When you are training a dog using an electronic dog training collar, you will naturally want to consider range. There are dog training collars specifically made for gun dogs that have a range of up to 2 miles. But you have to understand that these collars only work when the dog is within the line of sight.

When you are training a hunting dog in a wide open field, you have a good line of sight. The line of sight affects the transmission of the frequency to the receiver on the dog's collar. If your dog goes out of the line of sight, the dog training collar will not work. You will not be able to deliver a stimulation to your dog if there is anything blocking the line of sight. This can include trees, bushes or embankments.

For example, if you are training your dog and he takes off down an embankment, he may be out of the line of sight. You can try to deliver stimulation through the transmitter, but it will be affected by the fact that he is not in the line of sight. You should not assume that having a 2 mile range on a dog training collar will enable you to control the dog for a range of 2 miles, especially if you are hunting in woods or areas where there are a lot of obstacles.

There are cheaper dog training collars that have a range of about 250 yards. These will work well with pets and dogs that you are training without being in the field. Once you take a dog into the field, however, you need a longer range on the training collar. A good range for a training collar is about a half a mile. This should work well when you are taking your dog out hunting for the first few times.

When you start training your dog using a training collar, you should train him in an area where there is nothing blocking the line of sight and thus interfering with the stimulation received by the transmitter. In addition to offering stimulation in training, you should also give him commands. This will enable him to associate the commands with the stimulation. Dogs do not have a long attention span so it is necessary to correct any infractions when they happen, not after the fact. If your dog runs off and you scold him when he gets back, your scolding is useless. He has no idea why you are yelling at him or what he did. But stimulation from a training collar will help him associate negative behavior with the stimulation and can help him become a more obedient dog.

It is important for any hunter to realize the effect that line of sight has on any dog collar. Many hunters assume that because the collar has a 2 mile range, he will be able to control the dog for 2 miles. But if you are in the woods or in an area where there are many things standing in between you and your dog, this will greatly affect the range of the stimulation. Count on being able to control your dog for about a half a mile when you are using a training collar on him in the field.