Hey there! Currently having a blast training my first bird dog, a wirehaired pointing griffon. Wanting to start training with an e collar and am completely overwhelmed with options. Any recommendations? Seems like you can spend a million dollars on these things. I just want to be able to work on recall, etc. Don't need to be able to track him in three dimensions from nine miles away. What am I looking for? Any advice?

Happy with my Dogtra 280X

Benito Olsen was our dog trainer (Patriot Dog Training), and he uses EZ Educator 900 for all the dogs and he has trained a lot. Easy to use and does the basics well. We still have our e collar and use it regularly when going off leash.

We are still using the Dogtra 1900s we bought 8 years ago at the recommendation of Best Retrievers. Both the collar and hand held controller are all original and work great.

I've enjoyed my Garmin Pro 550 and it's on year 7 with no issues

We have a EZ Educator 900 as well. Very happy with it.

Garmin Sport Pro. Very happy with it.

Never ever let the dog know that it is coming from you.

dudeabides said:

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Garmin Sport Pro. Very happy with it.

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All you need until you want GPS.

Have used Dogtra for about 12-13 years. Have never had an issue.

I like SportDog for simplicity, reliability, and price. All mentioned in this thread are solid. Do you have experience with e-collars? If not, you should definitely get some instruction, in-person or even YouTube videos.

Your WPG will hunt closer than most breeds and will be more sensitive.
We bought a Tri-tronics 13 years ago, which is now the basic Garmin. It's worked great and has been all we needed. The Sport Pro or Pro 70 today should be more than adequate.

The Kennel we had ours trained at used Garmin Sport Pros. We bought one from them 4 years ago, and still use it. Good battery life and always works. He wore it all the time for a year or so, and now just when we are out for walks and such.

Garmin Pro 550 has been great. Going on year 5 with no issues. Ordered from gundogsupply dot com

hotwing said:

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Garmin Pro 550 has been great. Going on year 5 with no issues. Ordered from gundogsupply dot com

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I have the sport pro and the 550 plus gps. And have had the regular 550 in the past.

The 550 is great for hunting and use with gloves etc. But for neighborhood use etc. The controller is annoyingly large.

A sport pro fits in my pocket easily and I can operate it through my pocket as needed.

Agree with this on the controller for the 550 pro. It's obnoxiously large but I only run collar for hunting and training so not a big deal with it on a lanyard.

So much great input here. Thank you, everyone!

To answer a few questions, we have been using the online course from Standing Stone Kennels and really enjoying it. Most of the content in it is available on YouTube for free, but having everything organized in a very structured way has been incredibly helpful. He is definitely a softy and expect he will hunt very close based on how he already acts.

Keep the recommendations and advice flowing!

RAB87 said:

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I like SportDog for simplicity, reliability, and price.

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what i used. fancy remotes with an LCD screen and tons of parameters just take your attention off the dog when timing is crucial.

I followed a lot of the free advice they give out and it has been GREAT.

2.5 year old Draht. We are headed to Kansas Friday.

Garmin Sport Pro user as well. Does exactly what I need it to.

We just use a SportDog 1/2 mile from TSC. Works great, and if I need one in a pinch, I can get one.

Highly recommend Tips and Tales by George DeCosta. He specializes in Griffons. Easy read and a great supplement.

$30 and have had it a little over 2 years

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BCDH7CS1?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_4&th=1

$30?! Wow. Haven't seen anything near that price.

Leaning towards a SportDog and then can always upgrade if needed.

I'll keep everyone posted on our progress!

ought1ag said:

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$30 and have had it a little over 2 years

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BCDH7CS1?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_4&th=1

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You must have one of them doodle dogs

I've got a Sport Pro and a Pro 550. I use the Sport Pro for runs around the neighborhood and the Pro 550 for hunting.

I've also got a WPG. Great dogs. Mine is 11 and starting to slow down a bit. Make sure you train him a little differently than a lab. Mine retrieves really well but not quite as well as a lab and definitely doesn't want to retrieve bumpers for hours on end. He hunts quail and grouse great. Here in Oregon, he's a fantastic dog since I need one that finds the birds but also retrieves in our thick forests.

What kind of bird hunting are you doing and where?

Are you anywhere near New Braunfels. I've got a TriTronics collar you can have. It's been sitting in my drawer for almost 2 years, but I do have a replacement battery that I never got around to installing

ttha_aggie_09 said:

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ought1ag said:

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$30 and have had it a little over 2 years

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BCDH7CS1?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_4&th=1

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You must have one of them doodle dogs

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Camo was slightly offended and asked that I share his old Jr High football pic so everyone knows how much of a stud he really is.

Note - collar in pic is not the same…..this one was a pile of junk.

I was kidding but fully retract my joke to not offend the goodest of boys

ttha_aggie_09 said:

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I was kidding but fully retract my joke to not offend the goodest of boys

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I knew you were but that pic popped into my head and I had a perfect opportunity to share it.

I'm in Chicagoland. Mostly upland - grouse, woodcock, etc. Though would love to get into some waterfowl hunting.

Great to hear from another person with a WPG. He definitely doesn't enjoy fetch as much as labs I've had in the past!!

Thanks so much for the offer! I'm up in Chicagoland so am a bit of a hike from you, though.