Customer Reviews

Dogtra 1900NCP Field Star 1/2 mile Training Collar Single Dog

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I will try and keep this short but I have a thousand good things to say about this product. I have a 15 month old German Shepherd puppy that is roughly 80lbs. He is stubborn and really loves to 'test' me. His energy level is what you'd expect for a dog of his age and his size times seventeen. He cannot be satiated by a walk and I can't run with him everyday due to knee problems. I have a nearby field where he could run and play if he was just able to heel when someone else came onto the field or walked by. He is extremely nice but most people freak out (which is expected when a GSD is charging at you) if he approaches them. I couldn't risk him jumping up on someone so we normally just took short walks and I dealt with his energy accordingly.

I read the reviews here and bit the bullet after swallowing what seemed like a bitter $200+ pill. Boy was I wrong! I took my dog out once. One time. Just a single outing with this thing and his demeanor changed EVEN at home. Just make sure you have the collar VERY tight. My dog is tough so the first time I thought he wasn't feeling it and I continued to increase the intensity until the contacts touched his skin around Level: 70, which delivers a solid pop. I had gone up to 40 on my own arm beforehand. I have shocked myself at this level (70) afterwards to make sure I didn't really hurt him. It's not comfortable but it's nothing bad...especially for such a large animal.

He wandered away from me and I called him back. He continued so he got the nick. It didn't stop him from running off from me so I switch over to constant (back down to level 25, where he is extremely responsive now) and held it for less than .5 seconds. He immediately stopped and looked at me. I called him back and he came immediately. I gave him tons of praise and that was it. That's the whole ordeal. I can take him anywhere now without a leash and I am in complete control. He responds to the device at just level 25 now and we are working on him learning the 'Page' feature so I can completely stop using the actual stimulation, though at this level it is not really any different than the vibration itself. The dog is far far happier and his energy level is lower now that we can spend 20 minutes with him in a solid sprint daily. His eating habits have improved and he is far less interested in people wandering around us.

Now that's what most reviews of this product sound like but they don't actual review this PRODUCT, just the premise of the device. Yes, it works amazingly well and your dog will have behavioral improvement as a direct result of using it but that doesn't say anything about THIS dogtra product. So let me convince you to buy this one instead of the ones for sale at PetsMart and the like. This unit is built TOUGH. It's water resistant and comes in an extremely well packaged carrying case. I am a devices hardware engineer and I am not one that is easily impressed. This thing does it for me. It's going to last forever and it's easy to use. The buttons are not easy to press accidentally and the range has been tested to about 400 yards (half the advertised range) without a hiccup. The charge lasts forever and you can charge them both at the same time. The collar is durable and comfortable for the dog. Mine doesn't even notice it. You can easily change the intensity of the stimulus if your dog runs off and needs a REALLY good jolt, though I have had amazing results with just using constant for about 1s at a VERY low level in those situations, when necessary.

After a few good zaps you won't have to worry about your dog roaming very far from you.

--Can't say enough, this is just fantastic!

