SportDOG SportHunter 825X Remote Dog Trainer, 1/2 Mile Range

UPDATE April 16, 2019: Customer service remains one of the best I’ve ever spoken to. I used the chat to speak to a representative and not only did she assure me that cutting the extra length off of the collar is fine and that the remote is waterproof even without the rubber covering over the charging port, she also offered to send me a few extra mud plugs completely free under my warranty. :) As for the collar, I bumped the static stimulation range down to low, put on the long prongs, and made sure it’s on tight enough. I’m not appearing to have any more problems with him not feeling it. I can even use a level 2 on the low range (something I couldn’t even feel when I tried it on my arm) and he responds. If you have a small dog or a sensitive dog, try lowering the static stimulation level to low. If your dog has even SOMEWHAT long or thick fur, use the long prongs—it makes a difference. ORIGINAL REVIEW: I purchased the 825X collar. My dog is a 20 lb cattle dog mix. I live in an apartment building that has a big yard, but it isn't fenced and I don't have the option to fence it. My dog is high energy and loves playing fetch outside. I've been using a 50 ft leash and let it drag, but sometimes I can't grab it fast enough and it's altogether annoying having to deal with that much leash all the time. My dog is relatively obedient until he sees another dog...then he is deaf to all of my calls. He's not aggressive, just wants to play, but it's irritating because anytime my neighbor brings her dog out he tries to run/runs to her. I'd love to let him off-leash but multiple incidents with dogs have showed me that can't happen until his obedience shapes up. Thus, I did research and decided to purchase an e-collar. First off, customer service is excellent. Since SportDOG has so many products, I wasn't sure which to purchase. I didn't feel like looking through all of them (lazy I know), so I used the chat on their website to talk to one of the employees. He was very friendly and helpful and led me to the 825X easily. The shipping was also CRAZY fast...I ordered free shipping but received it two days later, on a Sunday no less. So when I received the collar, I was already pleased and impressed. The 825X comes with a remote, collar, charger, short contact points (for dogs with short/regular/thin fur - already on the collar), long contact points (for dogs with long/thick fur - in a small baggie), a lanyard, a belt clip, a test light, a basic training manual, and an operating guide. I didn't know it would come with a lanyard/belt clip but I'm very happy it did -- it makes the remote hands free but easy to grab in case of emergency. I initially was so confused on how to remove the belt clip, but I figured it out.. The lanyard was a piece of cake to put on. Also, I was extremely confused as to what the test light actually was at first, but it actually ended up being a useful tool for me to ensure the remote and collar were working. I do have a few issues with the design, but they are mostly minor. First, the remote appears to have no on/off button. It confused me so much when I first opened it up. Second, I can NOT get the rubber covering to close over the charging port on the remote. It closed fine on the collar but not the remote. I have no idea why. It's really irritating to me, but it doesn't affect the function of the product. Third and finally, the collar is WAY TOO LONG for my dog. My dog's neck is 13"-14". He's left with a solid 13" dangling. It is so LONG. I wish it was adjustable or came in different lengths. I will probably have to cut it. That is VERY disappointing for a $200 collar. Now let's get down to business...the actual collar's functions. The 825X collar has THREE ranges of static stimulation: low, medium, and high. Within those ranges, there are also the 7 levels of stimulation on the dial. The collar is automatically set to medium range. I tested levels 1-7 of medium range on my arm before using the collar on my dog; level 1 is just a nuisance, but level 7 actually hurt a little bit. I highly recommend you try the static stimulation on yourself before using it on your dog, just so you know exactly what your dog is receiving. I haven't tried low or high range yet (and doubt I will use high). Page 9 of the operating guide outlines how to change the range. The 825X also has SEVEN modes, which are outlined on page 10 of the operating guide. Modes 1, 2, 5, 6, and 7 are for one dog only. Modes 3 and 4 are for more than one dog. I've seen some reviews complain that you can't use vibrate/tone when you have more than one dog. You absolutely can. Rotate the dial to V/T to deliver a tone or vibration (tone on mode 3, vibration on mode 4). You can do so much with this thing, even with 3 dogs. JUST READ THE OPERATING GUIDE FRONT TO BACK...it takes 10 minutes tops. As I mentioned above, it comes with a basic training manual. As with the operating guide, READ IT FRONT TO BACK. ESPECIALLY if you haven't used an e-collar before. It tells you how to do everything. But I did want to add a tidbit of information. I think the wording is a little bit misleading when it says you shouldn't use your e-collar until your dog is "100% obedience trained on leash" or something like that. It really means "your dog should know exactly what you're asking of it with each command." I wouldn't say my dog is 100% obedience trained on leash -- he sucks at obedience with canine distractions. But he does know EXACTLY what I want from him when I say "sit," "lay," "come," etc. THAT's what it means: don't use your e-collar until your dog has a solid knowledge of each command. Overall, the manual is such a USEFUL thing. I've never used an e-collar before and I feel like it gave me the knowledge to do so. If you aren't an experienced e-collar user, READ. IT. I do disagree with a couple things in the manual. It says to give verbal/physical praise sparingly...I just don't have it in my heart to do that. If my dog is behaving splendidly, I am going to let him know (with a click from the clicker, a bunch of "yes!!" and "good boy!!", and pets). I like to see his tail wagging, and the praise didn't seem to affect his obedience negatively. In fact, it might have helped. I do agree, however, that you shouldn't bribe your dog with food, at least at the e-collar stage. They should know their commands and respond to them reliably with or without food. The training manual also recommends you don't use the e-collar straightaway, but i'm impatient and used it the same day I received it (and also, my dog is already trained, and he knows what leash corrections are...use them all the time). I put the collar on him for a few short games of fetch and walks just so he could associate it with good things, and then I just left it on inside so he'd get used to it. Then, I used it once for a training/play session outside in conjunction with a clicker and a tennis ball. My dog has a penchant for not dropping the ball when I tell him to even though I know he knows exactly what "drop it" means. I used the static stimulation to correct this two times outside and once inside. My method was kind inspired by the manual. I'd give the command "drop it." If he did it, I'd click, verbally praise, and throw the ball. If he didn't, I would say "No" sternly and then "drop it." If he still didn't do as told, I would say "No" again while giving a nick, so he would associate the feeling with disapproval. The reason why I gave him the first no before the stimulation is because I want him to realize something bad will happen if he doesn't listen to my first "no." I don't want to have to shock him all the time. The first time I used it outside, I went through the vibration, 1, 2, up to 3 before he responded with a kind of shocked jump. He wasn't really phased and I made sure to give him lots of praise and keep my attitude positive. The second time, I bumped down to level 2 and he responded to that right away. However, inside, I had to go through vibration, 1, 2, 3, and 4 before he responded with a shocked yelp. I immediately felt terrible about it and ensured he was okay. He was okay; he wasn't hurt or anything, and his tail wasn't even between his legs, so I'm assuming it just startled him a little. I'm assuming the weird variance between levels is because he has long fur and i was using the short prongs. I switched the collar to the long prongs, so I hope that will help. I don't have the impression he was fearful of me/the collar. While we were playing he was very happy, tail wagging, and excited to retrieve the ball. This may be me just being hopeful, but after one day of having this collar I feel he's acting better already. While we were outside, a neighbor arrived home and my dog didn't act in his usual manner (barking, trying to get to neighbor, etc.). I noticed as the neighbor pulled in, my dog gave his attention to that, so I commanded him to sit and stay...and he did without a correction, bless. I could even wave and say hello to my neighbor. Usually I'm too busy holding back my lunging dog and apologizing to do that. I'm hopeful about this e-collar and can't wait to see how my dog's training progresses. I'll likely update the review after I've had more experience with it, but I just wanted to share my initial thoughts. OVERALL, the 825X is for you especially if you want your dog to have the freedom of off-leash play and exploration. :)

