Dogtra ARC Remote Training Collar System – Item of the Day
Every day I bring you an item on Amazon that I personally use or has been purchased by many members of the audience and I have researched enough to recommend.
Today’s TSP Amazon Item of the day is the Dogtra ARC Remote Training Collar System. This is the one I recommend because it has levels from 1-127 when it comes to using the shock feature.
You may wonder why I would want that, well let me start out with there are less feature rich models by Dogtra that run say 1-24 and you should know that 24 in that collar is equal to 127 on the better collar. See where this is going?
I don’t like shocking my dogs, I really do not, but I don’t like them eating my ducks and ending up having to find a new home, just one example. I also don’t like yelling at them, etc. I want CERTAIN things simply to rapidly become what a dog just doesn’t do. For instance Charlie my pit bull mix had a desire to attack anything that made a weird noise, like say a chain saw.
So my choice is between my dog grabbing a moving chain on a saw or being shocked once or twice. What is your choice? In all Charlie has been shocked 4-5 times in his three years and has never been shocked since about age 6 months.
So when I get 127 levels I can start say at 25, move it to 30, move it to 32, etc. and the second I get a reaction during poor behavior, that is the level. This lets me dial in the absolute minimum level of correction necessary to do the job.
For Charlie his number was 34, and literally 33 didn’t get anything done. So when I started working with our new dog Lucy this week since she is smaller and all I started down at 20, and nothing. So she is chasing my ducks and really trying to eat one, I dial to 35, nothing, 40, NOTHING, 46, YIPE!
Okay that got her attention. 10 minutes later that pain had left her mind and off to the races we go again, wait till she almost has one, zap, YIPE! This morning, we go out, she chases them, they run, I wait, she gets close and stops. Ah she is learning. My guess is it will take 2-3 more times for her to realize those are Lightning Ducks that absolutely hurt when you attack them. She has no clue the collar is the issue, she is now wearing it at all times, it comes off at night to be charged.
This is different than how I trained Charlie, he did know from the beginning that it was the collar and it was more a training aid. But with Charlie I started with a 2.5 month old pup, who had lived in a shelter his entire life. Now I have a Husky mix that has been on her own for at least a month, she is 50 pounds and should be closer to 60-65 at her frame. She likely hunted to stay alive for awhile so the tactic changes.
I say all this to make sure you understand that these collars are useful trainers but you still have to train and they should not be used for all things. This dog showed up on a Monday at about 3PM when we picked her up from the vet. We started with a quivering dog that peed when you touched her. In only three days, I turned this dog into a dog that can walk on a leash, loves to be pet, plays with my other dogs, sits, stays, comes. None of that was done with the collar. Over time I did use the collar on her to break some of her prey drive with my live stock. I have to say this stray now may be one of the best behaved dogs I have ever owned.
To me these are for training the really important things, do not eat the live stock, do not climb the fence and get lost, do not eat the power tools, etc. And each dog requires an appropriate tactic. This is a training tool, not a replacement for training, but it to me is the best one you can get. For homesteaders this tool is often the difference between a dog that defends your stock vs. eats your stock.
So if you have similar needs check out the Dogtra ARC Remote Training Collar System just remember it is a training tool, not a training replacement.
Remember you can always find all of our reviews at TspAz.com
PS – Use of these collars requires being very responsible and only using it as needed. Some people get very upset but properly used they cause dogs less stress and discomfort. Tune in to the closing of today’s podcast to learn more about proper use of this tool.
To be blunt, if you put this on your dog and just shock it when it does anything you don’t like, you are a scum bag and should have this device shoved up your ass and your dog should be handed the remote.
I agree with Jack here..training collars work well…if used properly….most people who see a “shock collar” in public react funny….and automatically think you’re into animal cruelty….however I used this with my 90 lb doberman…it really worked well and helped him understand what I did not want him to do…quickly…these can be terrific training aids….use it right or me and Jack will stuff it where the sun does not shine….CAPICE ?
This is the best training aid. My wife trained her Great Dane and she is the best behaved dog. She uses a beep function with no shock just to get her attention now. She comes right away and have never had an issue.
Jack is right. It is not a substitute for time spent training a dog. Just a good tool.
My dog barks when I do not want him to and does not stop when I tell him no. Will this work to help correct that kind of behavior?
Yes but it will require consistent training and the bigger question do you want him to bark for some things? Key with these is they are a tool that goes with training not a gadget that replaces it.
I have trained our dogs to stop barking when told, I have not trained them to no bark. They tell me when shit is going on outside, once I know that job is done.
Good training includes correction and reward. Reward can be praise, affection or food. A combination is best. Correction can be an electric shock, a vibration of a collar, verbal, a tug on a leash, a hand to the neck with a mild pinch. Again all three work best. Unfortunately training dogs is way easier then explaining to others how to train them. I really do think many dogs and their owners can benefit from going to a pro to learn. It isn’t real expensive and stores like Petsmart and Petco pretty much make it something anyone can do.
Our dog is an omega, and setting the collar to page is all that is needed to get her attention. She Retreives great, and she would die to protect our family.
e-collars are awesome for training, but anyone who mis-uses them for punishment of a dog should be ….
Should a fluffy dog like a Rough Collie have their neck trimmed for use with this?
May be, I did have to do it with my husky but talk about thick. It was also an older model the rods on these are pretty long, it should work without it on all but the absolute thickest fur.