How to Change a Tracking Collar Battery

A Grain Valley Tracking Collar

Tracking collars are an invaluable asset when hunting with dogs. Making sure your collar is in good working order at all times will help make your hunt a success. The easiest way to do this is to make sure your batteries are good and replace them if necessary. Different types of collars use different types of batteries but the process to change the battery in a tracking collar is the same easy process for all of them.

Things You'll Need

• Small screwdriver set
• Replacement battery (See owner's manual for type)

Instructions

1. Lay the tracking collar flat on your work surface with the inside of the collar (the part of the collar that goes against the dog's neck) facing up.

2. Look at the plastic case that contains the circuitry and battery. Locate either the screws on the top of the case that hold it together or the small slot on the sides where the lid of the case meets the body. Depending on what type of tracking collar you have will determine if you will have to remove screws to open the case or pop a lid free from the body.

3. Select the appropriate screwdriver from your kit to open the case. If you have small screws in the top of the case, use a small Phillips head screwdriver. If your case has a lid that snaps into the body, select a small flat head screwdriver.

4. Open the case. Remove the screws from the lid of your case and pull the lid free. If your lid is the snap together type, locate the small slot on the side between the lid and the body and insert the flat head of your screwdriver into the slot. Twist the screwdriver to turn the blade from a horizontal plane to a vertical one and pop the lid off the body.

5. 

   Locate the battery inside the case. Depending on the model of tracking collar, you will find either AA batteries or a lithium one. Lithium batteries look like small, blank nickels.

6. For AA batteries, pull the battery out of the case. For Lithium batteries, use a flat head screwdriver to carefully "pop" the battery out of its clip by gently placing the edge of the blade between the battery and the clip case and prying up.

7. Install your replacement batteries. For AA batteries, push the batteries into place with the end marked (-) against the flat end of the battery case (battery cases have one end that is flat and the other has a clip or spring that extends into the battery case). For lithium batteries, push the new battery into place (sliding it into the battery clip if present) making sure that the writing on the battery is facing up. Close the collar.

Tips & Warnings

• Change the battery in your tracking collar, whether you have used it or not, before each hunt to make sure that the collar will be in the best working order.

• Test the tracking collar after installing the batteries according to the instructions in your owner's manual.

Resources

• AKC List of Approved Collars