Well, thank you for the reply.
I would be interested in the reasons why the remote on-off feature was discontinued. I can certainly appreciate some of the technical challenges it posed, but that was 2003-2004 technology. For a little comparison, think about what modern cell-phones are expected to do for days.
Of course I recognize that I’m only speaking to the support staff. I also understand that the market for training aids for sport dogs is much more lucrative than that for service dogs. Still, we do exist, and we need longevity more than sheer range. A sports dog only needs to work for several hours; whereas, a true service dog never totally goes off duty. I can easily foresee needing my dog in the dead of night for some minor emergency, and, while the five-second XL power-up sequence doesn’t seem onerous, finding the collar and putting it on in the dark might be another matter! I am well aware of the TTS precautions about wearing the collars full-time. They make sense with dogs with sensitive skin, or with short-haired breeds. However, on breeds such as true German Shepherds with extremely thick neck hair, this problem doesn’t seem to exist. In fact, only having the collars worn when in use leads to a phenomena where the dog becomes “collar wise,” and only performs when the collar is on. TTS clearly recognizes this issue, because they sell dummy collars also. The catch in that solution is that a collar still must be on the dog.
Officially, TTS sells their products as training aids. Nobody seems to recognize that most of those products can also be used as “control aids” on dogs working out in the real word. I don’t really mean the stimulation, but the tones and any other neutral cues offered. I am training my girl to regard the tone on her G2 collars as a long-distance recall. I could use tones for other behaviors too if they were offered. Can you imagine how wildly popular a product with multiple neutral cues would be? Not only would people with service dogs want it, but so would owners of sport dogs, law enforcement, and the military would probably drive a tank through your front door and demand your entire stock. Such a product would be truly stealthy command and control. Come on TTS, wake up and get busy.
From: TTSupport [mailto:TTSupport@garmin.com]
Sent: Tuesday, June 05, 2012 10:59
To: royall@conchbbs.com
Subject: RE: Mix-N-Match Question
Scott,
Thank you for your email.
The XLS series of Tri Tronics training equipment was built in 2004 and discontinued in 2005 when the G2 systems came out. The manual for the XLS series can be found on our Website under Customer Service/Owner Manuals and Guides. It is in the left hand column the 10th item down.
The 2 main difference with the XL and XLS is that the XLS turned on with a button on the collar and was a trickle charge system. The XL was the last system made that the receiver turned on and off with the transmitter. We stopped making the XL in 2003 when it was replaced with the XLS.
Unfortunately we no longer have parts or repairs for the systems built prior to the G2.
Each new system developed is not designed to work with previous systems and are designed to provide newer and better technology for the collars.
The G2 and G3 series are designed to be left on and stored right on the chargers in charge mode to assure proper and optimum performance. We do not recommend leaving the receivers on the dogs more than 10 hours.
If I can help with any other questions please feel free to contact us.
Thank you
Dulaine
Disability in America 