# Tritronics Influentials Club



## Wayne Nutt (Jan 10, 2010)

Is the TT Influentials Club still viable? I haven't rec'd any notice to order my free stuff recently.


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## emmylan (Oct 19, 2004)

Yup. They changed the plan a little, but i got my free stuff last month.


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## Andy Carlson (Jan 3, 2003)

I didn't get any sort of notice, but know about when it is time to order my free stuff. Got it all quite quickly after filling out the online form.


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## Wayne Nutt (Jan 10, 2010)

Thx. I just placed my order. The questionnaire was tough to complete as I would type and the letters would all run together with no editing possible


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## EdA (May 13, 2003)

Wayne Nutt said:


> Thx. I just placed my order. The questionnaire was tough to complete as I would type and the letters would all run together with no editing possible


Some guys will do anything for a free shirt made in a third world country.;-);-)


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## Happy Gilmore (Feb 29, 2008)

EdA said:


> Some guys will do anything for a free shirt made in a third world country.;-);-)


Is that the reason all the embroidery is messed up?


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## Wayne Nutt (Jan 10, 2010)

Two shirts and a jacket.


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## Gun_Dog2002 (Apr 22, 2003)

I find it interesting how people view things. The ic club started out with the intent that both parties mutually benefitted from the arrangement. Now it just a way to get "free stuff." A better question would be, what did I do to earn representing this company?

/Paul


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## Sharon Potter (Feb 29, 2004)

What I miss is the small commission they would send when I ordered for a client. Now that they have discontinued it, it ends up being cheaper for me to send clients to retailers that offer free shipping. No motivation for me to act as the middle man anymore.


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## Bridget Bodine (Mar 4, 2008)

Good point /Paul .... I know for my part I sell 15-20 Tritronics collars a year .....do ecollar obedience , train the trainer etc... and participate in hunt tests. It is a shame the TTIC is not more of a Pro Staff type of thing...THat people who really sell and know the product were the people that are "Influential" I do know they asked more follow up questions this year...maybe they are tightening the criteria


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## Happy Gilmore (Feb 29, 2008)

Wayne, I think you should delete this thread because the TTI Club is not about getting free shirts. You are sending out the wrong message and probably increasing the traffic to TT's website which causes them a lot of grief is what I'm told.


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## Bridget Bodine (Mar 4, 2008)

NO kiddin! Training a couple of dogs , or using a Tritronics should not get you "In the club"!!!


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## Chris Atkinson (Jan 3, 2003)

Paul "Happy" Gilmore said:


> Wayne, I think you should delete this thread because the TTI Club is not about getting free shirts. You are sending out the wrong message and probably increasing the traffic to TT's website which causes them a lot of grief is what I'm told.


This is inaccurate. 

TT loves the exposure and the traffic generated by their banner here, as well as dialogue about them and their products. TT does not like it when people post misinformation which generates numerous Influentials Club applications by unqualified applicants who will be turned down. 

I believe the Influentials Club is predominantly occupied by professional folks who clearly understand the mutual benefit of the program.

I am a member myself and will be conducting a retriever demo at a local park on Saturday. I will proudly wear a white TT Influentials shirt at that event.

http://herald-review.com/lifestyles...cle_ef0266b4-14e0-11e3-b75a-0019bb2963f4.html


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## Happy Gilmore (Feb 29, 2008)

Nothing I've ever posted was inaccurate or misinformation if that is what you are suggesting. I friend of mine and a few guys on RTF got their shirts because of the deleted thread. Demos are fun. The Washington Waterfowl Assoc. invited me to do a demo recently and I was invited to do a retriever demo with a Professional pointer trainer who has won the Am National with a GSP at the State fair two years ago. That was fun. Put his GSP on point and sent in the Chessie for the flush and retrieve. Brought out a little girl from the crowd and taught her how to handle a dog. You'll have a great time if you've never done one before.


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## Happy Gilmore (Feb 29, 2008)

No matter the tone and non sense of typical conversations on RTF I still always recommend TT to the clients who come to the kennel and I chat with daily for pointer training. Got many of them away from the un reliable crap cheapo collars.


