GPS Collar

[Gone_Fishin_]

Hey there,

Looking for information on GPS tracking collars. Mainly previous experiences and what type/brand seems to work best for others using them. Some are a bit expensive and before i shell out 500$ i would like to find out what others experiences in using them are like.

This will be for my GSP and main reason is so "Dad" doesnt have a heart attack when she takes off hunting in the bush, i am training her for hunting so the idea of being able to tell when she's on point, direction of travel ect looks awesome. I know proper training will eliminate her taking off outta sight but i am working on it and it is slowly coming along. Her recall though.. has kinda gone out the window in this teenager stage right now. She gets her head down on a scent and just keeps going no mater how much i yell her name. When she does hear me (or wants too), something clicks and she'll lift her head look my direction and coming running back but when she is solid on a trail or see's a bird/bunny take off she bolts and goes deaf when i call her. Having the e-collar option or even vibrate/beep would be beneficial as well to "snap" her out of this trance she gets in when hunting. I was trying to avoid this but i have been working on her recall for the past few months and shes good when paying attention, in the yard, at the park ect but when were out in the bush or at the river where she can hunt birds and small game she doesnt listen 100% of the time on her recall.

Maybe someone has some tips for this ? I'll call her name 3 times with the word "come" very stern after each name call. If she doesn't come on the 3rd try i'll walk over and grab her, bring her back to my original location and say "come" very stern and place her on her leash for a few. Now because she's been in trouble more than a few times at the park/dog park ect i say "come" she looks at me and will back away (only when shes doing something wrong), i go to grab her and she'll keep the 8' distance between us as shes knows shes in trouble and is going on her leash. First dog for me so learning curve but anyone that has met her said i'm doing great so far and just keep on it. Myself i feel like im losing and almost need some professional help here soon. I enjoy doing this myself though and was another reason in getting a dog, keeps me busy and will help with future pups that i may get.

Right now i'm looking at the Garmin units, the Astro 320 Handheld seems to do a bunch of stuff i'm looking for. Not the cheapest but have found a few on eBay. I spend so much time hunting and fishing and the main reason in her was to come along with me, it would be nice to not have that extra stress of "wheres my dog" every 15 minutes like right now. I know she won't go far but freaks me and the GF out when she disappears into the bush in hunt mode. I have this paranoid feeling that she'll be so fixated on hunting she'll lose track of direction and not make it back to me with so many smells and new things to investigate.

If anyone has some tips on recall and some information on collars would be great. Not to worried about cost as i can always save up and when it comes to something like family it doesnt matter the $$ if it will save her life one day. Have about 350$ put away and looking to have the collar a few months before hunting season comes so i can bring her along with me.

Thanks everyone,

[crassul]

Use a Whistle for recall training. Sound can go further.
garmin is good, either astro 220 or 320 works. The matching collar is dc30, dc40 or(dc50?) , that will let you know the location in the range of a mile or so in the wood.
used astro220 with dc30. Worked great for bear hounds.

[britman101]

Hi there:
so what the GPS collar is going to do for you is to see where your dog may be. That is good in that you will be able to track the dog and pick it up but that still does not solve the recall problem. You are right in that the dog is pushing the boundaries and seeing how far they can get away with things. A little independence is good but too much can have disastrous consequences as the dog starts tracking a bird on her own chases it through a field and on to a road where it can be hit by a car.
An e-collar can be a good tool in cases like this because it allows the trainer to reach out over a distance and get the dogs attention. Tritronics had a good training video on this but there are other manufacturers out there with a product which accomplishes much the same result. If you can train with someone who has used an ecollar before that would be great, but it is doable as long as you do not use it as a device to punish the dog.
Last point is when the dog does come back to you praise the heck out of the dog. You want to give good encouraging vibes to the dog. If you scream and get mad at the dog that sends the wrong message to the dog. It starts thinking if I come back i am going to get in trouble.....so why should it come back. Better to have fun running around instead of going back to a mad dog owner. As hard as it may sound when your dog comes back you have to praise it. My two cents on the subject.