I have highly recommended this product to many dozens of friends and strangers. People often are amazed how calm and controlled my dog is even though she's still pretty young. I started using the collar when my dog was 9 months of age and It immediately transformed my family's relationship with our naturally willful dog. She's obedient, friendly, happy, and fully controlled when needed. For me the collar works perfectly for reinforcing commands she already knows. We use treats to train a new command, but with important commands the collar works wonderfully to "remind" her to obey should she be distracted or disobedient. I found that the level 2 shock was plenty and I mostly just use the vibrate mode. The collar has made my dog completely voice controlled most of the time, but the collar is helpful upon occasions when she needs a little reminder. The transmitter broke after 8 months (function knob fell off and it stopped taking a charge, when I opened it up there is a burned/melted component on the circuit board). Amazon only offered 6 months support, but when I called the manufacturer directly, I found out that they support the full 2 year manufacturer's warranty themselves anyway if you buy it from a partner reseller (like Amazon Llc.). So I'm now waiting for a replacement transmitter in the mail. Support staff was very friendly and helpful (thank you Rebecca!) and I will continue to recommend SportDog to any dog owner with a willful dog that needs some periodic reminder help with hearing and obeying commands. If you are considering an electronic collar, don't be afraid of them. I used it on myself before using it on my dog and it's just as if your cell phone is vibrating or someone's grabbed you by the neck. I've had obedient dogs with and without collars before and I find that some dogs are just more willful than others and the collars can help. Whether it is good or harmful depends upon how you use it. I use it only for commands that my dog already knows (e.g. "come", "stay" and "leave it") and she can be confronted by deer, cats, horses, etc. and be controlled as needed. My ability to control her has probably saved her life and has certainly saved a lot of grief and trouble for myself and others over the past 9 months. I would probably use one as earlier next time I have a super willful dog. The collar allows me to give her a lot more freedom and responsibility without increasing risks to her or other people or animals. So far my willful dog responds super well to freedom and responsibility and other people often have no idea how willful she can be since she just seems happy and easy-going most of the time.