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## Happy Gilmore (Feb 29, 2008)

"unqualified applicants" is an interesting term and the elusive question that folks I've spoken with wonder about. What makes you qualified? Have a MH title? Own a kennel? Be a Professional? What are the pelts needed to have a shirt with your name on it?


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## Chris Atkinson (Jan 3, 2003)

Paul "Happy" Gilmore said:


> "unqualified applicants" is an interesting term and the elusive question that folks I've spoken with wonder about. What makes you qualified? Have a MH title? Own a kennel? Be a Professional? What are the pelts needed to have a shirt with your name on it?


Please answer your cellphone. I'm calling now.


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## Dave Plesko (Aug 16, 2009)

Bridget Bodine said:


> Good point /Paul .... I know for my part I sell 15-20 Tritronics collars a year .....do ecollar obedience , train the trainer etc... and participate in hunt tests. It is a shame the TTIC is not more of a Pro Staff type of thing...THat people who really sell and know the product were the people that are "Influential" I do know they asked more follow up questions this year...maybe they are tightening the criteria


Would that make you feel more special?

It's marketing and thats all it is.


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## Gun_Dog2002 (Apr 22, 2003)

Sharon Potter said:


> What I miss is the small commission they would send when I ordered for a client. Now that they have discontinued it, it ends up being cheaper for me to send clients to retailers that offer free shipping. No motivation for me to act as the middle man anymore.


 I miss that as well. 

/Paul


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## Wayne Nutt (Jan 10, 2010)

Interesting that several commented on the use of the word "free" since that is the word used on the TTIC website. "Free personalized clothing"


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## Bridget Bodine (Mar 4, 2008)

Dave Plesko said:


> Would that make you feel more special?
> 
> It's marketing and thats all it is.


_*I*_ DO NOT need to feel more special . To me, I should be doing something for the company ,IE promoting the product, understanding the product and yes , selling the product and the company should give you a little discount and let
you wear logo apparel that gives a person a little credibility . Yes, of course it is advertising ....for both parties.


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## JusticeDog (Jul 3, 2003)

Chris Atkinson said:


> This is inaccurate.
> 
> TT loves the exposure and the traffic generated by their banner here, as well as dialogue about them and their products. TT does not like it when people post misinformation which generates numerous Influentials Club applications by unqualified applicants who will be turned down.
> 
> ...



It would be great that if there were inaccuracies being stated that a representative of TT actually got on retriever training forum and explained the inaccuracies. They could do it in such a way that would be professional and positive, And gain exposure for their products. It would be nice to have actual vendor feedback and contact.


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## Gun_Dog2002 (Apr 22, 2003)

I've been in the program so long and it's changed so much with no communication from them I really can't comment. I just continue to promote what I believe is the best collar out there and advocate for proper training 

/Paul


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## Chris Atkinson (Jan 3, 2003)

JusticeDog said:


> It would be great that if there were inaccuracies being stated that a representative of TT actually got on retriever training forum and explained the inaccuracies. They could do it in such a way that would be professional and positive, And gain exposure for their products. It would be nice to have actual vendor feedback and contact.


The inaccuracy I was pointing out was the claim that they don't desire web traffic. That, of course, is inaccurate. The whole reason they have a banner on this website is to drive traffic.

TriTronics is far from the only sponsor on RTF who is generally uninvolved in daily dialogue on the discussion boards. That is their option. The two rows of banners across the top of the forum consist of sponsors who choose to generally not participate in daily dialogue on RTF.


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## huntinman (Jun 1, 2009)

Chris Atkinson said:


> The inaccuracy I was pointing out was the claim that they don't desire web traffic. That, of course, is inaccurate. The whole reason they have a banner on this website is to drive traffic.
> 
> TriTronics is far from the only sponsor on RTF who is generally uninvolved in daily dialogue on the discussion boards. That is their option. The two rows of banners across the top of the forum consist of *sponsors who choose to generally not participate in daily dialogue on RTF.*


They participate by paying for their "real estate" on the forum. Glad they are here... All of them.

More who hawk their wares on the forum should consider it.


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## Dave Plesko (Aug 16, 2009)

Bridget Bodine said:


> _*I*_ DO NOT need to feel more special . To me, I should be doing something for the company ,IE promoting the product, understanding the product and yes , selling the product and the company should give you a little discount and let
> you wear logo apparel that gives a person a little credibility . Yes, of course it is advertising ....for both parties.