[Clint_S]

Having an ecollar with tone is awesome.
Takes very little training to get a dog to recall using a tone.
I love not having to disturb a whole drainage yelling for my dog to return, a little tone and she is on her way back.
Not sure you need a gps collar for what you are planning but they are versatile.
I use mine on my horses when they are hobbled and I am off hiking as they can travel a fair bit if they get it in their head.
I also use mine when hunting with my son and shed hunting. We both have astros and can see where the other person is when we want to meet for lunch as well the collars leave a track on the astro so we can parallel each other when shed hunting then bump up to cover another swath. If we come back the next weekend the tracks are on the astros so we don't miss or duplicate covering any terrain.

[Gone_Fishin_]

Thanks for the replies.

I'm always praising the heck outta her whenever she does come. Even if she's in trouble but comes there is always positive praise given even tho the reason I called her was something she wasn't supposed to do. That's why I'll say it 3 times then just go get her myself. Don't want to get her used to being in trouble when I ask her to come. I've see e-collars in use before. Been around some dogs trained on them some not and though I'm not against them because I understand the reason at times, I am trying to avoid it at all possible. She just has a solid hunt drive in her that is hard to break her out of that trance at times. I know more work and personal time I'll be able to get her recall back on track my concern is out in the forest. I have the feeling if she sees a bear or wolf/coyote she'll go running up expecting friendly puppy. I think either tone or vibration would do the trick, I'm going to start with a whistle this weekend and see if they can "click" her back on track to listening. 90% of the time she's good it's that hunt drive that keeps her nose down and I swear blocks out the whole world. Lol. Which is good don't get me wrong. Just need more work which I already knew what I was in for.

My main purpose would be GPS, everything else will come with time and work. Would be nice to have other options when dishing out 400-1000$ tho is kinda what I am looking for. Tones; vibrate , something I could incorporate into training would be beneficial I think. I hunted with a friend one time that had his Lab trained on Beep's, was amazing watching them work together without any verbal commands.

On my phone hard to see/type. Sorry if typos hard to read.

[labguy]

Maybe someone has some tips for this ? I'll call her name 3 times with the word "come" very stern after each name call. If she doesn't come on the 3rd try i'll walk over and grab her, bring her back to my original location and say "come" very stern and place her on her leash for a few. Now because she's been in trouble more than a few times at the park/dog park ect i say "come" she looks at me and will back away (only when shes doing something wrong), i go to grab her and she'll keep the 8' distance between us as shes knows shes in trouble and is going on her leash. First dog for me so learning curve but anyone that has met her said i'm doing great so far and just keep on it.


Thanks everyone,

Look at this from the dogs perspective. She's learned already that she doesn't need to obey until the third recall. Dogs can count.

When you issue a command be prepared to enforce it on the first command. By being prepared I mean NEVER issue a command that your not prepared to reinforce (either with a leash or an collar) Use the same tone of voice for everything. (Easier said than done) If you escalate your voice as you repeat commands the dog soon learns to ignore the quieter voice and waits till you yell before complying.

Dont get discouraged, be patient. You can do this yourself if your interested in learning. Get some good books on obedience. Everything dog related, including hunting is based on solid obedience. As britman 101 mentioned, use praise when she complies. Let her know when she's doing it right.

Good luck, have fun and be fair with her.

[Foxton Gundogs]

Look at this from the dogs perspective. She's learned already that she doesn't need to obey until the third recall. Dogs can count.

When you issue a command be prepared to enforce it on the first command. By being prepared I mean NEVER issue a command that your not prepared to reinforce (either with a leash or an collar) Use the same tone of voice for everything. (Easier said than done) If you escalate your voice as you repeat commands the dog soon learns to ignore the quieter voice and waits till you yell before complying.

