I am going to purchase an e-collar for my Presa (now 6 m/o puppy, but don't plan on using the collar until she is older).

I have never used an e-collar and will order Ed's DVD along with the collar.

I was hoping to get some input on what type, brand, model, etc. I should buy. What type has worked best for you? Any other thoughts, suggestions, or tips, I would love to hear.

Some background: Cleo is very smart and eager to please. She learns new tricks in a matter of minutes, not hours or days. However, she can be strong-will and will test me on occasion. I plan to use the collar to proof her, primarily on recall.

We are very active. Cleo and I go to the beach regularly and we have a pool. She often hops into the pool on her own. It is humid and rains often where we live. So, if there is a good water resistant model, that would be helpful.

Mahalo in advance.

I'm actually not to the e-collar stage with Danke yet.

I just haven't gotten to the point where she needs it. So far a verbal correction with Danke is sufficient.
When the time does come, we will get her into an e-collar, and I've toyed with getting a dummy e-collar just to prevent her becoming collar-wise.

I've ordered enough from Leerburg though, to absolutely trust the products that Ed endorses, and I'm sure the sales staff would be happy to help you figure out which model will be the most durable/waterproof.

I wonder too, if you couldn't have the receiver treated in some manner to make it more water-resistant.
As long as the contact points weren't treated, it shouldn't affect function, should it? (It'd probably void whatever warranty there was, though.)

I have and love the Dogtra! The 200NCP is great for my needs (not a professional but more than a pet) and gives me a great range (1/2 mile). It has a waterproof receiver that I can attest to as we go swimming at the beach weekly. I also love that the transmitter is so small and easy to hold.

The only two differences between this one and the 1900 is that the receiver is smaller (better in my mind) and that it can’t give you the super quick nick, nick, nick, nick, nick that some trainers like to use for various reasons. I have not found that that bothers me at all; I can get a nick, nick in without any “recovery” problems.

To Alyssa, why not get the actual collar, and just keep it turned off? The one I have is pretty light weight, and I did put it on my male as a pup for collar conditioning.

Also LOVE the Dogtra Holster and WISH that Leerburg sold them!

 Quote: JessicaKromer

I have and love the Dogtra! The 200NCP is great for my needs (not a professional but more than a pet) and gives me a great range (1/2 mile).

I also use the 200NCP, and would recommend it. Solo wears his regularly on his off-leash runs in the woods, and although he rarely needs it anymore, it comes in handy for reinforcing the occasional recall that he decides to test when wild animal poop becomes too appealing.

I have a Dogtra 280 NCP - it is excellent, battery is great, small, easy to micro-adjust. If you have a GSD or any dog with a rather fluffy neck I recommend you also get the longer contact points (e.g., 3/4") simply to get better contact and ease putting the collar on. Oh, and get the Cinch-It.

I have the Dogtra 1700. It has since been superseded by the Dogtra 1900.

We use it a lot and are happy with it. My advice would be to buy Ed's video before you order the collar. This gives you the chance to study the DVD and decide if the e-collar is really for you. If you change your mind you won't be out the money for the collar. And you may pick up something in the video that will influence your decision over which collar to purchase.

Alyssa,

I bought the dummy collar too. Honestly, if I had it to do over, in my situation I would not have bought the dummy collar. The dummy I bought is the same size and weight as the real collar. Ed in his video recommends acclimating the dog to the collar by putting it on and taking it off several times a day for a week or two, and that's what I did with the dummy collar. But you know what? I could have done the same thing with the real collar.

I can imagine situations where the dummy collar would be really useful, but if you have only one dog you are going to put the collar on, and if you can discipline yourself (and I doubt discipline is an issue for you) to not charge the collar up and turn it on until you have acclimated the dog, then I think you'll be just fine without the dummy collar.

The other recommendation I make to people is to order the DVD first and study it before ordering the e-collar. I think watching the DVD first helps you make a more informed decision about using the e-collar.

A side note. Ed says don't let the dog become collar-wise. Hans is not collar-wise. He is remote-wise. If I tell him to sit, and he just looks at me, I can reach for the remote and his butt will hit the floor immediately. Even when he is not wearing the collar. The collar, to him, seems to mean we're going outside to have fun or go for a walk. When he sees us heading to the collar he gets into what I call his "happy walk" and comes over and sits or stands waiting for us to put the collar on.

Oh, I have noticed lately that any remote will do. When he is being obstinate I can hold up the Tivo remote and get obedience out of him

 Quote: rich pallechio

Oh, I have noticed lately that any remote will do. When he is being obstinate I can hold up the Tivo remote and get obedience out of him

Oh my! I'm at work, trying not to laugh out loud!

I heard from someone else that had a remote wise dog. If he was being disobedient, she'd say "Mommy zap you!" and he'd suddenly remember what he was supposed to do. This was handy, as she didn't actually have to have the remote. I'm not sure if she did this on purpose or not.

He has an interesting and complex relationship with remote controls.

http://home.comcast.net/~rrpallechio/Couch_potato_with_remote_control.jpg

I have the Dogtra 1900NCP. It's awesome.

A buddy of mine has a cheapy collar, I forgot what brand. He had it over and I put both of them in my hand and cranked them up all the way. The Dogtra delivers a very smooth, very strong correction. It's uncomfortable, but it's not something I would consider inhumane (you wouldn't turn it up all the way on your dog anyway, at least in 99.9999% of cases). But the cheapy collar felt like a "jagged" shock. It wasn't as strong, but it felt like more of a snap and was pretty painful.

Get the Dogtra, I love mine, and you can fine tune it a lot more than other brands that are out there.