Dogtra or Tri tronics or Other

23144 Views 62 Replies 31 Participants Last post by Larry Birnholz, Mar 23, 2012

Harry Keely

Discussion Starter · Mar 8, 2011

Hey curious to what other preferences are, I am a Dogtra guy, also am looking for the best customer service / cheapest place to buy a 3 or 4 dog system, but would settle for a 2 dog system used but still close to brand new for a fair price. Only have two dogs right now but would like the capabilities of more if need be than to have two transmitters.

21 - 40 of 63 Posts

Mike Scheiber

· #21 · Mar 11, 2011

Joby Becker said:
I have dropped my dogtra a couple times in the grass while training.
In grass of any length they are not super easy to find. It also has fallen in the crack of the car seat/console...have luckily always found it. Have dropped in on the pavement before too, luckily did not break.

I cannot remember if it was Thomas or Mike Scheiber that is big on tri-tronics, but someone was saying how the delivery method of the stim is faster and better with the tri-tronics. I have been ok with the dogtra though...

UNRELATED:
one of the funniest things I ever saw, concerning an e collar was a girl training a DS, the dog was not outing. she was yelling LOS...and was hitting the button, over and over, her BF was getting chewed up in the suit in a bad spot...dog was not outing.

The funny part was the collar was not on the dog, it was in her hand with the transmitter... would have been funnier if it was on and she shocked herself....I doubt that could happen with the tri-tronics....

I like the low stim continues butterfly flutter of the Tritronics rather than the zzzzzzzzzzzz of the Dogtra Ive never compaired the speed I suspect there both faster than me.
Tritronics is second nature to me I understand it as dose my dog.
My dog sees me grabbing my collar and here's the jingle of his pinch and hes stoked and knows its time for fun and work obedience, bite work or tracking no matter.

Geoff Empey

· #22 · Mar 11, 2011

Lou Castle said:
I prefer the Dogtras because they have about 8 1/2 times as many stim levels as the TT's and that lets me dial in, with more precision, the level of stim that the dog needs.

I understand that yes in theory they (Dogtra) have a lot more adjustability and you say precision but in practical application I did not find that. It has a momentary nick and a continuous which is the same level of stim unless you visually look at the rheostat and dial it up or down. With a pro level TT there is a low /med and high and then adjustment with the rheostat. It can be done with feel under your fingers where you don't need to take your eyes off the dog. That can't be said about the Dogtra product IMO.

There is nothing wrong with either product in how they operate but they do operate differently. I think it does boil down to the handler in what they feel comfortable in using plus their style of training and what the dog responds too.

Lou Castle

· #23 · Mar 15, 2011

Geoff Empey said:
I understand that yes in theory they (Dogtra) have a lot more adjustability and you say precision but in practical application I did not find that.
It has a momentary nick and a continuous which is the same level of stim unless you visually look at the rheostat and dial it up or down. With a pro level TT there is a low /med and high and then adjustment with the rheostat. It can be done with feel under your fingers where you don't need to take your eyes off the dog. That can't be said about the Dogtra product IMO.

When you adjust stim by moving from one level to another as you've described doing with the TT's, by using the low/med/high buttons or going to another click stopped level, you're guessing as to what the dog needs in the given situation. It's an arbitrary increase or decrease in the stim level. When it's done by someone with experience it's an educated guess, but it's still a guess.

There's no reason to look at the LCD readout of Dogtras as you increase or decrease the stim. It's there so that you can know what your dog's working level is and you can go back to it tomorrow. You should be watching the dog as you move the dial. When you see a response from him, usually a head movement, you know that he's feeling the stim in the new situation.

I prefer the dial system of the Dogtras, that allow me to go up and down smoothly, without "stops" in the stim. That allows better use of the guidance system with the Ecollar. Before the Dogtras came along training like this was only an approximation.

With a product that has relative few stim levels there are bigger jumps between them. Going up or down one level on a Dogtra means a change in power of 0.8%. Going up or down on an Ecollar that has only 15 levels means a power change of 7%. That's big a jump, especially when increasing the stim level. it may be too much for some dogs. It's not all that critical if all you're doing is using the Ecollar to correct misbehavior or for aversion training. But if you're training with the collar as I do, it's way too much. It may also be too much of an increase for a stim−sensitive dog.

Geoff Empey said:
There is nothing wrong with either product in how they operate but they do operate differently. I think it does boil down to the handler in what they feel comfortable in using plus their style of training and what the dog responds too.

