Most folks I talk with either need a dog training collar to solve basic behavior problems or to train their dog basic obedience commands.

When you ask me about how to pick the right collar for you and your dog, I always ask "What are you trying to do with your dog?"

Normally, these goals are broken down into either basic problem solving or dog training.

Keep in mind that all "training collars" can do problem solving but not all "problem solving collars" can be used to train.

The gap between these two ideas has really gotten small over the past couple of years. The majority of products that we sell will now do both. A training collar needs a wide enough choice of stimulation levels so that the increase in levels is gradual. This allows you to find the correct stim level for your dog.

Basic Problem Solving with Dog Training Collars

Does your dog not behave the way you want? Do you have any of these problems with your dog:

• jumping up on people
• unwanted digging
• chasing people, cars or animals
• destructive chewing
• jumping on furniture
• eating what's not allowed
• getting into the trash or the neighbor's yard
• not responding when called
• unwanted barking

You can cure most of these problems with every collar that we sell. The difference in the remote training collars comes from quality of the collar, range of the transmitter, and choice of stimulation levels.

Please note: Many folks that are looking at a remote dog training collar to solve a barking problem may actually need a no-bark collar. You can use a remote collar to stop unwanted barking, but it requires that you be present to give the dog stimulation when he barks. Most folks would be better off to look at NO BARK DOG COLLARS first. These products are activated when the collar senses the vibration of the dog's vocal cords. They are safe, effective, and humane. They are also consistent which helps teach the dog quickly to stop barking while the collar is on.

I use and prefer the Dogtra YS600 No Bark Collar. We sell several other several brands of no-bark collars. Click here for our Bark Collars section page.

Recommended basic problem solving collars:

Garmin Tri-tronics PRO 70

Garmin Sport PRO

SportDOG SD-825X

SportDOG SD 425X

Basic Dog Training with Remote Dog Training Collars

Basic Training includes teaching commands such as "Come," "Sit," "Heel," "Down," "Stay" and "Place." These commands are the foundation of training a dog that does what he is told when he is told, and is an enjoyable companion.

Basic obedience training generally requires a training collar with a wider choice of stimulation levels that can be adjusted at the transmitter.

When you are training your dog, you need to be able to increase the stimulation in small increments until you can find the level that will get your the dog's attention, but will not cause him to vocalize or overreact.

As a general rule, I prefer a collar with more continuous stimulation for training. Keep in mind that all "dog training collars" can do problem solving but not all "problem solving collars" can be used to train.

Here are a few collars that I recommend for Basic Dog Training / Obedience:

Garmin Tri-tronics PRO 550

Garmin Sport PRO

SportDOG SD-825X