We would like our pets to be secure and completely satisfied. However permitting your canine to discover your property and different off-leash areas unleashed can improve his danger of hurt. Balancing “secure” and “completely satisfied” will get simpler whenever you add a great GPS canine tracker to your pet’s collar!
GPS canine trackers have gotten more and more fashionable. However how efficient are they? And does your canine really want one? If that’s the case, that are the very best GPS canine trackers to think about on your furry pal?
We now have solutions for all these questions and extra! That can assist you sift by means of the choices, we examined six fashionable location monitoring gadgets you need to use on your canine.
How Nicely Do Canine GPS Trackers Work?
Most canine GPS and exercise trackers work by means of a mix of Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, mobile, and satellite tv for pc alerts. Some even work off radio frequencies. However even with all these sign choices, the very best GPS canine trackers are nonetheless not good and won’t work in all situations.
The efficiency of a location tracker is primarily decided by sign high quality. Poor sign can result in delayed location updates or false location updates (that means it might point out your pet is someplace it’s not). Quite a lot of elements can affect this:
- Cloud cowl
- Thick tree canopies
- Tall buildings
- Being inside a automobile or constructing
For instance, on this map, you’ll be able to see a basic path of the place Hercules traveled. Throughout this journey, the Fi GPS monitoring app was not at all times in a position to get a sign for his exact location when he was within the woods. He adopted his nostril and wandered round much more than these straight strains point out. However it’s nonetheless extraordinarily useful to know the final space your canine is in in the event that they’re misplaced!
One other issue to think about is mobile phone reception. The mobile networks these gadgets use are the identical ones your telephone makes use of, such because the AT&T or Verizon LTE networks. Nonetheless, it doesn’t matter which service you employ on your telephone. The monitoring gadgets join to those networks immediately (e.g., Fi makes use of LTE-M by way of the AT&T community), and that’s what the subscription charges cowl.
What does matter is how effectively the tracker can entry its designated sign in your space? When you have a tool that works by way of the Verizon community, however you’ll be able to’t get a great Verizon sign close to you, the tracker won’t work in addition to you’d hoped!
Do You Want A GPS & Exercise Tracker For Your Canine?
I used to be that pet proprietor who thought my canine would by no means get misplaced. Then final summer season, within the time it took me to enter our campervan, pour a cup of espresso, and are available again out, Hercules had disappeared. A nightmare for any canine proprietor! It took 5 folks looking virtually three hours earlier than we discovered him.
That have fueled my curiosity in getting a GPS machine. However a probably misplaced canine (and even canine theft) isn’t the one cause to get a location tracker. Listed below are 5 causes you may want a GPS pet tracker on your pup:
1. Security And Prevention
Not solely do these monitoring gadgets assist you to discover your pet in the event that they get misplaced or wander too far, however additionally they assist you to forestall that from taking place.
Many monitoring machine apps allow you to arrange secure/unsafe zones. For instance, I get a notification from the Tractive GPS machine when Cool Whip leaves our house/secure zone (inexperienced circle) or enters the alert zone I arrange across the street (purple rectangle). That’s my cue to name her again nearer to the campervan earlier than she wanders right into a harmful space.
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2. Monitor Your Canine Walker Or Pet Sitter
Clearly, you belief this individual when you’ve employed them to take care of the one you love pet. However it’s nonetheless comforting to know when and the place they’re taking your canine for a stroll.
Most GPS canine tracker apps will present you precisely how lengthy and the place your canine was energetic. Some trackers additionally allow you to share your canine’s location with different canine walkers or members of the family. This fashion, they may help discover your misplaced pup when you’re not within the space.
3. You Hike With Your Canine
Sure, a pet GPS tracker may help you discover your canine in the event that they get misplaced throughout a hike. However they’re additionally a good way to file your journey! You’ll be capable to see precisely the place you hiked, the gap you hiked, and the way lengthy it took you.
With some canine tracker apps, you’ll be able to even take photos alongside the best way that save with the occasion. What an amazing reminiscence to look again on!
4. You Need To Log Your Canine’s Exercise Stage
Minutes energetic, distance traveled, time spent napping—all of those contribute to your canine’s total exercise degree. Many GPS and exercise trackers assist keep watch over your canine when you’re not there to look at them 24/7.
You’ll know in the event that they’re working across the yard all day when you’re at work, or in the event that they take an eight-hour nap. This may help you determine how a lot to feed or stroll them to take care of a wholesome weight. Plus, when you recognize extra about your canine’s every day habits, it may well assist you to establish doable sicknesses.
