# Recommendations?: Flashing LED Dog Collar



## BuddTX (Aug 14, 2002)

*Serious Lighted Dog Collars for Search and Rescue Dogs (and your pet too!)*

Check out these dog collars:

http://www.auroralites.com/cgi-bin/store

These are not just for walking fido down to the corner store. I saw one in person, and they put out a nice light. I have a friend who does search and rescue dog training, and saw one of these in person.

They were suprisingly very thin and flexable, and they use lithium 9 volt batteries, something I have not seen before.


----------



## Darell (Aug 14, 2002)

*Re: Serious Lighted Dog Collars for Search and Rescue Dogs (and your pet too!)*

They look pretty slick, but I sure wish it mentioned something about how the light is produced, and if the light is produced all 360 degrees. Any clue?


----------



## BuddTX (Aug 14, 2002)

*Re: Serious Lighted Dog Collars for Search and Rescue Dogs (and your pet too!)*

I don't know. I will see my friend tomorrow, and ask her then.

I currently have one that is NOT from this company, and it has a big thick plastic band, and can not overlap.

This collar, did appear to be thin, and I would think, be thin enough, to wrap and illuminate completely around the dog's neck.

It actually gave out enough light, so that, in complete darkness, would illuminate the area just around the dog, giving the dog needed close range light, but not ruining the dog's night vision.


----------



## Darell (Aug 14, 2002)

*Re: Serious Lighted Dog Collars for Search and Rescue Dogs (and your pet too!)*

It sounds really slick.

I have one of the two-LED with fiber-optic band. The problem is that the light (and reflector) on only go 1/2 way around the neck. It is quite easy to make the dog invisible, if the thing slips around to the far side. I've still found the best thing to be a bouncing Photon or Arc. But I'd sure like to hear more about these collars. Thanks for the info!


----------



## **DONOTDELETE** (Aug 14, 2002)

*Re: Serious Lighted Dog Collars for Search and Rescue Dogs (and your pet too!)*

looks like the same technology as the Krill, using an dc/ac inverter .. I don't know how many amp hours are in a 9 volt lithium, they say one and a half amp hours, at 9 volts? can that be right? -- ? -- and they claim up to 60 hours use..that would be 25 ma an hour - - ?
maybe there's a little bit of hyperbole in there that keeps it going, and going....


----------



## BuddTX (Aug 14, 2002)

*Re: Serious Lighted Dog Collars for Search and Rescue Dogs (and your pet too!)*

I had the same problem, and I attached two of these Pelican LED blinkers to each end:







It still did not go around 100 % but it was better than just one light.


----------



## tygger (Aug 14, 2002)

*Re: Serious Lighted Dog Collars for Search and Rescue Dogs (and your pet too!)*

something that worked for me on my husky was a harness with a flat military stobe taped to the top. very durable and bright but batteries were expensive. people saw it and didn't know what to think, it was so bright. just a thought.


----------



## Blackbeagle (Aug 15, 2002)

*Re: Serious Lighted Dog Collars for Search and Rescue Dogs (and your pet too!)*

Most likely EL wire. Check out http://www.neontrim.com/ for their selection of dog collar type products. There are a few other sites that sell similar stuff, but they've all been electroluminescent materials of one type or another.


----------



## BuddTX (Aug 15, 2002)

*Re: Serious Lighted Dog Collars for Search and Rescue Dogs (and your pet too!)*

The collar that I currently have, (along with the two Pelican LED flashers) is this one (two sites, but I think the same product):

http://www.polybrite.com/
the specific link for pets is:
http://www.polybrite.com/pets.html

and the second link is:
http://www.uflash.com/

The nice thing about this product is that it blinks or is steady on red, but if a light source (like a headlight) hits it, it is reflective neon yellow. The brighter the headlight, the brighter the neon yellow.

they are pretty nice, but as Darrell noted, they do not go 360 degrees around the dog's neck:






As far as the "amp hours" in a 9 volt lithium, here is a direct quote from their FAQ:

SOME MANUFACTURERS CLAIM THEIR COLLARS WILL RUN FOR UP TO 600 HOURS ON A WATCH BATTERY. AURORALITES ARE CLAIMING BETWEEN 14 AND 35 HOURS DEPENDING ON THE TYPE OF BATTERY AND SIZE OF COLLAR. WHY SUCH A DIFFERENCE? 

Battery life depends on area or size of lamp and how long it is ON. There are collars that use a tiny red flashing LED and they work great - providing the dog is standing on your chest. There are collars where the EL (lamp) is the width of a PIN and for a tenth of a second, every other second, it flashes. Of course the battery is going to last longer... there's almost no lamp area being driven and it's hardly ever on. Battery technology is consistent. Take a look at the picture and let common sense guide you. Which one looks like it holds more "juice"? A 30m/A/hr 3Volt watch battery or a 1500m/A/hr 9Volt? 