Dont get discouraged, be patient. You can do this yourself if your interested in learning. Get some good books on obedience. Everything dog related, including hunting is based on solid obedience. As britman 101 mentioned, use praise when she complies. Let her know when she's doing it right.

Good luck, have fun and be fair with her.

What LG said. If you accept a 3 command dog you will have a 3 command dog. simple as that. Back to school is the answer.

[Gone_Fishin_]

Look at this from the dogs perspective. She's learned already that she doesn't need to obey until the third recall. Dogs can count.

When you issue a command be prepared to enforce it on the first command. By being prepared I mean NEVER issue a command that your not prepared to reinforce (either with a leash or an collar) Use the same tone of voice for everything. (Easier said than done) If you escalate your voice as you repeat commands the dog soon learns to ignore the quieter voice and waits till you yell before complying.

Dont get discouraged, be patient. You can do this yourself if your interested in learning. Get some good books on obedience. Everything dog related, including hunting is based on solid obedience. As britman 101 mentioned, use praise when she complies. Let her know when she's doing it right.

Good luck, have fun and be fair with her.

Having too much fun some days! the GF thinks were nuts playing outside until late at night running back and forth like idiots, lol. Love her to death and spend every waking moment with her. Last night was the first time i tried her offleash in my front yard. Shes been on leash but i usualy let it dangle beside her so i can step on it quickly making it easier to catch her. Instead of letting her in the back (fenced in) yard for a quick pee i am starting to allow the front by opening the door and letting her out while i stand on the stairs. Last night someone was walking by with their little dog and i could see she wanted to bolt across the street and all i said was "Nova Hold" in a stern voice and she sat her butt on the ground and never moved a muscle constantly looking back for approval to go investigate. This is what i would prefer in the bush, doesn it fine at home, half decent at the dock park and river but when we get into the bush and shes on scents its a whole new ball game.

I will stop calling her name 3 times by escalating my voice, makes sense as shes starting to learn by sound that (nova.., oh no im good, Nova ! nope hes still ok.. NOVA! oh ok better come back now.. ) Will try my best to keep it the same tone so she doesn't pick up on the sense of me getting more mad and frustrated.

Yesterday i took her to the dog park for a few hours, at random while she was mid playing with dogs i would call her over with a normal voice but still stern. She would instantly stop and come trotting over all smiles, couple pets, good girl good girl then say go play and give her a nudge to go play with her friends again. Did this several times without any troubles. Then there is this one dog there that is absolutely obsessed with fetching and the owner will start throwing a frisbee with him, once she sees this she will chase him back and forth barking non-stop in his face. He'll bring the frisbee back to his owner, my dog in trail right behind him and then start barking solid non-stop in his face until his owner tosses the frisbee again. Goes on and on, i go over say Nova Come and nothing... go to grab her and she plays keep away from me. Finally get her and onto the leash she goes. Let her watch the other dog fetch for a few, let her off, back to barking, repeat process and the 3rd time rather than bark she just wimps and makes all these funny chitter/chatter sounds looking back at me for approval and if shes ok. I just give her the shhhh signal with my finger across my mouth. This is what i have her trained on in the house, she`ll see birds or the neighbours cat and start to bark, i just say `Nova Shhhhh`with my finger across my lips and she goes silent with a little chitter/chatter. Won;t listent to this command at the dog park though, and its only with the one dog. She has no interest in fetching, just wamts to chase him and bark, almost have to leave some times. I just don't she quite understands what she is not supposed to be doign when she's barking.

May have to change this topic from "GPS Collar" to "GSP Troubles" lol Kind of got side tracked from the original request of GPS/Collar information, but thanks to everyone reading and providing feedback. Anything i can get to help me is greatly appreciated, im not one to be stubborn and "do it my way" because i know there are people on here that are well above my level of training and any critisim or feedback will be taken as positive information.

