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At this week’s SHOT Show, SportDOG Brand of training gear and accessories upped the ante in the dog-training and tracking world. The company’s new TEK 1.0 combines GPS-tracking capabilities and electrical stimulation into one rugged collar unit. And they did it at a lower price point than that of Garmin’s Astro unit, the current industry leader.
Now everyone from houndsmen to those that use big-running pointing breeds can keep track of their dogs AND make remote corrections from a single handheld unit. The TEK 1.0 is available in two models: the 1.0L is a GPS tracking collar only and will reportedly retail for $100 less than Garmin’s Astro. The 1.0LT combines both the GPS-tracking and e-collar and will cost about $100 more than Garmin’s Astro.
The TEK has a range of seven miles and can track up to 12 dogs at once. Not only does it show the dog’s location, it also reports on its status — stopped or direction of movement.
When married/combined with the e-collar unit, the TEK provides up to 100 levels of e-collar stimulation, vibration or tone corrections.
The transmitter is waterproof and submersible up to 25 feet, and all components (GPS tracking, e-collar and transmitter) charge via a single wall adapter. A 2-hour full-charge time provides about 20 hours of battery life.
It remains to be seen how well the GPS capabilities stack up against the Garmin Astro, and how well it performs in dense cover, rugged terrain or how consistent the stimulation is under similar circumstances, but it’s exciting to see the technology advancing and providing trainers and hunters a convenient unit that does it all — and at a lower price point.