# Seeking E-Collar Recommendations



## Patrick Murray (Mar 27, 2006)

Can anybody recommend one to get or, perhaps, one to avoid? Thanks.


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## Julie Ann Alvarez (Aug 4, 2007)

I like the Dogtra brand (currently using one for 3 years ) but DT has some nice units that I am thinking about picking up for my young dog. Some of my friends use the tritronics as well and speak highly of them.

I have a Sportdog- works fine, but the dial that you turn up or down is easily turned and resulted in too high of a correction more than once.

I like to make sure the collar and remote both have replaceable rechargeable batteries and are water proof.

Julie


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## Howard Knauf (May 10, 2008)

You cant go wrong with Dogtra. I've had mine for 4years with no problems.

Howard


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## Kristen Cabe (Mar 27, 2006)

Dogtra here, too. Stay away from the Petsafe brands. Innotek isn't that great for what we need the collars for, either.


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## Keith Jenkins (Jun 6, 2007)

I have a dogtra also...my only complaint is the lag-time between pushing the button and the collar receiving the signal...timing is even more critical IMO versus a Tri-Tronics


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## Michele McAtee (Apr 10, 2006)

I only say this because you are posting with the question itself---If you have not used an E-collar, I recommend working with a skilled trainer on its use, which I'm sure you will...


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## Patrick Murray (Mar 27, 2006)

Thank you!


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## Julie Blanding (Mar 12, 2008)

I find a lag between the Dogtra's button and the stim as well. I have two dogtra collars and two tri-tronics.
I LOVE my tri-tronics Pro500 G2. It is pricey, but worth it. I find it is very fast and consistent.

I also find the Dogtras go between no stim to fry. I find the best way is to turn it on, then before you place it on the dog, turn it up.. hold the button down (keep your hand/ fingers away) and then turn it all the way back down. Then go to the lowest setting and hold down the button (this time with your hand on it) and find your working level.

Otherwise if you put it on say the '0' of low your dog is going to get cooked on the 1st stim, then may not feel any of the other stims. Just my personal experience with those collars.

I understand I have older models and maybe that is not the case with the newer ones, but even handling the electric for a friend of mine (she has a newer one with the LCD screen) it seems to be all over the place as well.


Good Luck!
Julie


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## Howard Knauf (May 10, 2008)

I have the 1200ncp which is now outdated. I haven't had the same negative experiences as the others.

Howard


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## Mike Scheiber (Feb 17, 2008)

Julie Blanding said:


> I find a lag between the Dogtra's button and the stim as well. I have two dogtra collars and two tri-tronics.
> I LOVE my tri-tronics Pro500 G2. It is pricey, but worth it. I find it is very fast and consistent
> Good Luck!
> Julie


I second Tritronic pro500 if Im not using it someone is borrowing it bullet proof to. The 200 is a very nice and a little less money


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## Chase Mika (May 2, 2008)

I have a Dogtra 1700NCP and it has worked very well....no issues.

The only thing that would make me consider going with a tritronics next time is the amount of time needed to change levels, especially if you use or may use "automatic corrections." Some people I train with use automatic corrections, where the dog gets stim on the collar for every command given. And then obviously if the dog does something wrong, they get a stim. In my opinion, the two stim levels (one for the command when things are done correctly; one for a correction when the behavior is not done/done wrong) should be different. With the dogtra, you have to turn the dial down to get a different level. So it's hard to change levels of corrections quickly, and you have to look at the display to see what level you're at. 

With the tritronics that I've seen, you can leave the dial set in one spot, but change the stim level by holding down one or two buttons. I think there might be a dogtra model with the same/similar feature, but the one I have certainly doesn't have that. Something to think about depending on what kind of training program you're using.


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## Mike Scheiber (Feb 17, 2008)

Chase Mika said:


> With the tritronics that I've seen, you can leave the dial set in one spot, but change the stim level by holding down one or two buttons. I think there might be a dogtra model with the same/similar feature, but the one I have certainly doesn't have that. Something to think about depending on what kind of training program you're using.


Just a little correction  there are 3 stim levels with out turning the dial the bottom button is low the upper is medium both simultaneously are high. That is if we are talking about the pro500 series. Sorry for the pun


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## Patrick Murray (Mar 27, 2006)

Thank you again!


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## Howard Gaines III (Dec 26, 2007)

Howard Knauf said:


> You cant go wrong with Dogtra. I've had mine for 4years with no problems.
> 
> Howard


I've got MINE!