Agreed. There's an awful lot of brand loyalty that has more to do with what you started out using than with any real advantage of one system over another. I used TT's for many years because they were the only brand that was consistent and reliable. But when I saw the Dogtra system and heard of the changes they have made that brought them to the same reliability level, I switched over. My TT's have sat in a drawer or been sold off since then.

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Pete Stevens

· #24 · Mar 15, 2011

Both have their good points, both are high quality too. Innotek is a POS. I prefer Tritronics for lots of reasons but the big one is that its made in the USA. Both have good customer service too. I like that you can increase the stim on a Dogtra mid correction, but I'll disagree with Uncle Lou about needing to look at the transmitter while doing that. That is meant as no disrespect to Uncle Lou, just my opinion. I can increase the stim by feel with Tritronics just not mid correction. I'm a knuckle dragger and the rheostat dial on Dogtra is a tad senistive for my pickle fingers.

Derek Milliken

· #25 · Mar 25, 2011

I like Dogtra.
Actually bought my first collar off Uncle Lou about 10 years ago (1200NCP). Used it with no problems for years.
Bought a 1900, but I need to replace the transmitter battery after only a few years, it's not holding a charge anymore.
Have a 7100 on order, hopefully it gets here tomorrow.

Geoff Empey

· #26 · Mar 25, 2011

Another thing that's nice with Tritronics is their trade up program. They will give you 25% off of a new system if you need to replace a system because of an issue beyond the warranty period. That's something that none of the other companies do. Smart move on TT's part as that sure creates quite a bit of brand loyalty for their products. http://www.tritronics.com/content/trade-up/

susan tuck

· #27 · Mar 25, 2011

Geoff Empey said:
Another thing that's nice with Tritronics is their trade up program. They will give you 25% off of a new system if you need to replace a system because of an issue beyond the warranty period. That's something that none of the other companies do. Smart move on TT's part as that sure creates quite a bit of brand loyalty for their products. http://www.tritronics.com/content/trade-up/

Wow, that IS a hefty chunk o' change discount, very nice!!

morris lindesey

· #28 · Mar 29, 2011

Martin Systems and then Tritronics

Marta Wajngarten

· #29 · Mar 30, 2011

I had the 1700 and now the 2300 Dogtra. I didn't like the battery on the 1700 took for ever to charge and the charge lasted a day or two at most, after about 1.5yr the charge only lasted a couple hours. The 2300 is much nicer, charges in a couple hours and lasts a few days, and so far so good. I also prefer the magnetic collar to receiver on/off vs the button on the collar. I actually had the 1700 turned off by accident more then once.

How about the TT vs SportDog? I'm considering their 1825. I do like the option of being able to program multiple buttons for a certain stim level without having to toy around with the rheostat.

Regarding having all those 127 levels of stim, it's a bit of a moot point. I never use any thing below 15 and when I increase the level it's always by a couple points at a time. I only go one at a time if I'm trying to find a base level to work with.

Tracey Hughes

· #30 · Mar 30, 2011

I was a TT fan and think they are a very well made product and have excellent customer service but I love my Dogtras and find them more suited to my training style now. I am currently using a 1900 and have yet to try out my 3502, but will probably break that out this season.

I have owned a couple of SportDogs as well, had terrible luck with them. I wouldn’t recommend them, although the customer service was fantastic, the collars themselves just didn’t work out for me. But that was a few years ago now, maybe they have improved their products.

Tim Martens

· #31 · Feb 16, 2012

currently putting dogtra's customer service to the test. what should be an easy $10 solution for their error is turning into a headache for me. we'll see how it turns out tomorrow when i speak with the "supervisor".

brad robert

· #32 · Feb 16, 2012

I like my little Sport Dog!! Really cool little hand piece and solid construction too.

Pete Stevens

· #33 · Feb 16, 2012

It goes down to personal preference. Both are great but I'm a Tritronics guy. We use them in our law enforcement seminars that we host with Doug Roller from Tactical K9. The Pro series give you lots of different stim levels that you can choose from to meet the needs your training. The EXP transmitters ,AKA remote, in the in the Sport series can control up to 3 collars. In the other series, the EXP models can control up to 6 collars. You can buy the collars as you need them because they are all the same and programable in the field. If you break or loose a receiver, AKA collar, you can just order one and program it when you get it. Its very simple to program the collars. And for some very stubborn dogs, you can easily program 2 receivers to the same freq and place them on both sides of the neck. Something you can't do with Dogtra. If you do go with Dogtra, stay in the lower number models like the 1900 NCP. The only difference you get as the numbers get higher is range and more money. In LE and sport, if our dogs are more than 1/2 a mile from us, we have other issues besides e-collar problems.

