GPS Dog Tracking Devices / Gun Dog Whistles

Vegan.Hiker

Vegan.Hiker

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Jul 5, 2014
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I'd like to get the thoughts of the others on here that hike with their dogs. I know that every dog is unique. My dog Joey could never be trusted to hike off-leash but my dog Lucy is great off-leash. The one thing that I'm still working on with her though, is that her prey drive occasionally kicks in and she'll bolt off trail after a squirrel or chipmunk. After about 20 seconds of chase, when she sees that I kept walking and hears me calling her, she bolts up the trail full speed to catch up to me. This never really concerned me much, but then I had a scary thought on my last trip... what if she accidentally bolted up the trail in the wrong direction. She'd probably get nervous and keep running in search of me, getting further separated. I think there's only a remote chance of this happening, but it's a possibility that I'd like to eliminate.

So I started training her last week to develop her recall to a gun dog whistle. I picked up a Fox 40 whistle that supposedly can carry up to a mile (although I'm sure the range is much less in dense woods). I think with a few weeks of solid training I won't have to worry about the possibility of us getting separated in the woods.

But last night, I started looking into dog tracking devices. The two most popular models seem to be the AKC Link and the Whistle 3. However, both of these require cell service to work, so are unusable in the backcountry imo, since I rarely get reliable service while backpacking. They also both require monthly subscriptions. I started searching for one that wasn't reliant on cell service, similar to how Gaia works in airplane mode. I was only able to find one. It also doesn't require a monthly subscription which is nice as well. It's called Findster Duo+. I really think that the gun dog whistle training is going to be the best solution for me since I like the simplicity and don't want to worry about another device and app to deal with on the trail, but I wanted to see if anyone here has any experience with any of these devices or with gun dog whistle training.

Here's a video about Findster...
 
In my neck of the woods, the squirrel hunters use the Garmin Alpha 100 to track their dogs. One unit can track up to 15 dogs, each dog having a collar. All dogs show up on the GPS. A good friend that I ride with often swears by his unit. I've seen it in use and it is impressive. Good luck.
 
For Tracking the dog after it runs off ? Sorry, don't really consider that under voice control.... I hate a dog running up to me when out backpacking
 
Well, Bob, squirrel hunting requires that the dogs be free to chase squirrels! That being the case, if you’re not wanting to lose a dog it’s best to have a tracking device on them and a monitoring device. The Aloha 100 also incorporates an e-collar and can send a pulse to each dog individually to train them to come back or not chase untargeted game.
 
Didn't say anything about hunting......unrukey loose dogs backpacking.....two different things
 
Bob, I guess I thought the parallel between having a dog run off while hiking and needing to monitor a dog that was loose on purpose while hunting would be easier to follow! LOL!

The point of both being this: you have a dog no longer directly in your line of sight and you need to know where it is and to get it back to you.

Now, I used the squirrel hunting story because that is a situation where loose dogs are not only common, but mandatory. Surely, a tracking device designed for and approved by those hunters would also work just fine for the hiker who frets about their dog running off! Still with me, Bob?

You seem to be intent on opining on how much you detest loose dogs while hiking. Hey, it's great to nave an opinion, even if it's not on topic.
 
Thought is was dogs not trusted off leash while hiking..... Whatever
 
Having a dog is very difficult so I really agree with the idea of GPS dog tracking devices because many cases can happen and it would save the situation. I haven't bought anything like this for my dog yet, but I will soon. Now I have more serious problems with him because I went to the vet and he said that some things have to be solved with his health. He recommended me some supplements and dog dental water additives and on the same day, I ordered from https://thepetsmaster.com/best-water-additive-for-dogs-teeth/ everything I needed. I hope he is well as soon as possible because I do not want to see him suffer.
 
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