Shock Collar Recommendation?

Truth be told, you are better off working on a set of really good call off strategies even before you would attempt to use an e collar.  The reason being, so many times you end up teaching the dog a lesson you had no intention of having them learn.  Good fencing and long lines would be a better option for long term learning.  If you wish to have an ecollar for back up, tritronics.  An inexpensive ecollar is next to worthless.

If you choose to use an ecollar, find a local "expert" ", "mentor" who will help you.  In many cases field work trial folk may be your best bet.

I have an e collar, it collects dust.

I would recommend Innotek. They have a 2 dog set that comes with 2 collars and 1 remote. Here is the link [linkhttp://www.americaoutdoor.com/Categories.aspx?CategoryId=5212]shock collars[/link]
This store is a registered Innotek dealer- make sure you buy from a registered dealer, otherwise you void the warranty. I have had great success training a very prey driven dog this way, and I hope it works for you too. Just a word of advice.. level 1 is enough for my 50lb Akita mix, sometimes I use level 2, but 4 and up are just terrible IMO. I shocked myself on 3 and it was quite painful.

They don't really call them "shock collars" anymore, but E-Collars. The old "shock Collars ( 20 years ago, when they first came out) were pretty crude devices with very high shock levels. They are no longer made that way.  Most E Collar trainers that I know use Dogtra Collars. The advantagwe to the Dogtra is that it uses an adjustable level that is a a knob that you can set exactly for the dog rather than having to use some pre-selected level that my be either to low or too high . I would find an instructor in your area and take at least one lesson on fitting, using and adjusting the collar.  I know several dogs that are trained using the collars, and their level of training is remarkable, compared to using a regular collar and leash.  Contrary to popular belief, the collar does not "hurt" the dog, but provides a "tingle" sensation to the dog, similar to the muscle exercisors that they use in hospitals for rehab. .  I demonstrate my dog's collar all the time, to curious people by asking them to hold it to their wrist while I push the button. many times they either feel a slight tingle, or can't feel it at all, and the level I have it set for my dog.  I use the collar for distance recall and it works great, 

Do not get a cheap collar. The number of levels are insufficient, and there is too much difference between the levels.   The Dogtra 200 NP will run you around $200....  [linkhttp://www.dogtra.com/]http://www.dogtra.com/[/link]

Here is a forum on E Collars   [linkhttp://www.leerburg.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/ubb/postlist/Board/23/page/1]http://www.leerburg.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/ubb/postlist/Board/23/page/1[/link]

If you can't find a trainer in your area, there is a good DVD on this site
[linkhttp://www.leerburg.com/318.htm]http://www.leerburg.com/318.htm[/link]

I would still recommend a trainer help you at first. 

Thanks for the tips and recommendations. The funny thing is, on the homesteadingtoday.com forum, someone told me to use a BB gun, haha.

So did you get the farm then?  Thats exciting. 

Just wanted to say I don't blame you for deciding to go with an e-collar.  In your situation, I would do it too.  There would be just no getting my dogs to leave the other animals alone until they actually got trampled or worse.  And IMO that would be a little late.

We're accepted for financing and signing to make it official tomorrow... so... unless something goes horribly wrong then we will get it.

I would recommend Innotek.

 
I agree!  This collar is good and reliable and the company is good to work with. I actually got one right from them on their website.  And they replaced a collar that was not working properly.  I believe they also sell Innotek at PetSmart...and a many places.
Innoteks has a couple of button choices...like a tone button and one that just "nicks" on and off very quickly.  It has several levels...and you should always start with the lowest and work your way up if needed.

I want to train my dogs not to chase cattle, wild antelope, sheep, and llamas,

Do your dogs have a history of chasing animals?How did you manage to train them out of it?

As for the electric shock collar.... Do you have children? All i can advise is to strap the collar on to one of them and use the setting you are planning to use on your dogs,all without explaining what you are doing and why,and then strap it onto yourself around your neck,and then see if you still want to use it on your dogs.

This shouldnt be a problem if this statement is true: but provides a "tingle" sensation to the dog, similar to the muscle exercisors that they use in hospitals for rehab. Although i highly doubt a simple "tingle sensation" is going to stop a dog set on chasing down a llama or antelope.

Personally i would go with positive training first,instead of diving straight into the punishment phase of a shock collar.

Edie, I asked kindly that there be no flaming. Although, I assume you haven't read my entire post because I said I was going to use positive training methods and use the e-collar as little as possible. Most people who enjoy being inflammatory don't read the whole thing anyway, but I digress. And yes, I have a child, and I would shock him if it were the only way to make sure he stayed away from a dangerous animal, or drowning in the dugout, or get abducted my a pedophile, or who knows what else. There are things in this world worse than receiving an electric shock.

