GPS Tracking Devices

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Does anyone have a GPS tracking device for your Doodle?  I'm thinking seriously of getting one for Guinness and Murph just as a safeguard when we take them on our off leash hikes.  The pricing on these units has come down drastically, and you can now get them for under $100.  The problem is there are a few to choose from online, and I'm totally confused about which one would be best.  There are reviews on line, but I'm not sure I trust those.  So, if anyone is using one, could you please share which model you're using and your thoughts on how effective they are.  Thanks!

[Azure & Muppet]

I've been looking into getting a GPS device for my dogs for a while. These are the ones I've researched so far. My biggest problem is the monthly subscription costs to use them. So I'm looking for one that wouldn't require a monthly service fee. I'd like to hear from others who may know of other options to consider.

SpotLight Pet Locator

Tagg Pet Tracker

[F, Calla & Luca]

Good points. That would stop me too. And the batteries. I have enough to keep up with. Plus the dogs become like pack mules with so many collars and devices.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

I had no idea that there was such a thing for dogs.  I guess I am way behind the times.

[BG and Gavin]

Last year here a man was hunting with his two dogs and they ended up jumping onto an ice flow on the river that separates us from Michigan.  He had GPS trackers on both of them.  They ended up in Michigan, so there was some delay while the hunter made his way to the nearest border crossing, through customs etc.  He did get them though.  I am waiting for the embedded GPS to become a reality.  We are in the midst of a massive search in our community for a sweet poodle mix that bolted from the groomer when a fire truck passed by two weeks ago.  Of course she had no collar on.  A few leads, but due to her skiddish nature, no luck capturing her.  An embedded GPS would be perfect in this instance.

[F, Calla & Luca]

Now that is an interesting story from Michigan.

[Eva (Lilo and Rocky)]

I used a supposedly high quality Garmin GPS on one of my dogs for a while. I bought it (despite a $700+ price tag at REI) because she had developed a fondness for chasing deer and other animals when hiking offleash on trails. Unfortunately, I found the device to be of little use as it

1. obviously did not solve the problem of her bolting despite my "leave it" commands, and

2. was too inaccurate/slow to update to be of much use in the immediate situation of a run-away dog. In fact, I was very disappointed about the accuracy - often, it would tell me the dog was in position X when in fact she was 180 degrees in the opposite direction.

 

So after testing the device for a couple of weeks, I returned the GPS (love REI!!) and bought a high-quality e-collar instead. Which I had to use a few times to teach her not to run away from me in pursuit of a scent. Problem solved!

[F, Calla & Luca]

Thanks for that advice. I have e-collars which I rarely use except when Luca decides to forget "Here". Then he'll stay in the yard when I want him in. A few times with the collar on vibrate reminds him to listen and obey.

[Carol and Banjo]

I'm considering getting an e-collar for Banjo.  He's wonderful in the yard....except for one boundary which leads to our neighbors yard which is full of doggie toys...bones, etc.     He'll stay in our backyard but every once in a great while on a "whim" he'll bolt to the neighbor's yard and acts as though he's totally deaf to our command to "come". 

Is there a big "learning curve" or "training curve" to using the collar?    Do you always have the collar on your dogs?    From your comment here, it sounds as tho you've had success with it.

[F, Calla & Luca]

I really always mean to train more with the collars but I haven't. Luca learned here well in one hour when he was young. Somehow our group lesson turned out to be just Luca, my trainer and her assistant. We worked on here the whole time with the collar on vibrate Magic!! Luca acts like the vibration is the hand of God sending him to me. Leerburg, the GSD site, has a video on ecollar training you can buy. Here's one

http://leerburg.com/318.htm

I bought it but have I done it--no. Make sure if you do get a collar that it has a vibrate only mode. With luck you never have to shock your dog.

I rarely use the collar on Luca and I've never trained Calla with it though I have one. She'll usually come even if she is outside my gate. She is much more compliant.

[Carol and Banjo]

Thanks so much F.

 

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Eva, thanks so much for posting.  It was actually the Garmin that I was seriously considering (the lower priced model).  My Doods are doing great with their off leash training, and they have never yet run off, but I still worry about "what if".  We do this training on trails through acres of woods.  I always worry that if one of them decided to go after something and got lost, it could be really serious.  That said, if the device is that inaccurate it wouldn't do much good.  I was looking for "peace of mind" so I can be totally calm with the off leash training, but it doesn't sound like this will give me that.  Maybe I just need to keep training, and eventually I'll gain more confidence and be able to let go of that fear.  Thanks again....this was so helpful to me.

[Eva (Lilo and Rocky)]

Jane, both my dogs have strong hunting instincts and often kill an animal/bird on our property (which is large, but fenced in). I cannot watch them constantly and tell them to stop but if & when I do, they need to immediately obey. The mountain trails we hike on have lots of interesting scents and there are bears and cougars in the woods that we don't need to come into close contact with. We often encounter deer, rabbits, raccoons, and coyotes, so it is imperative that the dogs do not bolt while offleash. I actually consulted a trainer who said the only way to go was an e-collar, and although I felt horrible when I used it, it did work and I my dogs are alive and well :) I only used it on Lilo because she's the lead dog and Rocky will just do whatever she does. I do know you can get e-collars that come with a remote for 2 dogs, so if you go that route, that may be something to look into so you don't have to carry 2 remotes.