Hey all,

Since I suck at the search function
I thought I would ask.....I just got a Dogtra 1700 (finally) and am wondering where I should start on the stim levels.

Right now, my Mal is on a 3 on the Tri Tronic when she is doing something WRONG (like trying to eat cats)...which is down from where she was.....

It does not really explain levels and since I know alot of you use the Dogtra's I figured I could get some input.....

I am also wondering (out loud) if the switch from a beep warning to a vibrate warning is going to be something I should consider????

Thanks All!!


shoot, I should have put this under e-collar training.....sorry mods

Hi Carol -

I have the 1700NCP and with my ACD, 32 gets an ear twitch. I usually have it around 32-35 for obedience but for really bad behavior it is in the 60+ range.

My ACD is a hard dog though - when he was being obstinate it took 125 for him to respond. I have it on video - he just gritted his teeth and pulsed his neck fighting the shock <vbg> Michael Ellis just shooked his head and made a remark about typical hard headed ACDs :-P I believe the Mals in our group are around 20 for obedience type corrections but I could be mistaken about that.

Cool, I will start with 20 and see what happens.
Thanks Ingrid, I now have a starting point.

Carol, I have the Dogtra 1700 and would suggest that if you are going to see which stim level gets your Mal's attention, that you go by 5's at a time, not by 1's. In other words, start at 5, then 10, then 15, etc until she responds.

I'm going by Lear, who is also needing much less stim level than initially, and he's at 35 mainly, sometimes I take it down according to his energy/distraction level, sometimes I have taken it up to 45 but don't like to.

I can also suggest that you do not try out the levels one level at a time, like I did. Big mistake, IMO. Big mistake. I did it that way, and got all the way to 100 with still no indication of the stim, so I figured something was suspect, and stopped there. Later I put it on him and went to 70, it didn't hurt him, but he did react to it and stopped jumping on my friend. After that I took him down by 10's, stopped at 50 for some behavior (anything less was too low). Now he's down from that, and only needs a "reminder" stim like I posted above.

Do it on yourself to get a feel for it, if you haven't already.

You can JUST feel it at 15.

By 30, it's approaching uncomfortable...but I wouldn't call it pain. The same sensation is just getting more significant.

Eich didn't really give an indication of feeling anything til the mid 30s (while drivey), like the other two posters.

 Quote: Steven Lepic

Do it on yourself to get a feel for it, if you haven't already.

Yeah, I may try this on my hubby while he is sleeping and see what wakes him up......but only with a clear escape to my awaiting running vehicle......

It depends on whether you are using the collar for correction or conditioning. I used mine for conditioning with the following procedure:
Set at ground zero. Put the collar on the dog somewhat higher than a normal collar. Place yourself where you can see the dog's face. Now gradually turn the dial up. As soon as the dog shows a sign of feeling it, that's where you want to be. Now put the dog on a long lead and get the dog to the far end of the lead (either naturally or have someone call). If the dog has previously been blowing you off when you call, change the word you use (if you've been using "come", for instance, switch to "here" because the dog has learned that its okay to ignore "come"}. Now call the dog and hit the "nick" button simultaneously, tugging the lead at the same time. Don't give the dog the opportunity to make a mistake. Do that over and over many times until the dog comes without pulling on the lead. Now try it without the lead at all -- in a fenced area, for starters. When the dog responds immediately, do it again in a non-fenced area. It took me about a week to get my dog trained and she was a notorious runner (I inherited her that way -- she was about 3 years old). BTW -- my dogtra is set below 20 and I can't feel it when I touch the prongs, but my dog sure can. I use the vibrator ONLY if it looks like my dog is in danger or is starting to exhibit hostile behavior. Good luck.

The proceedures in Ed's E Collar video were spot on for my dog

But I did find I had to increase slightly when I had her cranked up in drive

I always check mine when the dog is wearing the collar and in a very relaxed mode with no distractions. I start with a nick at 5, then 10 etc until I get a reaction. This could mean a blink, ear twitch, looking at the feet, a scratch or a slight jump. That will be your dogs' working level with minimal distraction. As the distraction goes up, or the dog goes into drive then the stim will be adjusted accordingly. I use the 1200 ncp.

Howard