If you have a stubborn dog that gets aggressive around people, you know it can be a difficult behavior to control. Many herding dogs like the Border Collie and German Shepherd are especially prone to this type of behavior, and if you are an inexperienced owner or can’t afford a professional trainer, a collar can be your only effective tool. However, with so many different brands available, finding one that works well can be challenging.

We’ve decided to review several brands of our top training collars for stubborn dogs so you can see the differences between them. We’ll give you the pros and cons of each one, and we’ve even provided you with a short buyer’s guide to help you know what to look for if you continue to shop to help you make an informed purchase.

A Quick Comparison of Our Favorites in 2024

The 7 Best Training Collars for Stubborn Dogs

1. SportDOG WetlandHunter Remote – Best Overall

The SportDOG WetlandHunter 425X Remote Training Dog Collar is our best overall training collar for stubborn dogs. It has a long 500-foot range so you can control your dog while you’re on the trail, and you are ready for any accidents. It is waterproof to 25 feet, so it’s perfect for dogs who like to get into the river or lake. It has 21 levels of stimulation, so you can use the smallest jolt necessary, and you can also switch to vibration and tone options if your pet is a quick learner.

We liked reviewing the SportDOG WetlandHunter 425X, and we’re fond of the camo finish. The only problem we had with it is that it was quite expensive, especially if you haven’t used one of these tools before and aren’t sure if it will work for exactly what you need.

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2. PetSafe Smart Dog Training Collar – Best Value

The PetSafe Smart Dog Training Collar is our pick as the best training collar for stubborn dogs for the money. It has a long 75-yard range and comes with a rechargeable battery, so it’s always ready to go. It works well for training your dog, and you can control the color using your smartphone as it is compatible with both the iPhone and the Android operating systems.

The downside to the PetSafe Smart Dog Training Collar is that even though most people do, not everyone has a smartphone. We also found the Bluetooth signal weak, and it didn’t always effectively control the collar because you frequently have to unlock your phone before you can make any adjustments.

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3. SportHunter 825X – Premium Choice

The SportHunter 825X is our premium choice training collar for stubborn dogs. It features 21 levels of stimulation, so you can find the minimum shock required to correct your dog’s behavior. It has an extended range of ½ mile, so you don’t need to keep the dog nearby. You can also switch to vibration or tone once your dog starts to understand what the collar is telling it. It’s waterproof to 25 feet deep, so you don’t need to worry about your dog jumping into the water, and the batteries are rechargeable, so it is always ready to go.

We enjoyed using the SportHunter 825X and found it quite effective. Besides the high cost, the only downside we can mention is that there is no automatic shut-off, which is a feature some other brands offer that shuts the color off if the dog continues to bark to reduce stress and prevent injury.

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4. Educator By E-Collar Technologies

The Educator By E-Collar Technologies is a fantastic training collar for stubborn dogs. It uses a smaller, more discrete design to help make it easier to put on and take off. Both the transmitter and receiver are waterproof, and it has a half-mile range, so you can train your dog from a considerable distance away. It has 100 selectable stimulus levels so you can find something that trains without harming and video instructions make sure you understand all of the features and how to use it correctly.

The downside to the Educator is that it’s extremely expensive and might be out of some new pet owners’ budget. Though we didn’t have any problems, we felt that the transmitter was flimsy and would break if dropped.

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5. High Tech Pet Products ET-1 Radio Dog Training Collar

The High Tech Pet Products ET-1 “Express Train” Electronic Radio Dog Training Collar is another electric collar that features an easy-to-use transmitter that allows you to train up to three dogs at once. However, you would need to purchase additional colors to train more than one dog at a time. If your dog is a quick learner, you can switch to positive and negative tones instead of the electric shocks, and we’ve had plenty of success using them

The downside we experienced with the High Tech Pet Products ET-1 was that it didn’t quite have the ½-mile range it claims, and we often found the transmitter working intermittently at much closer ranges. We also found that it kills the battery in just a few hours, so you will need to charge it constantly so it’s ready to go when you need it.

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6. Frisco Waterproof Rechargeable Dog Training Collar

The Frisco Waterproof Rechargeable Dog Training Collar is an electric collar with a huge ¾ of a mile range, meaning you will have control over your dog further than you can see it in many cases. It has 127 stimulation levels, so you don’t overdo it with the shocks, and there’s even a safety mechanism that prevents overstimulation. The LCD screen makes it easier and faster to make adjustments, and complete step-by-step instructions come with it.

Unfortunately, the long range of the Frisco Manger drains the battery quite quickly, so you can only train for short sessions before you need to recharge. Like other models with a range of ½ mile or more, it’s extremely expensive, and in many cases, you can’t even see your dog that far away.

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7. Herm Sprenger Ultra-Plus Training Dog Prong Collar

The Herm Sprenger Ultra-Plus Training Dog Prong Collar is the only steel prong type collar on this list. These time-tested collars are extremely effective and cost very little. It’s a great choice for large dogs and for times when you can’t take any risk that the dog might misbehave. It’s easy to use, and you put it on like any other collar and attach a leash, and it gives the dog a clear signal to stop doing whatever it’s doing when you pull on it.

While it is effective, the Herm Sprenger and other colors like it are easy to misuse, resulting in injury to the dog’s neck if you are not extremely careful.

Buyer’s Guide: Selecting the Best Collar for Stubborn Dogs

Steel Prong vs Electric Shock Collar

Unfortunately, both the steel prong and the can damage your pet, altering its behavior towards you, the collar, and generally, and not always for the better. Therefore, we recommend using these devices as little as possible and only when necessary, to convince your dog to act properly. We recommend starting with the electric shock because many of these devices have several levels to choose from, so you can pick something that isn’t too painful for your pet. These devices are effective and can work from a considerable distance, so your dog will know you’re watching even if it’s not by your side. The steel prong is effective for large dogs that might not be bothered by the electric shock from many brands as they cannot deliver the volts necessary to change their behavior. You attach your leash to a pronged collar, so your dog knows who is in charge, and you can manually adjust how hard you pull on it.

Please use caution when using these collars and speak with your vet for additional insight on the best way to create behavioral change without negatively impacting your dog.

Collar Range

You will see many brands discussing how far the range on their electric collar is. While it would technically be nice to control your dog from miles away, it’s not reasonable to deliver electric shocks to an animal you can’t see. A small increase in the range can lead to a noticeable increase in cost, so we recommend avoiding any brands that promise more than about 1/2 mile of range.

Collar Weatherproofing

As we were looking for brands to review, we noticed that many of them do not provide any waterproofing. If you were a long-time dog owner, you know that many breeds enjoy jumping into the water to take a quick swim. They often find themselves in the rain and get wet quite often, so that color that isn’t waterproof will likely not last very long. We tried to pick only waterproof brands for our reviews but will point out any that aren’t effective.

Conclusion

When choosing your next training collar for a stubborn dog, we highly recommend our pick for the best overall. The SportDOG WetlandHunter 425X Remote Training Dog Collar has a usable 500-foot range, and you can select from 21 levels of stimulation so you can provide just enough shock to change your dog’s behavior. We highly recommend our premium choice if you need something with a little more range. The SportHunter 825X has many of the same features as our top choice but extends the range up to ½ mile.

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Featured Image Credit: sophiecat, Shutterstock