Here is another quote that may answer the 360 degree question:

When a dog is wearing an AURORALITES SAFETY COLLAR they can be seen from all angles - from above, through thick underbrush, woods, fog, rain and rubble. 

Here is what their collar looks like:


----------



## **DONOTDELETE** (Aug 15, 2002)

*Re: Serious Lighted Dog Collars for Search and Rescue Dogs (and your pet too!)*

BuddTx, as far as the "amp hours" in a 9 volt lithium goes, if you click on the "click here for more info" you will also see this; quoting from site:

"...***RECOMMENDED FOR PROFESSIONAL WORKING DOGS ***
The Auroralites Pro Safety Collar is designed specifically for work in weather extremes. A single Lithium 9Volt battery can provide 60 hours of LIGHT in ANY weather conditions - down to minus 50F. 
We recommend a lithium 9-volt for a back-up. They have a 7-year shelf life and are the only battery that will continue to function at minus 50F. ..."


----------



## John N (Aug 15, 2002)

*Re: Serious Lighted Dog Collars for Search and Rescue Dogs (and your pet too!)*



> Originally posted by Blackbeagle:
> *Most likely EL wire. Check out http://www.neontrim.com/ for their selection of dog collar type products. There are a few other sites that sell similar stuff, but they've all been electroluminescent materials of one type or another.*


Minor detail - I don't think it's electroluminescent *wire*, but a flat strip of EL, ala the Krill lamps. 

-john


----------



## John N (Aug 15, 2002)

*Re: Serious Lighted Dog Collars for Search and Rescue Dogs (and your pet too!)*

I've got the same collar that BuddTX has. While I like it I agree about the problem of coverage.

Interestingly, I added a Photon 3 Crystal (red) with a crystal and have it on medium blink. It turns out this works much better than the collar itself. Not only is it very bright in a direct view situation, but it puts out enough light that you see the reflected light as well.

Currently I have the lighted collar w/ the Photon 3 which covers all the bases.

I've seen the EL collars around (on the web and in magazines) but haven't seen any in person. I think the main thing is I assume them to be about as bright (at best) as my Krill Extreme 180 which isn't very bright, plus you lose the reflective properties.

At some point I mean to try to make a really good collar - the collar I have isn't waterproof and in the woods it would be better to get something with better runtime.

I'd be very interested in a review of the EL collar if someone gets one.

-john

Collar pics:
http://www.navitsky.org/photos/collar/

Photon 3 Crystal pics (warning! very large):
http://www.navitsky.org/photos/lights/p3/


----------



## BuddTX (Aug 15, 2002)

*Re: Serious Lighted Dog Collars for Search and Rescue Dogs (and your pet too!)*

This was sent to me, so I will post the entire message. Some good information here!:

BTY, my friend who showed me this collar is JoAnn Tierney, Treasurer of the Greater Houston Search Dogs (www.ghsd.org)
-----------------
Hi Darell

Pardon the intrusion. I have been watching the discussion but haven't been able to log on for some reason. Still trying.

The Auroralites collars are made with flat electroluminescent material. It is sealed against water and re-enforced for durability. They are pumped up fairly bright and have been seen in some conditions from as far as 12,000FT away.

I didn't include an in depth explanation of E.L. material because I was finding most people don't bother reading the stuff I have put up now let alone anything technical. Typical question: What happens if the light material MELTS through the collar and burns my dog?

I attempted to use the ELAM string format for the collars but after some testing I realized the format could not stand up to what I needed.

All my components, fabrication and assembly are either local or North American. The competition is all imported from you-know-where. As far as safety goes ANYTHING is better than nothing however the competition have sacrificed visibility and durability for profit margins and the reflective materials only work when the dog is in the kill zone of a set of headlights. In law enforcement apps the K9 officer doesn't really want to give away his position by shining a light at his dog either. 

The collars come in 4 sizes with 3/4 in wide lamps in lengths of 9, 11, 13 and 16 inches so with almost any size dog the lamp is for all intents 360º coverage of the neck. There is a small power pack (9V and switch) that sits right at the throat and doesn't light up and again for obvious reasons the K9 officers out there are happy with that feature. If the dog is running right at a bad guy he doesn't see the lamp - just the teeth.

To get an idea about uses and who's using the collars take a look at :

http://www.auroralites.com/cgi-bin/store?page=satisfied.html&cart_id=1159512_24259

and at the bottom of that page is a list of agencies that have bought and are using our collars. As Budd says. A bit more collar than you need to walk around the block with PheePhee the Lhaso. We are proud of the record and stand by our aim of providing the best professional safety collar available today.

If I still can't post I'll Email this to a couple of the participants who seem unsure of what these are.

Be safe.

Dave Youngman
President - Auroralites Safety Systems Inc
Ont. , Canada
905-820-2980
Cell# 416-230-2396
www.auroralites.com


----------



## Dave Youngman (Aug 15, 2002)

*Re: Serious Lighted Dog Collars for Search and Rescue Dogs (and your pet too!)*

I think I'm finally on....I've Emailed a few of you to clarify some points because I couldn't log-on. DaveW just sent a new password so I think I'm in. The only issue that hasn't been addressed so far is a few differences between collar lights and users.

