New dog training collars make things better for canines and handlers

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Just when you think they can’t do anything more with a dog collar …this year’s offerings once again up the game for hunters and trainers. From tracking your dog from the car to making sure he’s healthy, the new collars probably offer something you don’t already have.

Heres’s a look at what a loaded lineup of collars has to offer.

Garmin Alpha XL

The hunt really starts in your driveway and that’s when you turn on the Alpha XL. Equipped with pre-loaded North American topographic and maps, (including streets, unpaved roads, and trails), it will get you to any hunting spot. An additional subscription to Outdoor Maps+ can provide public land information, enhanced topo maps and landowner names for more detailed data.

You’re right, any GPS can do that, but it’s in the field that the Alpha XL shines. Once “out there,” the 10-inch touchscreen then tracks as many as 20 dogs up to nine miles in real-time when using compatible Garmin collars.

In addition to seeing each dog’s daily hunting patterns including distance, speed, barks per minute, collar battery level and time afield, the touchscreen lets you deliver training commands to paired collars, enabling quick adjustments for individual dogs.

With its satellite capability, you can download imagery via Wi-Fi and see the terrain features from above to help navigate or find suitable habitat for game. All this from the cab of the truck, or the tailgate with up to two hours of portable use.

If you’re taking that multiple-day “trip of a lifetime,” the Alpha XL include each dog’s daily hunting patterns, distance, speed and time afield, so you can monitor performance. For additional functionality, pair the Alpha XL with the Alpha app to follow dog movements, drop waypoints, navigate and review statistics from the hunt.

garmin.com

SportDog FieldSentinel

Knowing where your dog is isn’t the same as knowing how your dog is doing. When your pup is hot on the trail of a bird, their health and well-being is the last thing on their mind; that’s your job and with SportDOG’s FieldSentinel with BodyGuard technology, you can keep an eye on your dog’s health as well as their location.

By monitoring heart rate and the intensity and duration of exertion, the FieldSentinel will send you an alert if your dog’s exhaustion level reaches a concerning point. If the collar detects a significant, potentially dangerous change in your dog’s vitals, your handheld will flash a red light at the base of the antenna as well as emit a tone and vibration. Additionally, the collar indicator light will quickly flash red.

Used in conjunction with the SportDOG Brand app, you can get the latest updates for your gear, adjust health alert settings to best fit your dog and create personalized names for each handheld and collar.

The FieldSentinel 1825 and 825 are full-featured training collars, with two-dog capability, quick charging, and customizable button functions for three stimulation types: static stimulation (continuous, momentary and rising), tone and vibration.

The 1825 has a range of one mile and the 825 will reach out to a half mile.

sportdog.com

DT System’s SPR5100 E-collar / SPR5300 Upland E-collar

No cell service? No problem with the newest DT System’s collars.

The SPR (Super Pro Ranger) 5100, geared for the waterfowl hunter, and the upland field SPR 5300 feature a two-mile range with the exclusive Maxx-Range 360 antenna technology, ensuring FM signal reception no matter the terrain. Additionally, the collars feature an internal antenna system, integrating it into the collar strap itself, leaving the whippy antenna behind.

With positive vibration and tone available, they include 24 intensity levels of nick and continuous Gentle Touch stimulations you can adjust from the handheld transmitter. DT System’s patented “Jump” feature is a one-touch option to instantly go to a higher or lower stimulation levels. The 5100 features fully adjustable instant (low-med-high) stimulation buttons with simple programming options to customize your training sessions.

The collars and transmitters are waterproof with rechargeable Li-Poly batteries, ready to go on three to four hours of charging time. The systems can handle up to four dogs with a simple one-touch collar selector on the transmitter.

Want more information on your dog in the upland field setting? The SPR 5300 adds DT System’s exclusive “Baritone” beeper, which is easily programmable for run/point, point only, or on-demand beep and locate, audible up to 400 yards away.

dtsystems.com

Dogtra 1900X and 1900X Black Edition

The 1900X and 1900X Black Edition up your training game if you’ve been using Dogtra’s 280X.

The 1900X will go for three-quarters of a mile (the Black Edition will go up to a mile), with BOOST quick level for quick responses and XPP vibration to get your dog’s attention, along with 100 high-output levels of nick and continuous settings. The safety level lock feature protects against accidental increases. The collars come with an audible tone option when you want to recall your dog or give a warning.

Both collars are expandable to three dogs, have a bright 1000 Lux LED light keeps your dog visible in low-light conditions, and allow one-handed control with a central command button (the Black Edition central button is programmable). Both also have removable contacts that allow you to easily transition your unit to a non-stimulation collar and additional contact point sizes are available for both collars if your dog has a thicker coat. The Black Edition is for dogs over 35 pounds.

Protective cases on the e-collar give it added protection in harsh conditions and both are IPX9K Waterproof.

Dogtra 280X

Sometimes you just want something comfortable and something familiar. The 280C e-collar has been the choice for hunters for years. Without giving away the familiarity, the new generation 280X builds on that trust with an intuitive design and several new features.

Still with a half-mile range, the 280X can handle up to three dogs, and features a redesigned remote with a larger LED screen and the e-collar features a bright 1000 Lux LED light. Where the 280C has HPP vibration, nick and continuous buttons, the 280X includes a programmable nick/continuous command button and adds an audible tone. Level boost and safety lock protects against accidental level increases.

dogtra.com

Invirox 2025 Edition / K9 Spark

The folks at Invirox – two military veterans who served in one of the world’s most elite K9 commando units – have introduced the 2025 Edition Professional dog training collar for short-haired dogs with 123 training levels (one to eight beep levels, on to 16 vibration levels and one to 99 levels in stimulation mode), letting you adjust all to a level that is best suited to communicate with your dog.

Invirox’s S.A.C.H.

(Stimulation, attention, correction, and habit) methodology takes your dog’s current situation (over stimulation which can lead to bad behavior), uses the collar to get his attention (through tone, vibration or stimulation), and then habituates the good behaviors through training. Tutorials, videos and tips on the website offer training tips and how-tos.

A security keypad lock feature prevents accidental stimulation, and the 3,350-foot range performance lets you train your dog anywhere – in the park, backyard, beach or open field. One hundred percent waterproof and capable of controlling two collars, it’s for large breed dogs up to 110 pounds (puppies should be 6 months or older). The 2025 Edition also can serve as a manual bark collar.

The K9 Spark E-collar, for dogs 30 to 80 pounds, offers the same features, but with its longer prongs is for long-haired dogs

invirox.com