There’s a time and place for off-leash hiking and I’m a big proponent of having dogs leashed in busy locations, sensitive areas, dangerous spots, or where it’s legally required. But if it’s safe and allowed, the rewards for both you and your dog for off-leash time is worth all the work to make it happen. I’ve had my dog for nearly two years – she was a rescue girl but an outdoors-y adventure breed and I was so excited to bond with her and bring her up every peak as she got older.
Last year, after having her for about 7 months, I took her on a snowy hike in Central Oregon and she was living her best life zooming through the snow as we ascended. About a mile from the top, after a few hours of hiking, she looked me dead in the eye and with a mischievous twinkle, she leapt over a log and bounded down the side of the hill through the bush, ignoring my recall. She returned after 40 stressful minutes. After that hike, recall became the number 1 priority!
This is where the Heel Roam 350 virtual leash is great for dog adventures!
To be clear, this is an e-collar and can deliver a static correction to your dog, in addition to tones and vibrations. You don’t need to give static corrections, it’s not required, and there are settings to prevent it if that is not something you or your dog needs.
What sets the Heel Roam apart from other marketed e-collars is that it has off-grid capability (there’s no subscription required, no app to download, and no need for GPS or data connection!) and it has five boundary settings using AUTOPROX technology so you can control the distance your dog can wander, choosing from 10, 25, 75, 150, and 750 feet.
As your dog approaches the boundary you’ve set, a warning (as a tone) is emitted and if the dog continues outside the boundary, your preset correction of either a vibration or static correction will be given. You can also give these warnings or corrections manually as needed.
This takes training with your dog! Dogs don’t know what we’re up to or what we expect unless we communicate with them in consistent and reinforced ways and with any recall training, this takes patience and practice in a safe and controlled area, first without distractions, then with distractions, and increase distance as your dog excels.
The device itself is incredibly lightweight and comes with an attached lanyard. It charges with a USB-C port, and I was thankful for a non-proprietary charger! The collar on the dog has a water-resistant housing and rubberized strap, so it’s easy to clean and doesn’t retain the smell of anything your dog might have found to roll in! There is visual assurance lighting on both the remote and the collar.
The collar comes in either Medium or Large sizes and the remote can support up to 3 dogs. The customer reviews for all different use cases are overwhelmingly positive and I’ve been having a lot of fun training my girl how to use this so we can, once again, try a snowy hike with success!
You can see more examples, photos, training sessions, and user reviews on their Facebook and Instagram pages!
Heel Roam 350 Virtual Leash $229.25
Specs:
- Sizing: Medium (12-17″) or Large (15-24″)
Thank you to Heel for providing us with a test product. Please read our transparency page for info on how we do our reviews.
