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PROS
- Long-range radio connectivity – Collar is effective up to 1 mile away, making it perfect for homeowners who have large swathes of property or let their dog range far. The transmitter also works through radio rather than WiFi, making it far more practical for the purposes of the remote thanks to its better range and low likelihood of interference.
- Ergonomic controls – the buttons on the remote are large and thus it’s hard to mistakenly press a different one. The remote is also much less bulky than that of other brands, making it fit more comfortably in your hand.
- Consistently responsive – The device rarely fails to trigger as intended regardless of distance (as long as collar receiver is within maximum range). Hence, you can always rely upon it being able to get through to your dog with every press of the stimulation buttons, provided of course that the battery is charged.
- Good battery life – Receiver collar has up to 160 hours (around 1 week) of battery life per charge, depending on how often the collar has to deliver stimulation. The transmitter on the other hand can last up to 60 hours on a full charge, which only takes 2 hours to get to for both the transmitter and collar. This is very competitive battery performance considering that the average battery life for training collars is 120 hours.
- Effective training aid – Whether your dog only needs a little heads-up, a nudge, or a tiny jolt to remind them how to conduct themselves, this collar can deliver. This makes it brilliant for dog owners whose main goal is to let their dog explore off-leash without having to worry about them getting into trouble.
CONS
- No automatic features – All corrections must be triggered manually, as there are no automatic correction features that engage when your dog roams too far, as in a wireless fence.
- Knob prone to breaking – Users have to set intensity for each dog using the intensity adjustment knob, and increase or decrease depending on how effective the chosen intensity is. This can break off the knob, making further operation very inconvenient.
Leashes are useful, but restrictive. Especially if you’re an outdoorsman who’s training your dog how to range in the wilderness by your side. Or if you simply want your dog to have more freedom. If you think about how great dogs are with following guidance and cues, leashes can start to seem excessive (outside of public places where leashes are mandatory, anyway).
Outdoor activity is exactly what the SportDOG SportHunter Family Remote Trainer was designed for. Other SportDOG brands are already the best bark collars, but all of them are gears are actually purpose-built for hunting dogs and dogs who perform other outdoor jobs. This also makes it fantastic for training your dog to go with you on hikes and such.
The price point can be a bit steep if you take other brands into consideration, but with the features it comes with, you may find that it’s well-worth the price. Read on to find out its biggest advantages and standout features.
Features of SportDOG Brand SportHunter Family Remote Trainer
Support for up to 6 dogs
The SportHunter Family Remote Trainer can handle 6 different dogs on a single remote. Additional collars are not included however and must be purchased. Ideal neck size for a good fit is around 10 inches, with the minimum being 5 inches and the maximum 22 inches. Hence it’s best used for dogs over 8 pounds.
1-Mile range
Collar works consistently up to 1 mile away, with performance significantly dropping past that radius. This makes it great for running or pointing dogs, specifically hunting dogs which is the type that SportDOG mainly caters to.
No-look operation
Collar responds to the transmitter regardless of orientation or obstruction. Hence, it is ideal for training in environments with lots of foliage or other obstacles. This is particularly useful for dogs with heightened prey instincts, as they tend to like to run far and hide in hard-to-reach places [1].
Waterproof
DryTek waterproofing makes the collar submersible for up to 25 feet. Perfect for teaching water dogs to retrieve game, lifeguard and rescue dogs, or simply dogs who like to swim.
Built-in rechargeable battery
Both the collar and the transmitter have a built-in Li-ion battery that can reach a full charge in only 2 hours. Battery life for the transmitter is 40 to 60 hours, while for the collar it’s 140-160 hours. This puts it at above average battery performance compared to other training collars.
Fine-tunable stimulation
The collar delivers 21 individual levels of static correction, fine-tunable with the knob on the handheld transmitter. The level it’s set at will define how strong a stimulation is triggered by the high, medium, and low buttons.
Different stimulation options
The SportHunter remote’s intensity knob also contains the option to deliver vibrations or warning tones instead of a static shock, for those concerned about motivating their dogs through pain.
Programmable buttons
Each of the 6 buttons is programmable in 14 different ways to perform a variety of functions. This makes it easier to handle multiple dogs. You can define which button combinations deliver either a static, vibration, or tone correction to each individual dog, for example.
Is This The Right Choice For You?
For the price, this product does deliver well on the features you would look for in an outdoor training collar. As was mentioned, it’s very reliable and works in a variety of conditions, as you would come to expect from a training collar that was designed for more outdoorsy dogs.
Satisfied customer reviews report that dogs become more mindful of how far they roam, eventually remembering to check on their owners before running off again. Others say that their dog came to associate the transmitter as a sign that it’s time to go on another adventure, rather than a tool used to coerce them into behaving.
However there are those who say that the handheld transmitter has trouble handling the stress the more dog collars it tries to support, and is liable to fall apart the more you have to press the buttons or tweak the knob (particularly the knob).
But if you’re someone who wants to train your dog or dogs to go leashless in difficult terrain, the SportHunter Remote Trainer can serve you well as long as you take care in handling it.
