What do you do on a rainy day? I don’t mean a sprinkle here or there. I mean what do you do when a system moves in a wont let up? I am fortunate enough to use that time to reflect, ponder, and charge up all of the e-collars kicking around my tack room and hunting truck. I am the worst at remembering to charge those dang things. Ideally, I’d come in from every hunt or training session and plug them right in for the next time I need them– which at this time of year is quite often. So while the rain falls and I have e-collars on the mind, I’ll share my love-hate relationship with the Garmin Pro 550 Plus.
I’d like to start this review by saying that “What e-collar should I buy?” is probably the most often asked question I see, followed by what food should I feed my dog. They are super useful gadgets. Hunting is hard without them. Guiding can be even tougher without them, but I’d like to say from the get go: Please learn how e-collars work in the training process. They are not remote controls for your dog. Even GPS collars are just an aid. There is no substitute for good fundamentals and situational awareness in the field– more on this later.
Growing up, my dad used Tri-Tronics collars. In our circles they were considered the best you could buy. Garmin acquired Tri-Tronics in 2011. I can’t say things got better. Firstly, Tri-Tronics could be repaired. There were whole businesses based around servicing the collars (which take the most abuse by far). From all accounts, the customer service was good too. The collars worked and the form factor was– I mean it was. For better or worse Garmin acquired the company and has removed most Tri-Tronics branding from the e-collar line-up. That’s old news, but if you didn’t know, now you do.
I started guiding with the Pro 550. It has a lot of stuff I really like, and I have no complaints about the handheld. Firstly, Pro is right there in the name. Need I say more! All kidding aside, the Pro 550 is a Tri-Tronics hold-over. You get tone on a dedicated button. You get an ergonomic enough dial to adjust the stimulation from Vibrate to 7. The handheld supports 3 collars that are adjusted by the tiniest switch Garmin could find in the parts bin. Momentary, Accessory, and Continuous modes are also found on an identical tiny switch located close to the other tiny switch. Then you get two unlabeled black buttons. The top one gives normal stimulation (1-7). The bottom button gives you 2x the level. I haven’t put this on a voltmeter or anything so I am not sure it gives twice the power output, but it doubles the scaled number. That may seem like a weird set up, but for particular training methods it is right on point. George Hickox uses a “jump” method to stimulation which gives a cue at low level and then jumps the stim up if a correction is needed– I digress. The point is this layout makes sense for trainers and handlers. If you grew up around Tri-Tronics the form factor will be very familiar.
I like the layout. I really do, but here are some issues that I have. Firstly, the tiny switches. They work. Once you use it a while, you stop noticing. However, it never fails that at a crucial moment, I will send a correction. The dog will not react. I’ll turn up the stim– no reaction. Eventually the dog comes trotting up with the light on his collar turned on; looking like a strobe through the wiregrass. It is at this moment that I curse the “accessory” mode being between the “momentary” and “continuous” modes on that tiny switch. Beside being heavier than other training handhelds in the Garmin line up, the accessory position is my only gripe.
But this article is about the Pro 550 Plus,
and we shall get to that. The reason I included all of the Pro 550 stuff should be obvious. The “Plus” adds another little antenna for GPS and a small 2.6in screen. The 550 with a PT10 collar is about $400. The Plus version with a TT15X GPS collar is around $750. That’s enough to consider if you need the GPS. The PT10 collars have a built in light and bark limiter function. They are a great size for training smaller and younger dogs as well as being tough as nails–until they aren’t.
The Pro 550 Plus does give you GPS. That’s the whole deal. For $350 you get a direction and distance read out to that big honking TT15x collar. You can get the TT15 mini (which I’d recommend for most people–especially smaller breeds and young dog owners). I personally find the GPS super useful for public land hunting. The cover is usually much thicker, and at times, I can’t tell if my dog is over a ridge or on point 15 yds from me. GPS has taken some of the guesswork out of it, but it is not flawless. Nearly all of the users I know of the Garmins, talk about not being able to trust the direction read out. The range seems accurate enough, especially on pointed or otherwise stationary dogs. Dogs move faster than the GPS scans so distance is relative. The direction read out is my main issue. At times it can seem 10 degrees off. At 50 yards that’s not a huge problem, but at 200 yards in thick cover it can become an increasingly irritating problem. At other times the arrow seems drunk, pointing completely opposite of the dog’s direction. There are ways to calibrate and wave it around to the GPS gods, but most of the time you just have to make due.
That is my main gripe. The point of GPS is accurately knowing where your dog is. If the system is not reliable, then it can make you question your investment. There are some minor quibbles, like the amount of time it takes to find the GPS or recognize the collar. Sometimes it is really fast; other times it seems like days. There is also the fact you have to turn the handheld on and off. Coming from the Pro 550 which is always “on” or doesn’t use power until you transmit, it’s a new habit to learn. I’ve started several hunts with a dead handheld because I forgot to turn it off.
So what do I like? Simplicity. The Pro 550 Plus is dead simple. There is nothing to “fiddle with.” Nothing chaps me so bad as folks that would rather stand around fiddling with new gadgets than actually get to the hunting or fishing. I’m a gadget guy. I get it, but I hate wasting time in the field fiddling. I also have the Garmin Fenix 6 Sapphire to pair to my Pro 550 Plus. The system works perfectly without fiddling. If the handheld and collars are on it’s just a quick press on the watch to now watch your dogs via the watch. That means I can tuck the big handheld in a vest pocket and just get the GPS info by checking my watch. Outside of guiding or training, I fall towards very little dog handling. I just let them hunt. So I like that.
So would I recommend this set up?
It depends. I don’t think any of the GPS set ups make good training set ups. Firstly, it’s just overkill for a quick yard work session. The TT15 collars are too big for small pups. The Mini’s aren’t much better. The PT10 is really nice for training. Although Garmin markets the Pro 550 Plus as “track and train” it is more like “track and handle.” For yard work and hunting in open cover I’d highly recommend the Garmin Sport PRO bundle (around $300). It handles three PT6 or PT10 collars. It is light and ergonomic. For training and basic hunting I can’t recommend it enough. With the release of the Garmin Alpha 10, it would be hard to justify spending $100 more for the 550 Plus. The Alpha 10 tracks more dogs and provides more info in a smaller form factor. I haven’t personally used it, but for someone who doesn’t have to do a lot of handling– like guides– I feel like it’s a better setup. Then there is the Alpha 100i and 200i. They represent a major jump in price, but provide much more information. I have to use OnX in addition to my collars to get close to what the 200i gives out, but I’m ok with that. I am not a fan of the phone based systems. I have friends who love them, but then you are relying on your phone battery. I typically bury my phone in my pocket while I hunt.
Finally, I think the Pro 550 Plus is a good set up. It feels familiar to me and has minimal fidget factor. It’s just enough technology with enough of the dog handling features that I like. At the end of the day you probably need a non-GPS set up and a GPS set up. Get the non-GPS set up first and learn to watch and keep up with your dog. Practice situational awareness. Train your dog to handle off voice or whistle. The e-collar is no substitute. When you get to the point that you and your dog are pushing the limits, then make the investment. If you like simple, go with the Pro 550 Plus or the Alpha 10i. If you find you will be giving your dog lots of collar input, you may want to consider the 550 plus over the Alpha 10i. If you are independently wealthy and have money to throw away– get them all. Send me an Alpha 200i while you’re at it.