German Wirehaired Pointer Club of America

[KYSER]

Hey Keith,
I am interested in the 200 gold collar but it mentioned it is for a mild tempered dog and fear if I need more power it may not be the best for me. I have never used an e-collar so on one hand I thought it may help avoid running the risk of overpowering but on the other I dont want to drop $200 on a collar that may not suit my needs. My pup is only 6 months old and I have ordered Hickox's vol I & II training videos at the suggestion of my breeder. I have done a little research on the use of them but it really makes me nervous at the possibility of screwing up with it. I dont know what Hickox's reconmedation of what age to start them out at but I thought anything before a year may be to early. The DT modles appealed to me also. I understand that e-collars are a great tool if used properly but I have ziltch in experience with them.

[Keith]

I also own a DT collar that is larger and more powerful with a full mile range. And it is a hotter collar. But the only time I ever used it on high was with one dog that loved chasing deer one time when he was in full pursuit and ignored the lower settings. Outside of a dog obsessed with chasing or maybe a dog obsessed with fighting other dogs you will never use the higher settings. I have only owned my dogtra 200 collar for a few months now. Unless you have a particularly stubborn dog I can't imagine a wirehair requiring more power to train. I have never had my smaller collar turned up more than half way and most the time I use the lowest setting they can feel. I train at a setting that I tried on myself to test for hotness. The only time I use my bigger collar now is when I am running two dogs. When I am training or hunting with one dog I use the small dogtra. Both collars hold a charge a long time. And with some dogs the pager feature of the dogtra really comes in handy for signaling the dog without a shock. I use it a lot.