The Best Dog Training Collars Reviewed 

Written by Rick Allen

Using a training collar is a tried and true method of helping your dog to learn basic safety and to avoid problem behaviors such as barking. Unfortunately, there are so many useless training collars out there that the entire product category has a bad reputation. Fortunately, we have done our homework to show that there are some great products out there. If you are looking for the best dog training collar, you’ll absolutely find what you need here. 

Best Dog Training Collars of 2021

Given that all training collars are not created equally, it’s a good idea to know what to look for when you go shopping. Below are five dog barking collars that are not only great for your dog but easy to use effectively. If you are using electric collars for dogs as a dog trainer, these are definitely the best dog training collars with which you can start.

Educator by E-Collar

The primary purpose of getting a dog a training collar is not to punish a dog for its behavior; instead, the goal of the device is to help your dog understand which behaviors are safe and which might end up harming the dog. This philosophy is at the heart of the Education by E-Collar, an excellent device that not only helps most dogs to control their own behavior, but that puts a lot of power in the hands of dog owners to ensure that the device remains both effective and humane for their dogs no matter what their size or their temperament. 

If you take a look at the control portion of this device from afar, you’ll probably be reminded of a child’s toy. The bright color and the big, friendly buttons are actually incredibly useful – they help to ensure that not only can every dog owner understand how to use the controller, but that it’s very hard to make any mistakes while it is being used. This is user-friendliness taken to an extreme level, but it’s also something that can make you feel much more comfortable when using dog collars for barking with your furry friend. 

The actual corrective process is also fairly intuitive. The device uses a quick, blunt corrective measure to alert your dog. It’s certainly a bit of a surprise to your dog, but it’s engineered to ensure that it doesn’t actually cause pain. The quick stimulus is also made to ensure safety, as it does away with any longer pulses that could end up causing harm or irritation. This electronic dog collar really puts the dog first, giving him or her what he or she needs to be corrected while still making sure that the dog won’t suffer. It is, in short, what most caring dog owners really want from this kind of product. 

With a humane approach and a user-friendly design, the Educator is one of the best dog training collars out there. Though it might be a little low on the number of features, its simplicity is a plus for many. If you want a simple training device that you know will keep your dog safe, this is a great collar for you to consider. 

SportDOG Yard Trainer

One of the weirder things about trying to find a training device for dogs is that they tend to have trouble working with dogs who are more stubborn than average. As you can imagine, though, this is exactly the kind of dog that tends to need a little more help in the training department. That’s the best part about the SportDog Yard Trainer – it really feels like it’s meant for those dogs who need the added help that comes from a good shock collar meant to train your dog. 

The way that this particular device is set up is actually fairly simple. The control mechanism looks and feels a lot like a walkie-talkie, so there are no weird grip issues and all of the buttons are set up in a way that makes sense to the average dog owner. This means that you’re not going to spend much time messing around with settings when your dog needs you, which in turn means that you’re going to have fewer problems correcting your dog when he or she needs help. This kind of design really helps to reinforce the lessons that dogs need to know when they need to know them.

The corrective function of the remote dog training collar is also fairly advanced. There are eight different levels of correction, so you can dial in on the level that’s going to be the most effective for your dog. When most people hear that a system is made for headstrong dogs, they immediately start thinking of something that’s cruel or harmful – instead, this system works for that kind of dog by being more precise. This, coupled with a tone-only system that can warn dogs, really goes a long way towards ensuring that the system is very humane. 

Taken as a whole, this unit is a really great tool for those pet parents who want to help curb bad behaviors but who want to do so with a minimum impact on their dog’s mood or health. It’s a solid piece of remote dog training engineering that can stand up to big dogs and tough dogs without treating them like they’ve done something wrong – definitely a big improvement over some of the older models that have been on the market. 

PetSafe Big Dog Remote Trainer

When you’re training a dog of any size, it’s important to have options. When you’re working with a medium or large dog, you want to make sure that those options walk a fine line. On one hand, you absolutely want a training collar that is going to be able to get your dog’s attention. On the other, though, you want to make sure that the training collar doesn’t become a tool that’s used as a punishment. Your goal is to help your pet find a way to be his or her best self – and doing that often requires a tool like the Big Dog Remote Trainer. 

