. I am happy to report the two dogs are now best of friends and the little fella actually loves the Shepherd more than he does us.
A couple of other things that come to mind (the longest review I have ever written LOL I sure hope it helps someone)! The Dogtra's charge a bit differently from the TT. The remote collar and transmitter (what you hold in your hand) have a little rubberized jack (on each) with a flip cover that you flick open and plug in the charger ends. If you have a bird dog or if you wander through marshy/muddy areas I wonder if the Dogtra's might collect dirt or get damaged? This was not an issue for me but something to be aware of. The TT collars charge similar to the Phillips toothbrush I have. You set the transmitter in a cradle and the proximity is sufficient to charge the unit. The receiver snaps into a cradle and the contacts touch and charge up the unit. There is no receptacle and so you don't have to worry about whether you got the snap cap back on. For both the Dogtra and the Tri-Tronics battery life was a non-issue. I used them for about 60 days (charging about once a week) and the batteries never ran down. I cannot comment on the longevity of the Dogtra b/c I returned it since I was going to get the TT but a year later the Tri-Tronics is fine. I would imagine the Dogtra would have been fine too. I understand the Tri-Tronics rechargeables can be replaced by the consumer. The Dogtra's have to be sent back in and I think they told me it would be . Again, minor detail.
ONE CRITICAL THING I FOUND: The Leerburg kennel sells a quick release strap (like a zip tie with a release button on it) for e-collars . I know the quick release works with both the Dogtra and the Tri-Tronics training collars and they are a MUST. The receiver that sits around the dogs neck has a strap and it is a pain to use (both manufacturers). The quick release is a cinch and more importantly you can figure out precisely how tight you want the receiver to be around the dog's neck. Again, Ed Frawley at Leerburg has a great online video of this nifty add-on. For the first couple of weeks I used what came with the collars and it was a real pain. Keep in mind you will need nitrile gloves to get a good grip b/c you will need to thread this (zip tie like add-on) through where the strap was on the receiver (after taking off the strap, obviously). It is a very tight fight so I found the nitrile gloves were perfect and I didn't need to mess with vaseline. You thread the quick release strap once and then you will be taking the transmitter on and off the dog's neck by pressing a button on the zip tie.
Read Best Reviews of Dogtra 1900NCP Field Star 1/2 mile Training Collar Single Dog Here
My wife and I have a 80lb puppy who has had some issues with jumping up on people. This training collar has helped us keep her from tackling our guests. Great product, the vibrate funtion is an added bonus that seems to have a great effect.Want Dogtra 1900NCP Field Star 1/2 mile Training Collar Single Dog Discount?
I purchased this product when my German Shepherd puppy was 6 months old due to a regular habit of her pursuing bad behaviors when she knew I was powerless to punish her (barking occasionally when she saw me outside, jumping on cupboards when I am out of the room, running into forbidden rooms when my back is turned... typical puppy antics). I was initially opposed to purchasing any product that uses electric shocks as punishment--I had done some research on the topic and found very mixed opinions on the subject, depending on the person doing the review. Unfortunately, I was in a difficult position, as I had a neighbor in my townhouse complex that despised dogs and was convinced it was my dog causing trouble every time a dog barked anywhere on the complex. Even though these were wild delusions, I knew it was only a matter of time before he took his vendetta against us to our landlord, so I decided to expedite my dog's training with whatever means possible in hopes I could make a strong case against his claims. Until that point, I had been using positive reinforcement training to encourage good behavior. I tried using ultrasonic deterrents and anti-bark spray collars without success, so going to a full-out shock collar was a huge leap.There's not much to say about this product that others haven't. It is certainly more expensive than what you'll find at the pet stores, but its quality is light-years ahead of the competition. The unit itself is solid and the strap is quite durable. The remote trigger is very intuitive and fits well in your hand. There are 127 shock levels and a vibration feature that rattles the collar like a cell phone. My only complaint is that it is sometimes difficult to read the digital display in bright sunlight, but this is a rare problem since my use is strictly indoors for now. According to the specifications, this collar has a filtering element that prevents stray signals from accidentally triggering the collar (such as if another unit is triggered nearby). This was something important to me, as the last thing I want is the poor dog to get punished for something it didn't do. In the 6 months I've owned it, there has never been an unwanted shock. Although I can't confirm since I've never owned the cheaper collars, I've heard unwanted shocks is an issue for those cheaper units. This Dogtra model appears to have that safely taken care of. Battery life is difficult to gauge, since it will vary with how much you are using it. I can't say for sure how long it last and I do wish it would last longer, but it doesn't disappoint.
