Looking for the best DogCare shock collars? In this article we’ll cover some of the top models sold by the Dog Care brand. These collars are designed to aid with dog training and not to be used as a form of GPS or wireless fence system.
Note: If you click some of the links in this article we may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.
The Top 4 Dog Care Shock Collars
- The Top 4 Dog Care Shock Collars
- Top Pick – Best Waterproof Model
- Best for Rain Training
- Best Deal for 2 Dogs (Two Receivers Included)
- Best for Bark Training
- Replacement Dog Care Collar and Other Parts
- FAQ
- Training a Dog to Come When Called Using an E-Collar
- Do Shock Collars Hurt A Dog?
- What’s The Difference Between A Shock Collar, and E-Collar, And A Vibration Collar?
- How Do I Turn the Collar On and Off?
- What’s the Difference Between Positive Reinforcement and Negative Reinforcement?
Training Note – These collars may default at the 99 shock level. Please turn them down to beep first. See if your dog pays attention when you apply the beep. If not try vibration. Keep moving up one step at a time till they pay attention when you press the button. If they yelp or get very stressed you went too far. Dial it down. Again, always be thoughtful of your dog and apply the minimum correction level needed.
Top Pick – Best Waterproof Model
You can sum up this model pretty easily. The small amount you pay will pale in comparison to the $4,000 you’d pay a professional trainer.
Based on the mountains of reviews (over 20,000 at the time of this article), this model is super popular and makes tons of sales. That means it works and new people come over and are willing to try it.
What We Like
- Swimmable – Your dog can swim with this IF you use the rubber covers over the correction ports and you don’t have them go under water or stay in the water for too long.
- Vibration or Shock modes for different styles of training
- 1,000 feet of range
- Great battery life
- Easy to use and understand
- Collar is made of webbing which is cooler in hot climates
- Beep, vibration, or static correction (shock) modes
- Lock on the side prevents accidentally pushing the button and delivering a correction
- Great for training pit bulls not to lunge, for large dogs not to jump on counters, and more
- Much cheaper than the $1,000 – $4,000 you might have to spend on a professional trainer. Get trained to use these yourself first.
What We Don’t Like
- Vague instructions (don’t expect training instructions in the manual!)
- Remote is a bit bulky
Best for Rain Training
What We Like
- Same 3 training modes – beep, vibration, shock – You can easily set it to the minimum to get the training you need. Shock isn’t required (for some dogs)
- Locked keypads – no more accidental shocks
- Finely adjustable – Able to find the perfect beep, vibration or correction level for dogs from 15 lbs up to 100 lbs or more.
What We Don’t Like
- Essentially the same as the other model, except this one is blue.
- Not swimmable? – Not exactly a deal killer but we wanted to point this out. If you want a model they can swim with see the one above and follow the guidelines on swimming. Some users of this model reported their dog can swim with it but the manufacturer specially noted for use in the rain, not swimming.
Best Deal for 2 Dogs (Two Receivers Included)
This model is the same as the ones above; however, it comes bundled with two receivers. That gives you the ability to train two dogs at once.
Do note that it only has one transmitter. That means both collars are triggered when you press the button.
You want to use this setup with commands for both dogs at the same time:
- Come
- Heel
- Stop
- Lie Down
You need to be sure both dogs are within hearing range for your command. It can get a bit tricky but this is great value for the money.
If two dogs at once is a problem simply train one dog at a time. Then when both of them understand the collar use it in a small yard or area where they can both see and hear you easily.
Later, you can use this system in larger areas or on longer walks or hikes.
Best for Bark Training
This automatic bark collar sends a vibration or static correction when your dog starts barking.
Note – Even though this is an “automatic” collar you should not use it 24/7. Use it carefully and adjust settings for the first 3 days. If after 3 days your dog doesn’t understand not to bark then you may need to try other training methods.
What We Like
- Vibration setting for easily trained dogs (or to start a slightly longer training period to get them used to the collar)
- Static correction setting for dogs that ignore the beep
- Uses a progressive system – starts with beep then vibration then static correction
- Automatically responds to your dog barking – no need to watch them or press any buttons
- No more citations from the city for noise violations
- Includes safety feature where it stops vibration or correction even after 1 minute of barking
What We Don’t Like
- It’s not perfect – not all dogs get it. It doesn’t have the fine tune adjustments you can make with the other Dog Care collars that require manual training.
- Needs a rechargeable battery – you’ll have to change out the batteries on this unit when they run out of juice
Replacement Dog Care Collar and Other Parts
This is just a replacement collar for the Dog Care shock collar system. Use the instructions to pair it with your current transmitter.
To get a new transmitter you’ll need to contact the manufacturer directly or buy a new transmitter/collar combo.
The webbing material is the same webbing you can buy for camping equipment.
FAQ
Training a Dog to Come When Called Using an E-Collar
The following quick video shows you how to use your e-collar or shock collar to train your dog to come when you call.
Do Shock Collars Hurt A Dog?
They can if they are set to high. Read the instructions and get proper training so you can set the level correctly.
The Dog Care model can be set to beep, vibration, and static corrections up to level 99. Level 99 is painful for just about any dog (or person if you test it on yourself).
We recommend always starting using the beep setting. You want to use the minimum setting to get your dogs attention with causing yelping, pain, or high anxiety. Heads and ears up is enough to tell you that the setting is working and you can progress with training.
What’s The Difference Between A Shock Collar, and E-Collar, And A Vibration Collar?
Training collars come with three forms of correction. They can beep, create a small vibration, or provide a static correction (shock). The Dog Care brand highlighted in this article can do all three. A shock collar will at least provide a static correction (shock) if not also have beep and vibration modes. An e-collar (electric collar) is really just a nicer name for a shock or vibration collar. A vibration collar primarily provides a vibration and shouldn’t have a shock feature.
These names are used pretty interchangeably. Before you get any e-collar we recommend you read the description (and reviews) thoroughly to ensure you’re getting what you expect. Again, the Dog Care system can do all three.
How Do I Turn the Collar On and Off?
Twist the on/off dial on the upper left side to turn the unit on or off. See full instructions for Dog Care shock collar systems here.
What’s the Difference Between Positive Reinforcement and Negative Reinforcement?
Both positive and negative reinforcement use the following basic steps:
- Command or Trigger
- Habit or Trick
- Reward
The only difference is the reward. With positive reinforcement the reward is usually treats or praise given after they do the behavior (or a small piece of the behavior desired).
With negative reinforcement the reward is usually removing a negative stimulus. For example say you want to train your dog to come using negative reinforcement via a Dog Care shock collar. First you’ll do the command or hand movement as the trigger (e.g. say “Come here”), then you’ll apply the beep, vibration, or static correction. Once they turn around to face you you turn off the beep. The removes the “negative” which is the reward for the dog.
You can even combine negative reinforcement with positive reinforcement. See the video below on “come here” training for an example. After each successful round the owner provides praise (positive reinforcement) after letting go of the vibration button (negative reinforcement).
For more info on shock collar training see our article on the benefits and how to of negative reinforcement training.