5. It Is Enjoyable!
A number of of the monitoring apps supply social options, akin to leaderboards displaying how your canine’s exercise degree ranks towards different canine with the identical machine. These rating classes sometimes embrace all machine customers, mates throughout the app, your canine’s breed, and your state, metropolis, or native space. It’d even result in new friendships!
What Is the Greatest GPS Canine Tracker?
So, you perceive how GPS trackers work and also you just like the potential advantages of a monitoring machine. However with quite a lot of pet monitoring gadgets in the marketplace, how do pet dad and mom decide the best one for his or her furry companion?
We now have you coated! These are six of the very best monitoring gadgets for canine. And we examined each to see how effectively they work in the true world.
- Fi Good Collar
- Hyperlink My Pet
- LynQ Good Compass
- Tractive GPS
- Whistle Well being & GPS
- Apple AirTag
Cool Whip and Hercules every wore three gadgets for a number of weeks in northern Minnesota. The panorama there’s a mixture of open fields and thick forests. We obtained a really feel for the way every machine would carry out in optimum sign areas (open fields with a transparent view of the sky) and probably tough areas (forests with heavy tree canopies).
Learn on for a breakdown of the important particulars of every monitoring machine plus a few of our favourite options.
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Fi Good Collar — Test Amazon Value + Subscription
The Fi sensible collar is the slimmest GPS tracker for canine and prices round $149, plus the subscription charge. The precise monitoring machine sits in step with the collar (versus on high of it). It’s a modern design that’s hardly noticeable as something greater than a daily collar.
The Fi canine tracker maps your canine’s location and their steps. Inside the app, you’ll be able to set step objectives on your pup and see a breakdown of steps by day, week, and month.
When you activate the social function, you can too see how your pet ranks towards all different Fi customers in addition to by your canine’s breed, state, metropolis, and age group. You may even comply with his mates and make new mates throughout the app.
Attachment: This tracker requires a Fi-compatible canine collar. One collar (your selection of shade) comes together with your monitoring machine. You may buy further collars by means of different makers listed on the Fi web site. This machine is for pets that weigh 10 kilos or extra.
Subscription: The Fi sensible collar requires a subscription for full entry to its monitoring capabilities. You may arrange billing for one yr ($99), two years ($186), or three years ($248). The machine works with out a subscription, however you can’t monitor your canine’s location in the event that they transcend the vary of your smartphone, base station, or Wi-Fi. Fi makes use of AT&T’s LTE-M mobile community.
What we love about Fi:
- Implausible battery life
- A really low-profile machine; seems to be like a daily canine collar
- Social—it’s enjoyable monitoring steps with the group rankings
Hercules wore the Fi tracker, and I really like that it was arduous to note there was a tool on him. The situation monitoring doesn’t replace as incessantly as the opposite trackers, which preserves battery life. It labored nice within the fields however had hassle finding Hercules within the woods.
The app is the shining star although. The way in which Fi designed the step-ranking platform is so enjoyable—each day I checked to see what number of locations Herc moved up or down in every of his classes.
Hyperlink My Pet — Test Amazon Value + Subscription
Hyperlink is the choice for canine dad and mom who need all the things bundled into one machine. For round $135 plus subscription, it’s a GPS canine tracker, exercise monitor, coaching machine, information keeper, and extra.
Hyperlink’s exercise monitoring consists of minutes energetic, energy, steps, and miles. Your canine’s time spent energetic is categorized as working or strolling, so that you get an intensive image of their train. The coaching options embrace tone and vibrate capabilities to assist reinforce constructive habits.
Inside the app is a piece to add vet information in order that they’re at all times at-hand, set temperature alerts, create exercise objectives, and extra. You even have entry to Hyperlink Vet, a symptom checker that can assist you decode your pet’s well being and habits.
Attachment: Hyperlink attaches to your canine’s current collar by way of an elastic strap or plastic clip. The Hyperlink machine is white and black, however you’ll be able to apply quite a lot of wraps everytime you need a new shade.
Subscription: Utilizing the Hyperlink canine tracker requires a subscription. You may arrange your billing cycle as one month ($12.99), one yr ($99), two years ($186), or three years ($248). Hyperlink makes use of Verizon’s mobile community.
