The pro is that the batteries are easy to get (9V and AAA batteries). The collar never did turn off, even when the unit said it would turn off when the dog was asleep or otherwise still. The batteries would die in less than a week in the collar. The remote unit batteries last longer, since you can manually turn off the remote when you don't need to train the dog. This appears to be a common problem with training collars, so the easy-to-get battery types was a huge plus. Some other units use odd battery sizes that are only available online.
The con is that the antenna is very fragile, and it broke in less than a month. We opened up the unit and found that the antenna was attached by a tiny solder point to the circuit board. And once the antenna broke away from the board, then the unit no longer transmitted the shock or vibration (although the flashlight and whistle part still worked). Based on how the antenna is connected to the unit, it will break quickly if you raise and lower the antenna a few times. We thought we would try to re-attach the antennae, but that didn't work.
This was the first training collar unit that we purchased, as I did not want to purchase a more expensive unit only to find out that our dog did not respond to the collar. Our dog, after realizing that the unit no longer functions, is starting to revert back to her old ways. So realize that some smarter dogs may figure out the collar, and if the batteries die, then the dog will again become stubborn. This is similar to dogs who learn that once they cross an invisible or electric fence, then there are no more shocks to worry about.I have a 3 year old deaf Dogo Argentino. I needed a collar that would get his attention. He obeys hand signals, but naturally he has to be looking at you. Most collars offer shock and tone, not an option. I thought I would give this one a shot based James from Maumee's review.
This collar does the trick. It is strong enough to get my dogs attention and offers duel training of vibrate and shock. You vibrate the collar first, if no response you can then send the shock. The shock is mild but enough to make the dog take notice. Eventually he will respond to just the vibration.
The unit is cheap, but made well enough that with care it should last. The fact that this collar takes regular batteries is a huge plus. I have had other shock collars that take hearing aid type batteries and they can be expensive.
One negative, if you have a stubborn dog, the shock on this collar is mild and cannot be adjusted higher. It works fine with my dog, but dogs with behavior problems may simply ignore it. You may be best buying a higher priced model with adjustable settings so you can reach a level of shock that will get the dogs attention.
My dog is 67 pounds and very short hair. This unit may be ineffective for dogs much bigger than this or for dogs with very thick coats.Based on the other reviews, I had my concerns in purchasing but figured for the price why not. The quality is better than I expected, the collar is on par with that which you might buy in a chain pet store (not a high end, but a functional low end). The unit works fine, the quality of the plastic isn't overly cheap (it isn't ABS or anything, so don't drop it too much). As far as how it works on my dog, he is a miniature schnauzer with a terrible barking and cat wrestling habit. The vibration alone has been enough to deter him at this point, have not had to really do much in the way of using the shock...so I'd say success so far. There is no "off" switch on the collar unit, so when I take it off of him I pop the battery. He's not going to wear it 24/7, only in his usual trouble times.
I would not use this on a hunting dog in the field, it wouldn't hold up to that. If you have special needs of durability, you need to pay more. If you need something for your dog in the suburbs, this is just fine.
---------Updated Review ------------------
After several weeks of using this product, I'd say it is worth its weight in gold. We went from a constantly barking miniature Schnauzer who jumped all over company, had endless wrestling matches with the cat, chewed on kids toys and bolted out the door at every opportunity to play a game of "chase" through the streets to the complete opposite. Only two times have we had to use the shock button, simply pressing the buzz before ever doing a shock worked for a few days, and once he thought he'd go past the buzz he got the shock. That was all he wanted of that and the buzz worked for everything. The first time he bolted through a gate the kids left open, my wife went directly to the shock button from our front porch and we heard him yip from 4 houses down. He ran right back to sit at her feet. We now have a quiet dog (he gives one alert bark for those he doesn't know and says nothing about those he does know). He never wrestles with the cat now (although they get a lot of curled up nap time together), chewing is reduced to the "confused about who's toy it is" type that is tolerable, and he has no desire to run away. When company comes over, he runs up and patiently sits near them waiting for acknowledgement, he plays with the children without the jumping and bouncing he did so much before. Some of this is the puppy coming out of him as he grows up, but it all started with this collar. Our previous Schnauzer was one of those one in a million dogs you only get once in a lifetime in terms of intelligence and behavior. This little guy is quickly on his way to exceeding that.
Yes, get rechargeable batteries...the vibrate feature goes through about a set a week with us. Take care not to drop or mistreat the remote, as it could easily break. For the price, this far exceeds my expectations.It was delivered in about 3 business days. It fits my dog(Lhasa Apso, 14 lbs)at the smallest adjustment on the collar. This will be too big for the very small dog like Chiwawa. it does not have to be really tight at the neck to work.
It comes with the different size shock knobs. I used the smaller one. I like this because it does not shock my dog when he barks. I can control when to make my dog listen. It comes with 3 options. 1-Only the sound warning.( sounds like a bird singing so my dog just looked around). 2-Vibration warning. 3-Electric shock. I don't have to use #3. My dog will respond with just the Vibration so I like it. (He acted surprise and a bit scared when I push the vibration button but, it did not hurt him at all.) My husband had him outside and when he didn't come over when my husband called him, he pushed the vibration button and the dog came right away. My dog tried to get in the trash can so I push the Vibration button and he stopped and backed off. I thought it was going to be a really cheap looking since it is cheap but, it seems to be a good quality for the money.
a Red light is on at the unit on the dog and I can see where he is in the dark. this unit also has a button for the small but, bright flash light which comes in very handy when I take him out at night.
I am glad that I did not spend $100+ dollars at the pet store.


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