After struggling with my 10 year old Basset Hound for a decade I broke down and decided to purchase the SportDOG E collar.
Let me just say my dog has been a major source of aggravation and disruption to my home life over the years. I had basically resigned my self to the fact that the only solution to this stubborn dog was to out live him!
I knew some about E collars but was fearful that it might not work or it might be cruel to my dog to use. But, I broke down and bought it out of desperation.
My wife and I received the collar quickly, as is usual with Amazon, and opened it up and installed the batteries that are included. We were hopeful but skeptical of obtaining a positive result.
We allowed our dog to adjust to the collar for a couple of days, without using it, which was no problem with him. He wore it just like his regular collar. Then I let my wife use the controller because the dog is actually hers and I did not want to be perceived by her as using undue "stimulation" on her dog for corrections.
We put the stimulation level to the lowest level, one, and my wife tried it when the dog needed his first correction. To our amazement the level one setting got an obvious reaction from the dog. Although it did not appear to hurt him but rather startled him.
Long story short, I found out that my Basset Hound who I mistakenly believed was stubborn beyond all redemption almost immediately learned that he was going to follow commands and stop being disruptive to our family. With very few uses of the stimulation our dog has become a totally new well behaved dog who is now a pleasure to have around the house.
He learned within one day that when he hears the warning tone that he had better pay attention. We rarely need to use the stimulation on him because contrary to my belief, our dog is smart, and figured it out in nothing flat.
Well, I could go on more but let me simply say this has been a life changer in a positive way for me, my wife and especially good for our dog. No longer do we need to yell at him or put him in his kennel for "time outs". He is out with us more and we can interact with him in a positive and loving way now that he is under control and behaved.
Thank you SportDOG!!!
After much research, I decided to buy the Sportdog yard collar for Stubborn dogs. My dog weighs 67 pounds and is lean and tall so I figured this collar would be more effective. I was looking for a quality product but didn't want to spend alot of money to get collars with 400 or 800 yard range. My purpose was to correct my dog's behavior at the park (a place where he doesn't listen me) gently and effectively. As soon as my dog began to eat stuff he shouldn't at the park I used the tone function. He immediately stopped! I didn't even need to use the shock button. For the past two visits to the dog park, I have used mostly the tone to correct bad behavior. Only twice did I use the stimulation button which I had set at only level 2. I am so amazed by how well this works! I am happy I decided to get this product and didn't have to spend a ton of money to get something good. I highly recommend this if your dog is on the larger side and you will be working with him or her in a space no bigger than 100 yards.
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My dog is normally off the wall, and does not listen AT ALL. Just think of "Marley and Me"...he's that dog haha. I bought this collar and took him out in public with no leash..just the collar, and he listened SO well. He stayed right by my side the entire time and did not bother anyone. I didn't even have to use the shock button...I just use the beep sound and he comes right to me. This product is a life saver.
Read Best Reviews of SportDOG Stubborn Dog Yard Trainer, SD-105S Here
I think this collar has problems in the extreme cold. We had for only a week and went through over $20 worth of batteries. We would put a new battery and after being outside for less than an hour, the collar would stop working. When it did work, it worked great. We of course couldn't keep buying batteries so we returned it last week. We ended up buying a rechargable (and much more expensive collar) but I guess you get what you pay for. Amazon was really good about refunding us for this item.
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I researched a couple hours before choosing this Sportdog Yardtrainer "for Stubborn Dogs" collar. Don't let that "for Stubborn Dogs" mislead you. It's for ALL dogs. And it appears fairly well made. (My son-in-law paid over $200 for his Bulldog's collar from some other web site, left it's "waterproof" remote controller out in a rain, and now has to throw it away and buy another full kit!)
BUT don't get this if your dog's neck is under 12 1/2 inches in girth! That is the size of our Sheltie's neck, and I can promise you this collar will not work if you trim-off too much unused collar, as the wires used in the remote control are embedded in the first 12 inches of the collar. Cut them and the collar is worthless! They don't warn you about this minimum length, so I thought I would. Go measure your dog's neck now (and write it down.)
I trimmed off about A FOOT AND A HALF of excess collar, enough for a horse! I carefully inserted the batteries that came with the unit and tested it on my forearm. At setting #1 I barely felt it. At #2 I can feel a stronger tingle. At #3 I really noticed it, and at #4 I pulled it away! It goes to #8. We use it on #2 without trimming any of his long coat. We TRY and push the "noise" alert before pushing the correction button, to give our dog the chance to change his behavior before getting the shock. The neatest design on the remote is the button UNDER the "correction" button. By pushing this you effectively DOUBLE the shock from the collar. If our Sheltie gets excited and ignores the milder shock, I hit the second button, which at first caused him to yelp softly and ignore it no longer. Now he's used to it and swallows hard, but doesn't ignore it. If he ever does, I'll just move that strength dial up a notchor two.
Does it work? We got this mainly because our 27 pound Sheltie has what is called Seperation Anxiety Syndrome wherein he barkssometimes franticallywhen anyone of us leaves his environment, heads out the front door, heads for the car, etc. He freaks! (This is probably because of his strong herding instinct, his desire to keep what he considers his flock near at hand and safe.) We've had it exactly one month and I can say the collar has cut his barking in half. No, we're still not satisfied and will continue to train him with it. I researched and tried other behavior modifications with no luck. This is going to be tough, I can tell. But I don't want my dog on anti-anxiety drugs if I can help it. Our problem seems to be inconsistency with corrections. We simply don't have the remote with us every time we leave the house, despite the company including a nice long strap to wear the remote around our neck, if we choose.
Yesterday I changed the two coin batteries in the collar for the first time. (I also researched on Amazon which 3V batteries to buy and chose those made by Sony in the 5 pack sold here. I got two packs.) Some folks report much shorted battery life. We got nearly a month of use, and we use the collar for 10-12 hours a day, maybe correcting our dog 5 to 10 times a day. Haven't changed the remote's batteries yet, as it still works fine.
The "100 Yard Range" advertised on the package is likely an exaggeration. It does work up to 100 feet with no problem, other than having to open the door to hold the remote outside before pressing the button.
Conclusion:
If you have a half acre lot or less, have a dog with a neck 12 1/2 inches or more in size, and want a training collar well under $200, this is probably the one.
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My 3 pound Yorkie loves this mini bone. I bought the cheery flavor and she spends about an hour biting at it. A great treat that is healthy for your dog. My Yorkshire Terror is picky so it is nice to find something good for her that she likes. HINT: I pour warm water over the dry bone to bring out the flavor and soften it. That is the only way she would eat it. Like I said she is picky.
