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Sport Dog Field Trainer | 
 enlarge | Brand: RADIO SYSTEMS-JOHNSON PET DOOR
Category: Kitchen
List Price: $179.99
Buy New: $149.95
You Save: $30.04 (17%)
New (15)
Avg. Customer Rating:  12 reviews
Sales Rank: 30900
Media: Misc.
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Batteries Included: No
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2.2
Dimensions (in): 0.1 x 0 x 0.1
MPN: SD400
UPC: 729849106000
EAN: 0729849106000
ASIN: B000EFL0A0
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Features:
| • | 400 yard range | | • | Water-proof and submersible transmitter and recei | | • | Has up to 16 levels of continuous stimulation | | • | Up to 16 levels of momentary stimulation | | • | Expands to 3 dogs, with extra receivers, not incl |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
* 400 yard range * Water-proof and submersible transmitter and receiver * Has up to 16 levels of continuous stimulation * Up to 16 levels of momentary stimulation * Expands to 3 dogs, with extra receivers, not included * Tone only button * Low battery detect feature in transmitter and receiver * Replaceable and rechargeable Ni-Mh batteries, included * Very small transmitter 3.20 oz * Very small collar receiver 2.8 oz * Lifetime limited warranty
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| Customer Reviews: Read 7 more reviews...
Excellent collar October 8, 2008
This is the second "field trainer" collar that I have purchased. The first was an Innotek that lasted about a week before inexplicably dying. I bought this one on a recommendation from a friend with two Brittanys that he hunts, and have to say that I will NEVER buy another brand. This thing has been bullet-proof since the day I opened the box.
I purchased this collar for my extremely stubborn, 65 pound golden retriever. The problem we had was that she is a rescue who came to us at almost 1 year old (she's now 3 and 1/2). We don't hunt, but we spend a lot of time hiking and camping, and needed something that we could rely on to keep her in line. At the time we got her, she had numerous bad habits and was constantly getting into dangerous situations - like running into our neighbor's horse pen. This collar has made all the difference in the world - these days I just tap the "tone" button and that is more than enough to remind her to behave.
I also have to commend this product for how tough it is. Both the remote and the collar have been submerged on numerous occasions, our dog has chewed on the remote (telling us what she thinks of it!), its been sat on, stepped on, dropped from high places, had rocks roll over it, and all kinds of other back woods nastiness, but has never, ever let us down or stopped working.
My ONLY gripe with this model is that there is no battery level meter. It can be kind of hard to gauge how much charge is left just based on the flashing light. However, I know that this is a feature available on some of the higher end models. I will definitely be sprining for another Sport Dog model within the next year.
 If this works w/ a GSP, it'll work with your dog :D September 17, 2008
I am the proud owner of a German Short Haired Pointer. If you don't know, they are a handful and a half. I mainly bought the collar to stop some undesirable behaviors (poking into the garbage, pawing and scratching at the back door, jumping on guests etc...) I did the training that was in the manual. Great manual. Very straightforward. So I would just put the collar on her, but not use it. This way she associated it w/ fun time, not shock time. Then after some time I decided to use it. So one day, she kept jumping and scratching at the sliding glass door in the back. So I would hit the tone sound, then I tried level 1. Nothing. Again, tone, then level 2. A little reaction. When I did level 3, she looked around very confused and stopped what she was doing. This was her level. She didn't show major signs of discomfort, more of a surprise/confused reaction. Anyway, after 10 mins or so, using the remote sparingly, it only took her hearing the tone to know what was coming after (a shock). So the tone alone stopped her from scratching the window. Since then she does it much less, and I only used it that one day. I assume if I used it a few more times it would work even better. I recommend only trying to stop one undesirable behavior at a time. Don't do a bunch at once. And try to have the collar on for a week or more first, so she doesn't think anything of it when it is shock time. You can remove the shocker from the collar, so I was thinking of finding a more normal looking collar to use so it doesn't stand out so much. That is my only complaint..the color, and the bulkiness of the device. Other than that, it works very well.
Amazing Results!!! August 20, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
The Sportdog brand training collar is magical. It can transform a snooty, self-important, brazen, obnoxious, delinquent standard poodle into a perfect canine citizen.
I used to call my wife to see how her day was going. Her response was frequently a passionate, "I HATE her!" She was referring to our dog who's hi jinx ranged from bolting during a walk on the leash - pulling my 110# wife off her feet and scraping her knees, to a two hours long dog chase when the little dear got off her tether and refused to come back, to the dog jumping up on a little girl in the park causing the frightened child to cry.
Sure, I was reluctant to shell out the cost of a fancy, 400 yard radius training collar. But, it was getting so we weren't enjoying our pet. We resented the heck out of her, actually. And that was after having taken her to obedience classes for 12 weeks. It wasn't great for the dog either. The dog loves to run and we could never take her off the leash. She loves to walk but we didn't enjoy the walks much because she'd try to drag us around.
I've never gotten greater satisfaction from a purchase. (Well, maybe when I got my Porsche -- but that's pretty hard to beat.) Anyway, I'd definitely buy the training collar again. It does everything claimed and more.
