LCS Bird Dog Trainer II

Most of the bird-dog trainers I know are simple guys with simple needs. They want to do the best job they can with the limited time and resources they have. Their goals are not to impress judges or win trials; they simply want their dogs to hunt hard and in control, and when they find birds to point them, hold them and, if the birds are shot, locate and bring them back.
     Guys like this are savvy to the benefits of using electronics in training, but they aren’t interested in pointless bells & whistles or in having to pore over an instruction book to operate a device. It’s for guys like this that Lion Country Supply offers its Bird Dog Trainer II.
    Released last summer, the Bird Dog Trainer II was built on the KISS principle. No newfangled features or complicated directions here. This is an updated version of LCS’s popular trainer/beeper system, and it is a multi-functional unit that allows dog owners to accomplish more in the field with less gear and less effort.
    The transmitter is compact, measuring 6-3/4" long with its new shorter antenna, and it weighs only 3.4 oz with one 12-volt lithium battery. It requires no programming, as four keypad buttons provide Low, Med, Med-High and High stimulation. Beeper-wise, another four buttons offer intervals of Normal (10 seconds running, 1 second beeping when on point), Grouse (5 seconds running, 1 second beeping when on point), Silent (silent running, 1 second beeping when on point) and Off/Call (turning off the beeper with a single press, or held down for continuous beeping as a locator or as a call button). The beeper can be adjusted remotely, and an easy-to-read key explaining the options is on the back.
    An added benefit is that the system is now expandable to two dogs. Simply purchase a second collar and alternate between them via a slide switch on the transmitter’s side. Not only that, but the Bird Dog Trainer II also will operate up to four LCS Universal Bird Launchers or Backing Dog silhouettes. A switch on the back of the transmitter turns off the beeper function and activates the launcher(s) and/or backer(s). What could be simpler?
    Both the transmitter and collar are high-visibility orange, and the system has a range of up to 400 yards. The receiver/beeper is completely waterproof, and the collar unit with 3-volt lithium battery weighs 9.2 oz.
    At press time Lion Country Supply was selling the unit for $199.95 (including batteries, two sets of collar probes for short- and long-haired dogs, a test light, a brief instruction manual, a 30-day money-back guarantee, and a limited lifetime warranty). An extra collar was only $129.95. Should you wish to add a Universal Bird Launcher (sized for use with quail, chukar and pigeons and which can be operated with electronics from LCS, Tri-Tronics, Dogtra and D.T. Systems), that sells for $179.95. A Remote Backing Dog costs $299.95.
    For more information, contact Lion Country Supply, 800-662-5202 or 814-684-5700; www.lcsupply.com. —Ralph P. Stuart