It's just Marketing their products. YOU want it to bestow some sort of credibility. Some Specialness. THEY seem less concerned about that. Apparently they have their qualifications, and if one meets them you can be "Influential". For the cost of a few shirts, they get advertising. They set the level of that bar, whether you believe those that meet those qualifications are "worthy" or not.

I've heard that if one owns Chessies and lives in the top of a barn, those qualifications are moot and you are not allowed to be Influential.


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## shawninthesticks (Jun 13, 2010)

huntinman said:


> They participate by paying for their "real estate" on the forum. Glad they are here... All of them.
> 
> More who hawk their wares on the forum should consider it.


I buy more from the payers that never say a word ,then I do the sayers that never pay a dime.

I guess I'm a sucker for the pretty flashing banners.


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## Happy Gilmore (Feb 29, 2008)

I was a liquor broker in a previous life. I managed 176 brands in the Seagram Family and JD group. I had a storage unit which was filled monthly with promotional items. When our quarterly budget meetings came around I always begged for less spending on wearables and more point of sale items which were nice and could be better utilized by our customers to create a better image and brand visibility. In my opinion, distributing shirts did little to nothing to improve the sales long term. Sponsoring events, getting the top cowboys a jack Daniels in their hand and a sponsor patch on their back did a lot. Not to mention those folks heavily involved in the sport became fiercely loyal to the folks who supported their rodeo.


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## JusticeDog (Jul 3, 2003)

Chris Atkinson said:


> The inaccuracy I was pointing out was the claim that they don't desire web traffic. That, of course, is inaccurate. The whole reason they have a banner on this website is to drive traffic.


Huh? I don't recall saying any statement that shows that the company didn't want web traffic. Just inaccuracies about the TT Influentials program. But as any of us know who have worked in marketing, anytime a product is talked about positive or negative, it is marketing. TT Really hasn't let anyone know too much about how the influentials program has changed. Since I am part of that program I think I can stay that state that with good certainty. The last communication I received was from someone from Garmin who was updating that the email addresses of the people in the program. Prior to that it was a change in the discount program. And as people have already mentioned, discounts to influential members have been cut. My point was, since they obviously monitor the site, they certainly could have a representative jump on and clear up any inaccuracies. Our perhaps market a new collar that they come out with. Since there are people on RTF who routinely promote there wares without paying for it, I would welcome a vendor who actually pays for advertising as a sponsor to actually say something.


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## roseberry (Jun 22, 2010)

Paul "Happy" Gilmore said:


> , getting the top cowboys a jack Daniels in their hand and a sponsor patch on their back did a lot.


i was unaware that my loyalty to "jack daniels" stemmed subliminally from a patch on a bull rider's shirt. i am going back to the much more afordable "golden cadillac"!;-)

btw, i lost my treasured and ancient pro 500 xls transmitter last week. i intend to go back with another tt because of my respect for both the posters on this thread who are tt influential members and the other doofuses i train with who are in the tti program!;-)


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## Marty Lee (Mar 30, 2009)

roseberry said:


> i was unaware that my loyalty to "jack daniels" stemmed subliminally from a patch on a bull rider's shirt. i am going back to the much more afordable "golden cadillac"!;-)
> 
> btw, i lost my treasured and ancient pro 500 xls transmitter last week. i intend to go back with another tt because of my respect for both the posters on this thread who are tt influential members and the other doofuses i train with who are in the tti program!;-)


sorry for your loss john......i still have my xls dont throw those collars away


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## Chris Atkinson (Jan 3, 2003)

JusticeDog said:


> Huh? I don't recall saying any statement that shows that the company didn't want web traffic. Just inaccuracies about the TT Influentials program. But as any of us know who have worked in marketing, anytime a product is talked about positive or negative, it is marketing. TT Really hasn't let anyone know too much about how the influentials program has changed. Since I am part of that program I think I can stay that state that with good certainty. The last communication I received was from someone from Garmin who was updating that the email addresses of the people in the program. Prior to that it was a change in the discount program. And as people have already mentioned, discounts to influential members have been cut. My point was, since they obviously monitor the site, they certainly could have a representative jump on and clear up any inaccuracies. Our perhaps market a new collar that they come out with. Since there are people on RTF who routinely promote there wares without paying for it, I would welcome a vendor who actually pays for advertising as a sponsor to actually say something.


