Choosing The Right Training Collar-Dog Training Collar Comparison

Choosing the right training collar for your dog’s needs can get a bit confusing.  That is why I will provide you with a dog training collar comparison chart to help you focus on what might be important for your needs.

You might be looking for a certain range you need, multiple levels of stimulation, have more than 1 dog or need it to be waterproof.  I will cover all of that to help you make a choice that works for you.

Dog training collars, also known as e-collars or shock collars have been around for a long time.

There has been some real improvements with them over the past years with adjustable stimulation, to spray, just a vibration, or a tone or beep only.

Pet owners use them for many different behavior reasons. I am going to show you some pros and cons to them and also list some of the top rated dog training collars that are available to help you decide which is the best dog training collar for your situation.

Training of Your Dog

Research shows the best way to train your dog is with positive reinforcement. Dogs live in the moment, so you need to react immediately. This can be done with praise and treats where eventually you remove the treats and the praise and affection is the reward for your dog.

Another tool would be using a clicker. You would click when your dog does what you want and than give them a treat. This method works great to teach basic commands, stop bad behaviors, and with single or multiple dog training. This method does not work when it is long range behavior you are trying to correct.  Meaning they are too far away to hear the clicker.

In theory, praise and affection are the best path to take when training your dog, but sometimes you have a stubborn dog or situations around you where you need to keep your dog safe.

That is where the remote collar has helped many pet owners. Your dog should also be 4-6 months old before using a training collar and need to be able to understand basic commands like “sit”, “stay”, and “come”.

How and When to Use Dog Training Collars

Remote trainers help reinforce behaviors you want from your dog, such as coming when called. They can also correct unwanted behaviors such as jumping on people, chasing people or cars, running away or digging holes in your yard.

They should be used to get your dog’s attention, like tapping them on the shoulder. It is to get their attention or startle them which will interrupt their behavior. The signal should be immediately, or your dog is not going to associate the wrong behavior with the signal they are receiving on here collar.

Make sure that it isn’t being used as a punishment for your dog. You should be able to eventually get to the stage that your pet needs only the tones or beeps to respond to what you expect from them.

Choosing the Right Dog Training Collar for Your Dog

There are many different Dog Training collars available with a wide range on pricing and features. You need to figure out what your needs are and the price that fits your budget.

The most expensive might not be what you need, so don’t just choose it thinking it is better. If you have a dog that is afraid of the water and never goes swimming, the waterproof models might not be for you.  Save yourself some money.  

Things to consider when picking out a collar

• Your dog’s size – make sure it is large enough or small enough to fit your dog. Sizes will be listed on all brands.
• Your dog’s personality- very aggressive dogs might need collars with more stimulation levels.
• Range – all of them will list the range from as little to 300 yards to 3/4 mile. If you are taking your dog hunting, you are going to want a big range, but if you have a small yard and are always near your dog, don’t spend the extra money for the bigger range.
• Will my dog be swimming – many models are waterproof
• How long the charge will last on the collar
• Make sure it has several levels of settings to adjust the intensity from vibration to just beeps

Types of Collars

• Static – stimulation and/tone
• Spray – burst of spray and/or tone – best for dogs who dislike water
• Vibration – varying patterns of vibration – best for sensitive or deaf dogs
• Ultrasonic – high pitch sound only dogs can hear

Top Rated Dog Training Collars

Picking the best training collar for your dog isn’t easy and that is where justforyourdog.com can help. After researching many collars and reviewing customer’s reviews, here is the list of collars that we recommend. Several items were taken into consideration: price, features and customer reviews.

This chart is a quick comparison on 5 top rated training collars with a wide range of pricing to fit everyone’s budget.  There is more detailed information on each of them below the chart.  You can click on any of the pictures below to take you directly to Amazon for exact pricing of each.

Training Collar	Range	Stimulation	Waterproof	Price
Sportdog Field Trainer425X	500 Yards	21 levels	Yes	Under $170
Mothca Dog		9 levels	Yes	Under $50
Dogtra ARC Remote	3/4 Mile	127 levels	Yes	Under $225
Dogtra IQ Remote	400 Yards	100 levels	Yes	Under $190
Petrainer	330 Yards	100 levels	Yes	Under $40

SportDog Field Trainer 425X – Rating 4 1/2 stars out of 5

This is a newer model, since the have discontinued making the SportDog 425.

Amazon’s Choice Priced Under $170

PROS: Water submersible to 25 feet. Charges in 2 hours and lasts 50-70 hours. Train up to 3 dogs on same remote transmitter.

CONS: 500 yard range. Might not work on stubborn dogs as stimulation is low-medium.

SUMMARY: Lightweight, comes in black and cameo colors, advanced training color with 7 levels of stimulation, can be used on dogs over 8 pounds.  You can read a complete review of the SportDog Field Trainer 425X here.

Mothca Dog – Rating 4 stars out of 5

Amazon’s Choice Priced Under $50 

PROS: Waterproof, beep/vibration/shock, sizes from just over 3” to 19″

CONS: I couldn’t find any. Everyone’s reviews were very positive.

SUMMARY: Can be worn while swimming. 5 year warranty – replacement or refund, your choice, easy instructions, lower price than most.

You can read the full review of the Mothca Dog Training Collar.

Dogtra ARC Remote Training Collar System – Rating 4 stars out of 5

Amazon’s Choice Priced Under $225 

PROS: 127 levels of stimulation, 3/4 mile range, 2 dog system capability

CONS: Can’t be used on dogs less than 15 pounds, and might not work well for aggressive dogs.

SUMMARY: Great looking collar that somewhat hides the fact it is an e-collar. Dogs need to have medium to good temperament.  You can read the full review of the Dogtra ARC Remote here.

Dogtra IQ Remote Trainer – Rating 4 stars out of 5

Amazon’s Choice Priced Under $190 

PROS: 100 levels of stimulation, one of the smallest controllers, 400 yard range, 2 hour rapid charge.

CONS: Transmitter can only be used on one dog at a time

SUMMARY: Fully waterproof collar and water resistant transmitter, designed for smaller dogs.

Petrainer PET998DBB1 – Rating 4 stars out of 5

Amazon Priced Under $40 

PROS: 100% waterproof, stimulation, vibration, tone, range 330 yards

CONS: Charge on collar only lasts 1 day.

SUMMARY: Collar goes up to 25″, price is much lower than most.

Conclusion

I hope after reading through this article and looking at the dog training collar comparison chart, it will make it easier when choosing the right training collar for your dog and your needs.

Spending time with your dog during the training process and rewarding them with positive reinforcement will help create a loyal friend for their entire life. Always stay consistent on what is allowed and what isn’t allowed to help avoid confusion.

If you decide to go the route of an electric training collar, make sure to chose one that fits yours and your pet’s needs. There is a wide variety available with a wide range of pricing. Remember, the training collar is to get your dog’s attention so the unwanted behavior can be immediately corrected. It isn’t to be used as a punishment, but rather to deter negative or unsafe behavior.

There are several top rated dog training collars that should accomplish the different needs that you and your dog will need.  Review how you are going to use it to make sure you choose the one that is right fit for you and your dog.

 

Justforyourdog.com does not endorse the use of electric collars or any training collars. The provided list of dog products is an overview of top rated training collars for dogs.

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Some of the links within this post are affiliate links of which I might receive a small compensation from the sale of certain items.  This does not affect your price.