I read lots of reviews of many different collars. The cheaper ones all seem to have issues after a short amount of use. I also did not want to be buying batteries every month. Another comment someone made was about being water proof. The last thing was the range needed to be more than 50 feet. This collar has so far been GREAT! It lasts for days on one charge, about 3 to 4 days constantly being on, the remote last even longer. I like having the ability to just vibrate the dog for correction as well. I don't have to use the Nick or Constant hardly at all. Only when he goes brain dead, i.e. another dog or something really interesting. Vibrate makes him stop what he's not suppose to be doing almost all the time. I try and use a command before I send a vibrate correction. I will say that the power level of this collar is controllable via the remote. DO NOT LET YOUR KID ALONE WITH THE REMOTE. I tired the shock collar on my self first and found that LVL 1-20 were barely noticeable. At lvl 30 I can hold on to it while pushing the constant button. I decided to turn the power up while holding it and pushing constant. When you get to lvl 40 it starts to hurt enough you don't want to hold it long. I am a big man 6'4" 300 lbs and I stopped there. This thing goes to 127 on the dial. The reason I say don't let your kids play with it is because they will turn it up to high and shock your buddy till he cry's. My kids had the dial set at 80 and hit the button. My oldest told my youngest it was all right to do it. So you can guess what happened next. Poor dog screamed and ran to my wife because I had went to the garage to get something. The youngest was very upset at what she had done to the dog. She cried for quite sometime. I had the boy hold the collar after showing and letting him push the button on (while on 30) me. I wanted him to understand it hurts. He has not done it since. I wish they made them for kids as well, I could see these being useful :-) LOL. Oh and the collar buckle is metal and the actual belt material is VERY strong and also water proof. I had to wash the whole thing after my dog rubbed his neck in $h!t. So I was thankful I bought the water proof one. I also looked at other sites for reviews before deciding on this collar (Cabela's). I would tell anyone with a stubborn dog that is 30 + lbs to get this collar. It works GREAT on my male 95lb Black Lab that just turned 1 yr old.

Chris

My wife and I have a 80lb puppy who has had some issues with jumping up on people. This training collar has helped us keep her from tackling our guests. Great product, the vibrate funtion is an added bonus that seems to have a great effect.

I cannot say enough about this fabulous product! We have two; large; rambunctious dogs and despite the fact we live on a large piece of property we had issues with our female running away...she would bolt out the door, be gone for hours, in the country not such a great idea given country roads, coyotes, other dogs etc.
We had them on this training system for two days and the results are unbelievable; she doesn't bolt, doesn't take off, plays with our other dog and her entire demeanor has changed, she is a happier, healthier dog.
My wife couldn't be more excited; she can spend time in the yard with her two "furbabies" and really enjoy them running around with the knowledge that they will come when called and stick close to home.
The quality of this product is terrific, this isn't an inexpensive unit but the construction and durability are wonderful. In addition the battery life is great.
If you have any training issues with your animals I highly recommend this system. If you are looking for quick, long lasting results this is absolutely the way to go!

I have a 17 month old Red Doberman named Vixen and trust me when I say she sure is one. This collar really does get her attention. Having so many control levels is one of the best benefits. I had another one and it went through batteries so fast it was a real pain. Being able to charge both units at the same time is a major plus. The charge holds for a long time too.

this product exceeded all my expectations. it works through concrete block buildings, it works from long distances, it has an adjustable shock intensity level, if a weak shock doesnt straighten my dog up then i give him a stronger shock till he acts right. my dog is a highly agressive large pitbull and this collar makes him sit up and act right faster than a prison guard with rubber slugs in a 12 guage. if u have an agressive hard to control dog , THIS PRODUCT is exactly what u need worth every penny. it is tough it survives being dropped , battery charges last a long time , and it is made with care out of high quality material ..this is not made in china cheap quality that falls apart after a few months of hard use..it works well through the test of time and a very active messy pitbull...

Tri-Tronics Pro 200 G3 collar is the one I settled on after researching dog e-collars extensively (the dogtra's and cheaper petco collars). I will write/ link to a more extensive review with pictures and video at a later date. Turns out if you link to anything outside of amazon, however helpful or innocuous it will get deleted and all you see are [....]. I will provide the url in an update (if I can figure out how w/o it getting deleted) but suffice it to say here are some of my findings and I hope this helps a dog lover with an unmanageable/ aggressive dog.
PLEASE, if you are considering `giving up' on your dog read on - this is a tool that if used properly can really help your dog become a better citizen despite what people tell you about dogs and shock collars/ e-collars.

E-collars are for dogs that are `hard' dogs. This term refers to an aggressive dog - toward other animals or humans and views your commands and hollering as `optional'.