Our collars do NOT flash, blink or strobe for two main reasons. Primary is the number of epileptic dogs - and people - out there and blinking lights can trigger seizures. Not something you want to deal with if your dog is tracking a lost little kid who is going to die of hypothermia in a short while if he isn't found. The second is that a flash, blink or strobe does NOT provide the brain of an oncoming driver enough info to determine speed, direction or distance of the *flash* . Many police K9 do use strobes but they are mounted in the middle of their backs and for the very same reasons a driver can't visually range on them, the same goes for a bad guy trying to shoot a dog. So if you don't want your dog shot that's a good thing but for safety around cars a flashing light is next to useless.The retro-reflective materials ONLY work when the dog is in the kill zone of the headlights. We do not incorprate any reflectives in our collars because many professional working dog handlers, when they turn the collar OFF there is a damn good reason to do so. A car coming around a corner at the wrong time could give their positions away - nuff said.

During the R&D phase of the collar production I did try the ELAM STRING format E.L. lamp but it simply could not stand up to the rigors of a professional working dog. I tried LEDs and although they are very bright they are also very directional and I needed a penetrating steady and large surface area lamp to supply max safety for the dogs. Flat panel display E.L. was the only thing that met all the criteria.

To validate our claims of making a professional dog collar (as well as many other items- we sell Photon P3s too) take a look at our Satisfied Customers pages. At the bottom of that page is a partial list of user agencies to date.

http://www.auroralites.com/cgi-bin/store?page=satisfied.html&cart_id=1159512_24259

Thanks and be safe

Dave


----------



## **DONOTDELETE** (Aug 15, 2002)

*Re: Serious Lighted Dog Collars for Search and Rescue Dogs (and your pet too!)*

Thanks for the information Dave. I emailed you back asking if you'd like your email posted, but I see BuddTx beat me to it..
Seems like a very fine product, probably more robust than the somewhat fragile Krill.. I don't suppose you would want to make a collar for my cat, he doesn't go out at night, but he might enjoy wearing an Auroralite while he's watching Cops on TV...


----------



## Dave Youngman (Aug 16, 2002)

*Re: Serious Lighted Dog Collars for Search and Rescue Dogs (and your pet too!)*

Krills are a great sub for a chem-stik. I wanted to do something similar 6 years ago. 

With a few fairly minor design/engineering changes, the Krill wands could survive anything. So far that hasn't happened and feedback I get from SAR teams is that a Krill just doesn't survive very long on a working SAR K9.


----------



## John N (Jan 19, 2003)

*Re: Serious Lighted Dog Collars for Search and Res*

I'm trying to tie the dog walking threads together. Here are all the dog walking threads I know of:

Summary of Dog Walking Threads on the CPF Wiki

[Keywords: dog, doggie, doggy, blinker, reflective, night, walking, safety]


----------



## TOB9595 (Jan 19, 2003)

*Re: Serious Lighted Dog Collars for Search and Rescue Dogs (and your pet too!)*

John N Thanks much this info is welcomed
Tom


----------



## BuddTX (Mar 10, 2003)

*Re: Serious Lighted Dog Collars for Search and Rescue Dogs (and your pet too!)*

bump


----------



## TOB9595 (Mar 10, 2003)

*Re: Serious Lighted Dog Collars for Search and Res*

Hey all, the links don't work with the new forum. Need to be relinked, It'll be quite some time till I can get to this. Anyone else care to?
Tom


----------



## TOB9595 (Mar 10, 2003)

*Re: Serious Lighted Dog Collars for Search and Res*

Oh Heck, It's too important to us dog afficionados. Here are 
the Links JohnN originally posted
an ideal dog walking
SeriousLighted Dog Collars for Search and Rescue Dogs (and your pet too!)
Dog Light. (help, I need advice)
doggie blinker needed
Need help chosing Safety Collar for my dog
and another one
Need Flashing Light/LED for Dog Walks at Night 
Regards
Tom /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif


----------



## John N (Dec 5, 2004)

*Re: Serious Lighted Dog Collars for Search and Res*

Hi Dave, 

Dunno if you are still hanging around here, but I was looking at your (Auroralites) tracking harness and was wondering what the "stealth reflective" and the "3M silver reflective" chest and side panels look like and was wondering what were the advantages and disadvantages of each. Looks like they come in 2x4 and 4x6.

It would be great if you could post some well illuminated photos of this product so we can check out all the features. 

Thanks!

-john


Auroralites Image Gallery




























(Pics changed to links due to size.
[email protected])

[Edit: Thanks, they were a bit big. I added some smaller ones. -john]


----------



## cy (Dec 5, 2004)

*Re: Serious Lighted Dog Collars for Search and Res*

dave Y, thanks for the info. I'm very interested in your collar for my 90lb german shepard. 

we do working off leads runs at night with cars all around. I've been wanting a highly visible collar for awhile now. 