What we love about Hyperlink My Pet:
- The choice to trace your adventures and embrace photos
- Coaching controls (tone and vibrate)
- One-stop-shop GPS tracker, exercise monitor, and well being assist
I actually like what number of options include the Hyperlink app. And their customer support reps are extremely useful if in case you have questions or simply need to discover ways to maximize your machine. Additionally, you will get a Hyperlink Puck, which is sort of a Bluetooth beacon that helps strengthen the sign and protect battery life.
Hercules wore this tracker and it delivered the fewest false location updates. Numerous wins with Hyperlink. It’s the tracker that Myles from GoPetFriendly wears!
Lynq Good Compass — $409 (Two Gadgets)
The Lynq Good Compass is a little bit completely different from the opposite trackers. It’s strictly a location monitoring machine, with no exercise monitoring. So, your canine gained’t put on the Good Compass except you’re on an journey.
And reasonably than speaking together with your telephone utilizing a mobile community, you get two (or extra) gadgets that pair with one another (like GPS walkie talkies). So when you discover locations with little or no mobile sign, this can be a nice choice!
Whenever you’re able to go on an off-leash hike or to let your canine roam your property, activate the Good Compasses. Then look ahead to the 2 items to connect with GPS and pair collectively. As soon as they’ve discovered one another and a satellite tv for pc, you’ll be able to clip one to your canine’s collar and the opposite machine stays with you.
On the display you’ll see your canine’s distance from you. Alongside the outer fringe of the display is a marker that signifies your canine’s path from you; and it will get bigger as you get nearer.
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Attachment: One finish of the Good Compass is a carabiner-style attachment. You may clip one machine on to your canine’s collar, harness, or backpack. The opposite machine can clip to your backpack, belt, and many others.
Subscription: The Lynq Good Compass doesn’t require a subscription.
What we love about Lynq:
- No mobile sign required
- No subscription charge
- Quite simple to make use of
- Helpful for quite a lot of adventures with or with out pets
Whereas the Good Compass is the most important machine we examined, I like how simple it was to trace Cool Whip’s location. I additionally like that it’s not one thing it’s important to go away in your canine’s collar 24/7. These gadgets are at all times energetic and should be recharged each few days.
If you need one thing easy and also you’re not excited about well being or exercise monitoring, positively take into account a Good Compass.
Tractive GPS — Test Amazon Value + Subscription
At a value of round $50 plus subscription, the Tractive GPS tracker is a formidable choice for canine house owners. The Reside monitoring choice updates the situation each 2-3 seconds—leaving hardly any time to panic whenever you’re attempting to determine the place your canine is wandering.
The exercise monitoring consists of minutes energetic, energy burned, sleep time, and calm time. Tractive additionally has a leaderboard the place you’ll be able to see the way you rank by minutes energetic regionally, globally, and amongst your canine’s breed and mates.
A function I didn’t discover with every other gadgets is Tractive Care. It’s an insurance coverage choice on your machine. You may declare a free alternative in case your tracker is broken, misplaced, or stolen.
Tractive additionally affords a GPS cat tracker, for cats who love adventures and small canine. Most canine GPS trackers match canine who’re 5 kilos or extra, so it may be arduous to seek out one that matches the smaller canine breeds.
Attachment: The Tractive machine attaches to your canine’s current collar (as much as 1 inch extensive). This machine is for canine 8.8 kilos or extra.
Subscription: The Tractive GPS tracker requires a subscription plan. Billing for the Fundamental plan is month-to-month ($12), one yr ($84), or two years ($120), which incorporates GPS monitoring and Reside monitoring.
Billing for the Premium plan is one yr ($96), two years ($144), or 5 years ($300), and consists of GPS and Reside monitoring, household sharing, three hundred and sixty five days of location historical past, worldwide protection, and extra. Tractive makes use of AT&T’s mobile community.
What we love about Tractive:
- Location monitoring may be very responsive in Reside mode
- Simple to arrange quite a lot of secure or alert zones
- Free alternative machine with Tractive Care
Cool Whip obtained to put on the Tractive GPS machine as a result of she is the canine most definitely to lose one thing. (I triple knot her bandanas, and so they nonetheless come untied and fall off!). The Tractive Care is precisely the kind of service I need for a canine like her.
Additionally, the choice for secure and alert zones was extremely useful. They might be arrange anyplace, akin to alongside the street that I didn’t need her close to.