The opposite is a `soft' dog - may not follow your instructions but listens and tucks its tail between its legs when you raise your voice - these collars SHOULD NOT be used with soft dogs (more on this later). For a very good video on this and how to use e-collars see link [...]
We have had a rescue for six years and have contemplated getting an e-collar/ shock collar but have been very reluctant b/c it can cause pain to the animal. Last winter we found a small dog abandoned to die in the woods by our house (still makes me very sad to think that people do this). Our shepherd-mix is very aggressive, so the problem we had was she was ready to kill the little guy. Luckily we have a large home and could separate the two dogs and worked on slowly introducing them. Took some 6 months to where we could allow them into the same room (on leashes). Given the big dogs aggression we needed to get her under voice command - every time. Also, given her high prey drive and tendency to roam we walk her on a 50ft. leash. She did break the leash a couple of times and it took a good hour to catch her as she would take off chasing an animal in the woods.

Along comes the Tri-Tronics Pro 200 collar. After following the leerburg dvd instructions and some 12 months later I can truly I WISH I HAD BOUGHT THIS SIX YEARS AGO. I can take our big dog off leash in the woods and SHE ALWAYS COMES BACK. I can make her stop in her tracks with my voice command - NO. I have used the shock feature about 10 times in one year. Only one time have I used it on a high setting (66% of full power). The rest of the time it has been on low settings (16%) - it snaps her out of her prey drive and makes her pay attention to me. I MUST EMPAHSIZE I ALWAYS HAVE DOG TREATS IN MY FANNY PACK for both the little dog and the big one and I FOLLOWED THE DVD INSTRUCTIONS EXACTLY. Had I not bought the DVD I would have done it all wrong so I cannot recommend the product enough (see url above).

Why I chose the Tri-Tronics Pro 200:

1. I wanted a collar that would allow me to control my dog from a distance. If you are in the woods and there are rock outcrops the stated distance on e-collars at which you can control your dog drops off considerably. Given how much I love my dogs and how paranoid I was about the distance issue I wanted one that would, without a doubt, control my big dog, whatever the terrain - I therefore settled for the one with a range of one mile. Keep in mind I had never used an e-collar but envisaged letting my dog roam free with the little dog (the recent addition) probably following her and wanted to ensure that I could control her over a long distance - both dogs off-leash. This was the ultimate goal and I was very unsure how long this would take but wanted to have a collar that would work to satisfy this endpoint.

2. There are two different ways to `shock' your dog. One is `CONTINUOUS' - lasts for ~10 seconds the other is a `NICK' - last for ~0.5 seconds and is momentary. Reading up and watching all the material I could find I felt that the NICK in the end would be what I used more than the continuous. A year later I can confirm I was right.

3. Gradations - More the gradations for the shock - nick or continuous the better - so I could dial in the exact setting to get our big dogs attention - fine tuning the device to her sensitivity.

4. Expandability - keep in mind we had just found the second dog. He was small, very badly abused. I wasn't sure with time if he too would turn out to be a stubborn guy so I wanted to be able to use two collars (one on each dog) controlled with one remote (in my hand) if need be. After a year I can say with certainty that this is not the case at all and so I will never use an e-collar on the little fellow. He does wonderfully with my voice commands.

5. The two manufacturers that came to the top early on were Dogtra and Tri-tronics. Each of these manufacturers have several different models and this is where it gets tricky and why I am writing this review (for now without the pictures and videos of my beta-testing). I decided I needed a 1 mile range and as many nick gradations I could get. I looked at the Dogtra 3500 NCP and the Tri-Tronics Pro 200 because they met my criteria. I decided to buy both and then keep the one I felt was best - returning the other one.

