The drive will jitter or stutter when the drive is being "overtaxed" - and once it starts doing this - it will continue until you power it off for an extended period of time. (at least 30 seconds). You might also have to press and hold the pairing button until the blue light begins to blink.
If the course is too large for your specific conditions; or if the line is too tight; or something else is putting extra drag on the system - the Chase device will not be able to keep up with the extra strain for long before it begins to act up. This might be a full play session or so - or it may fail after 20 or 20 seconds. If it acts up at all - adjustments need to be made to the course/tension/line, etc. If you continue to overtax the drive without making adjustments, it may cause the Chase device to stop working all together.
Once the drive acts up in this manner - we recommend to take these steps in order:
I. Get the drive working before setting up the course.
1) We suggest starting with everything off (completely close the SwiftPaws app by swiping up) and then plugging the drive in - pressing the pairing button - making sure the blue light blinks once per second.
2) When the drive jitters or refuses to run - you will have to unplug it for awhile - at least 30 seconds.
3) And when you plug it back in, we also suggest pressing and holding the "pairing button" on the bottom of the drive. See: Chase paring button on device
4) Then when you open the app - and pair it with the device - the blue light will blink more slowly - only once every three seconds.
II. Once you get the drive working - set up a small course:
5) Get the tension "just right" - Adjust Line Tension
6) The maximum Chase can handle is 100 feet but that is under ideal conditions. If there's uneven ground, or an incline (on a slope or hill) or if there's leaves, grass, or other debris that might impede the line, the course may need to be even smaller than that. Just for a reference, the roll of line is 250 feet - so you would be using less than half of the roll. See: Determine Your Chase! Maximum Course Size
III. Then do these steps:
- Set up a course and test it and make sure it's working before bringing out the dog (or cat). Having your furry buddy present while you're getting set up can be stressful for both of you. 😅
- Make sure you're connecting the power cord to the drive securely to avoid damaging the power port - see this article with a tip to keep it in place: Prevent Damage to the Power Port
- You'll see how we were able to purposely get the Chase drive to do what yours is doing. See: Troubleshooting Chase! Video << This also has some tips that might help.
Lastly, it could be the case that Chase is just not powerful enough for your needs. Chase is the "lite" version of our home lure lineup. If you had hopes of using the lure course in your training business, you might consider getting "Plus" as it was developed to be used for small businesses. Compare our lure kits here: Compare Home Lure Kits video