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Charles Wrenn

· #34 · Feb 16, 2012

Which dogtra system do you recommend for Schutzhund training?

Marta Wajngarten

· #35 · Feb 16, 2012

Pete Stevens said:
The only difference you get as the numbers get higher is range and more money. In LE and sport, if our dogs are more than 1/2 a mile from us, we have other issues besides e-collar problems.

lol very true

The one nice perk you get with moving up to the 2300 from the lower models is the rapid charge. 2h from dead to full and the charge lasts a few days, even over a week with little use.

Old thread... I just sent my 2300 off to Dogtra for warranty work. The remote was stuck on 40 even though the dial was turned all the way down to 0. We'll see how they handle it.

I did buy a SportDog 1825 about a year ago, what a piece of shit! Hated it, barely used it and ended up selling it. Some thing as simple as going up a level.. I'm so used to just turning the dial on the Dogtra.. on this thing you had to cycle through the 3 sub settings, or take the collar off the dog and change the settings on the collar.. way too many things bells and whistles tones multiple settings, etc I just want the damn thing to zap the dog when I press the button.. and even on all the settings turned to high (and confirmed that the collar was working) could never make contact even with longer prongs on my Corso, that or he just wasn't bothered by it.
I did like how tiny and light the collar was but at the same time it felt really cheap and like it wouldn't survive much good use.

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Rik Wolterbeek

· #36 · Feb 16, 2012

..

UNRELATED:
one of the funniest things I ever saw, concerning an e collar was a girl training a DS, the dog was not outing. she was yelling LOS...and was hitting the button, over and over, her BF was getting chewed up in the suit in a bad spot...dog was not outing.

The funny part was the collar was not on the dog, it was in her hand with the transmitter...

would have been funnier if it was on and she shocked herself....I doubt that could happen with the tri-tronics....[/QUOTE]

Do I know the girl?

Rik Wolterbeek

Harry Keely

Discussion Starter · #37 · Feb 16, 2012

Rik Wolterbeek said:
..

UNRELATED:
one of the funniest things I ever saw, concerning an e collar was a girl training a DS, the dog was not outing. she was yelling LOS...and was hitting the button, over and over, her BF was getting chewed up in the suit in a bad spot...dog was not outing.

The funny part was the collar was not on the dog, it was in her hand with the transmitter... would have been funnier if it was on and she shocked herself....I doubt that could happen with the tri-tronics....

Do I know the girl?

Rik Wolterbeek[/QUOTE]

Rik we once told a kid in order for the dog to be shocked he had to put the prongs on his forearm and turn it up to mid range and hit nick, because if he was going to shock the dog he had to know what he was doing to the dog, well you can guess what happen next LOL, he was pissed but laughing at the same time afterwards, we honestly didnt think he was going to do it.

hillel schwartzman

· #38 · Feb 16, 2012

I have been a real big TRI-Tronics fan for years and still love mine.But I am now experimenting with the Martin Systems (finger kick) and Must say so far Very Very Impressed...The simple fact is it is freeing up my hand and improving my timing with repect to corrections and releases...Keep ya posted..

Aaron Rice

· #39 · Feb 16, 2012

Rik Wolterbeek said:
..

UNRELATED:
one of the funniest things I ever saw, concerning an e collar was a girl training a DS, the dog was not outing. she was yelling LOS...and was hitting the button, over and over, her BF was getting chewed up in the suit in a bad spot...dog was not outing.

The funny part was the collar was not on the dog, it was in her hand with the transmitter... would have been funnier if it was on and she shocked herself....I doubt that could happen with the tri-tronics....

Do I know the girl?

Rik Wolterbeek[/QUOTE]

Was that here in IL?

Aaron Rice

· #40 · Feb 16, 2012

hillel schwartzman said:
I have been a real big TRI-Tronics fan for years and still love mine.But I am now experimenting with the Martin Systems (finger kick) and Must say so far Very Very Impressed...The simple fact is it is freeing up my hand and improving my timing with repect to corrections and releases...Keep ya posted..

How is it holding up?

Pretty Reliable?

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