I've got a rigged up system to get full coverage with an ARC AAA RGB providing light.

I don't like the idea of purchasing $11 9v lithium calls for the collar. I do understand why you recommend it. will it run on nmh 9V?


----------



## John N (Dec 5, 2004)

*Re: Serious Lighted Dog Collars for Search and Res*

I found these Energizer 9V lithiums for $5.02.

Duracell Procell 9V lithiums for $7.99.

And the Ultralife 9V lithiums for as low as $4.52 at Audio-discounters.

Parts Express also has this graph:






There are probably some batter prices out there as well.

Now all we need is a Silverfox shootout! 

-john


----------



## cy (Dec 5, 2004)

*Re: Serious Lighted Dog Collars for Search and Res*

Thanks for the neat graphs and sources. but I've already got 6 new 9V nmh batt sitting right here. 

will this collar work with nimh? if so I'm ordering right away


----------



## Neg2LED (Dec 5, 2004)

*Re: Serious Lighted Dog Collars for Search and Res*

its a special 9v coin cell, not a 'brick' 9v

neg


----------



## John N (Dec 5, 2004)

*Re: Serious Lighted Dog Collars for Search and Res*

Follow the "tracking harness" link and scroll down most of the page. You'll see the brick style 9V battery pictured with text that indicates it is for the collar.

-john


----------



## DaveYoungman (Dec 8, 2004)

*Re: Serious Lighted Dog Collars for Search and Res*

Hey, all. I'm baaaack. I have to hang out here more often.

To answer your question. The collars take ANY 9V battery. They are indeed the "brick" too. I don't know of any 9V in a "watch battery" format. There just isn't enough juice to run anything on a watch battery. That's why the competition make their collars strobe. The collar is only on for a third of a second every other second. THAT flashing can provoke epileptic seizures in dogs and people. Trying to walk off a headache even would be a damn nightmare with my collars FLASHINg beside you on your dog. Something to avoid.

As far as the pricing on the batteries. That will come down soon but I'm in Canada and not buying mega-trillions of them so the big distributors in the states can under price me by a ton. I'm moving to the Phoenix area soon, bringing Auroralites with me and at that time I'll be able to buy bulk direct from the manufacturer (I have to go thru a Canuck distributor now) and the cost per battery will drop down to around $5. They're on my web site just as a convenience.


----------



## John N (Dec 9, 2004)

*Re: Serious Lighted Dog Collars for Search and Res*

Thanks for clearing up the battery issue Dave.

BTW, Dave sent me a picture in email of a dog wearing a harness with the "stealth reflective" material. It appears this material is similar to (or is) Illuminite. Looks black, but reflects when shined upon.

The chest plate is a flap of material that extends over the chest (suprise). Basically like a "D" turned on it's side, or maybe a large "tongue" hanging down.

-john


----------



## Lynx_Arc (Dec 9, 2004)

*Re: Serious Lighted Dog Collars for Search and Res*

I have found some items that run off 9v batteries CAN run off larger sets of batteries equalling 6v because many 9v based items run all the way down to 6v because the 9v cells sag under load.


----------



## John N (Dec 9, 2004)

*Re: Serious Lighted Dog Collars for Search and Res*

Could probably make a 6 x AA or 6 x AAA battery pack for the harness. 6 x AA wouldn't really be an issue for my ~80lb girls. 

-john


----------



## Lynx_Arc (Dec 9, 2004)

*Re: Serious Lighted Dog Collars for Search and Res*

try 4AA first and see if it works.... good chance it will work fine since it wont sag like a 9v battery will.


----------



## DaveYoungman (Dec 12, 2004)

*Re: Serious Lighted Dog Collars for Search and Res*

The power pocket which contains the inverter and switch are designed for the 9V. The pocket would have to be elongated by a good inch to accomadate a series of AA. 

There IS a design variation on the collars in the works that will take advantage of the 9V Lithium Ion rechargeables that are made for those mini racing cars. Some of them hold 1800m/amp so the avg. draw on the collars is 40m/amp/hr so we're into 50 hrs on solid and capable of recharging about 600 times. It will only be available on the Tracking Harness and the two biggest sizes of collars because the pocket would be too long and rigid for the smaller collars. I sell the vast majority of my collars to pro working dogs and 95% of them are the larger sized breeds. I mean when was the last time you saw a pic of a chihuahua in an avalanche rescue? 

http://www.batterybus.com/items.asp?cat_id=57


There are some good 9V NiCads out now. They hold 260m/amp/hrs so they're only good for 6 - 8 hrs. 

http://www.batterybus.com/items.asp?cat_id=64

There's lots of variations and possibilities and there's a TON of R&D going on with batteries so the future looks great for much longer working times and more economical too.


----------



## John N (Dec 28, 2005)

*Re: Serious Lighted Dog Collars for Search and Rescue Dogs (and your pet too!)*

FWIW, I just ordered one of these collars. I'll post my impressions when I get it.

