who uses a GPS collar with their dogs? I love mine!

[CouesWhitetail]

Until we got our Catahoula (Maggie (aka Hula Girl), we hadn't really considered getting a GPS collar for our dogs. But I must say that I love it! We started out using it because we were afraid we would lose her if she ran off chasing something. We also liked that has a shock collar option to help train the dog not to chase and to come back when called. It also has a tone feature that doesn't shock but provides an audible sound so now she knows to come back when she hears that tone.

 

The one we have is the Garmin Alpha and I actually love even just the handheld GPS on it. My other GPS units don't have touch screen and I have found the touch screen on this is really easy to use and even my husband finds it intuitive and likes it. I use it as a stand alone GPS at work too, not just for the dog tracking.

 

Anyway, if you are considering getting a GPS collar for your dog, I highly recommend this one, or maybe Garmin has some newer models out (this one is at least a year old).

 

The GPS collar lets us track her and at least partially tell what she is up to. It will show if she is moving fast or slow, if she is staying in one place (shows as "treed"). The other day we were at camp and she was off on her own and I watched the GPS and saw she was staying in one place about 200 yards away. So i headed over there and found that she was gnawing on a fresh elk leg from a hunter kill. So I hauled it back to camp and let her chew on it around the campfire. She was so happy with it but it was too heavy for her to carry back to camp.

 

You can set a radius for your dog and it will post a message when your dog leaves that radius. You can even set it to tell you if she is barking. And we like that at the end of the hike we can see how many miles she has run. that gives us a good idea of how much exercise she has gotten and how much more she might need. She is a high energy dog and can be very challenging if she isn't getting enough exercise.

 

This unit has held up very well and we have used it in just about every condition. In water, in rain, in snow, in hot sun, at night, etc. It has a built in light you can turn on too so you can see your dog at night. Since we do alot of our work at night, that's a neat feature to check on her visually.

 

I also have been using Garmin HuntView maps on it and I must say i love that! You can select satellite imagery or topo map views. and when you click on the map it will tell you land ownership, which is handy if you are looking for property boundaries in the field. If you have a GPS that takes microSD cards, you might want to get this one:

https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/maps/on-the-trail-maps/huntview/garmin-huntview-maps-arizona/prod532225.html

 

 

here are some pics of Maggie with the collar on and doing what Maggie does.....living life full speed! She is very photogenic and so really this review is a cheap excuse to post lots of pics of Maggie I hope you enjoy them.

 

I included some pics of the GPS screen too. The dog track shows up as a green line wherever she goes. And she is labelled as Hula Girl and a little dog icon shows on the screen at her locations. The dog icon changes position based on what she is doing.

 

We are really pleased with this system and figure some of you might be interested in it. Garmin is a sponsor on here, so it's nice to be able to support them as they provide great products for hunters.

https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/into-sports/dogs/alpha-100/prod107225.html

[WildHeritageTaxidermy]

We use our Alpha 100 and TT10 collars every day. Definitely helps keep track of where your dogs are and what they are up to. The range is pretty good and you can add up to 20 dogs to it.

[trphyhntr]

Where is the best place to buy one

[CouesWhitetail]

Where is the best place to buy one

 

I don't know who has the best price. You can do a google search and check. You can order online directly from Garmin or likely other vendors....or go into a Sportsmans warehouse or Cabela's to buy one in person. I am not sure if any of our sponsor stores carry them (Archery HQ, Outdoorsmans, Gila Outdoor, Ross Outdoors, etc).

[crotalus]

Love that 8th pic down, looks like a Family Circus comic, lol.

Ernest

[Tres]

I bought a Garmin Astro to put on my dogs. I will use it for the first time this hunting season. My friends all run Astros and love them.

[ThomC]

After buying one I couldnt afford the dog so I what are other uses for it? Kids, wifes ???

[CouesWhitetail]

After buying one I couldnt afford the dog so I what are other uses for it? Kids, wifes ???

 

Ha! That's how I keep my husband in line

[runningbird]

I like gun dog supply. good prices quick shipping.