Avid waterfowl hunters understand the importance of a loyal hunting dog. There’s nothing quite like having your four-legged pal swim through the water to retrieve your game.
To make this happen, you must train your gun dog the importance of obedience at a young age. The use of an electronic collar, otherwise known as a shock collar or dog training collar, is one of the easiest training methods to make this happen.
Blains Farm & Fleet is here to show you the factors to consider when finding an e-collar that will fit your needs.
The distance at which your transmitter is still able to send a signal to your receiver is referred to as the range. To get the full range out of your setup, nothing can come between the transmitter and the receiver.
Oftentimes while hunting, you will encounter thick terrain that weakens your signal range. Also, reduced battery life will decrease your e-collar’s range.
Therefore, it’s recommended that you buy an e-collar with more range than you anticipate on needing. If your dog tend to stay within a 200 yard radius while hunting, you should consider purchasing a unit with a 3/4 mile range rather than a 1/2 mile range.
This is a manual setting that allows you to control the amount of vibration and static shock associated with your e-collar.
Every dog requires a different stimulation level, so be cautious when fine tuning which frequency works best for your dog. The maximum stimulation level your dog can withstand varies depending upon their temperament, skin, and fur thickness.
Typically there are seven to 10 different stimulation dial control settings. More advanced units will even have low, medium, and high modes within those settings.
Through trial and error, you will find two to three stimulation settings that work best for your dog.
The tone button gives off a quiet sound that you can only hear when you are close to the collar. Don’t confuse this with the beeper function, which you can use to locate your dog while out in the field.
Some folks like to use the tone feature as a pre-stimulation warning if the dog isn’t following a command. Others use it as positive reinforcement.
You can use tone for each of these purposes. But most dog trainers will tell you to use it as a silent command.
For example, if your dog is outside the distance of “normal voice,” you can use the tone feature to act as a voice command. Instead of yelling “come,” you can tap the tone button.
E-collar vibration is typically used as a “pager” to get your dog’s attention. It doesn’t pack the same punch as a stimulation shock. So if your dog is early on in training, do not expect the vibration to grab their attention.
It’s most often used when your dog is obedient and amicable, which generally occurs further along in the training process.
Some dogs may never respond to the vibration because they have a more aggressive, independent personality.
However, do not rule out the vibration feature. And give it a try with your dog at some point in the training process.
This functionality allows you to use the same transmitter to control more than one collar. All you have to do is purchase an additional collar that’s the same model.
If you hunt with more than one dog, we highly recommend buying an e-collar that has the multi-dog feature.
If you are looking to use your e-collar out in the field waterfowl hunting, be sure that it’s 100% waterproof.
Your dog will encounter rain, wetlands, and puddles when hunting. So it’s extremely important that the e-collar still functions after being fully submerged in water.
For more hunting tips and buying guides, visit our Hunting Blog.
