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I got in a discussion with a buddy of mine about running with shock collars on. I understand the usefulness for doing it as a training tool and I have and still do it when I need to clean up a dog. Where we disagree is running a dog with a shock collar on full time - not necessarily to clean up the dog but to maintain control if needed. My agruement for not wearing them especially on a finished dog is that for the collar to work properly it has to be significantly tighter than the tracking collar and if you get on an all day race I feel that the 2 probes on his throat are going to irritate the dog to no end. Bear chases can last several hours and I just think from a comfort opinion you shouldn't wear them and it could perhaps impede the dogs preformance. Who wears them full time and who dosn't? ( We are talking wearing them on finished dogs for control )

I have never agreed in e-collaring a broke dog without a reason. Is he broke or collar controlled? There is a difference. I understand the argument for preventive measures but agree that performance can be hampered.

I have a distaste for substituing electricity for quality training time and effort.

I only use the collars when hunting on specific dogs that I anticipate a giving me some trouble.
For the few occasions where an old dog decides he needs to run a coyote, the next couple of times out he gets to wear a collar. But by this time he already knows its wrong and if I get lucky / he gets unlucky and he gets caught in the act, my getting ahold of him is a lot more effective than the collar anyway.
The collars can be a little more handy on that older, hard headed dog whose hearing becomes impaired. Strap that collar on and it doesn't take long until he can hear you whisper all the way across the canyon.
Pat

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I use ther beep function to call a dog back, and so the EXP stays on, albeit, a little looser around the neck.

The best thing I've learned on this site is the use of e collars. I never (rarely) had a problem with trash running but walking the dogs out of the woods without being leashed (treed bear, caught coyotes, treed bob's, or what have you) makes hunting so much more enjoyable. After one or two walk outs with e collars on I rarely, if not never, have to use electricity on them. Just keep the collars on loosely and use the tone only. I may not need them on the older dogs anymore but I still put them on for piece of mind. E collars rate right up there with a Garmin, best investment I ever made.

I thank you guys on this site for posting discussion's about not using leashes, I'm getting too old to be dragging 4 dogs on leashes through tagalder swamps. You and tritronics made my life a lot easier.....Thanks again

I'm with mondo on this one. There are alot more applications to a e collar other than just breaking a dog off trash. I never leash my dogs, never have. I just beeped them every drag off the tree as pups and now I just say cmon let's go and if ones hesitant I beep them and here they come. Also say if you get into roadless country and the dogs are 300 yrds in the bottom of a canyon you can call them right out with a beep to each of em. Saves alot of time and sweat.

All dogs, all the time when hunting. As stated above the tone function has alot of use besides trash breaking. When the dogs get on a back track you can get them stopped and turned around with the tone. When its time to leave a tree or quit a track you can tone them.

I hunt them all the time. Have just ran with the e collar without a tracking collar before. I just got my trashbreaker last spring and I feel it's as good of investment as the gps. As far as worrying about the prongs and comfort. By the time your dog whether it's finished or not, has worn one for a few hunts and learns what those prongs can do all I've had to do is tone them for any correction needed. So there's no need to snug em up. Its has came in big time handy many times. Hate to admit it but I've even used it to locate a silent out of place dog when his garmin went dead. Ha. That's mean!

I always use my e collars while hunting. I use the beeper as a mian training tool. And like said before put the collar on just tight enough to that it cant roll around the neck and your fine. I rarley ever have to shock my hounds. But just knowing if I need it its there is more than comferting for me.

I run my coyote dogs on the outside and in a pen. I find the tritronic collars give a louder buzz sound on 6 than it does on tone.
I simply took the electrode off the receiver because they always wore a hole in the dogs skin. The dogs mind very well when I get ready to go I turn it up on 6 and open the box. They all jump in. I do have one dog that always hollers. I think it just scares her.

Cheapest insurance you will ever have.

There is a thousand reasons to run a shock all the time on all the dogs, all of them good. There is a thousand reasons for not running a shock collar on the dogs all the time all of them bad. You choose what works for you I know what works for me. Dewey

I run a 6 dog trash breaker with 6 garmin collars combined on them to save room and also have tracking collar on the dog. I never turn a dog loose without. I figure i have them might as well use them. my trashbreaker is just over ten years old and still working just fine, never had any work done to them. I also have a regular name plate collar so three colars on the dog. them three colars have saved my dogs many times when bears and lions a trying to chew on the dogs..

i never send any dog off to do his job unless he has all his tools and i have mine i always have control and rarely have any mistakes it only takes one wolf encounter where a push of the button could save your packs life and you will have been glad you had the right tool on your dog AND I DO SPEAK FROM EXSPIRANCE