MY EXPERIENCE
I have an adorable Pomeranian that I promised when I talked my husband into letting me have her two years ago, that she wouldn’t become a “yappy little dog”. Unfortunately, somewhere around her first birthday she turned into Yapzilla overnight. I’m not sure why or what changed, but no amount of training and positive reinforcement worked. In desperation, I started researching alternative training methods. In my research, I looked at citrus collars, shock collars, and this hand-held transmitter. All of the other solutions required a collar receiver and with a 6-pound pup, a collar transmitter seemed unreasonable. I figured for $39.99 this transmitter was worth a try.

THE TRANSMITTER
Because it requires no receiver, and has a 30-foot range, it seemed like a perfect solution. It’s also lightweight (13.6 oz) and small, measuring only 5.5” X 1.25” smaller than most TV remote controls, I figured it’d be convenient. Powered by one 9-volt battery it’s good for more than 5,000 activations before it needs a new battery. It has two buttons, one marked “N” for Negative and one marked “P” for Positive. It also has a led light so you know when a button is being activated – this is your only clue since us human’s can’t hear the sound.

WHAT IT DOES
It emits a high-decibel, ultrasonic sound that’s only audible to pets. Since there’s no receiver, you must be within sight and no more than the 30-ft range and any other pets within the range will also be affected. This is best used when only one pet is in the room. My poor Pom is highly susceptible to it and now recognizes it (thanks to my husband who DIDN'T read the instructions), and anything that’s even shaped like it, so if she sees the channel changer in my bedroom she starts to shake. To correct your pet’s behavior press the “N” button for 3 seconds or less. Never longer. The instructions also say not to say anything or to allow the pet to see the box. They’re not supposed to equate the sound with the box but the action with the sound. When they stop the action press the “P” for 2 seconds, again, without them seeing you. Unfortunately, the “P” button freaked my Pom out just as much so we stopped that very early on.

DOES IT WORK?
Absolutely! It has worked on every foster dog we’ve had under 20-25 pounds, just like the manufacturer recommends. It does not work on our 40 pound Brittany – he just ignores it. We’re using it now on our 4-1/2 pound recently adopted foster dog, Missy and unfortunately we’ve not been careful about being sure our Pom has been out of the room so now when Missy barks, our Pom shakes because she thinks she’s in trouble!

I do worry about it hurting them. My Pom does visibly shake and will come running to me. She doesn't cry or show other signs of distress, but I do make sure she is comforted and we use is sparingly. We also adhere strictly to the 3 second rule. We most often use it for barking as that is our biggest issue, but only after verbal commands have been ignored.

We’ve had ours for over two years now and it’s been trouble free. We’re on the original battery (you’ll need to supply your own, the 9-volt is not included), and we’re very happy with our decision to go with this version. It’s not a replacement for training but it does work when you need to get their attention quickly or when traditional positive reinforcement isn’t working and you need them to behave in public.

WHAT IT COMES WITH
Some vendors bundle it with a free easy-to-follow training video valued at $19.95, also teaches you Basic Obedience Training: the "Sit", "Stay", "Come", "Heel", "Down" and "Break" commands. Mine wasn't packaged with the video so I can't tell you if it was worthwhile.

WHO IT’S FOR
Most effective on pets weighing less than 25 lbs. Product not recommended for use on dogs under 6 months of age. Ideal for correcting: barking, chewing, jumping up, digging, and much more

DETAILS
Lifetime Warranty


Recommended: Yes