I have a 5 1/2 month old lab almost 6 now...im getting rdy to collar condition him but im having a hard time figuring out what collar to get? I dont want to spend anything more than $300 if i can get away with....ive been looking at the Sport Dog 400s Camo...anybody have any thoughts about it or have any experience with this product? Its around $179.99 i believe...400 yards would be plently wouldn't ya think? I mean i hunt the timber mainly anyways....or should I get the Sport Dog 800s Camo? or any other brand of collar? any suggestions would be a big help! Im looking at buying one in the next week so i thought that i would just try and get some info out of you guys! Thanks again! Your suggestions will be very helpful! Eric

im new to the who

im new to the whole dog training by the way*

I don't know much about collars but I did find this quick, Best sellers top 10. Hope this helps you out.

Friend of .mine had the cabelas one it sucked..  If that helps.

Spend the  money and buy Tritronics you'll not regret it. the flyway model is great for waterfowlers but the sport basic is a good starter. the good thing about the sport models is they come with the G3 exp collar which is adaptable to all their accessories, lights beepers etc. People buy the sport dog because it's camo but what if you drop that tiny transmitter somewhere your screwed. Just my opinion hope this helps P.S. remember Tritronics invented the e-collar.

When I started out I bought the Sportdog 400 in camo. After having the 2nd one replaced because of troubles I switched brands. The 400 yards saying is a stretch. The 400 yards is accurate on flat ground with no cover and a clear good weather day. If you are hunting in tall or thick cover they are actually only good for 30-40 yards at best..That is what the tech support of there company told me. I would recommend the Tritronics. I got rid of the Sportdog and went with a Tritronics Flyway EXP. They go for around $400 but they are the best in the business. I have had mine for 3 or 4 years and have had no problems. They also sell the sport collars that go for the 250 area that I have heard good things about also. I think all but 1 of the tritronic collars have a range from a 1/2 to 1 mile. Save yourself the trouble and go with the best first.

If you are not wanting to go over the $300 mark I would try this one out.

http://tritronics.factoryoutletstore.com/details/13593/Sport-Basic-G3-5321100.html

If you are willing to spend the extra. I would go with this one. I love mine.

http://tritronics.factoryoutletstore.com/details/13596/Flyway-G3-EXP-5740100.html

I have always run a sport dog wetland hunter, no problems to report!

Sport Dog 1825 and I have the add a dog and It works great on both dogs!

I have a Sprot Dog, bought it last year and have had no problems I'm not sure on the model, but I also know that my in-law has one too he had one issue I don't even remember what the issue was, but I do remember that he was happy with the customer service, which says alot

I currently have a Tri-tronics Field 90 and love it. Prior to that I had a Sport 50 and it worked great too.

I used the Sport 50 for about 8 years I think. I never had any problem with the range on it and just decided to upgrade to the Field 90 because of the trade-up program Tri-tronics has and I liked the transmitter style a little better. Towards the end of my use with the Sport 50, the rheostat started to get a little sloppy and one of the buttons got some crap in it and could get stuck down. I probably could have taken it apart and cleaned the button out but the rheostat would have needed to be replaced. I actually like having a slightly larger transmitter as well...there were a couple of occasions that the small Sport 50 transmitter fell out of my coat pocket (should have had it tethered to me) and I didn't notice. Luckily I found it each time but I definitely notice if the Field 90 leaves my possession.

I haven't looked into any of the other brands lately so I don't know what they have for features but, one thing I love about my new Tri-tronics is the charging time. No overnight charging necessary! Just a couple hours from completely dead to full charge.

I have a SportDog Wetland Hunter and have had no problems with it, but I'm going to a new TriTronics because NAVHDA gave me a 30% discount certificate and I have two dogs that I use for upland hunting as well as waterfowl so it will save me from having two separate collar systems.  Its more of a personal choice, not because I have had a problem with the SportDog.  I bought it on ebay and don't recall how much I spent but it was well below what most outdoor and online stores wanted for them.  Either collar system you get, I just recommend getting advice on proper training use of the collar.  I know it sure helped me with my approach.

Another e-coller choice for you. DT Systems makes an water proof collar. Their H2O series line of collars also with an 1800 yard

(1 mile) range. Good luck whatever your decision may be.

Josh
Trophy Time Gun Dogs
http://www.trophytimegundogs.com/

Authorized DT Systems Dealer

One more thing I forgot to mention. With the DT Systems H2O Series, you can get a 1-dog solution that is upgradeable to a 2-dog or 3-dog

collar solution. Alot of times guys start with one dog, and later acquire a 2nd dog.  Same thing with dog boxes, a  guy will buy a 1 dog box

or a plastic carrier then get into a 2nd dog and now your wanting to ditch the old collar or old carrier and get a 2 dog solution.  The

reason being I think it having enough dog power to do go all day in the field or marsh or wanting to carry a buddies dog with you so

he gets a chance to work his dog also.  So, what I am saying on this collar thing if you buy one and you think there is any chance

you might eventually need/want a 2nd dog get one that is upgradeable..