6. The Dogtra has 127 continuous gradations for both the nick and the continuous mode. It is smaller than the tri-tronics and I was leaning toward this manufacturer. After having bought both to test out I quickly realized that the tri-tronics is actually far better for both the dog and the trainer. The way the e-collar works is there is a component that sits around the dogs neck (the receiver) and the transmitter (you have in your hand). The component on the dog's neck has two prongs that push into the dog's neck and this is what carries the electric shock to the animal after you press the button on the transmitter. The prongs on the Dogtra were brutal. They were significantly more pronounced and pushed into the dogs neck in a way that I thought was excessive, especially when compared to the Tri-tronics design. Keep in mind I was using the SMALLEST prongs from both manufacturers. The prongs have threads that screw into the receiver and you get a couple of different sizes in each box. Dogtra is a Korean company and I felt that keeping the dog comfortable while it has the receiver around its neck was not a priority and came through in the design. Remember the receiver is only activated for a very small fraction of the time the dog has this around its neck. This was something that I never did see in any reviews and was surprised to find out when I actually had both units in my hand and was beta-testing them for my use.

7. The Dogtra has 127 gradations while the Tri-Tronics Pro 200 has 18 for Nick and still fewer - 6 for Continuous. On the face of it I thought this was a major drawback with the Tri-Tronics Pro 200. Also, the Tri-Tronics Pro 200 has a bigger transmitter (the part that sits in your hand). Surprisingly the Tri-Tronics is really a more thoughtful design and SUPERIOR product despite having less fidelity in the transmitter. Turns out the 18 gradations for the Nick and the 6 for continuous in the Tri-Tronics Pro 200 ARE MORE THAN ENOUGH. IMO there is also a design flaw in the Dogtra transmitters (regardless of model #) that again I only discovered because I bought both and was trying them out side-by-side and I haven't seen mentioned anyplace.

The Dogtra feels like a thick cell phone (think Motorola startac vintage but 2x thicker) that has a knurled knob where the antennae would go that you rotate and as you rotate it the level changes in a little LED screen on the face of the device, displaying the setting value (between 1 and 127). As you rotate it the value changes from 1 - 127. You have two rubberized buttons labeled nick or continuous positioned on the side of the instrument (where the volume buttons on a cell phone would be). You also have a vibrate button (more about this later) but this is on the face of the device above the LED display [...].

The Tri-Tronics Pro 200 has a knob on the top, with hard stops, and these go from 1-6. This device looks like a 2D maglite flashlight, albeit smaller and lighter. On the SIDE of the cylindrical device you have three buttons that control the levels of the shock - low, middle and high. Take a look at the picture else it will be very confusing [...]

So, if you set the knob on TOP of the device to a 3 and press the low button on the SIDE of the device the dog get a nick at the 3 level. If you press the middle button instead (again on the SIDE) the dog is now nicked at a 9 level. If you press the low and middle buttons together the dog is now nicked at a level 12. So, you are ramping the level at which your dog is being shocked very rapidly. The third button is colored red and will provide a continuous shock (for ~10 secs) at a high setting (keep in mind the knob on the top stays at a 3 in each of the scenarios I listed). This is VERY IMPORTANT in your training and let me give you a real scenario where this became CRITICAL.

My large dog was out in the woods and as I have mentioned she has an incredibly high prey drive. She saw a woodchuck and took off after it down a valley (this is after we got the e-collars but were still testing them out). She was off leash b/c of how well the e-collars worked out. She had the Tri-Tronics Pro 200 on that day. I use it at a "3" on the top of the device and press the low button to get her attention. So, I am nicking her at 16% of the full power. Once she had locked onto the Woodchuck and took off I could not get her attention at this setting or the middle setting. I was worried she would catch and kill the woodchuck and so I pressed the red button, again with the setting on the top remaining unchanged and still at 3 (Here it is 66% of full power). She came back squealing really quickly. This has been the ONLY time in a little over a year that I used the high setting on her and I have never had a problem stopping her with a NO voice command since. Had I had the Dogtra system I would have had to have fiddled with the knob first, raised the setting level, and then pressed the continuous shock button. In the heat of the moment I am quite sure I would not have gotten this right and it would have taken me longer because I would have been messing with device. With the Tri-Tronics set up you are pressing a large button, without even really looking at the device in your hand. So, I went from pressing one button to pressing one above it - almost reflexive - never taking my eye off my dog. I think if you are training you want there not to be a time lag of any kind so there is no confusion in the dogs mind. Also, in this instance, I was able to avoid an untoward incident. If you have an aggressive dog you need to be able to switch to the highest setting instantly, without taking your eye off the dog.