Also, if anyone can find any of the other dog related posts, I'd love to update the links.

Thanks,

-john


----------



## hquan (Dec 28, 2005)

*Re: Serious Lighted Dog Collars for Search and Rescue Dogs (and your pet too!)*

This may not apply as much to SAR dogs - but I've seen a variety of different light collars at our local dog park. Most of them bought from the local pet store. Given the rough play at the dog park, ALL of the lights failed after 1 month of consistant use.

Personally, we have a brightly colored reflective safety vest for our dog that works great for walking at night. Of course, this is not good if you want the ability to hide your position...


----------



## John N (Dec 28, 2005)

*Re: Serious Lighted Dog Collars for Search and Rescue Dogs (and your pet too!)*

Yah, part of the reason I am trying the Auroralites collar is deficiencies in the ones that are generally available.

In general, most of these collars don't have good coverage (doesn't wrap around enough). They also aren't rugged, waterproof and don't use long-lasting power sources.

Way back when, I posted pictures of one of these collars. This collar had all of the problems I describe (although it was cleaver): dog collar photos

I'm hoping the Auroralites collar overcomes these issues. Certainly the 9V battery is much better than two little coin cells. 

Also note that Auroralites also has a SAR harness that has optional reflective components on both the sides (up to 4x6") and the front. You can get them in both 3M reflective material, or what they call "stealth" reflective, which I assume is like (or is) the illumiNITE material.

4x6" is a pretty serious reflector. Much better than the strip of reflective material I've seen on dog safety vests.

I wish I could dig up these other dog collar/blinker posts because we discussed the options quite a bit.

-john


[Edit: Oops. I see I've reapeated some of what I said in this thread already. I guess I should read before I post..]


----------



## John N (Dec 28, 2005)

*Re: Serious Lighted Dog Collars for Search and Res*



DaveYoungman said:


> There IS a design variation on the collars in the works that will take advantage of the 9V Lithium Ion rechargeables that are made for those mini racing cars. Some of them hold 1800m/amp so the avg. draw on the collars is 40m/amp/hr so we're into 50 hrs on solid



Given you are looking at a lithium-ion pack, I'm assuming a 3x123A battery pack would be safe? I finally dug up a source for 123A battery holders..

Seems like there should be a lot more power in 3x123A cells vs those little 9V cells..

Thanks,

-john


----------



## AlanH (Dec 28, 2005)

*Re: Serious Lighted Dog Collars for Search and Res*



DaveYoungman said:


> I sell the vast majority of my collars to pro working dogs and 95% of them are the larger sized breeds.


 
Hi,
Dave, I would like to open discussions about carrying your collars for sale to my clients in the UK.

PM Sent.

Regards

Alan


----------



## John N (Jan 12, 2006)

*Re: Serious Lighted Dog Collars for Search and Rescue Dogs (and your pet too!)*

I just got my collar. I thought I'd start with a few pictures. I'll try to post more later.

-john

[COMPLETE GALLERY]


















Notes: 

Auroralites Pro Safety Collar pictured with LED dog collar purchased from Petco (yellow, glows red), Krill Extreme 180 and two green Glo-Toob FXes, one in blink mode and one constant on.

Exposure adjusted in photos of product on Chelsea adjusted to match perceived brightness as closely as possible.

Exposure for indoor, lights on / lights off pictures adjusted so that the brightest portion of the image did not totally saturate or just barely saturate the exposure and then the exposure was maintained in both photos.

ISO forced to 400 (max) for "dark" pictures (hence grain) and to 50 for detail pictures.

State of batteries in Petco collar unknown. Auroralites collar using alkaline battery shipped with it. Krill Extreme using lithium batteries.

Exposure was not long enough to ensure an averaging effect for the blinking Glo-Toob. In fact, I think it is "on" in of of the pics and "off" in the other.


----------



## paulr (Jan 12, 2006)

*Re: Serious Lighted Dog Collars for Search and Rescue Dogs (and your pet too!)*

All those auroralite.com links are dead. What now?


----------



## altoon (Jan 12, 2006)

*Re: Serious Lighted Dog Collars for Search and Rescue Dogs (and your pet too!)*

paulr, try
http://www.auroralites.com/

John N, great photos. Do you like the collar? Any general impressions you could share?


----------



## John N (Oct 6, 2006)

*Re: Serious Lighted Dog Collars for Search and Rescue Dogs (and your pet too!)*

Altoon,

I've been meaning to post on this topic for quite some time, but never seem to get around to it.

First, I should point out that my use of these collars (night time dog walking safety, read VISIBILITY) isn't 100% what they are designed for. So some of the things I don't like are design features. Hopefully at some point Dave will make a collar with the same rugged design, but incorporating the stuff I want! ;-)

Ok, let's get to it.

Overall, the design appears sturdy and well thought out. 

