radio collar

[Friar]

If anyone could share their experiences with the training collars I would appreciate it. I'm looking to get a collar to break a dog from running deer & to come when called. Which brands & models work the best?

[Bev]

Tri-Tronics Trashbreaker will put the juice to them if they get on a deer riot out away from you a bit. They will easily lay down a big coon dog, so I wouldn't get too happy with any setting above 5 for a beagle. Start low with any e-collar and only go to the setting needed to get their attention or stop the behavior. For handling, 1 or 2 will usually get it done. It's more of a weird snap/tickle than a real burn. The first time you use an e-collar on a hound, make sure you're in a controlled environment, like a fenced area, in case you don't get the results you expect. Some dogs run "away" from the sensation, and not to you like you would think. This is something you don't want to discover when you're in the middle of 3,000 acres of state ground.

A tracking system should be your next purchase if at all possible. It will be a few minute job to find your dog if he runs deer as opposed to hours, days or losing him altogether.

Whipping them off a deer or deer tracks when they're little is the best lesson and the best time to break them, but if you've acquired a grown hound, you may have to go the route of the e-collar. They rarely start a deer when they're five feet away from you. There are also folks who break hounds off trash for a fee. Check their methods carefully before you use them. My $.02