8. Both units clearly work well. I think the Tri-Tronics Pro 200 is a better unit. If you have a dog that you are considering euthanizing or giving up for adoption because of behavior issues PLEASE CONSIDER trying an e-collar - Dogtra or Tritronics in conjunction with the video I mention above. You will find your dog changes dramatically within a week. If you follow the instructions and the prep work in the video to the letter the first 15 minutes where you actually use the e-collar on the animal will have a DRAMATIC impact on behavior. Please do the prep work, it takes about 2 weeks but the results are truly stunning.

It took us rescuing our little dog to actually look into an e-collar for the Shepherd-mix. I wish we had done this sooner because she now roams without a leash and really enjoys herself on walks where before she was always on leash. I am happy to report the two dogs are now best of friends and the little fella actually loves the Shepherd more than he does us.

A couple of other things that come to mind (the longest review I have ever written LOL - I sure hope it helps someone)! The Dogtra's charge a bit differently from the TT. The remote collar and transmitter (what you hold in your hand) have a little rubberized jack (on each) with a flip cover that you flick open and plug in the charger ends. If you have a bird dog or if you wander through marshy/muddy areas I wonder if the Dogtra's might collect dirt or get damaged? This was not an issue for me but something to be aware of. The TT collars charge similar to the Phillips toothbrush I have. You set the transmitter in a cradle and the proximity is sufficient to charge the unit. The receiver snaps into a cradle and the contacts touch and charge up the unit. There is no receptacle and so you don't have to worry about whether you got the snap cap back on. For both the Dogtra and the Tri-Tronics battery life was a non-issue. I used them for about 60 days (charging about once a week) and the batteries never ran down. I cannot comment on the longevity of the Dogtra b/c I returned it since I was going to get the TT but a year later the Tri-Tronics is fine. I would imagine the Dogtra would have been fine too. I understand the Tri-Tronics rechargeables can be replaced by the consumer. The Dogtra's have to be sent back in and I think they told me it would be [...]. Again, minor detail.

ONE CRITICAL THING I FOUND: The Leerburg kennel sells a quick release strap (like a zip tie with a release button on it) for e-collars [...]. I know the quick release works with both the Dogtra and the Tri-Tronics training collars and they are a MUST. The receiver that sits around the dogs neck has a strap - and it is a pain to use (both manufacturers). The quick release is a cinch and more importantly you can figure out precisely how tight you want the receiver to be around the dog's neck. Again, Ed Frawley at Leerburg has a great online video of this nifty add-on. For the first couple of weeks I used what came with the collars and it was a real pain. Keep in mind you will need nitrile gloves to get a good grip b/c you will need to thread this (zip tie like add-on) through where the strap was on the receiver (after taking off the strap, obviously). It is a very tight fight so I found the nitrile gloves were perfect and I didn't need to mess with vaseline. You thread the quick release strap once and then you will be taking the transmitter on and off the dog's neck by pressing a button on the zip tie.

I took the plunge on the price after having a bad experience with a cheaper PetSafe collar. It's been worth every penny in my book!

The collar and remote are incredibly well made. Both are really durable and waterproof. I live in Oregon and have had no issue with rain on the collar or remote. The rechargeable battery in both collar and remote is a huge plus and lasts a good amount of time. Charging is made easy since you can charge both devices at the same time with only one wall socket. I can't say I've tested the half mile range The max range I've used is around 100 yards and it works flawlessly!

An added bonus is the foam padded plastic case for easy storage. (Looks like a handgun case.) It wasn't advertised that it would include this but is great to have.

I highly recommend this collar!

I have an 8th month old Golden Retriever. The Dogtra Training collar works excellent. I purchased the "petsafe" collar and returned it to Amazon because the thing became intermittent after a couple of weeks. After contacting the manufacturer a couple of times I ended up returning it to Amazon (and they took it back without a problem). The Dogtra has performed flawlessly. I recommend it very highly if you're thinking about purchasing a device of this type.