The EL strip is laminated, and then under a plastic window. The portion where they meet the electronics is reinforced. The electronics are potted. The switch is waterproof. This collar should take a serious amount of abuse and keep ticking. MUCH more sturdy than other lighted collars I have seen. The 9v power "brick" source should keep the light going for a good long time, esp. compared to the lights using a couple of "coin" cells.

I really like the use of snaps as a closure. This is simple and effective and very low bulk. I'm not sure why others don't use this approach. Very slick.

The light takes a 9V battery. You can use either a lithium or a alkaline. There is a battery lead coming from the electronics which you clip onto the battery (like a pigtail). You then stuff the whole affair into the battery pouch and zip it up. I dislike this. It feels somewhat sloppy in an otherwise well thought out design. It's a pain to stuff the battery in there and gets in the way of the button. My guess is it might even be possible to accidently turn the light on or off with agressive activity (battery bouncing against the switch).

There is no "D" ring or other good place to attach a tag. This is a pain for me as I always want to attach a dog tag to the collar.

Ok, so how does it work? 

Well, for me, the dog walker, to see the dog.... outstanding. It is much brighter than the LED collars I've seen and it works better than attaching a light to the dog's collar which ends up under the dog's chin and as a result visibility is sometimes blocked by the dog.

But as far as making the dog visible to an oncoming car's headlights, I suspect the lack of a retroreflective component is going to hamper visibility significantly.

Runtime? Well, I don't know, but it is decent. After taking the dogs out many times for about an hour walk, the light was accidently left on (with the original alkaline battery). The next morning, it was still glowing softly.

I think it is rated something like 13 hrs with alkaline and 60 hrs with a lithium. I loaded up with lithium this time around, and don't expect to deal with batteries for a while!

Do I recommend this light? Yes. Especially to someone who's primary concern is keeping track of a dog in the dark. It is very bright, and very sturdy. As the title of this thread indicates, this is a serious tool.

What would I like changed?

1) Add a "D" ring or some other way to easily attach a tag.
2) Keep the EL strip the same width, but pair it with a retroreflective strip of at least the same width visible. (I don't mind that it would be wide)
3) Clean up the battery compartment. 
4) Since both the EL tape and the retroreflective strip are nice and flexible, I'd love to see something that provides more 360 coverage. It could wrap over the top of the electronics compartment and give full 360. That would be slick.

In any case, a good bit 'o kit.

Thanks Dave,

-john


EDIT: Oh, BTW, notice they have a new harnesses design up on their web site. If I understand correctly, it comes with a EL strip and then has spots you can attach retroreflective strips. This might be the best visibility solution. Hopefully someone will try it and report.


----------



## DaveYoungman (Oct 6, 2006)

*Serious Lighted Dog Collars for Search and Rescue Dogs (and your pet too!)*

Hi John

Thanks for the product review. If I may I'll add one or three points of explanation.

First off I chose durability over mass produced / high profit margins and made in a place where they think of dogs as a cheeseburger on a leash. I think our working dogs are worth the extra effort. It is a small niche market and I'm sure the big guys out there think I'm nuts but I know the dogs are as safe and visible as I can make 'em. To my knowledge there is only one other product on the market that will light up a dog brighter than my collars and tracking harnesses. Naphtha.

One point you made was the dog is NOT very visible to oncoming traffic. This is true as the power pocket is usually at the throat so the lamp starts at the side of the neck and goes right around to the other side. As a good % of my sales are to Law Enforcement agencies (just finished orders to L.A. County Sheriff's Dept and Durham PD) they don't want the dog visible from the front. When the dog is rushing a bad guy the first thing they want him to see is a mouthful of pearly whites. The SAR people are usually behind or to the sides of their dogs and both from feedback and observing my own dog, not only can we see where the dog is but what it is doing. This increases training efficiencies at night and allows us to get our dogs either back to work or away from something gross about to be rolled in! That alone would be worth the cost of the collar IMHO. (where's the grin smiley?) Visibility by the Air Units is unparalleled. 

An option in the near future is a banding and possible pouch made from the super 3M retro reflective material (used by GloDog now). For "just" pets the retroreflectives is a great idea and I have been working on it. For the Police it is a bad thing. For the SAR types it is not an issue.

No D ring on the collar. 

The entire collar is lamp. It is an electric circuit and as such is much more subject to repetitive stress fracturing when tugged from one spot over and over again. I could have a floating D ring which would climb to the back of the collar where the light is when attached to a leash and that would put stress on the lamp. It would, in time, fail and in my estimate, a long time before it normally would. Many of my collars have been on working dogs for 8 ++ years now. I have seen how some dog handlers yank on their dog's leash ALL the time and when I saw that I made the decision not to include the D ring. The safety collar is really designed to go on over a regular collar anyway. If dog ID is required and that is the only collar worn, then I think a plastic tube containing a phone number and $40 taxi fare IN the battery pouch will work better than a ring for tags and a leash to clip to.

The battery / power pouch. 

