Dealer says the 99 01 02 T CAT are dogs?????

By "dog", does he mean "scary fast, reliable, rock solid sled"?

Then yes, I guess mine is a dog......

Compared to the previous generation T-cat,, yes. The last couple year T-cats were more for comfort. Very easy to fix .

Very easy to fix . What needs to be done to fix it. looking at two.one is a 00 one01

have your ecm reprogrammed???? that along with some clutch work would be some serious changes,,,,,

1) clutching
2) jetting
3) timing key
Blast off. They fly and will run a loooong time. Ask anyone that ever owned one if they liked it.

Whats the timing key and what should I do to it?

The offset key-way is used to adjust the timing back to optimum. Arctic Cat used "retarded timing" to radically detune the 1000cc sleds in 99. They were "DOGS". I figured 135 to 145hp. In the case of the 1000cc Tcats, they were detuned by between 2.5 and 4 deg. The jetting was also very rich from the factory. A/C issued a bulletin to change the jetting to leaner needle jets and mains. However, when the timing is corrected to optimum the original jetting is very close. So, my suggestion is to have a skilled person check the timing with a degree wheel and timing light. Then purchase the correct offset key to bring timing to the 98 Tcat specs. But be carefully, the closer you are to the edge the more likely it will detonate from poor fuel or bad jetting. Be careful with the jetting. These alone will put alot of life back into it. Ive done this and it works. There are other things of course but these should be first.