Now, our dog comes whenever she's called. She sits when introduced to strangers. She walks calmly next to my wife when on walks. Occasionally, she still needs a little level 1 jolt to get her attention but that little reminder is enough. The Sportdog collar is effectively the equivalent of having performed a successful exorcism.
Teaching a old dog new tricks!! At least reminding them. August 5, 2008
Our dog: 8 yr old Rhodesian Ridgeback mixed with Lab. 75lbs
Very good with our kids and very loving dog. Knows all of the basic command as the video stresses. Sit, Come, Down, heel and stay.
Our original problem with our dog.
1) If front door is open she bolts out and runs away. Keeps in sight but thinks it a game. Only way to get her back is to get in the truck and drive to her and open the door or back to trick her into getting in.
2) When walking her and she likes to pull and when she see's other dogs she goes crazy and gets aggressive.
I have tried choke collar, leader and harness. By far the harness kept her in control because she did not like under her front legs pulled up or squeezed. Still takes control and strenght to calm her down.
So I initially worked with her outside with the trainer and went over the basic commands with a leash. The video stresses that the trainer is a virtualized "extension" of the leash. After a few days of working with her and having her relate the tone to the command I was ready to go about our daily walks.
First test was we had the door wide open. Of course she bolted out the door. I used the command "COME" and gave her a jolt with a setting of 2. Did that get her attention!! She heard my command again and came running back -- WOW. Since then we have her out in front with us without a leash!
Second test was during one of our walks. We had a dog approach us and I used the heel\sit. Well she jumped up and went crazy as usual but I repeated the commands with a jolt. Boy she sat down and was next to me right away. Since then we have been on lots of walks with dogs walking by her with her staying at my side. What a big difference!!!!
I have had this product over a month.
If I would known about this when she was younger I would of bought this instantly. I have only used it a few times but she really understands my commands and tone. We feel this weight off our shoulders and its just one thing to worry about.
Highly recommended!!!
Very Effective For the Dog Already in Training July 7, 2008
8 out of 8 found this review helpful
I bought this when I was running out of patience with my 9 month old German Shepherd mix puppy.
Even after I got this thing, I didn't use it right away. The biggest reason for this is the included instruction manual. It is an extremely well written handbook for training dogs, and it emphasizes several things:
1. Your dog must know the basic commands like No, Sit, Stay, Come, Down, etc.
2. Try a different type of leash - such as the suggested "Wonder Lead"
3. Use the collar sparingly and as a supplementary instruction tool, not a full replacement training tool
The manual was great and I found it to be more instructive than the numerous dog training books that I had already purchased. I continued working with my dog without the collar, and I bought the "Wonder Lead", a very simple nylon noose-type leash that relaxes immediately after the dog stops pulling. I like the lead very much - it functions better than a collar that I bought called "The Illusion Collar". Both serve the same purpose - to put pressure high on the dog's neck for considerably more control. But the Wonder Lead is simpler because it is easier to adjust and it relaxes quicker since the nylon is stiff.
Until I bought this collar, my dog was impervious to everything. He was terrible on the leash. He would lunge at other dogs and would make such a scene that I people would give me this glare that seemed to say "What's the matter with you, thinking you can just walk a vicious animal around in public like that?". He knew all the basic commands like Sit, Down, Come, No... but only if I had a treat in my hand. Outside of the house he was a different dog.
Rewards or punishment... nothing seemed to get through to him. My wife and I decided one night that we'd take a relaxing stroll up to the ice cream shop. We took the dog with us. We found a table on the sidewalk in front of the store and sat there eating our ice cream, and I sat the dog next to me and scratched behind his ears because he likes that. Everything was fine until another dog showed up, and our puppy suddenly transformed himself from happy cute puppy to vicious attack dog. People actually jumped back because he sounded so bad. It was downright scary and not only were we concerned, but we were also terribly embarrassed. I felt silly for bringing the dog up there just assuming it would be okay. We got the heck out of there as fast as possible.
But I didn't give up on the walks. I've watched every episode of Dog Whisperer I could catch, man. I've tried everything Cesar says, and I've walked that dog for miles and miles, I've said "heel" a billion times, I've used treats, I've used a pinch on the neck, I've tried ignoring him, and he still pulls and lunges and growls at other dogs. I'm convinced there is a lot of training going on that doesn't make it to the final cut of the TV episodes because I've tried everything. I'll ignore him and it works about 50% of the time. I'll yell at him and it works about 30% of the time. I'll reward him and it works 100% the first time, 0% the next time because he just wants a treat and throws a fit until he gets one. The only thing that ever seemed to get a result was that if he was being bad, I would make him lay and firmly hold the scruff of his neck until he stopped panting. Then I'd slowly release him until he was laying quietly by himself and I could walk away. That was a Cesar trick I saw and since it was the only one that worked, I was beginning to fear I would wear it out. But that's a dumb way to try to be the alpha. It's impractical, no fun for you or the dog, and half the time the dog probably doesn't understand why you are mad anyway. I had to find another way. I'd take him out to rural areas and let him run it out. He would be happy, and I'd keep him nearby with a tennis ball or a bone, and lure him back to the car with treats and happy voices. But I still had to "master the walk" as Cesar says.
