Waterfowler Training

Collars built to withstand the elements for you and your retriever.

Why are these collars the right choice for my duck hunting dogs?

There are specific requirements for waterfowling gear and there is no exception when it comes to training collars.  We have clothing that can tolerate an ice storm, boats that that can imitate marsh islands, guns designed for salt water, decoys with century old origins, and dogs that can swim the Pamlico Sound.  Naturally, our water dog training collars are going to be as unique as the sport.  Granted we’re not reinventing the wheel, and most duck hunting dog training collars are built off of the basic frame and principle (transmitter and receiver) however, there are certain requirements that are necessary for these components to survive duck hunting.

They have to be tough.

Waterfowl hunters (and duck hunting dogs) usually encounter some of the harshest environments on a regular basis.  Obviously there’s going to be water, and having both a transmitter and receiver that is fully waterproof and submersible is a must.  The ducks fly best when it’s cold, windy, and wet.  Snow and ice get the birds flying like nothing else.  Training collars have to be built for these elements.  Not only does the unit have to be solid and rugged, also having an indestructible collar strap is a must.  And don’t forget about the mud.  Deep, mucky, stinking, relentless mud, mud that infiltrates every nook and chink of your gear, mud that you wear home, mud that doesn’t wash out.  Your waterfowl training collar has to be tough.

Need for concealment.

Ducks have impeccable eye sight which makes having a camouflage training collar a priority.  From all angles, in front of and above, your concealment matters.  Movements in the blind or solid objects that stand out are sure to flare the birds.  Duck hunters go to great extremes to cover up and camouflage themselves and their gear.  All aspects of the hunter and retriever must be hidden.  Having a camouflage training collar is only a natural choice in order to avoid standing out. 

Range and additional collars.

There are however a couple of items that are not as important in owning a waterfowler dog training collar, and they are worthy to mention here.  Training collars made today have a great deal of thought put into their effective range, and some of them can even transmit up to 10 miles.  With retrieval the need for great distance is not such a priority.  Most of the time they are going to be right beside you and most of the static corrections are going to be either breaking at the gun shot or to turn them from chasing after a down bird from the next blind over.  Most hunters agree that 400 yards is a good minimum range, and though the average training collar has about a mile range, you may never need to go that far.

Also, the ability to add multiple dogs is not a priority.  Retrieving waterfowl is usually a one pet sport.  With the exception of professional trainers or working a new puppy with old faithful, you will probably never fully utilize the function of multiple dogs on your transmitter.

In the end…

…the training collar you choose for your retriever needs to fit the specific criteria required by the waterfowlers world.  The ability to withstand harsh environmental factors such as water, wind, and rain are a must.  Ruggedness and reliability are a priority.  The ability to be fully concealed in flooded timber or marsh grass makes having a camouflage training collar an easy decision.   Range and multiple receivers are not so important.  These simple principles are what makes a waterfowl training collar for your pet.