I imagine that some people exploring the option of using a shock collar are on the fence of whether it is a good decision for their dog. Obviously the pro-collar people will say it's the best thing ever and the anti-collar people will say you hate your dog, but I've found the best way to be sure is to hear how other people use it successfully and gauge whether that can be applied to my situation. While I'm no expert in this area, I can say that the training and relationship with my dog has stayed good while using this collar. Yes, the dog is not the happiest when she gets in trouble, but mild force is a language she seems to understand quite well (keeping in line with how dogs behave in packs, where the leader nips wayward subordinates to express displeasure). Like I said earlier, I was initially opposed to getting this, so I made a list of rules to follow:
1.) I never use the collar as punishment when I am angry or emotional. The trigger is only activated when I have a clear mind, which prevents the dog from being overly punished. It's tough when she decides to rip up my favorite shirt, but I refuse to let my anger sour the relationship.
2.) My overall training program is structured as positive reinforcement (reward-based) clicker training. The collar's role is to help the dog understand and respect boundaries, and after it is used I show the dog what is acceptable and then reward accordingly.
3.) The collar is never used (except for in an emergency) to punish a behavior when another dog or person is involved. This is important, because incorrectly applying a punishment may make the dog believe that the other entity (dog, person, etc.) is the cause of the discomfort, which could lead to aggression. I avoid this by never using the collar outside when we are on walks or potty breaks, and am happy to report no aggression issues.
4.) I only subject the dog to a punishment that I can tolerate myself. Prior to putting the collar on the dog, I tested the shock settings on my skin so I could feel and understand that the pain is real and should be using sparingly. The highest setting I could tolerate was 60, so the dog gets 30 (started with 20, but upgraded as her fur got thicker). I will note that I've found a pleasant alternative by using solely the vibrate function to correct bad behavior. My dog seems to hate the vibrate function enough to take it seriously, which is fine by me because there is no concern of pain being involved (I set the shock level to zero when doing vibrate-only training).
5.) I only use the collar when I can confirm a bad behavior. For example, if I am in another room and the dog breaks a "quiet" command by barking, I will use either vibrate or shock. But if I *think* I hear her jumping on the cupboard, I will do nothing until I can visually confirm that she has. I make every effort to associate a command being disobeyed before punishment is given, such as saying "quiet" after an unwanted bark but not punish until she barks again. For things like jumping on cupboards, she gets punished without a command (except me yelling "no!"), so she learns the cupboard is always off limits.
6.) I only use the shock collar if it works for the dog. I've heard that certain dogs will respond very well to shock collars (German Shepherds seem to respond very well, because they are a smart breed and thrive off structure). Other dog breeds may not respond well. For example, there is a Havanese I know that will whimper in a corner if you use this on him and will never learn a thing. I can't confirm for others though, but so far my German Shepherd takes quite well to the collar. In fact, I swear she almost likes wearing it, as she sees it as a "privilege" collar since her roaming boundaries are expanded when she's wearing it.
7.) The collar is only worn when I am home and can actively work with my dog to help teach her rules. I see no benefit in her wearing it when I am away and it is generally ill-advised, since the prongs may cause a rash if worn for days on end. The longest my dog has worn the collar is 12 hours, followed by a 12-hour break, and she's had no issues with rashes.
I'm sure there's more that I can't think of, but overall I'm glad I bit the bullet on price and purchased this collar. It is a durable piece of equipment that I consider safe to use around my beloved dog. Relationship-wise, my dog and I are as close as ever. Using the collar, she understands that I am in charge and will use mild force to correct her when she is out of line, but knows I love and accept her without question. For those on the fence about a shock collar, I suggest doing research and planning a training approach for your pooch if you were to get one--that way you can evaluate whether the option works or if a better one is available. Personally, I think the collar works really well with the training plan I have in place and that I've got one happy dog now that she has a better understanding of boundaries. I recommend this product.
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