Again and again I would take him out for a walk, and I just couldn't trust him with other dogs. And it began to get worse, where even fast-moving kids on bikes would set him off. I was using the new leash with him at that point and it was only a marginal improvement. I worked with him daily, trying to teach him to heel and walk by my side. Finally one day when a dog was passing by, I thought I'd try something new and just relax and let it go, thinking that maybe my tension made it worse. So I let the dogs do what they would. The two dogs sniffed each other, and then my cute little puppy turned into Mr. Hyde. At that point I couldn't take it any more because I couldn't trust him with other dogs, kids, and my wife couldn't take him for walks any more. I was starting to get a sore shoulder from constantly correcting him and restraining his lunges during walks. With this last dog fight incident it was the last straw, so I marched him home, put the collar on him, and took him outside for his new phase of training.
The first thing I did was try to get him to associate the "beep" on the collar with "No". I did not use the shock yet. I was hoping that by instilling the fear of the beep, I would only have to use the beep later to teach him. Like everything else, the beep was generally ineffective. So we were out on the leash again, and he was tugging and being obnoxious as usual, and here I was saying "No" (beep) "No" (beep) "Heel" (beep) like an idiot. With no other ideas I sat him down, took off his leash, and said "Stay".
So he started to wonder off in leashless bliss. I told him to come. He would not. He kind of looked over his shoulder with a look that said: "See ya." So I said "No!" emphasized by the beep, but there was no response. So I hesitantly set the collar on two, told him to come, and when he did not obey I hit the button.
He didn't even flinch.
Now I had tested this thing on my forearm the day I got it. I knew that 2 and 3 were nothing more than an itch on your skin. But 8 gave me a surprise. It made my hand involuntarily clench, but the effect of the surprise was most evident for me - it wasn't painful, just surprising.
So I moved it up to 3. I commanded him to come, and when he did not I hit the button. It did not phase him at all, and at this point I was wondering if the collar was working. The same process was repeated until I was all the way up to 8. Finally he jumped a bit and gave me a look like "What the h*ll was that?". He hesitated, but when I told him to come, he continued on. He continued to disobey my command so I gave him another jolt and he looked at me again, this time with a bit more concern. But still he disobeyed, and by now it was obvious that 1) I was angered with him and 2) he did not care. With one last command to come, I used the button again. He let out a little yelp and came running back to me and sat down. I was elated but I tried to restrain myself. I put his leash back on, hoping to just walk him home and be done for the day.
On the way back, I was lost in thoughts about what I should do with this new power because I was also struggling with causing him pain. One of the reasons I love this dog is because he's got a lot of spirit and spunk (he's a brat but he's a fun dog), and I didn't want to scare it out of him. It bothered me greatly that I had obviously hurt him. But, just then, my thoughts were interrupted by another dog encounter and my dog's instantaneous growling and lurching. Panicked, I used the collar and simultaneously yelled "No!", forgetting it was still set on 8. But holy cow did I get instant conformance. He went silent and immediately lay down. Meanwhile the other dog was going crazy. At that point I ran home with him to get him in the house and out of trouble.
That was about 2 months ago. These days I do not have to use the collar often, and per the suggestion of the manual, I never let him associate the collar with bad things. I put the collar on him when we go play fetch. Sometimes I'll put it on him for no reason in the house and let him wear it all day and never turn it on. He thinks it is me that has the Magic Invisible Command From A Distance and I don't think he knows it is the collar. I am at the point now where I regularly walk him without a leash. I let him wander as he pleases but he never goes farther than 10 feet or so. If he sees another dog all I have to do is mutter "No" and he comes back to me and sits. I think that is the greatest gift this collar has given: the dog understands "No" better than he ever did, and now we both enjoy going for walks much better. He has more freedom now than he did before when I was tense and trying to reel him in with a tight leash. Now he can roam free as he pleases, and he doesn't get into trouble any more. On the rare occasions the collar is required, I have never taken the collar above 4 since that first day, and these days I can take him for short walks even without the collar or a leash and he is generally well behaved. He obeys command, and even though he isn't a perfect leash dog, he is manageable and my wife can now walk him comfortably. We took him out in the crowds on the 4th of July at the local festivities, and despite kids and dogs, his worst offense was sniffing the butts of other people passing by.
On occasion I still use the collar for corrective measures, but 3 seems to be adequate and it is only a reinforcement of the word "No." I hope that in a few months I will not need the collar at all.
I am very happy with this product but I think its effectiveness is completely dependent on the user. I do not think my story is the ideal way to handle a dog. I have made many mistakes with him but finally he is learning from me and I am learning from him. The collar is really one path of many to take to eventually build trust between a dog and owner. He still jumps, barks at the cat, and makes a bee-line for the door if it is open, but he comes to me when I call him, doesn't terrorize the neighborhood any more, and finally understands that when I say "NO", I mean it. Perhaps I could have obtained the same results with other methods, but I am thankful for what progress I've made.. He's a different animal now and he hasn't lost any of his spunk - he just listens better. I think that's all that was required - the collar gave me a way to get through to him.
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