I was worried about this being a dial remote, given that either it would shift in your pocket, or you won't have quick control over level settings, as is my experience with other remotes. I was wrong to be worried :) The dial is stiff - it takes an intentional action to change the set level. And with the included belt clip, I never have to put it in my pocket anyway - I just slip the lanyard through a belt loop and make a slip knot, then put the clip on my belt or hooked on a front pocket. If it gets knocked off my belt from movement, the lanyard keeps it from hitting anything other than my thigh. The 3 different intensity buttons eliminate the need for me to need to change levels at all. I found the level for my dog that startles her without causing stress, for basic corrections. If she disregards it consistently, the middle level makes her flinch and cuts out most issues. For those moments of high-drive adrenaline, the third level will make her yelp a little but snaps her out of the hyper-focused mode. I have a stubborn GSD who was deathly ill as a puppy and not allowed any sort of stimulation, so she is hyper reactive and has issues modulating her energy. It's not anyone's fault, it's just how her life has gone sadly. (And no, she's not dangerous, ftr. Imagine having no filters when you're excited, and without a physical interruption, no ability to stop the adrenaline response. All the jumping/lunging, barking, twirling, etc. Get within a 5 foot radius and it's like a 3 month old puppy who wants to be best friends, but in a 75lb GSD package.) 5 is our level. I've tried 3 other collars, and this is the only one where I've found a //reliable// level that isn't constantly guess work and dial adjusting. The corrections are consistent. No really - consistency. It's eliminated SO much stress on my part, knowing that the collar is going to deliver the same charge and same response from my dog. She has also swam with it with no issues. And there has been no inconsistencies in correction over distance, not that she's ever out of my sight personally. But across a football field I know I can still use it for recall if necessary without it just not working. I've used the Dogtra 200C for years, but found that the charges were inconsistent and it did not perform reliably over distance. I tried the Educator briefly and it simply did not work for my dog. I am genuinely happy and confident with this collar. The battery life is better than I expected. I turn it off over night and we can go about 3 days without having to worry about it. I didn't realize when I bought it that it comes with the prongs for a long-hair dog, and bought a set of prongs along side it. Just a note for anyone else about to make the same mistake! xD The single complaint I have is that the charger on the collar is a pain. If the connector is not JUST RIGHT it will not charge.

I love the quality, quick response, clarity and ease of these. Dogs learn in 1 of 2 - 10 minute sessions how these work and recall come, sit, stay, heel on a loose leash and start off leash work on session 3. It’s an incredible system and instructions are the clearest I’ve seen. I’ve used Dogtras and most of the other high end K9 systems, had the older version of this which after 4 years or so eventually died and was my favorite for multi dog training. I cheaped out since my dogs were broke and bought 4 other cheaper systems that only last a few months to a year each when my old system finally gave up the ghost. I also have Petspys much cheaper 3 dog e collar set, which is ok - of the cheap ones I’ve worked it has lasted almost 2 years albeit batteries need constant charging but it’s delayed response in an emergency or mid deer chase you need instant responses.Particularly with th young dogs. It worked ok on my already broke adult dogs but for starting young dogs you need a system that responds immediately. So I bit the bullet and purchased this again. I work 3 dogs at once. Usually on horseback or hiking in deep forest. This newer version I don’t care for quite as much as the old one despite it being the (imho after working with many systems) the best available. The controller is programmed by pushing the tiniest button in center of the the back like an iPhone SIM card opener with a paper clip or tooth of the buckle of dog leash while remembering which program you’ve chosen. None of the 3 dog options allow for tone, vibrate and shock. Then you have to remember which collar is which button ( side, center or right). Usually at a stressful time when said dog is running at full tilt after a critter. Whatever the dial is set at tone or shock level is the same for every dog unless in the midst of said deer chase you think to adjust level for different dogs- highly unlikely. The old controller was much better bc you flipped a toggle to dog collar 1.2 or 3 and the 3 buttons were always tone, vibrate or shock so you just had to remember which # dog was. Which is setting 1 on this controller but only for 1 dog since there’s no toggle switch to switch collars. Frustrating. Buttons on old style were always the same response. So when I train a young dog I use setting 1, when it’s 3 dogs I use setting 3. But buttons do different things! Plus you better have a paper clip to change it! ( see photos) The old system had no trying to remember which button correlates to the dog which I forget sometimes and correct wrong dog- the cardinal sin. And buttons were always the same response. So overall for 1 dog it’s absolutely fantastic. And it’s great for 3- just confusing for handler trying to remember current settings brin function and correcting the right dog AND no option to tone vibrate or zap unless manually adjusted. Multi dogs it is the best collar system out there of the ten or so types I’ve used due to the lightning fast corrections and durability. BUT the controller is too easy to screw up correcting the wrong dog since you naturally go for either button on the front. And can only tone or zap. They’re waterproof, fit great, last years, hold a charge for days, include everything you need and fantastic clear instructions. Negatives I’d like to see changes: are the ease of mistake correcting wrong dog trying to remember which button that dog is rather than which #. Toggle switch for collar 1,23. Buttons should be tone, vibrate and shock. The color of the controller, if you drop it or lanyard breaks it’s really hard to locate in the woods. How about a bright color? When ordering additional collar- colors can’t be chosen!? Black comes with it, both other collars are orange. Not very helpful trying to remember if the dog and collar are side, center or right when they need beeped. Also the additional collars are a slightly deeper beep than the 1 that comes with controller.