Uh uh, we aren't going there.  Let's respect the OP's request for no flaming and try to help without judgements.
 
On a personal level, I don't like those things.  I would work long and hard, fences and long lines to teach the dog not to chase, to train a very reliable recall and not have to worry about it, but that's me.  If you are going to get one, don't get a cheap one, and DO find someone to teach you the proper way to use it so you don't end up with a shut down dog.
 
Congrats on the farm!

I think there will always be controversy on shock collars...there will always be people that say that they would never use them,,,or to try them on yourself ( or your kids). I do believe that most of these people never used one or, maybe they never had a dog where they needed one.
Its a wonderful life to have a dog trained perfectly to come back, or to not do things that  might hurt himself (such as run out in the street) or to hurt another person or animal. In our perfect world,,we would all have our dogs trained like this with positive training. In the real world...we have dogs that might not train that trustworthy...that might go that extra step to do something  to destroy himself or something or someone else. These collars can be a wonderful tool for these dogs.
Just last night I was reading an article written by a trainer that does use these collars for training certain dogs with certain behavior problems.   I am not going to try to tell anyone that he is right or wrong or get into any of that BUT I thought it interesting that he wrote that he NEVER uses the collar on a high setting and NEVER uses the continuous button--that is a setting where the vibration last longer...he only uses the "momentary" button where there is just a touch of sensation.
I have a friend that has one for their Bisenji....he never has to press anything except the "tone" button and the dog will stop.  Again,,, it could be a wonderful tool.

ORIGINAL: Edie

I want to train my dogs not to chase cattle, wild antelope, sheep, and llamas,

Do your dogs have a history of chasing animals?How did you manage to train them out of it?

As for the electric shock collar.... Do you have children? All i can advise is to strap the collar on to one of them and use the setting you are planning to use on your dogs,all without explaining what you are doing and why,and then strap it onto yourself around your neck,and then see if you still want to use it on your dogs.

This shouldnt be a problem if this statement is true: but provides a "tingle" sensation to the dog, similar to the muscle exercisors that they use in hospitals for rehab. Although i highly doubt a simple "tingle sensation" is going to stop a dog set on chasing down a llama or antelope.

Your statments demonstrate that your knowlege of how to handle an E Collar is insufficient, and it is not good advice to follow either.  This is exactly why I recommended in my post, to take a lesson or two from a good E Collar Trainer that will show you how it works and how to properly train your dog using it. 

ORIGINAL: dyan

I think there will always be controversy on shock collars...there will always be people that say that they would never use them,,,or try them on yourself. I do believe that most of these people never used one or, maybe they never had a dog where they needed one.
Its a wonderful life to have a dog trained perfectly to come back, or to not do things that  might hurt himself (such as run out in the street) or to hurt another person or animal. In our perfect world,,we would all have our dogs trained like this with positive training. In the real world...we have dogs that might not train that trustworthy...that might go that extra step to do something  to destroy himself or something or someone else. These collars can be a wonderful tool for these dogs.
Just last night I was reading an article written by a trainer that does use these collars for training certain dogs with certain behavior problems.   I am not going to try to tell anyone that he is right or wrong or get into any of that BUT I thought it interesting that he wrote that he NEVER uses the collar on a high setting and NEVER uses the continuous button--that is a setting where the vibration last longer...he only uses the "momentary" button where there is just a touch of sensation.
I have a friend that has one for their Bisenji....he never has to press anything except the "tone" button and the dog will stop.  Again,,, it could be a wonderful tool.

There is now a very active training school that has offices all  across the US, that is actually doing so much E collar training that they are going to have their own brand of collar to sell to their customers.  We have 2 dogs at our dog park that have been trained using the E collar, and the other dog owners are amazed at how quickly and well  these dogs have been trained.  In a matter of weeks, they have learned what some owners have been trying to accomplish for a year or more. For rock solid recall and distance training, the E Collar can't be beat in my opinion. 

I hope you're not planning to use high-level "aversion training", i.e. just hit the dog with a massive high-level shock to stop him from chasing the animals?  cruel and likely to cause problems.
 
here is a link to reviews of various ecollars:  [linkhttp://www.gundogsupply.com/dog-training-collars-buyers-guide.html]http://www.gundogsupply.com/dog-training-collars-buyers-guide.html[/link]
 
and here is a link to how to properly train your dog to not chase animals: [linkhttp://www.loucastle.com/critter.htm]http://www.loucastle.com/critter.htm[/link]