This is a simple solution. It ain't purty but it works. The switch can be depressed through the material and the battery changing via the zippered pocket is a bit of a pain but not significantly more-so than opening a sealed plastic container that holds the inverter / switch and battery. I have the shells made here near Toronto. My option on that was to go to you-know-where and have a molded container made for $80,000 and order a quarter of a million of them - which would at present sales volumes last me about 90 years! (more grinning smilies needed). 

The pouch is not waterproof BTW but the circuit has very little resistance and shorting a 9V battery through water is about 80,000ohms and needs well over 100volts ... so the juice goes through the lamp circuitry instead. The dog is safe. The light still works even if the collar is sitting on the river bottom (see testimonials) so this option - the flexible pouch - to me, beats another made in China option.

The continuous lamp idea. 

Tried it. Major pain. The continuity of the lamp has to change to mount the electronics, develops a fold and wear point that can cause premature deterioration of the whole collar. If there's a design that works lemmie know. I've tried two or three and they were a pain.

Battery life.

I've been using NiMH this last year. There are 300m/amp ones out now so the avg collar can run around 7 hrs and then get recharged. You're good for a week's worth of walks and then you can do a recharge which according to the manufacturers of the batteries, is good for 1,000 cycles!! AT that rate the battery should last about as long as the collar - 19 yrs of 1 hour dog walks a night.

The TRACKING HARNESS.

Developed by looking at 5 of the best selling harnesses from the USA and Germany. I added a supportive strip across the back and the harness now provides a light source about the same length as the XL collar but over the back and down both sides. The lamp unit is removable so you can take it off and wash the rest of the harness. I have had people who have had their dogs skunked and ran the collar through the washer half a dozen times. The collar still worked but I do NOT recommend that level of "abuse." 

All I can say at this point about the Y Tracking Harness is that I have put it on dogs who have never worn a harness before and they - ignored it ... went back to playing with the other dogs in the park. If the dog is going to act like he doesn't have anything on it HAS to be comfortable. To date all the SAR and Police who have ordered the Tracking Harnesses either already have the collars or ordered a collar too. A lamp around the dog's neck AND one over their back provides a level of safety that has never existed for a dog before.

Thanks again ....

BE WELL & STAY SAFE

DAVE
www.auroralites.com


----------



## John N (Oct 6, 2006)

*Re: Serious Lighted Dog Collars for Search and Rescue Dogs (and your pet too!)*

Thanks Dave!

-john


----------



## cy (Oct 6, 2006)

*Re: Serious Lighted Dog Collars for Search and Rescue Dogs (and your pet too!)*

Dave, I'd like to order one for my GSD. can you take paypal?

thanks,


----------



## DaveYoungman (Oct 7, 2006)

*PAYPAL*

HI. Sorry. Right now I have Visa, M/C and AMEX. I should get PayPal but a few vendors have warned me about some glitches in their system. It may have been earlier on so if anybody can advise Yea or Nay on PayPal I'd appreciate it. I think I can have it up and running in a day or two.


----------



## cy (Oct 7, 2006)

*Re: PAYPAL*

Dave, thanks for responding... 

I meant sending paypal the old fashion way. please send me a PM with your PP info. with exact amount to send. 

if you started a sales thread with paypal info. you'd be surprised at the response. 

still need to measure my GSD for correct size. 

Thanks,
charles 



DaveYoungman said:


> HI. Sorry. Right now I have Visa, M/C and AMEX. I should get PayPal but a few vendors have warned me about some glitches in their system. It may have been earlier on so if anybody can advise Yea or Nay on PayPal I'd appreciate it. I think I can have it up and running in a day or two.


----------



## John N (Oct 20, 2006)

*Re: Serious Lighted Dog Collars for Search and Rescue Dogs (and your pet too!)*

A bit off topic, but is dog-gear related. Aeromedix.com is offering Mutt Muffs - dog ear muffs.

I assume everyone already knows about Doggles the dog goggles.

-john


----------



## cy (Oct 20, 2006)

*Re: Serious Lighted Dog Collars for Search and Rescue Dogs (and your pet too!)*

Dave, still waiting for paypal info to one a collar... thanks,


----------



## DogLeg (Dec 4, 2006)

We live in the ex-urbs (i.e. lots of unlighted open-space trails and fields). This time of year, early evening dogwalks suddenly catch us in nautical twilight conditions, where a Black Lab 100 yards away in 2' high grass/weeds becomes a stealth object.

Have any of you had experience with flashing dog collars? Do they disturb/disorient the dog? I'm assuming that a couple flashing white or red LEDs on a collar would be relatively easy to spot at the 100yd range.

Comments? Brand/Model? Sources?

=================
* Follow-up: * I checked out some of postings recommended to me in this thread and it seems like the solid winner is the *Auroralites Safety Collar.*

I thought I'd add this to my original query to help others having the same query.


----------



## Dog Chaser (Dec 4, 2006)

I've got a Photon Freedom on my Chocolate Lab's coller. It doesn't seem to bother him. My kids love it.


