E-Collar recommendations

[panfisher]

Anyone on here use the Garmin Alpha for multiple dogs? I’m looking to upgrade GPS/e-collars from what I currently use. I now run the dogtra pathfinder, I love having the peace of mind knowing where the dog is at all times, it works great, but I don’t like the fact that I have to use my phone to run it. Phone Battery life will not hold up on late season cold hunts, after a couple of hours it’s dead, my old dog is now 5, and we’ve added another pup to our team, so I guess now is the time for an upgrade. Anyone with any direction on where to start? Preferences? Experience with particular model? Anyone want to buy a dogtra pathfinder?

 

[Deleted member 38069]

Here are some users that might know what you're asking @JLS , @Ben Lamb , @VikingsGuy

 

[Deleted member 20812]

I have an Alpha, been using it for about seven years now. It’s a great field collar, but I don’t like it for training. I used a cheap Sport Dog for that.

The multi dog capability is nice. A buddy of mine got a Drahthaar this winter, and he got an Alpha so we can keep track of each other when we are chukar hunting. A friend of mine is a hounds man, and they run up to a full capacity of dogs on a single controller.

Battery life is good. I can get at least a full day hunt in the winter, sometimes two. Charging is easy from the vehicle.

 

[VikingsGuy]

I run close working pointing labs so I have no need for the map functionality, but love the distance and directionality function of the Garmin Tritronics Pro 550 plus. Perfect for when the dogs disappear in high corn, thick reeds or nasty grouse thickets. I thought I wouldn’t like the big “trainer” remote but I actually find it easier to grab and use without looking down on the go in field than the smaller ones I have had in the past. To each their own, but I am sticking with this setup after trying various sportdog, dogtra and non-tritronics Garmins over the years.

 

[406dn]

A good friend of mine has the Alpha and likes it.

Since I field trial,, I have stuck with my Garmin 420 with DC-40 collars. Compared to the radio tracking collars I have, the battery life is measured in hours vs hundreds of hours. But, the Garmin will take you right to your dog,, a radio collar gives you a riddle to work thru. You'll find the dog,,,just not as quickly most of the time.

When I do run with an e-collar I have been using a Sport Dog that I won at a field trial. It has worked well for me.

 

[Pahoundsman]

I’ve been using the Alpha for a couple of years now and I love it. It lets you know where your dogs are and your hunting partners if they are using an Alpha. I run coyote hounds and I have no problem tracking or recovering my dogs. It is easy to use , easy to charge, and you can track up to 20 dogs

 

[panfisher]

I’ve been using the Alpha for a couple of years now and I love it. It lets you know where your dogs are and your hunting partners if they are using an Alpha. I run coyote hounds and I have no problem tracking or recovering my dogs. It is easy to use , easy to charge, and you can track up to 20 dogs

Do they show if both dogs go on point? I also have a sport doh unit for training, so I’m more interested in ease of use with the alpha or 550. If need be, how hard is it to switch dogs for a correction? Can you see both dogs on screen at the same time?

 

[VikingsGuy]

Do they show if both dogs go on point? I also have a sport doh unit for training, so I’m more interested in ease of use with the alpha or 550. If need be, how hard is it to switch dogs for a correction? Can you see both dogs on screen at the same time?

On the 550 switching is super easy - a 3 position flip switch - not great with full gloves or mittens, but I typically upland hunt with fingerless gloves (or none at all) so no problem in my experience. Since I have 2 dogs I run one off the top position and one off the bottom so just flip up/down - just remember which is which or you will have some confused dogs. I haven't done it, but I hunted with a friend of a friend who screwed it up all weekend and had his own dogs completely confused to the point they weren't even trying to hunt - the guy was a f****ing moron. I told my friend I would never hunt with his friend again.

 

[406dn]

My advice is that unless you are an accomplished trainer,, if you have two dogs down at once,, they should be well beyond the state of needing corrections routinely.

Otherwise run them singly most if not all of the time, until they rarely need a correction from the collar.

 

[Pahoundsman]

The alpha has two different ways to set up your training buttons and neither is confusing,they made it very simple and user friendly. But like 406dn said if your dogs require constant correction I’d run them separately

 

[Pahoundsman]

Do they show if both dogs go on point? I also have a sport doh unit for training, so I’m more interested in ease of use with the alpha or 550. If need be, how hard is it to switch dogs for a correction? Can you see both dogs on screen at the same time?

The Alpha will show up to 20 dogs

 

[panfisher]

My advice is that unless you are an accomplished trainer,, if you have two dogs down at once,, they should be well beyond the state of needing corrections routinely.

Otherwise run them singly most if not all of the time, until they rarely need a correction from the collar.

Appreciate al the responses! I’m definitely not what one would call a professional trainer! And I do plan to run them separate this year for the most part, will see how things progress. Just preparing for the future, as I’m sure I’ll have them both out at sometime. I really like the Dogtra Pathfinder, just hate using my phone to use it, so I’ll most likely go with the alpha. Thanks again everyone!

 

[VikingsGuy]

My advice is that unless you are an accomplished trainer,, if you have two dogs down at once,, they should be well beyond the state of needing corrections routinely.

Otherwise run them singly most if not all of the time, until they rarely need a correction from the collar.

Good point! I see some guys trying to use e-collars as a substitute for proper training/control. In the field, it is rare that I use "stimulation" for any situation other than a reluctance to come back from a "fly away" missed bird. I do use the "beep/buzz" feature a fair bit to get their attention to stay close or pivot their path rather than yell out commands. I often go a whole morning without touch the "stimulation" button. Similarly some guys do way too much instructing of the dogs - train the dog right and let the dog do its job - a good dog's nose and instincts are better at finding birds than any of my directions.

 

[The Hunting Warehouse]

Anyone have any experience with the PetSpy brand of e-collars ?

 

[Runnin_Chupacabra]

Pretty sure my buddy runs those collars on his dogs for pig hunting. They are super cool to see where the dogs are on the screen as we're driving around and one of the cooler things is the light on their collar when turned on in the dark you can see where they are at. The buzz and shock settings are handy too. Know you're asking about waterfowl and not pig hunting but I would have to say its a great tool. For multiple dogs they show up as different colors on the screen as well.

 

[Mallardsx2]

Been using them since they came out.

Just make sure if you are keeping your old collars that its compatible with them. We have encountered those issues the hard way and had to buy new collars.

 

[WBouldin]

Alpha for the win - dont use it for training though. Great in the field and gives a ridiculous amount of comfort knowing she is on it