Our entire world is going high-tech. If you doubt that statement, just look around you. Your new TV needs to be programmed, VCRs now have features that resemble NASA's equipment of ten or fifteen years ago, hell, even your pickup truck has an on-board computer. They say fifty percent of us have personal computers in our homes and the other fifty percent wish they had one. Have you ever taken a look at some of your kids' video games?

The technological break-throughs that we are experiencing today can astound you if you are a low-tech person like me. I was first introduced to computers twenty-six years ago as a freshman journalism student at EMU's student newspaper, the Echo. This unit was the size of the desk I now sit at and could accomplish half of what my little laptop can today. The original IBM computers were the size of your average bedroom compared to this unit which fits in my briefcase with plenty of room to spare. Now, you may wonder where the heck I'm going with all of this. Dog training, of course.

Yes, dog training. The trainer now entering the twenty-first century has more training aides and tools at their disposal than ever thought possible. The electronic training collars of today are the lightest weight, smallest size, and most innovative ever thought possible. And even better, as the technology advances, prices are dropping. The first training collars in the early 1960s were large units with one setting: HOT. With relatively short range and only one setting, these units were known as ‘shock collars,' and rightly so. Their uses were limited to breaking dogs from running deer and recapturing runaways.

Now, let's step into the nineties. Tri-Tronics has, in the past, led the way in developing new training collars and advancing the technological need for training collars rather than just high-voltage shock collars. Their quality is excellent the equipment is reliable, but innovation is passing them by. There is a new company called Innotek on the market that has taken the forefront in advanced technology. Innovative technology is in their name and definitely shows in their products.

I recently visited Innotek headquarters in Garrett, Indiana and met with their Senior Sales Engineer, Lance Tracy. Lance had previously worked as a Product Manager at the sub-contractor level before coming to work for Innotek directly. This young company, Innotek, started in the dog product market in 1997, near the twenty million mark. As we toured the facility, one of the first things I noticed was the camaraderie of the staff. This is a relatively small company with a staff that is able to work together through the entire process of manufacturing all the way through to shipping. They are consolidating their entire process under one roof to better manage product quality. Repairs are also done in-house, with a same-day turn-around time. This means that if your unit needs repair, they will repair and ship it back to you on the day they receive it, when possible.

I own and use several Innotek products that are on the cutting edge in design and new technology. The Track and Train system works off of the Command series transmitter. It is a combination of electronic trainer and beeper collars. This allows the use of a single collar for both features and can run two dogs on the same system. This system will also accommodate over a dozen launchers and pop-up backing units, a facsimile of a dog on point, to teach honoring of another dog on point.

I also have purchased one of their ‘Free Spirit' training collars that features a compact receiver unit, 3 ounces, that is about the size of the old Matchbox car boxes. How many of you remember Matchbox cars? Maybe I'm dating myself, huh? The thing I like the best about this unit is that the transmitter, the part I have to carry, is the size of a book of matches. I carry the transmitter on a lanyard the same as my whistle. Losing the transmitter, as with the competitors' large-style, pop-bottle-sized units, is no longer a concern. And both of the collar receivers are a hundred percent waterproof. Innotek also makes backyard containment systems that can cover up to 25 acres off of one home-based system at remarkably low prices, as well as many more units than I am able to cover here. Innotek is by far the mos innovative company in the dog training market today, and most certainly will continue using advancing technology to assist the trainers and hunters of the future.

Charlie Linblade

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