Which Dogtra Collar For My Dog?
Posted on 7th February 2023 at 09:41
I hope this post will help you to decide which is the best collar for your dog and is basically a written version of the hundred of conversations I have had with Dogtra UK customers over the years. I am only going to mention the more popular collars and not so much about two dog versions in order to keep it simple.
The Dogtra IQ Plus is a convenient little E-Collar and the cheapest of all the Dogtra E-Collars I sell.
What is to like
The handset is simple, just 3 buttons
Suitable for small dogs (Over 10lbs in weight)
400 Yard range
Waterproof Receiver
Nick, Constant & Page (Vibrate)
100 Levels of stimulation
Can be expanded to two dogs
No size limit. I know of people who use these with large breeds. It is about the dogs character not it's size
What I don't like
I personally prefer a digital display.
I prefer to have a waterproof handset. If anyone is going to fall in a stream it is me!
Not suitable for super high drive / stubborn breeds. But this is not a criticism. More an observation.
What is to like
The handset is simple, just 3 buttons
Suitable for small to large breeds. (Over 10lbs in weight)
600 yard range
Digital display
Waterproof transmitter and receiver
Nick, Constant & Page (Vibrate)
0-127 Levels of stimulation
Available as a two dog model 642C.
No size limit. Paired with the correct length contacts this collar can be used even with larger breeds
What I don't like
Not suitable for super high drive / stubborn breeds. Again, this is an observation and not a criticism.
Other than that, Nothing
The Dogtra ARC800 is very popular because of its curved shape. Because the receiver unit is curved it looks like it forms part of the sweep / circumferance of the strap and as such it is more difficult to tell if a dog is wearing an e-collar.
Unless! Your dog is very small or has a very slender neck. I try to disuade people with smaller breeds, Saluki's and Whippets from buying this collar. There comes a point where less obtrusive starts to look more obtrusive. In which case get the 640C.
What is to like
The curved shape. My Malinois wears one of these
Suitable for dogs over 15lbs in weight. (Remember the neck)
800 yard range
Digital display
Waterproof transmitter and receiver
Nick, Constant & Page (Vibrate)
0-127 Levels of stimulation
Upgradable to two dogs / receivers.
No Size limit. With the correct contacts this can be used for medium to giant breeds
What I don't like
Not suitable for super high drive / very stubborn breeds operating in extremes of drive.
Because the transmitter is upgradable to two dogs you have a redundant set of buttons (orange) on the handset. This can confuse some people in a rush.
Again because the unit can be upgraded to two dogs there is a little switch on the front to flick the unit between Nick & Constant. I would leave this set in constant and when I wanted to give momentary stimulation I would quickly go on and off the button.
Ok, without copying all the features above. I will just explain what I like about the Dogtra ARC800 Camo.
If I had a red, brown, fawn, sandy coloured dog and I was not intending to ever need to upgrade two dogs I would buy this collar.
Because it can't be upgraded to two dogs then you only have the Nick, Constant & Page buttons. It's curved so harder to spot on your dog.
I have even known people buy this collar and an extra black strap, purely and simply because it is an ARC800, they love the features but don't want the extra set of buttons!
OK, the first thing to get you head around witht the Dogtra ARC1200S is just because you have a large / giant breed you do not necessarilly need this collar. There are in my view only two reasons why anyone actually really needs to get this collar.
You definitely need the 1200 yard range and that is not the same as my dog once ran away more than 1200 yards. Dogs wearing E-Collars tend not to be out of control. So I will often reccomend this collar to people working pointers on the moors or wildfowlers.
You definitely need the strength of this collar! The ARC1200S is a third more powerful at it's top end that say the ARC800. This makes the collar more versatile for super high drive breeds and also stubborn breeds. To give you an example, when I was working with personal protection dogs I could easily control my Malinois sniffing along a trail of rabbit scent with an IQ Plus. If I was trying to recall him from a pretend criminal in a bite suit who was threatening him then I needed and ARC1200S. Do you get my drift, these collars encompass extreme behavious. Yes they are as mild as any other collar at the low end but they have the capacity to deal with the most stubborn of dogs or dogs working is defence / fight drives.
What is to like
Marginally curved shape
Suitable for dgs over 35lbs in weight
1200 yard range
Digital dispaly
Waterproof transmitter and receiver
Nick, Constant & page (Vibrate)
0-127 Levels of stimulation
Higher power for more difficult situations
Available as a two dog model ARC1202S
What I don't like
Some people buy it when they don't need it!
This is not an exhaustive list of collars that Dogtra UK sell. But it certainly is a list of our most popular collars
If you have a question then please don't hesitate to ask
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