Question: I'm looking to invest in an electronic training collar. I've heard you're an Innotek dealer, but I need some unbiased advice on the other brands. For instance, is there a need for sixty levels of stimulation? Do I need a long-range unit that can touch a dog a mile away? Also, what is the advantage of using a warning tone on the collar before stimulation? And how useful are the beeper collars?

Steve R., Toledo.

Answer: First, my endorsement isn't for sale. Period. I don't take money for endorsements because I think that makes you just a paid spokesperson, not an unbiased authority.

Secondly, I don't need to use anything but the most up-to-date, reliable product out there, regardless of cost. Good grief, Steve, while you're selling insurance Monday through Friday, I'm out in the field, training dogs. I use this equipment six days a week throughout the year for both business and pleasure. I need equipment that'll take much more abuse than yours will ever see. I could sell or use anything currently sold on the market, and I've chosen Innotek.

Now, for your other concerns. Sixty levels of stimulation is a marketing ploy. I've found, through years of experience and thousands of hours in the field training dogs, that four or five levels is all that's needed. The difference between fifty-one and fifty-two is negligible.

The long-range collars are for horseback dogs in big, open country. If your dog is a mile away in Michigan, he's lost, and shocking him won't bring him back. A collar should range out at least a quarter mile to be useful. We don't use long-range collars, and my dogs will range out three to four hundred yards. If the cover is thick, the range of the collar will be affected. Hills or rolling terrain can interrupt the signal on any of the collars. In thick cover, I don't want my dogs ranging out further than I can hear the beeper.

Beepers, like all training equipment, have come a long way over the years. From the old ‘Tracker' units that sounded like a truck backing up, they've evolved into remote-controlled units that change modes or sound a locator signal from a small hand-held transmitter with hundreds of yards separating the dog and owner.

A bell will fail you when you need it most, when the dog's on point. Unless you make your pointing dog hunt at flushing dog range, a beeper will come in handy anytime the cover is thick and you can't see the dog, especially for the peace of mind of knowing that Fido is just twenty yards away in the tall grass.

The warning tone preceding the shock should be either the sound of your voice, or your whistle. The electronic warning tone, that can be set to precede the shock on some collars, is only useful with extremely sensitive dogs.

Charlie Linblade

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