Thanks again everyone, keep the feedback coming. Will be looking into buying my collar within the next few months. So far liking the Garmin units, their distance, tones, GPS with direction of travel and on point looks like it would be neat to incorporate into bird hunting. She's just over a year now and will hunt from sun up till sun down if i let her, locks on point to anything that moves in the bush. We were hiking up vedder mountain a few weeks back, she was off leash and running up and down some trails in front of us. 15 minutes go by i'm calling her name, no answer, 15 more minutes... panick sets in.. start back tracking looking to where i last seen her. Couple hundred yards back and i see a orange flash in the bush to my right, bend down and look and she is a hundred or so yards into the bush. Head down tail out and paw up, i knew she was on something, called her name and nothing. Walked over there had no idea what she was looking at, commanded her in a fast voice "flush" in she goes and what do ya know, grouse comes flying up right over my head. I had no idea that was there and i was looking for several minutes. Of course shes now chitter/chatter yip yip yip jumping in circles then barking, sees the bird go and off shes running. Took several "yelling NOVA" to get her to stop and even then was another 30 minutes of messing around to get the dog back on track with hiking up the trails. On the way back down, same exact location go to walk past she stops, looks in the direction she found it earlier and off running nose down not listening to a work i'm saying, little bugger. Makes me so mad but happy at the same time shes hunting which i want her to do. But this listening to her master needs to work before she can properly hunt. Juts an accident and disaster waiting to happen.

[Gone_Fishin_]

Looking into the Garmin Astro 320 with T5 collar.

Anyone have any experiences with this unit? at 599$ not cheap but i like the screen and viewing options that show like google maps, would also work well for myself when out hunting alone. Had an instance last year when my buddy went one direction and i went another, half hr look up and behind me nothing, i thought i was going up the right hill but it turned out being the complete wrong direction, simply climbed a tree and looked for my reference points i always point out before heading into new areas. So i guess not only good for her but good for dad as well when in the bush.

[Gone_Fishin_]

Anyone here ever use or own the SportDOG TEK GPS + Ecollar System ?

Looks very versitile but not so sure about the GPS portion of it, i like the Garmin for being able to see the dogs route and use it for personal hiking and mapping when in the forest.

[jlirot]

Looks to me like the 320 is only GPS not training...

Did I misread?

[Gone_Fishin_]

Yes i seen that, such a nice collar but does not have any other options for training. If i went with the Garmin for GPS i would likely get another collar for training if i need it. I've seen dogs running 2 collars before and asked the owner why, basically one for tracking and another for training.

Im going to go back to the basics again with her. She was great and i had no troubles up until about 2 months ago, shes 14 months so i've noticed she is now starting to explore a little further, expand her area and she isn;t so scared anymore. Back when she was real young she wouldnt leave my sight, if i went one way i could always count on her to be within 30' of me no matter where i went. Now that she is getting a bit older and has freedom she isnt so concerned on her whereabouts with me. I feel like shes under the impression that "dad" will always watch for her so i (Nova) can do anything and go anywhere, "dad" will help and come get me if i get into trouble or hurt.

Pulling out the 50' lead and back to the park i guess, question for anyone ? what can help if your dog isn't driven by food at all? she has no interest in food when it comes to hunting or birds. I was joking with a friend one day in the back yard, we were bbqn steaks, was just about to put one on and held it in one hand and a feather in the other. Said come, she did, sit, which one do you want? let her smell and straight for the feather, no interest in a 16oz T-Bone. I've tried this and doesn't matter what type of food or treats i have, if there is an animal or bird shes going for that vs food. Heck even bringing her into the pet store with me sometimes i've had employees go to give her a treat and she'll move her head out of the way so she can stare at the birds or fish tanks or gerbils. Not food driven at all.


Any ideas?

Sorry turned the thread into something else, but at least it was me who started and hijacked it ! lol how do i change the subject from GPS collar to GSP Help and Collar Info, lol.

[levind]

i have the alpha and think it is great.