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## Aamer Sachedina (May 6, 2008)

A word of caution. I have two dogtras - the older 1200NCP and a newer lower end one - 200NCP I believe. The 1200NCP is great - had it for 4 years. Never a problem. 

The 200NCP is a piece of #$%%. Realised that the stim is inconsistent and now it is barely there sometimes. I'm going to throw it out and bite the bullet and get another one of the higher end ones. 1900 or 2300.

Another friend of mine who got the 200NCP about the same time as I have has also since gotten it replaced under warranty. Here case was worse than mine. In mine the stim just occasionally faded away. Hers would stim at full blast regardless what it ws set to!

Pay the cash and get one of the higher end collars.


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## Lou Castle (Apr 4, 2006)

Julie Blanding said:


> I find a lag between the Dogtra's button and the stim as well. I have two dogtra collars and two tri-tronics.


This "lag" is not present with newer units. 



Julie Blanding said:


> I also find the Dogtras go between no stim to fry.


Obviously a defective unit. 

I recommend three brands. Dogtra, Tri-Tronics and Unleashed Technology. I use the Dogtra 2300NCP.


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## William S Thomas (Oct 3, 2008)

I use a TriTronics 100. I have had nearly two years with no problems. It's good for up to a mile and can manage 3 dogs at one time. One time I left it on the trunk and drove off. I came back and the trasmitter had rolled off and was in a couple of pieces. I put it back together and it still worked. It comes with rechargeable batteries.


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## William S Thomas (Oct 3, 2008)

That is correct. You can three stimulation levels for each level you have the dial set on. Also you have the audible signal.


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## Julie Blanding (Mar 12, 2008)

Lou Castle said:


> This "lag" is not present with newer units.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Then I have two defective units Both units purchased through different suppliers. (new)
I was only stating my experience.

Lag was never a problem with me with the tri-tronics. Not even the older models.
Julie


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## Lou Castle (Apr 4, 2006)

Julie Blanding said:


> Then I have two defective units Both units purchased through different suppliers. (new)


I doubt that you have two defective units. But you've told us this, 



> I understand I have* older models *


And my statement was,


> This "lag" is not present with *newer units. *


 [Emphasis added to both comments]



Julie Blanding said:


> I was only stating my experience.


I wasn't denying or contradicting your experience. 



Julie Blanding said:


> Lag was never a problem with me with the tri-tronics. Not even the older models.


TT had their own problems years ago. Ecollars are mechanical–electrical devices and any brand can have a problem


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## Julie Blanding (Mar 12, 2008)

Lou Castle said:


> I doubt that you have two defective units. But you've told us this,
> And my statement was, [Emphasis added to both comments]
> I wasn't denying or contradicting your experience.
> TT had their own problems years ago. Ecollars are mechanical–electrical devices and any brand can have a problem




I never said all electrical devices were fault proof.

What I am saying is: I've owned 2 Dogtra's and 2 Tri-troincs, and I find the Tri-troincs far better.
Seeing as how you are a dealer for Dogtra and Tri-troincs I can see why you feel the need to defend the product. 

However, I don't see how attacking me (who by the way is not the only person that has experienced this rare phenonmenon) is making the collar function any better.

Thanks for your input,
Julie


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## Lou Castle (Apr 4, 2006)

Julie Blanding said:


> I never said all electrical devices were fault proof.


I never said that you did. 



Julie Blanding said:


> What I am saying is: I've owned 2 Dogtra's and 2 Tri-troincs, and I find the Tri-troincs far better.


I'm saying a couple of things. I've owned dozens of both brands and have personally handled over a thousand of each. I find that they are equal in quality differing in how they deliver stim, and a few other features that I consider to be minor. Some find those other features more important 



Julie Blanding said:


> Seeing as how you are a dealer for Dogtra and Tri-troincs I can see why you feel the need to defend the product.


Since I sell both products I feel no need to defend one over the other. 



Julie Blanding said:


> However, I don't see how attacking me (who by the way is not the only person that has experienced this rare phenonmenon) is making the collar function any better.


You complained about problems with your Dogtras while telling us that you have "older models." I simply said that the newer units don't have either of the problems you've encountered. I never denied or contradicted your experience. But I said this in my last post and you seemed to have missed it there too. 

I didn't even disagree with you. You haven't been attacked, you've had someone give updated information and give another opinion. I'd suggest that you follow the advice of George Bernard Shaw, an Irish writer and winner of the 1926 Nobel prize for literature, "Let me never fall into the vulgar mistake of dreaming that I am persecuted whenever I am contradicted."


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## Julie Blanding (Mar 12, 2008)

Thousands? good for you.
I am telling you about the four I own.

