I agree with others on this forum that it sounds more like a physical issue then an issue with the e-collar.

I've had a Dogtra 1200NCP e-collar on my K9 for several years and been at events with over a hundred squad cars using radios with different frequencies and never had the collar go off because of this . I've also driven from Minnesota to as far as Florida with the e-collar on my K9 and never had a problem.

A few years ago however , I along with another K9 Officer tested the ranges on the Tri Tronics Pro 500(?) and Dogtra 1200NCP . We did this using our squad cars. We found that while our squad radios were on it significantly reduced the range of both collars . We tested the collars in an urban area and found the range of both collars wasn't even close to their stated ranges .

So I can tell you that outside sources effected these collars ranges . I have never heard of an outside source accidently activating an e-collar though and I've been around alot of e-collars in both law enforcement and hunting fields .

Randy, any updates on this? Did you see a vet and/or call Dogtra?

Hoping Cassie's okay...

Hi gang,
Just got back from the vets. Whew, what a trip. The car of all things decided not to run about 3 or 4 miles away from the office, great, at least the stupid thing coulda made it to the vets and then not started for crying out loud.
So we take the hike, no biggie except for the time, we'll miss the appointed half hour. Nice day for a walk. Well considering that I'm a new face to them they were really good about it, they made room for me and the doctor spent a good deal of time with us. Hey I like these guys! He talk to me alot about Cassie and my concerns, didn't even rise an eye brow about raw feeding or doing sleeve work with her. Lord, I got stories about some of the vet services I talked to, 'ahem, your teaching her to bite? Uh, I don't know, we don't have an opening for about 3 or 4 weeks sir.' Any ways he gave her a good going over and couldn't find anything physically wrong with her (teeth, jaw, neck), thats the good news. Then he started talking about some kind of muscular degeneration and her immune system......Scared the bejeezes out of me. I could've gone the rest of my life and been just as happy not knowing about stuff like that. Any ways I was prepared for a total blood work up at any rate today. And all the stuff he wanted to check up on came back negatory, so on that front she's healthy if I'm alittle less wealthy but wiser. So now the spectulation is in the lymes direction, so we're waiting for the report back on that. I know she been exposed, I coulda saved them the effort, so we're waiting for the blood count work to come back before we start throwing antibiotics into her. He mentioned waiting before I did. Have I said I like these guys? All in all we spent about an hour and half with the doctor. So I quess the short answer is, we don't know yet where the problem lies, only what isn't giving her any problems. Oh yeah, that and my car doesn't run now.
On the collar front, Jim your right. I talked to Dogtra, they said the only interference issues may come from other collars of thiers or another manufacturer, but all collars operate on a different band completely than the short wave covers and with no overlap.
I double checked the unit on myself for about a half an hour on a setting somewhat higher then I work her on, and the only thing I can figure is that my first check I didn't have the unit tight enough (not a good contact) because it seems fine now, very consistent.

Thats as we stand at the moment guys. Thanks for being there and pulling for her.

If my dog isn't learning, I'm doing something wrong.
Randy

Well Randy, so far that sounds like really great news or at least hopeful news. Well, except the car. And it's fantastic that you have a vet that you like. An hour and a half with the vet? I like my vet, too, but I have never spent that much time with him!

 Quote: randy allen

I double checked the unit on myself for about a half an hour on a setting somewhat higher then I work her on, and the only thing I can figure is that my first check I didn't have the unit tight enough (not a good contact) because it seems fine now, very consistent.

Could it possibly have been a contact issue with Cassie as well? Wouldn't it be great if it turns out that that's all it was? Keeping my fingers crossed for you.

Another thought also Randy, (thanks for bringing this up Amber)is
I have had dogs act "surprised" (startle reflex) when the collar is not snug against the skin. Perhaps, this is what has happened. You should only be able to get one finger between the collar and the dogs neck.
Sorry about the car, I just hate when mechanical things don't WORK!!!!!!!

Yeah stupid car, can I put a prong collar on it and make it behave? Or do you think positive renforcement would be a better course of action? Kicking it didn't help.

On the first test run with the collar on myself I just laid it on my inner wrist with the weight of the unit as the only force of contact. What I noted and experienced was kind of a burn, and an actual arcing. Put it in my mind to make sure the contact points were to be tight on the dog.
If I had been activating the collar, her lack of interest in the bite would be of less concern, but neither her or myself were close to the transmitter. If it's the collar I think it would have to be going off on it's own somehow. I'm not going to wear that thing for the next two weeks! Any other ideas on how to prove or disprove the unit as some kind of booby prize in the power ball lotto?

If my dog isn't learning, I'm doing something wrong.
Randy

Mods,
I promise this is going to be my last post in this portion of the forum as it seems to have veered off of e-collar issues, but I wanted to do an up date for the people following Cassie and my problems.
I got a message from the Dr. late this afternoon on the blood count for the lymes. Well the thingy's they count were very low, like under 10. So appearantly lymes is now out. I would think his recomendation (when I do talk to him) will be to give it a rest for a week or so and if I have any other problems we can go farther in our thinking and tests.
However, I've got the feeling that any where we go from here is a place any dog owner shudders at the thought of. Looks like a very dark place to me.

Thanks everyone for the feed back, and your help on sorting it out.

Keeping my fingers crossed.
Randy

 Quote: randy allen

.... However, I've got the feeling that any where we go from here is a place any dog owner shudders at the thought of. Looks like a very dark place to me.

Randy, I don't believe that's the case. I re-read your initial post. In the first instance 2 weeks ago, sniffing around she could have been stung by a bee or some other creepy crawly. The 2nd instance sounds more like she tweaked her neck during the tugging. More along the lines of what Roni said - a chiropractor may be in order. Unless the tweak readjusted on its own, which can happen also.

Probably just coincidence that she had the e-collar on both times.

Now on the lymes....you said the count was under 10. Should there be ANY count at all in order to rule out lymes? That would be my question to the vet.

I decided, because of your thread, to re-check my e-collar. Put it on my arm, went up by 5's, got all the way to 50 (Dogtra) and felt nothing. Wonderful, my e-collar isn't working. Until I realized that I had been hitting the off/on button instead of the nick button.

 Quote: Sandy Moore

Randy, I don't believe that's the case. I re-read your initial post. In the first instance 2 weeks ago, sniffing around she could have been stung by a bee or some other creepy crawly. The 2nd instance sounds more like she tweaked her neck during the tugging. More along the lines of what Roni said - a chiropractor may be in order. Unless the tweak readjusted on its own, which can happen also.

Probably just coincidence that she had the e-collar on both times.

That's what I'm thinking, too. Muscle spasms/pinched nerves are incredibly painful, and sudden, and would not necessarily show themselves during a physical exam.

 Quote:

I decided, because of your thread, to re-check my e-collar. Put it on my arm, went up by 5's, got all the way to 50 (Dogtra) and felt nothing. Wonderful, my e-collar isn't working. Until I realized that I had been hitting the off/on button instead of the nick button.

Yeah yeah guys,
We're just going to give her a rest on the bite stuff for awhile. And per Roni's suggestion get another chiro adjustment before we start in again. A couple of weeks of OB and tracking shouldn't hurt at all.
In the end, I'm probably worrying about nothing at all.

Off for the first stretch of the day.
Happy trails all.

Can't thank you all enough.
Randy