Alot of times people seem to focus on the nick setting, but I find the beep, vibrate a whole lot more useful as you can use that to signal to the dog

to work his way back to you with out any nicking. Also you can use the beep to locate where the dog is working if the grass or reeds are

tall and you can't actually see the dog you can hear approximately where the dog is and work your way to the dog, if he is hold up

some where and is not moving for some reason.

The choice of dog e-collars is up to you, I am not saying one brand is better than the other, I am just pointing out some of the useful features you may want to consider in purchasing a dog e-collar. The prices are many times very competitive with respect to the models but you may find for a specific

price range you get more features with one brand/model than another. Also take into account shipping costs, many places provide

"free shipping". For water dogs look for a waterproof e-collar.

If you find you got a dog e-collar you don't want, call a distributor or dealer of the brand you want to get and ask for a trade-in deal or sell

it on ebay as used. There is no harm in asking for a deal.

Josh
Trophy Time Gun Dogs
Authorized Owens Distributor
Authorized DT Systems Distributor

we use a dogtra and it works great! It has a nick shock and constant shock and then it also has a virbate button and that usually gets the dogs attention without having to shock it. The remote is small and easy to carry around and the battery lasts about 4 or 5 hunts before you have to recharge it!

I've used the Sportdog 400 for 5 years....only problem ,i had was the battery....and i'm just changing it now and my lab has used it in and out of the water and it's been excellent for the money....figured my Lab was trained since she was 15 weeks old and all i needed it for was to protect her from comming incontact with deer...otherwise she is 20 yarder..she stays close....Honkers50

I picked up the tritronics g3 sport basic when my pup was 5 months old. Had to get the smaller strap to start with but it didn't take him long to grow into the full size collar that comes with it.

Has the option for running up to three dogs with additional collars, variable stimulation settings & a nice buzzer. I've tested it up to 150yds on open terrain and it works great, can't see any need to ever go beyond that for what I do to be honest though.

I think I paid $220 new for my kit, if you can get the sport dog 400 for 180 that's probably not a bad deal either.

ok guys thanks everyone for the tips! well my boss heard me talking about getting a collar here soon and he told me had had one i could have...well i figured it was gunna be a pos....well it turned out to be a Tri Tronics Sport Upland G3 Exp Collar!!!!!!! Never used!!!!! Its sat in his closet for a year he said!!!!!! BRAND NEW!!!!! I couldnt believe it!!!  The only thing that through me off was the it was an upland collar....well i broke out the instructions and its all waterproof so the only thing i really need to do is to take the beeper off the collar and buy a black collar instead of the orange one it came with!!!! I couldnt believe it....that saved me like $260 bucks if not more....."upland" doesnt really mean much except for the beeper and orange collar right? I dont kno much about em....this is my first rodeo with training a dog.... Is this collar a good start to start with? Thanks Eric

I believe the collar strap color and the beeper are the only difference between that and the sport basic. Might even get a little more range? You definitely lucked out on that one!

Great lookin' pup by the way

What a deal!!! I just checked out the product comparison chart on the Tri-tronics website and the only difference I can see is the color of the collar, the beeper replaces the audible buzz.

Keep us up to date on how the pup is progressing...you could even start a blog on it. Would allow others to follow the progression and would give you something to come back to if you wanted to refresh your memory as to where you were at in the training and what age the pup was. Could be a useful tool if you ever decide to add another pup to the family.

 Thats a heck of a deal. Those sell for 350 new.

don't buy a sport dog thay are junk!!had mine for 2years and it is hit!

Thanks everyone!! Yea i deff lucked out on this one!! My boss always had awesome bird dogs but when he said that he had a collar for me I really wasnt expecting a brand new Tri Tronics!! lol I didnt even wanna take it off his hands because i knew instantly that it was a high dollar collar...but he wouldnt let me walk out of his office unless i had it in my hand! Yeah im considering making a blog for the progress of my pup...hes deff coming a long way! Im really impressed on how well hes doing for only being 5 1/2 months old right now...still a ways to go but im hoping to have him rdy by season...i kno he wont be perfect but there's nothing better than live action practice for him.

Well it sounds like your all set to go. Best of luck with the youngster.

Thanks Man! Hopefully I'll have him rdy...cant wait to watch him retrieve his first live bird

Its a proud moment.

i bet! I cant wait...only 112 more days till the opener! haha