# tri-tronics vs. dogtra



## Martin Cho (Jan 21, 2014)

Back sixteen years ago I used a two-dog TT collar and was very happy with it. I don't have the equipment any more and now need to buy a brand new setup. I noticed Dogtra coming up in serious circles and wanted to hear from people who have used both brands.

Two things jump out immediately from what I can remember about TT.

First, with the TT transmitter I used to own you had a toggle switch to select between the two dogs. The pushbuttons would instantly give you low, mid and, when pressed together, high stimulation. This was great because you could very quickly move up and down a stimulation scale. Each collar was setup for the corresponding dog. No unexpected changes at any time. Easy to use.

I did not mind the larger tubular transmitter. In fact, I actually liked the feel. In addition to that it was visible and looked serious enough. I found this important when I sometimes worked the dogs off-leash at large local parks. People noticed I had the dogs under "remote control" and it looked like a serious remote, not a toy. A tiny little transmitter would not put out that message. This was also effective when approached by law enforcement. A lot of them recognized the TT transmitter and knew I wasn't screwing around with a pair of uncontrolled GSD's off leash. They'd usually ask me to show them what I could do and then ask that I keep them on leash as much as possible (which I did anyhow). I don't remember one instance of being hassled by law enforcement for being off-leash while using the remote collars.

This is why I am discounting the Einstein line. I am more than willing to listen. Still, I'll say I am fairly strongly biased against their toy-like transmitters. They look toy-ish and seem like they would be awkward to hold and use. With the TT I'd keep my index finger on the dog toggle and one finger on each stim button. You go from thought to stim in a small fraction of a second.

What concerns me about Dogtra is that it doesn't seem to have a quick way to ratchet stimulation up and down. 

Hypothetical example: Training dog to not cross the street unless commanded with "cross". After the dog is well trained you might want to up the volume and get him out to a really busy avenue. The dog is spooked by a Harley driving by and attempts to go off the sidewalk. It could get killed. In this case, being able to go from a low tingle to a stopping stimulation might be a matter of life and death. With TT that is an easy and instant single hand operation that requires no thought.

With Dogtra it seems impossible as you have to fumble with that wheel back and forth to change the stimulation level delivered by the one-and-only button. I've never held one but this is my impression.

The other concern with Dogtra is that the stimulation level can be modified without you knowing it if the knob is turned for any reason. Do they have a lockout?

Similar issues or questions about multi-dog setups. How do you know where your stim is set to? Or if it has changed? And how do yo navigate up/down stim levels with multiple dogs...safely?

To continue with the hypothetical example from above: So I just stopped dog #1 from walking onto the street with a high stimulation after quickly turning the dial and pushing the button (which would take far more time than simply pushing two buttons together). Now I switch back to dog #2 and need a normal light stimulation setting. Do I have to rotate the dial back to a low setting? It sure seems that way. If I then go back to dog #1 and forget to adjust the dial down, is it going to deliver the high stimulation I used to keep him from getting run over by a car?

Not sure if I fully understand how the Dogtra's work. It seems to me that the system they use is far from ideal for anything past one dog. Perhaps Dogtra is better for single dog situations for some reason but not so for multiple dogs? Maybe it's designed for situations where you have time to fumble with multiple controls? Don't know.

So, yes, based on prior experience and a little bit of reading I am currently biased towards going back to TT. Still, before making a decision I'd like to learn more about other options.


I'd appreciate input from people experienced with both brands as well as using them in the context of running more than one dog at a time in environments where you need instant communication with your dogs.

Thanks!


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

Hi, Martin,

Please don't forget your intro here: http://www.WorkingDogForum.com/vBulletin/f20/

Thanks!


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## Martin Cho (Jan 21, 2014)

Connie Sutherland said:


> Hi, Martin,
> 
> Please don't forget your intro here: http://www.WorkingDogForum.com/vBulletin/f20/
> 
> Thanks!


Done. Thanks.

-Martin


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## Ted Summers (May 14, 2012)

This may change your mind on Einstein.... due out 3/1/14. Additinally they have finger kick due out Q4/14


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## Julie Blanding (Mar 12, 2008)

Where can I find out more about this new ecollar? I went to their homepage and didn't see any info on that model.


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## Nancy Jocoy (Apr 19, 2006)

Good timing for me. I put the batteries in the old Dogtra this weekend and hope for the best but am going to start training soon and I was really eyeing the Einstein. I was looking at the 800TS. Like the new transmitter design.


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## Ted Summers (May 14, 2012)

They'll release some info toward the middle ish of Feb. I talked to them right after the 1st and the were re-writing 6000 lines of code :-o. They've been pretty quite on the new features. I suspect max and instastim are in response to the lock mode and being unable to manipulate the stim quickly when locked. The easy answer is.... don't lock it. This new transmitter should be backwards compatible with current receivers.


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## Nancy Jocoy (Apr 19, 2006)

So I have a question I have not seen anywhere. The person I am going to be working with has used Dogtra for a long time but now prefers tritronics for reliability, stim stability, and simplicity but also........

..something about the quality of the stim has less potential for damage than the Dogtra...something about how deep it penetrates..I am unclear..... Do you know anything about that...not finding anything on the web? I know the Einstein has a different kind of stim. He was not familiar with the Einstein but with the 60 day satisfaction guarantee it makes it worth checking out.


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## Robley Smith (Apr 20, 2012)

Ooh! Want!


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