Whatever ...

I'm wearing the TT Influentials shirt tomorrow at the demo. But ....I'm putting a "bite suit" over top. I'm getting bit by a K9 Deputy Sherrif's Belgian Malanois right after the demo. (assisting in the K9 demo)

You're welcome to come down and wear the suit if you'd like.... 

For me, it's a bucket list thing. I have trained dogs in organized stuff since the 70's. I've never been bit (or is it bitten?) by a powerful K9 trained to bite. I want to see what it is like to be a decoy for a K9 used for swat team duty.

Who knows? I may not be typing so well in 24 hours! 

I'm actually thinking of customizing my white shirt for tomorrow's event using a marker and writing a caption.

The caption: _"BITE ME!"

_Have fun and be happy..... Chris


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## JusticeDog (Jul 3, 2003)

Chris Atkinson said:


> Whatever ...


uh Chris........ Bite Me!! .


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## Happy Gilmore (Feb 29, 2008)

roseberry said:


> i was unaware that my loyalty to "jack daniels" stemmed subliminally from a patch on a bull rider's shirt. i am going back to the much more afordable "golden cadillac"!;-)
> 
> btw, i lost my treasured and ancient pro 500 xls transmitter last week. i intend to go back with another tt because of my respect for both the posters on this thread who are tt influential members and the other doofuses i train with who are in the tti program!;-)


By your logic then, TT is wasting their money by supporting this website and they should not help Chris pay the bills.


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## Lonnie Spann (May 14, 2012)

I guess I'm missing out, I'm not a member. Not sure what the requirement is for qualification but I wouldn't think that it would be much of a requirement. I know a guy that sent his dog to a pro for training, the pro ran the dog and titled the dog. I'm not even sure this TTI club member has even trained a dog BUT he does have a TT jacket with his name and a fictituous kennel name on it! I guess he thinks that it impresses someone? Maybe it does.

FYI, I do use TT collars and really like them. 

Lonnie Spann


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## huntinman (Jun 1, 2009)

Paul "Happy" Gilmore said:


> By your logic then, TT is wasting their money by supporting this website and they should not help Chris pay the bills.


Paul, are you putting logic and John in the same post? He tries hard to keep that from happening... Knock it off.;-)


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## Chris Atkinson (Jan 3, 2003)

I got bit! It was fun! The retriever folks all use TriTronics. The k9 foks also use TriTronics. 

We got pics but had to promise not to post publicly. (The above pic was taken after we got home. I wound up putting the caption on a Waterfowl USA tshirt rather than my long sleeve white TriTronics shirt. I wore the TT shirt through the whole retriever demo, then wore the t-shirt when the cops started.)


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## huntinman (Jun 1, 2009)

Chris Atkinson said:


> I got bit! It was fun! The retriever folks all use TriTronics. The k9 foks also use TriTronics.
> 
> We got pics but had to promise not to post publicly.


How much could you feel through the padding?


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## Chris Atkinson (Jan 3, 2003)

huntinman said:


> How much could you feel through the padding?


IT was really great! I could not feel much through the padding - here's why: The bite suit is pretty roomy. One of the officers came up and put his hands around my forearms and said 

"You're lucky. You've got pretty skinny arms. You will be able to roll your arm away from the bite so he only gets fabric and padding and no skin."

That's exactly how it went. I was able to roll my arm away from the bite after he got me. I also learned they have a "safe word". They WANT you as the decoy to yell, scream, spin, fight, twist.... But if you say the safe word, they will call the dog off immediately.

I never yelled the safe word. It was very cool. 

I have to disclaim that this was a controlled bite. The dog was on lead. There have been uncontrolled bites where the decoy gets hit so hard, he goes down and comes up with a dislocated shoulder! It was all good.


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## Dave Farrar (Mar 16, 2012)

That's cool. The county sheriff brings their Belgian Malanois to our school for a demo every spring. It's fun to watch any dog do what it is trained to do.