[hotload]

If not stated before, have in mind that the Garmin Astro is just a GPS. Alpha is the GPS plus e-collar. I have the Astro 320 and T5 collar and it works wonderfully. Prior to e-collar, learn what makes your dog want to follow instruction, give it many reasons to recall, obedience, praise, bond, food,learn what makes your dog tick. Having more than one good reason to recall helps solidfy it to recall immediately. Don't teach your dog that it can return after multiple commands. If you know your dog knows what the command is and it actually heard you, its just disrespectful. Most dogs know your temperment better than your wife knows you, they have nothing better to do but sit around and study,your eyes, your aura, and the vibes your giving off. If you have taught it that your tolerant line is very high its a long road back. I have taught my dogs that I am the e-collar, just be truthful,consistent and honest with them..........................

[Gone_Fishin_]

they have nothing better to do but sit around and study,your eyes, your aura, and the vibes your giving off. If you have taught it that your tolerant line is very high its a long road back. I have taught my dogs that I am the e-collar, just be truthful,consistent and honest with them..........................

Very well spoken and thank you for the feedback. I was just reading some more on the collars and i see the Aplha is a training and GPS unit vs the Astro which is only GPS. My main reason is the GPS. I want to know where she is when out hiking and hunting. Removes that extra stress of always wondering exactly where she is at all times.

She trusts me and knows i mean no harm, she is completey obedient in the house, back yard, friends house, at the river she is ok.. not 100% but not too bad either. Its when shes hunting i have the problem.

Maybe i'm thinking this should have come by now and am being too impatient and expecting so much from a 14 month old GSP, i'm not sure. Likely my training with her did not go as far as it needed too. I think i may have backed off to soon thinking she was good to go and her recall was fine, all other training is spot on with her, i know the problem lies with me and not the dog, shes just doing what she is, being a dog and i'm the one to direct and lead her towards good behaviour and listening. i'm sure with more work it'll come and we won;t stop until it does. I took on the responsibility of getting her and i'm not going to back down because of these behaviours, more than likely what i've done has caused the problem as again she's just a dog and is only as good as her owner teaches her. Going to spend some time on YouTube this evening and watch some mroe training videos, read some more information online. I think going back to basics with a 50' lead at an open park, treats and some toys. Let her roam around, say come, soon as she acknowledges apply praise the whole way until she is at my side, hand on collar give her a treat and say "go play" (this is her command that she is allowed to leave my side, she will get out of the truck, sit and wait for me to say "go play" before taking off, well she used too at least... )

[hotload]

Never be afraid to take some steps backward in the training process, this helps solidfy anything that might be iffy to your dog. Remember you are asking your dog to come into your world, time is your friend, you are a work in progress as well. If stats were known it would prove that most of any dogs problems are usually at the other end of it's leash. Your dog at it's age is no different than a teenager and it wants to explore, if you never want it to recall tie it up mentally or physically. Just imagine your thoughts if your hard core hunter just wanted to sit on your back porch and burp and fart?????

[huntergirl86]

Garmin is the way to go if you want the GPS. Works great and the maps are better than the SportDOG.

With a GSP, if you give them a inch they will take a mile.... so 3 commands right now to come in, will turn into more...
I have a hard headed GSP, but I have gotten his recall pretty solid. Even training him on pointing field work, if I let him move one paw after flush/shot and don't correct right away, the next time around he moves two. He is 1.5 years old, so testing me a bit too.

[casey19]

any body been able to purchase the garmin astro tracking systems for dogs here in canada. Everywhere i have checked says they are still illegal here, thanks.

[Elkaholic]

Just order it out of the states is what everybody I know is doing. Lookup dusupply, great place to deal with.

[casey19]

Just order it out of the states is what everybody I know is doing. Lookup dusupply, great place to deal with.

ok thanks will try them, but have tried a few places out of the states already that said they will not ship it.

[hotload]

DOUBLE U HUNTING SUPPLY Have dealt with them for many things including the Astro and T5 Collar, can't say enough about their customer service................................