I also commented about handling one of the newer units for a friend of mine (it contains the LCD screen) and her dog was getting between no stim to fry while also experiencing a lag. Guess she needs a newer model. I'll let her know.


Thanks,
Julie


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## Gerry Grimwood (Apr 2, 2007)

I was wondering how people are defining lag, are you basing this on how you personally react to a stim or how long it takes to see a reaction in a dog ??


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## Gerry Grimwood (Apr 2, 2007)

Maybe I should've worded it different, do you notice a lag while testing it on yourself or just how the dog reacts to it..Knome sain :-k


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## Anna Kasho (Jan 16, 2008)

I only have ever had a dogtra. 1702NCP, the 2-dog setup. I think I know what you are talking about with the "from low nick to fry" thing. It's because of resistance. Dogs aren't perfect conductors, quite the contrary, and the more oil and dirt on their skins, the more resistance there is to electricity. So at low levels they don't conduct, and when you turn up enough juice to power through the resistance, you get "fry". Interestingly, if you repeat the low-level nick rapidly several times, or use continuous, the resistance goes away... Not sure why that works... Also, if you have a clean dog and clean prongs on the receiver, it is much more consistent at low levels. I have not noticed much of a lag. 

Never tried a tri-tronics. Too expensive to get just to play with, and I have no troubles with my Dogtra that would make me want to switch.


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## Lou Castle (Apr 4, 2006)

Julie Blanding said:


> Thousands? good for you.
> I am telling you about the four I own.


Four? Good for _you!_ Of the four, you've told us that two of them are older units. Comparing them to newer units from the same manufacturer or another, has little value for anyone shopping today unless you're warning the OP against buying old, obsolete equipment. But I didn't get that from your messages. You seem to be slamming the new models as well, when your personal experience with them is minimal (you've told us of handling ONE of them). 



Julie Blanding said:


> I also commented about handling one of the newer units for a friend of mine (it contains the LCD screen) and her dog was getting between no stim to fry while also experiencing a lag. Guess she needs a newer model. I'll let her know.


If this is happening she needs to send it in for repairs. Seems like common sense. But that's (apparently) just me. Knowing a little about how they work this is as close to impossible as we can get. It's much more likely that the problem is one of poor contact. 

Earlier you wrote this,


> … Then go to the lowest setting and hold down the button (this time with your hand on it) and find your working level.


I missed this detail in my response but was now wondering, … can you tell us how finding the human's working level has anything to do with the dog's working level? And can you tell us how, in this case, the collar doesn’t just go from zero to "fry?" 

BTW I have several older units (before the LCD screen) and they work just fine. Yours seem to be in need of repair. But again, that seems like common sense to me. 

Oh BTW, I just checked ALL the Dogtra collars I have here. None of them exhibit any "lag" that I could detect. But maybe that's me too.


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## James Downey (Oct 27, 2008)

Maybe I am the weirdo. But I use innoteks. I found that one problem with a single reciever on a dogs neck you may get problems with contacting the skin of the dog. Another problem is that I want my dogs to bark with the collar on. With a single reciever the collar has to be so tight to get contact it cuts the dogs airway off a bit. making it harder for the dog to bark.

So what a friend showed me is

get a 2 dog kit of the innotek. 2 recievers can be programmed to one remote. so both collars stim at the same time. you throw out the collars that come with the recievers put about 2.5 inches of 3/8 inch webbing between the 2 ( you will need to sew this) and then put 2 loops of webbing on the outside ends about 2 inches long. have 2 small light weight d rings at each end. then get some bungee, light stuff. The kind olympic swimmers use on thier goggles. and loop it through the d-rings. take the 2 bitter ends and secure it with a fastex from REI. this way you can sinch down the collar with the fastex. and the bungee keeps pressure on the collars for contact, but can expand...allowing the dogs to bark. now if the dog should turn it's head or for some other reason one collar does not touch the opposing force will be placed on the other collar. almost ensuring contact everytime.


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## Mario Fernandez (Jun 21, 2008)

I know what you are talking about James. A couple of guys from Germany and Belgium showed me thier set up as you described. I have Dogta 1700 I like. But I use my Inotek IUT-300 more. I got a steal on Ebay for $120 new in the box and for another $80-$90 I can make it a two dog unit and rig like you described. Innotek fits my needs for now and love the size of the remote.


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## Andrew Rowley (Nov 3, 2008)

Dogtra 2300, great stuff. Reliable, easy to adjust 127 levels, batt really lasts, range is good.


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