Hunting Dog Collars

Collars that Help with Tracking and Training

Hunting dog collars and dog training collars can help you keep your dogs under control, even when they are hot on the trail of game.

Electronic hunting dog collars are effective training tools, and they are safe for teaching your dog the commands that you use while hunting.

On the other hand, tracking hunting dog collars help you find your canine in heavy brush, or when she has wandered far away from you while in pursuit of larger game like deer, or even a frisky rabbit.

Choosing the best collar for bird hunting dogs, rabbit hunting dogs, or for hunting breeds like the Weimaraner may prove to be confusing.

There are several basic types of hunting dog collar:

• Leather dog collar
• Electronic dog collars (also known as e-collars)
• GPS Tracking dog collars

Leather Hunting Dog Collars

Some hunters don’t want to hunt with all the new contraptions and just prefer to hunt, using voice commands. If that description fits your hunting style, then you might choose a leather hunting dog collar for your dog.

Leather hunting dog collars need to be very durable and they need to withstand the stress of brush and branches that your dog will be running through.

In addition, you should have your name, address and cell phone number (assuming that you carry your cell phone when hunting) on the dog collar, not dangling from it.

If your dog is lost or separated from you while hunting, you can easily be reached as long as your dog has good ID so that you can be reached.

One that I really like is this sturdy leather collar.The collar is padded and even has a lifetime warranty.

Electronic Hunting Dog Collars or E-collars

Electronic hunting dog collars are used for training hunting dogs, and they also give you excellent control of your dogs in the field.

The manufacturers of dog collars offer either momentary stimulation or continuous stimulation. The popular Dogtra Edge Remote Trainer is designed for larger dogs, and it has a vibration mode, in addition to momentary and continuous stimulation. You can work with your dog, up to a mile away.

The unit is waterproof, so it can be used for duck hunting.  And the Dogtra even has a high intensity light on the collar, so that you can locate your dog after dark, if this becomes necessary.

E-Collar Technologies Educator has very similar features and is also designed for larger dogs. This unit has a 1/2 mile or 3/4 mile range, and you can use it with one or two dogs.

If your dog is sensitive, this unit might be more appropriate.  It has a different approach from the Dogtra.  The E-Collar Educator delivers a tapping sensation, similar to vibration.  This tapping is preceded by a 1 1/2 second tone that the dog quickly learns to associate with the vibration.  Before long, the dog will respond to just the beep or tone.  They call this the Pavlovian Tone.

Momentary stimulation gets your dog’s attention similar to a swat on the nose. Use this type of dog collar for correcting commands on minor behaviors.

Continuous stimulation gives you control over correction times, up to 10 seconds, before timing out.

Professionals seem to favor the continuous stimulation model for training a Weimaraner or other hunting dogs.

This video, with professional trainer Bob West, shows how to transition your dog from basic obedience that he has learned by voice command, to using an e-collar.

GPS Dog Collar

GPS hunting dog collars are the hunting dog collars that large game hunters use to track their dogs who are running and tracking game like deer, bears or wild boar.

A GPS collar can keep track of where your dogs are, sometimes up to 9 miles away. This is assuming that you are on flat open spaces. If you hunt in hilly or mountainous areas, the tracking distance shortens.

Although it’s a bit pricey, the one that I love is the Garmin Alpha 100TT Tracking Device . This system is really cool. You can track up to 20 dogs at once.  The unit measures the dog’s speed and distance they travel.  The unit has a 3″ glove friendly touch screen and it has pre-loaded topographical maps for the U.S.

You get a visual on each dog’s path and you’ll even know if a dog is running, standing or treeing quarry.

The Garmin Alpha dog tracking collar is great for finding your dog in tall grasses with GPS technology, and tracking your hunt.

Features of Hunting Dog Collars

When you purchase a hunting dog collar, consider how you will be using it:

• Variable stimulation settings give you flexibility when controlling one or more dogs. Different dogs may require different settings.
• Range – Consider what kind of hunting you do, and how far you usually travel in a day. This is important both for e-collars and for GPS tracking units.
• Number of dogs you can control – If you hunt with more than one dog, you will want to control each one and keep track of where they are.
• Identification – whether you use electronic devices when hunting, or you depend on voice commands to control your dog(s), make sure your dog has your contact information on her, just in case she is separated from you!

Before you begin using your hunting dog collars, take the time to thoroughly read the information provided. If DVDs are provided, make sure that you view them before starting to train your dog.

Technology changes rapidly, and the unit you used five years ago may not be the same as a new unit. Get to know your product in order to use it effectively with your hunting dog.