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## Chris Atkinson (Jan 3, 2003)

Dave Farrar said:


> That's cool. The county sheriff brings their Belgian Malanois to our school for a demo every spring. It's fun to watch any dog do what it is trained to do.


I agree totally!

What's also fun, really fun, for me - is to talk about training methods to get the dog to do what he does.

Today, we had a City Police officer and a County Deputy Sherrif both. One handled the dog, the other spoke, and we had a couple assistants do their thing. 

The speaker spent a good bit of time discussing HOW they train the dog to do what they do. What was so darn cool to me, was how they break it all down into such basic, simple elements that are so elementary they are brilliant! Then they take those elements and chain them together. It is just like the way we train a dog to handle or other things in our game!

It is really amazing.

The more I'm around this stuff, the more I realize that a good dog person is a good dog person. 

I agree. 

I remember a time when I was phase 2 when I did not respect things like agility. Now I am fascinated by how anyone trains a dog to do anything. For example: Weave pole. That zigzag pattern among a row of white PVC pipes.... It is amazing how they teach dogs to do that.

How to teach a dog to follow a scent trail to catch a bad guy. So elementary, it is brilliant! 

Another cool thing. There is frequently method A, B, or C. One thing I'm learning is to not BASH B or C if you do A. Why? Because one day, you may have a dog who requires one of the other methods. Why else? Because usually, no matter how big, how bad, how awesome you are, there is someone else who is bigger and badder. And sometimes they got there using method B or C.

You really gotta be careful about how high a pedestal you put your method, your accomplishments, your dog on. There's usually someone who's done more, somewhere. And they may have used a different method than you did!

It's all good.

Chris


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## roseberry (Jun 22, 2010)

i am pleased you had fun chris! very courageous even with a bite suit imho.......i woulda needed a couple of shots of the golden caddy!


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## Happy Gilmore (Feb 29, 2008)

A kid I strung up on the chin up bar with the weight lifting belts In high school in my home town is a k-9 handler. Sort of sucks going back to Monroe with the kid on patrol. Growing up sucks when the kid has a dog that ranked in the top 5 in the world at the British Columbia World police dog meet.


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## Chris Thiry (Jan 26, 2005)

Paul "Happy" Gilmore said:


> A kid I strung up on the chin up bar with the weight lifting belts In high school in my home town is a k-9 handler. Sort of sucks going back to Monroe with the kid on patrol. Growing up sucks when the kid has a dog that ranked in the top 5 in the world at the British Columbia World police dog meet.


That might come back to "BITE YA".


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## Chris Atkinson (Jan 3, 2003)

We had to promise not to post video on social media or other public sites of the demo. All I can tell you is that I would NOT want to get bit by one of these dogs without the bite suit on.

I literally spun this dog in circles as he hung on to my arm. He was not letting go until he was told.


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## Raymond Little (Aug 2, 2006)

Chris Atkinson said:


> We had to promise not to post video on social media or other public sites of the demo. All I can tell you is that I would NOT want to get bit by one of these dogs without the bite suit on.
> 
> I literally spun this dog in circles as he hung on to my arm. He was not letting go until he was told.


FF'ing pitbulls again??????????????????:razz:


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## Chris Atkinson (Jan 3, 2003)

Raymond Little said:


> FF'ing pitbulls again??????????????????:razz:


No...the pits did the demo before as retrievers. (we ran a lab, a chessie and a pit in the retriever demo)

The K9 demo was a Belgian Malanois. I've really become a fan of these dogs.

Chris


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## JusticeDog (Jul 3, 2003)

Chris Atkinson said:


> No...the pits did the demo before as retrievers. (we ran a lab, a chessie and a pit in the retriever demo)
> 
> The K9 demo was a Belgian Malanois. I've really become a fan of these dogs.
> 
> Chris


you have totally gdg'd up the tritronics influentials club thread!!!!


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## Scott Adams (Jun 25, 2003)

I've worn the bite suit a couple times, once for the belgians. Pretty neat stuff.


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## duk4me (Feb 20, 2008)

JusticeDog said:


> you have totally gdg'd up the tritronics influentials club thread!!!!


Would that be aversive?


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