Whistle Well being & GPS — Test Amazon Value + Subscription
There are just a few completely different gadgets accessible from Whistle. One solely tracks your pet’s well being and exercise and two supply location and exercise monitoring:
Whistle – Well being: Tracks your canine’s exercise (minutes energetic, distance, energy, relaxation) and well being akin to licking, sleeping, ingesting, distance traveled, and minutes energetic. This machine prices round $50, however has no GPS location monitoring.
Whistle – Well being + GPS: Tracks well being, exercise, and site for round $150 plus subscription prices. You may see precisely the place your pet is and get notifications in the event that they go away any secure zone you create. That is the machine we examined.
Whistle – Well being + GPS + Health: For round $199 plus subscription, this machine tracks well being, exercise, and site. It attaches to its personal collar and has two interchangeable batteries. So there is no such thing as a have to take away the machine to cost it—simply swap batteries!
Attachment: The Well being & GPS tracker can connect to any collar. The Well being & GPS+ machine requires a suitable collar (one comes with the machine; further variations can be found for buy). Each gadgets are for canine weighing 25 kilos or extra.
Subscription: Whistle monitoring gadgets require a subscription. You may arrange billing for month-to-month ($12.99), one yr ($99), or two years ($192). Whistle makes use of AT&T’s mobile community.
What we love about Whistle:
- Detailed location monitoring
- Quick updates in Discover My Pet mode
- Exercise and wellness monitoring
Hercules wore the Whistle Well being & GPS machine (previously referred to as the Whistle Go Discover). The Whistle gave me essentially the most false notifications after we had been contained in the van (autos can block alerts). Nonetheless, after we had been outdoors, it was essentially the most correct machine, which is why it is without doubt one of the hottest GPS canine trackers.
When Herc snuck away one afternoon (whereas carrying three trackers), the Whistle tracker gave essentially the most frequent and exact location updates. Every of the orange dots exhibits the place the app up to date his location. There have been hardly any delays, even whereas he was deep within the woods.
We drove a four-wheeler down an off-road path to gather him, and he popped out from the woods precisely the place the app was displaying his location. It was like watching your journey progress on Google Maps.
Apple AirTag — Test Amazon Value
Powerful the Apple AirTag shouldn’t be a GPS tracker, it’s value mentioning on this put up. This machine is the smallest and, at a value of $29, the least costly approach to monitor your canine.
It’s a Bluetooth tracker, which suggests it operates on Bluetooth alerts solely. When a suitable telephone or machine utilizing a Bluetooth sign passes close by, the situation updates.
The AirTag shouldn’t be the very best pet tracker for sparsely populated areas as a result of there are so few suitable gadgets to select up the Bluetooth sign. Nonetheless, when you fear about your canine happening the lam within the metropolis, this is a wonderful choice.
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A giant plus for the AirTag (the small white disc within the image of charging gadgets) is that there is no such thing as a battery charging required. The battery is designed to final one yr or extra. When the battery dies, you buy a new AirTag.
Attachment: Attaches to your canine’s current collar. You will need to buy your personal attachment system akin to a silicone cowl that slides onto your canine’s collar or a collar specifically designed for the AirTag.
Subscription: No subscription required.
What we love about Apple AirTag:
- The least costly choice accessible
- No subscription or battery charging required
- Small and simple to connect
The AirTag is the smallest and lightest machine we examined, and I hardly discover it on Cool Whip’s collar. As a result of we spend most of our time within the wilderness away from populated areas, the AirTag shouldn’t be an efficient on a regular basis choice for us.
Nonetheless, it’s so small and cheap that I believe it’s value having as a backup on the canine’ collars for after we go to extra populated areas.
The Greatest GPS Canine Trackers For Your Pet
Every monitoring collar or machine has barely completely different options and advantages, simply as every canine has completely different wants. The perfect GPS canine collar finally depends upon what you need on your pet.
- Fi Good Collar is modern and maximizes battery life.
- Hyperlink’s app hosts a wealth of information and choices.
- Lynq is ideal for adventures the place there is no such thing as a mobile service.
- Tractive is nice for establishing digital boundaries and alerts.
- Whistle is quick and exact with its mapping.
- AirTags are small, cheap, and good for metropolis life.
Go to our Amazon retailer to find out about extra merchandise we depend on to make touring with pets simpler, safer, and extra enjoyable!
Do you have already got a monitoring machine on your pet? Depart us a remark to tell us what you want about it and the way it’s labored for you!
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