Dogtra Pathfinder

This app and the hardware are very helpful with my dogs. The app itself could use work, the screen blanks out and goes black occasionally. Some features such as the pairing command could be easier to access. Also the latest update moved the map button on the ecollar screen, that’s one of my pet peeves, just when you have the controls under your thumbs, someone changes the app. There is still an indeterminate delay when pairing collars, it can last from a few seconds to fifteen or more minutes for the collars to come “online” this is interesting and I’d bet if you had 20 collars it could get time consuming and frustrating. A collar tone when geo fence is breached would be a most outstanding option. Overall I would recommend the app and the hardware, they are solid, however I feel refinements could be made and this system would be fantastic.

This is a great collar. My wife and I use it in two ways. We live in a country setting with woods and fields. Our lab is let out to use the bathroom but can wander. We don’t worry about where she wanders as we can track her with the maps. I also use it for field and water hunting. When in a marsh or swamp, the collar is difficult to use. A hunter up to his knees in water does not want to risk dropping his smart phone in the water and losing it. Unfortunately, to use the tone or stimulation feature you have to use a smartphone. I recommend the developement of a smart watch application to use the tone and stimulate features. I can keep the phone in my pocket and use the maps if the dog gets too far/lost. Usually, you don’t need this when waterfowl hunting. A smart watch stimulation app would be much quicker and easily accessible while waterfowl/upland hunting.

I’ve had the Pathfinder for around a year, and I have no regrets whatsoever. I hunt in northern WI, and having GPS tracking ability in thick cover like that is invaluable. The equipment is excellent overall. The biggest drawback for me is that there are no hard buttons to use for the collar functions. When it’s cold and I have to wear gloves, I’ll actually run my dog with my old e-collar along with the Pathfinder so I have buttons I can push if needed. This may be impossible to change, but is certainly a downside if you’re considering various collars. I agree that Apple Watch integration would be phenomenal! Most often you just need a direction, distance, and tone/nick options. A quick glance and you’re on your way. Being able to do that instead of unlocking your phone would be a game changer.

Any chance of getting access to the hard keys on a phone for tone and stimulation? Only grumble is having to use the touch screen for those. Love this collar! It is great for keeping track of my dog in the field. The one thing that would make this the absolute perfect app would being able to set and use the volume buttons to run the e collar. While the app is easy to use to pull my phone out and glance at it, it is hard to use for purposes of correcting my dog or using the tone feature or stim while in the field. Being able to set a hard key like volume up for tone and volume down for constant stimulation would be great. I wouldn’t have to take my phone all the way out l, take off my gloves etc to correct my dog. I often don’t have time to do that.

We love our pathfinder and have recommended it to several friends. I joke that it saved my relationship with my Vizsla. We live on 5 acres and often visit hunting property and this collar makes it possible to keep track of her wherever we may go. The only thing that would make it better is an option for automatic tone when she goes outside of the geo fence. Precious time is lost between the notification that she is out, getting the phone out, getting to the e-collar screen and hitting tone especially in the winter months with gloves, etc. Totally understandable that there is not automatic stim but I see no harm in a automatic tone option.