----------



## TITAN1833 (Dec 4, 2006)

DogLeg said:


> We live in the ex-urbs (i.e. lots of unlighted open-space trails and fields). This time of year, early evening dogwalks suddenly catch us in nautical twilight conditions, where a Black Lab 100 yards away in 2' high grass/weeds becomes a stealth object.
> 
> Have any of you had experience with flashing dog collars? Do they disturb/disorient the dog? I'm assuming that a couple flashing white or red LEDs on a collar would be relatively easy to spot at the 100yd range.
> 
> Comments? Brand/Model? Sources?


hi i use one for tas he is a boston 
terrier ,it was from pets at home check it out it is so small like a dog tag it does seem to put other dogs out though .how can i send pictures i dont know how yet. regards.it flashes strobe blue /red /white. very good.


----------



## Tronic (Dec 4, 2006)

I have a "Leuchtie" from leuchtie.de on order.
- 30h electronic regulated brightness
- waterproof
- visible more then 100m
- special switch (similar to a quicksilver switch)


----------



## Hog (Dec 4, 2006)

I've got a cheap clip on for the collar made by Pelican.
It has a red lens & flashing light.
It doesn't seem to bother my lab.
I also carry it with me hunting so as to mark trails at night or downed game.
Hog


----------



## LowTEC (Dec 4, 2006)

How about clip on a Glo-toob onto the collar? :laughing:


----------



## Uncle Bob (Dec 5, 2006)

Nite Ize makes the *"Nite Dawg"* collar that has a flash or glow mode.


----------



## Art Vandelay (Dec 5, 2006)

Tronic said:


> I have a "Leuchtie" from leuchtie.de on order.
> - 30h electronic regulated brightness
> - waterproof
> - visible more then 100m
> - special switch (similar to a quicksilver switch)


That looks cool. Does it make the dog look like a UFO at night?


----------



## Tronic (Dec 5, 2006)

Uncle Bob said:


> Nite Ize makes the *"Nite Dawg"* collar that has a flash or glow mode.


This collar look good, but I don't like it because the CR2032 battery source. 
All CR2032 collar that I have are only 1 hour bright followed by 50 or more hours of ugly dim light. :thumbsdow

I receive the "leuchtie" on Thursday. 
We will see how the 4 current regulated superflux LED perform.

:Art Vandelay
If you look at this PICTURES, I would say yes! :laughing:


----------



## DaveYoungman (Feb 15, 2012)

I know this is resurrecting a long dead thread but I recently bought a Leuchtie collar for an comparison. I always buy my competition to compare.

Originally Posted by Tronic
I have a "Leuchtie" from leuchtie.de on order.
- 30h electronic regulated brightness
- waterproof
- visible more then 100m
- special switch (similar to a quicksilver switch)

ANYTHING is better than nothing when it comes to safety and this collar is fairly new on the market so a few observations ...

You can see a match in the dark fro 100M so their claim to visibility is grossly inaccurate. You can easily see this collar from several hundred meters away. It is bright but the LEDs are quite directional so they go from shining in your eyes - too bright - to just the glow of the light shining inside the rubber tube that makes up the collar.

LEDs draw a fair amount of power and the lithium cell batteries just don't have the power to last that long. They run about $7 each too so that will limit future use. 

The light is steady. That's a good thing. Strobing collars is a great way to check and see if your dog is epileptic but for safety? Not so much.

The "new" switch is a gravity sensor. To turn it off the collar's battery section is placed at the top instead of where it usually sits at the dogs' throat. Dogs shake, scratch and charge through heavy brush when they are playing and / or working. Expect the collar to turn off any time the dog needs to scratch or shake. This has happened several times with my dog testing it. 

Overall it is a good solid collar. Has anybody had one for a longer period of time? What about durability especially on a working dog? I think the collars are made in Germany. If they were simply designed in Germany and made in that foreign land where dogs are a MENU ITEM then ....

Anyway ... to date nobody can claim a list like this. 

http://www.auroralites.com/users.asp


----------



## gcbryan (Feb 16, 2012)

I think a slow beacon is useful rather than a stead light if the point is to let others see the dog. This situation would be walking the dog at night in a city park for instance. You notice a blinking red light move than a slowly moving steady light.

I walk around a lake at night in the city all the time. I love it when I see a red blink LED on a dog. If I can only see the own and not the dog I'm more like to run into it. If I was on a bicycle it would be even more dangerous for the dog. Even though it's on a lease dogs are never in a straight line from their owners.

If this collar is for rescue dogs then I guess they need illumination. There are a lot more dogs walking in the park at night than there are rescue dogs however.


----------



## Sub_Umbra (Feb 16, 2012)

*Re: Serious Lighted Dog Collars for Search and Rescue Dogs (and your pet too!)*

+1 for Glo-Toob. Good runtime and bombproof enough to run under salt water attached to *commercial fishing nets.* IIRC the *'FX'* model has a bazillion blinky flashy modes.

Would be great for anything but a tiny dog.


----------

