John's Review of the Dogtra 3500
I first made the switch to this unit for my personal use back when it launched in 2007. I really like what I saw just in the look and feel of the unit as well as features it came with. I jumped in feet first with the two dog model and haven't looked back ever since! First off let me say that all Dogtra products are very well made. They are actually made in Korea which usually means a top notch product from top to bottom.
What I really love:
The list can go on and on but in a nutshell here we go. The vibrate or "paging" feature. Most other brands don't offer the vibe feature but rather just the tone I found that when the dog was really running hard or "high strung" most of the times they wouldn't even hear the tone. With the vibe they really feel it rattle em' up and it's a real attention grabber. I very rarely have to stimulate my dogs anymore as a vibe is usually sufficient to get their attention while maintaining their boldness.
This model uses Lithium Polymer batteries with a 2-hr quick charge. These batteries are lightweight and really hold a charge longer than anything I've seen. I think it's a great addition given that these models incorporate the vibrate feature which uses a bit more juice. The charging system is fantastic! Just 1 AC adapter with a Y-splitter....one end into the transmitter and the other into the collar(s) and you are good to go in 2 hours or less.
The collar is small enough for most smaller breeds roughly around 30lbs or more. It also has an LED light which flashes green when battery is good, orange when it is getting low and red when a charge is required.
The transmitter also has an LCD screen showing you what stimulation level you are at as well as battery strength and an Indiglo backlight.
The rheostat dial to control stimulation levels works great. A smooth turning dial from 0-127 gives you a wide range of stimulation and the ability to fine tune the level which matches the dog's temperment. In other words if you happen to have a "soft" dog, you can really tune it in so that you don't understimulate and also not over stimulate.
I'm a "traditional transmitter" type guy and love the fact that the transmitter comes with a metal belt clip as well as a lanyard and test light. Both transmitter and collar are fully waterproof and submersible.
What I don't Like:
Really, the only thing I don't like is the inability to expand this unit so you really have to decide from the start if you want a 1 or 2 dog unit. I suppose part of the reasoning behind this is that Dogtra does not incorporate toggle switches to jump to the second dog. If you look at the picture of the two dog unit you will see that each collar has it's own button for both stimulate and vibrate! There is a black and orange button on the front which controls the vibrate and another orange and black button on the side that controls stimulation. This gives the user the ability to literally control 2 dogs simultaneously without flipping switches to get to the other dog. I suppose I really turned this negative into a positive!
You can see this model on our site http://www.canadiangundogsupply.com/Dogtra-3500-Super-X.html
Till next time, all the best.
John Apostolis
Canadian Gun Dog Supply
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