No he was 10 weeks old, but it is not a shock collar, it is a combination vibrator and siren, that when activate either he returns, no need to shock such an excellent and intelligent dog. Often I hide behind a tree or in a wheat field, which forces him to use his eyes, ears, and nose to find me. This is how one trains a tracker. You have any photos of your dogs off leash? I have a couple of hundred thousand. I feel sad for dogs that live and die never experiencing freedom, it's sad.

I have never used a shock collar on a puppy, if you were a trainer you would understand what the collar does. I could try to educate you, but you will still walk your dog on a leash, so there is no need.

Read more about SportDOG SD-1875 Upland Hunter
The Sport Hunter SD1875 is an incredibly versatile training collar that includes a remote controlled beeper that has a motion sensor that allows you to locate your big running bird dog and know if he's moving or on point.

The Beeper is different from the "tone" concept in most remote training collars. The beeper is a loud speaker horn that sits on top of the dogs neck. The sound of the beeper can be heard from a very long distance (150 to 400 yards depending on weather and terrain conditions). Tone is a very quiet sound that can only be heard when you are very close to the collar. It is generally used to give your dog warnings or silent commands. Unlike most combo trainer / beeper systems, the SD 1875 also has a tone option.

Beeper collars use a motion sensor to tell the hunter what your dog is doing. The Sport DOG SD-1875 beeper collar can be adjusted from the transmitter to Run / Point Mode, making one beep every 5 to 10 seconds while your the dog is moving and then changing to a beep every second when your dog stops, or to Point Mode Only, which means the collar makes no sound while your dog is moving, but kicks in to "point" mode when your dog stops.

The SD-1875 remote control works in combination with its electronic training collar. The transmitter allows you to turn the beeper on and off as the cover changes or as your dog extends his range from you. It is designed for a upland bird dog handlers but can also be used for folks that want the ability to locate their dog using a loud audible sound when their dog is out of sight.

Can you grasp that?

Perhaps just how you have worded your previous posts, but they do suggest you have used the shock option

You will find very, very few supporters of shock collars in the UK. Many here support a ban on the damned things

I do not approve of shock collars either, but an appropriate shock does not hurt, it just reminds. Now for stupid dogs, some call them stubborn when repeated shocks need to be used there is no excuse for this. My collars both have vibration and tone technology built in, which I use constantly.

Seriously not many people train like I do as well. This past spring I took an under 8 week old pup directly from a breeder, to a game reserve, and let it go, no collar at all, I hadn't even fed the dog yet. I let him go and he followed me naturally, he will be doing this, for the rest of his life. Free a puppy, to keep a puppy at your side.

Sorry, Nicky, but there is no such thing as an 'appropriate shock'. That is just an excuse for inadequate training.

Do game reserves over there not have any lead restrictions on dogs?

We have parks that allow for dog training, the national forest system also allows for unleashed dogs, though the national park system typically requires a leash.

As for cruel, lets get a pack of foxhounds to rip the head off of something, just for fun that is.

and here we totally agree. Fox hunting is abhorrent and is banned here. I just wish they would enforce the ban more vigorously

Enforce a ban of the sport of kings? It might be banned for you, but it's still practiced on big estates, always will be. The really sad thing is that the foxes are extinct in most places, or so I have heard. Over here they are exploding in New Jersey, as is the coyote population, eagles and ospreys are recovering also, whitetail deer are everywhere as well.

Fox den https://www.flickr.com/photos/136279...in/dateposted/

Then why put one on him, if he is so well trained ,

You need to remember that is is mainly a UK based forum, and its the norm for us to exercise our dogs off leash, we do not have dog parks here, most people walk their dogs (ofleash ) in woods/fields, parks, every day , you seem to think its unusual for a dog to be off leash, it is`nt , here anyway, as for photos of off leash dogs, I could match your hundreds of thousands.... as most folk here could.

The collar is part of the training, and is responsible for a lot of it. Also it gives me peace of mind to hear where he is if I can't see him. Also well trained for 16 week old pup is hardly finished, he still has a lot of learning to do.