Is a GPS Collar in Your Future?

Headline: Commuter Rail Plows into Car; Driver Blames GPS Directions

Cover Photo By: RM Photography

Since the turn of the century, electronic devices have greatly advanced, as have their use. What was once handy for some, has become total dependance for many. I rest firmly in the “handy” camp, (That may not have come out as I had intended?).

Anyway, I do intend to continue to consider these little electronic miracles as just another tool, not a solve-all apparatus. Certainly as long as these directional apps with odd names continue taking vehicles down closed roads or non-existent bridges! And, don’t kid yourself, vehicles that drive themselves will never make anyone a better driver!

You see, the same holds true for gadgets stuck on upland dogs and the gadget-dependent folks that put them there. Incredible Global Positioning System (GPS) tracking devices that tell the hunter not only direction and distance to his dog but whether it’s moving or stationary. Some that the user can use as e-collars for training, text, or send an SOS; all while tracking multiple dogs! Even apps for a cellphone! The ability to find their dog at incredible ranges, builds confidence and may relax the hunter’s mind.

Yeah, but does it make you a better handler and are there potential down-sides?

I’ve read some fascinating articles and books written by authors that run up to six or seven bird dogs - out to ranges well-beyond a quarter-mile. Buttons, screens, and a myriad of options; folks, that’s not an intimate outing with your canine companion, that’s a video game!

Locked on point in thick cover, dogs can be “lost” at relatively close range. If the hunter’s preference is toward a wide-ranging (hundreds of yards) dog, a tracking collar might be advised.

“Hound hunters do that all the time!” you say? Yes, but hounds generally hunt in mutual support, as packs. Even then, hounds are often badly mauled by the prey they pursue. In parts of the west, wolves have been known to kill entire packs of hounds in defense of their perceived territory. Indeed, a lot can go wrong in the outdoors and, if something happens, the distances the technology allows takes a long time to cover when rushing to the aid of dogs in trouble – and that’s if it was known that there was trouble! A lone dog only increases the risk.

Over several decades, in addition to coyotes, I’ve had dogs run across cougars and bobcats; charged by elk - chased by bear and badger - but was always generally close enough to be of some assistance. There are other dangers such as traps and snares - even had one dog slip into an abandoned well - that require an immediate response.

Possessing this background knowledge, as well as a different dog-handling philosophy, will prevent as many hazards, perhaps more, than a GPS tracking unit. Consider, these gadgets provide real-time information, prevention isn’t what they were designed for. The original intention was to track the whereabouts of searching upland bird dogs in thick cover or broken terrain. As is often the case, limits began to get tested as the true nature of (upland) dog-work was pushed into the background.

Before the added confidence that GPS collars offered, handlers kept visually and mentally aware of their dog and its range. Keeping the dog within sight, whistle, or shouting distance also tends to keep wary wildlife at bay. Certainly, if your dog roams out to the distant horizon, and in thick cover, these gadgets may prevent its loss. My question is, “Why haven’t they learned to work with and keep track of you appropriately”? Checking in and hunting for the human counterpart are dog training and hunting techniques used by skilled trainer/handlers for hundreds of years.

Yeah, I still prefer a bell on my dog in thick cover.

There is a powerful bond created while hunting in close tandem with a brilliant canine companion. Besides, for me, watching the dog(s) figure out the mystery of scent or slam into a pretzel-shaped point from a dead-run is far more exciting than tracking a fleet of dogs running out of sight with a hand-held device. For what? To, possibly, shoot a few more birds?

I’m not convinced that that is even the case. Yes, having dogs spread across the county covers more ground but, while hiking hundreds of yards toward the blip on a screen, how often are the birds still around when the hunter finally arrives? As a witness, the hunter would know why the birds ran or flushed wild and, perhaps, where their flight took them.

There are dual-purpose tracker/trainer collars that will eliminate the need for an e-collar. (Photo by: RM Photography)

Of course, GPS devises have their uses and important ones, to be sure. Even the most attentive dogs can get themselves hopelessly separated in various ways. A solo hunter with multiple dogs, being very difficult to keep track of each individual, could benefit greatly from this technology. Heck, a GPS unit on a dog’s collar has even helped track-down a stolen car with the dog inside!

Yet, like the electronic (shock) collar that preceded it, there are also the misuses. Neither technology was meant to replace sound training and hunting practices, they were intended to enhance them. Just one tool in the collection a dog owner/trainer possessed.

Well kids, I am no help here! I have never owned a tracking collar. We are still seeing that complete dependance on technology is a flawed concept and, often, due to the limitations of its user. I must concede that much of the technology at our fingertips today, like my cellphone, baffle me. Therefore, much of my distrust is due to my tech-savvy limitations. Still, you must admit, accidently deleting an email or text has comparatively less tragic consequences.

Whether it is wildlife, traps and snares set by humans, hazardous terrain or thin ice, danger exists and GPS devices will only tell you where it is happening. By allowing your dog to use the entire distance extended by technology you increase the odds that someday, by the time you reach your dog-buddy, you may only have an expensive collar to bring home.

- Enjoy your dog!