Has anyone had the experience of ever using one of these collars? (They spray liquid from the collar using a remote control)

It has been recommended to me to use one of these collars on my Lab who is perfect apart from the fact that he has a dislike of other large male dogs, and I wish to distract him when he is growling at them!

I would buy one of these collars to try out, but they are £160 and I am reluctant to spend such an amount if they are no good?!?

Yes, I've used them on my ESS and have seen them used on other dogs with varying degrees of success - why not see if you can hire or borrow one before you buy? Alternatively, I may know the whereabouts of a second hand one.....

HTH

Fran

Thanks Fran

Yes please can you let me know about the secondhand one!

Have emailed you Jenna....

I think I have seen mention on here before that they can sometimes be hired from your local dog warden.

I have had one since Christmas and wonder how I got along without it now!
I got it as my dog stopped obeying the Come command and if I did walk him off lead and he saw anyone walking in the distance he would charge off to make friends. This stopped our walks being fun as he was kept on a flexi lead. With the Masterplus, in no more than 3 sessions he comes immediately and I am completely relaxed on our walks now. Last week he was set on by another dog and started to respond, but one 'zap' stopped him and sent the other one racing off to its owner. And just in case you are worrying, my dog is not frightened by the device, but the spray stops him in his tracks and he turns to me for support. If anything, I have noticed the bond between us is improved.
Hope this is of some help in making your decision.

Jean

I have 3 year old rescue GSD 'tail chaser'. I have owned him for two years and tried almost everything to stop him chasing his tail. The spray collar is the only thing that has worked so far. I have also used it on my 18 month old (also a rescue GSD) as she had a tendency to want to play with every dog she saw as a dot on the landscape. She no longer runs off. I have a dog trainer friend who has started using it for aggression through to chasing. The only disadvantage is that they are expensive and the batteries in the collar don't seem to last very long. That said, it was the best £165 I've spent!

Thank you for your comments everyone, I am even more tempted to get one! If any of you know of any second hand collars for sale please let me know!

Hmmmm! An evil plan is forming in my mind! Hugo would look good in one of these collars I feel...

I would be careful. We tried a spray collar on our lab that was for barking. At first, it worked wonderfully. But after around two months, it just made him beserk and we took it off. He would not only bark with it on, but when it sprayed him he would get very agitated and bark more and more, even though it sprayed him more. I have heard good things, but it did not work well for us at all after the beginning.

I feel the MasterPlus can be excellent in some situations, but it should be noted that some sensitive dogs can be very scared by it and others may be totally oblivious (like my friend's Flattie).

It is best used with some sort of "programme" in mind and not willy nilly, and also the dog should if at all possible be given a chance to "obey" the owner first. JMO :)

lindsay

Thank you for those last two comments, I'll bare it in mind. I'm not too worried about my dog being worried or scared by it, as he is not a sensitive dog, he is very confident and I think the collar would be good for him.

I had though also thought about the fact that it may work to start with, but I have a feeling that after a while he may get used to it and ignore it. As he is like this with his head collar for example. To begin with it worked great and he was walking fine, but when he got used to it, he was not worried about pulling, although it is still good for me as I still have good control over him!

I do know a dog trainer that has one of these collars and he has offered to lend it to me which I am keen to do, but due to some unfortunate circumstances he has been preoccupied and I do not want to hassle him for it.

I had great success with it in stopping my Bracco jumping up on the worktops and stealing food.I would highly reccomend it for certain unwanted behaviours.I hired from champion pet supplies and then bought.
Diane

Hi Jenna

Have just sent you a message about a collar that I've seen on eBay along with the link. Let me know how you get on.

Jill

Just so you know, our dog is far from sensitive. Not that I don't think those collars work well for others, but definitely think about it, and be prepared to watch their reactions.

I had mixed results. One dog (bitch) was instantly cowed by it - she lost all her playfulness when we walk, and although I stopped using it after a couple of weeks, even a few months later she is enormously subdued. The male hardly noticed it - he has an enormous ruff and thick fur all over (more so than the bitch) and only after about three quick squirts close together does it work on him. With him, there's also almost no learning effect beyond that day.