UPDATE: I’ve now been using this for about a year and six months, and it is still effective and going strong. The battery lasts about two days. Original review: One thing to note first, I discovered that when you set the notch setting in between two numbers, it gives you a beep sound instead of a shock which is nice when you don’t want to use shock mode. I’m sure I missed that in the instructions, but it’s one thing to note if you’re like me and happen to miss that in the instructions too.😅 My Doberman is 9 months old now, and I’ve been using this collar for 2 months. It took him a while to respond to it which is expected. I started using it primarily for walks. When he would see people or other dogs, he would get overly excited and jump up as if he was lunging in their direction. With this collar, I press the button when I anticipate him about to jump, and he has now stopped doing that. I give him a treat afterwards. He is great at walking now. Sees people and other dogs and doesn’t jump. He just looks at them, even when a dog starts barking at him. He was never a leash puller because I use a prong collar for that. Another thing I use this collar for is for the “drop it” command. Whenever I would try grabbing something from his mouth or ask him to drop something, it was like playing tug-o-war every time. I use a very low setting for this, and it is effective. The last thing I started using this collar for is when he was not responding to “come here” after multiple times of calling him. I would call him twice, and if he didn’t come, I would use a low setting and shock him, then a notch higher if no response. He eventually got the memo and now responds to “come here” without the need for a shock. If you’re consistent and use it correctly for training and not punishment, it is effective. It is helpful to praise them or give them a treat when they respond positively to it.

A great product. The directions were complicated for a 70 yr old non-technical man, so I immediately called their 1-800 service number. It rang two times and a kind woman answered and asked me what model collar I had ordered. She went thru it step by step, patiently waiting as I made errors. She never grew tense with me or sounded curt, she continued to help me for almost 25 minutes as I worked to get my two collars beeping together when I pushed the button on the remote. Then she went on to help me program them so that the tender shock setting would work and she was polite for the entire time. I can't emphasize what a great company this is and what wonderful customer service they offer. A great product, a great value for the money I highly recommend the seller AND the Sportdog company. Don't hesitate.

Had the old version and worked amazing. This one is cheaper quality but most importantly does not hold a charge at all!

My dog and I work on a farm. She has amazing recall and listens pretty well. However, I keep this collar on her just in case of the 0.1% of time she decides to ignore me. It can be dangerous for her to not listen when there are horses around. It works great thanks to the long distance. I have it set to the vibration mode, which is just enough to grab her attention. She is a golden retriever so she is quite sensitive and doesn't normally need anything more than that. It also holds up amazing at the farm. It is totally water proof and stays really clean and stink free. I just wipe it down with a wet rag and it looks brand new. I normally get around four or five days per charge, but I do tend to forget to turn it off at night when I take it off. So I probably would get a longer charge of I remembered to turn it off. The farm is a bit over thirty acres and I can grab her attention from across the property.

Works awesome. Trained our dog on this, makes taking her on trips in the mountains and around the farm a breeze now. Awesome range and can change the functions that suit you and your dog best. Had this for almost a year and still works awesome.

We spent a fair bit of money on our German shepherd to get him professionally trained including the use of an e-collar. Our trainer is responsible for training police force dogs where we are from and this brand was recommended by him. To continue our training we bought this e-collar and it works very well and is waterproof which is great because we take our dog to the beach and river to swim. I highly recommend this product. It was well worth it and will allow us to maintain his training.

Great product, note this comes with an American charge adapter for people buying outside of the US

Sportdog makes good collars and this one is well priced. Simple to use and dogs respond well to them as long as they are properly collar conditioned. Waterproof, durable, well made.

Works well, good instructions