The big draw for this collar is definitely the sixteen different levels of stimulation. Having sixteen levels doesn’t mean that the collar goes up significantly higher in terms of the level of correction it gives your dog, but rather than you can fine-tune the collar so that does its job in the most efficient manner possible. This not only helps you to ensure that your dog still feels comfortable wearing the collar, but it allows you to gradually make changes in order to make sure that your dog understands what is going on

The multiple levels are great, but they’d be hard to use if the unit didn’t have an effective controller. The controller here is actually fairly nice, fitting into a user’s hand without any awkwardness and with clearly labeled buttons. It’s got a fairly generous range and it’s simple enough for any user to figure it out within just a few minutes. The ease of use is going to make it much easier for even a brand-new dog owner to figure out how to get the most out of the collar.

In short, this is a good choice for those pet owners who know that their dog’s going to take a little more attention in order to learn proper behaviors. If you’re willing to really work with your dog and use this collar to its full potential, you’ll almost certainly love the results that you get. This is really the ideal choice for those who have gone through more standard collars and who are looking for something that’s going to help them deal with their dogs’ unique behavior issues. 

PetSpy M686 Premium

One of the tougher parts of getting any kind of dog training tool is figuring out how to get it to work with smaller animals. While there are certainly some great training collars out there for medium and big dogs, the little breeds tend to get left out. That’s one of the most impressive parts of the PetSpy M686 – not just that it works, but that it works for dogs as small as ten pounds. Small or not, though, your dog is going to end up getting a lot out of this collar.

The first place to look, as usual, is how this unit is controlled. While the other collars on this list have been very easy to use, this is the one that comes the closest to fool-proof. Not only is the design perfect for keeping in your hand while you’re outside, but it is so clearly labeled that you could figure out how to use the device without ever looking at the instruction manual. The clear labels make it easier than ever to make sure that you respond to your dog quickly and appropriately, helping to reinforce your training without any major delays. 

Of course, the way that the collars work also matters. This collar has four different correction modes, each of which can be modified to ensure that the dog gets the appropriate level of sound, shock, and/or vibration. Again, including the variable settings makes it very easy to ensure that your dog is actually getting the kind of feedback that he or she needs to actually learn from the collar, moving it from an exercise in punishment to one that can actually help your dog to learn. 

This is a fantastic collar for those who want to help train their dogs at a distance or who have smaller pets. It’s also an incredibly durable piece of technology, so it’s great for dogs who love to run and play. If you have an active, smaller dog who needs a little bit of extra help learning the difference between safe and unsafe, this might be the perfect collar for you. With its easy-to-use controls and great design, it’s definitely a contender for the best-in-show award. 

DogCare Shock Dog Training Collar

Every dog is different. Even if you know that you are going to use a training collar with a dog, you have to be aware that any given animal might react differently from his or her peers. That’s why so many modern training collars have extra options and why this collar from DogCare is so popular. Not only does it have three different training modes, but there are close to one hundred different static stimulation levels to choose from in order to give your dog the best training possible. 

The big selling point here is the multiple training modes. While many dog collars immediately go for the shock, this one has three different options from which to choose. For some dogs, having a single loud beep will be enough. Other dogs can be persuaded by the gentle vibration of the collar. Those dogs that do need a bit more of a jolt to stop a behavior don’t get a one-size-fits-all experience, though – the collar can be set to one of ninety-nine different levels, which ensures that a dog gets no more correction than it absolutely needs to stop a behavior. 

The other great thing about this unit is the control mechanism. Like most modern training collars, it is very simple to use and the controls are obvious. Unlike some others, though, it goes a step farther in ensuring that no miscommunications can occur. This unit actually has a security keypad lock to make sure that only authorized individuals can use the corrective functions and that no mistakes will happen during operation. This is a small bit of extra security for your pet, but it’s one that really does matter.

This is an ideal unit both for those who want to try multiple training methods and for those worried about the safety of their dogs. Being able to customize the experience to the dog is great and it makes it easier to move the collar from one dog to the next. If you are looking to train your dog and you want to make sure that you’re using a training method that is really right for him or her, this is definitely the collar that you need to give a try.