I have a two year old, large male Golden Retriever. I got him from a rescue place just six months ago. "Lambeau" is an 80 pound bundle of joy and energy, but was totally incorrigible when outdoors both on and off his leash.

I am utterly amazed at how quickly and how totally my Lambeau has been transformed. In just 24 hours since I first put the Dogtra electronic training collar on him that I purchased from Amazon, he has changed from a rowdy, undisciplined juvenile delinquent who would totally ignore my calls to him when outside, and just run off or chase other dogs or people, and play "can't catch me....nah-na-na-na nah-na", into the most obedient dog who is now actually eager to do my bidding.

This transformation has been complete, and happened so fast it is hard for me to believe. The first time I took Lambeau outside with the collar on was the morning after it arrived in the mail (I plugged it in to the charger for 10 hours before using it for the first time).

He was starting to trot up to a neighbor's yard that has a cyclone fence with two barking dogs inside it. I pressed the "Page" button on the transmitter once. That button does not deliver any electric shock at all, but merely vibrates against his throat with a buzzing sound. It's just a reminder and gets his mind off what he was focused on. That got his attention, and he looked back at me when his attention was momentarily diverted from his "meet and greet" mission with the neighbor's dogs.

But almost immediately, Lambeau was in full trot away from me towards his initial objective. I then shouted "No", and pressed the 'continous' button, which delivered an electric jolt to his neck. I held that button down for about 2 seconds and then released it. Lambeau did an immediate and complete 360 degree spin in the air with that first shock. He had the most confused look on his face I had ever seen. He came running back to my side looking very bewildered. I praised him and patted his head with lots of 'good boy' comments. I started to walk away and said, "Lambeau come", and he followed right close to my side.

He became distracted once again and made a move towards those two dogs now a good 300 feet away from us. I pressed the "Nick" button which delivers a timed shock that lasts just 1/2 of a second long. He was immediately back on course with me, right by my side.

Later in the day, I took him to the dog park to run and romp with other canines. There, he is able to do what ever he wants to with his 4 legged buddies, and that is allowed. But in the past, getting him out of the park through the double security gates and to the car has been a huge problem. He fought a bit with the idea that play time was over, and one press of the page button (no shock), and his mind was back in tune with mine.

But when I got to the car and opened the door and told him to get in, he refused and looked back at all the other dogs in the park. After about 20 seconds of me pleading with him to jump into the car with no success, I pressed the 'Nick' button once, and he immediately jumped into the car as fast as he could.

Then all the rest of that day whenever we went outside near our house, I never once needed to activate the remote control transmitter. He obeyed me flawlessly, almost seeming eager to please me. Then the next morning while outside for his morning 'duties', I never even took the transmitter out of my coat pocket. He knows his routines and where he is supposed to do them from our past outings on a leash. But no leash and no shocks at all during that second day. He minds and heels like a show dog.

I cannot praise this device highly enough. It is the Dogtra, model 1900 NCP. I never dreamed it would be so effective or how quickly Lambeau has become an ideal pet. My wife and I are both thrilled with how well this piece of technology works. We had taken Lambeau to obedience school for six weeks back in May and June. Two hours training every Monday by his instructor, and then homework for the rest of the week from us. Lambeau flunked out of that school as far as any obedience outdoors. He was better in the house than outdoors, but even inside he could occasionally be a devil.

But now, he is an angel. Wow! This device is simply the best, and it worked miracles on my dog's behavior with no training on my part on how to use the device properly. There are operating instructions for the 1900 NCP, but no real training instructions on its proper use with a dog. But common sense was all that was needed.

I initially had set the 'strength' of the electric jolt to a setting of 70 in the range from zero to 127. Since the first shock Lambeau got seemed to hit him like a freight train, I backed the variable setting down to 50. That seems to do the trick without being too much. He minds very well at the 50 setting.