Do you ever wonder where your pet is or what it did during the day?
Well now you can find out. You can also use some of that information to tie into a training program for your dog. You might not realize how active or possibly inactive your dog is during the day. As with any training program, your dog is doing things and learning all day long. If you are trying to help your dog through a reactivity program, it might be very helpful to use the monitor to track changes in their resting and active behavior. It is really helpful to know that there is improvement.
How can an activity tracker help with dog training?
A pet activity monitor would let you know normal behavior characterized by long periods of rest mixed with short periods of play; however it might also let you know if your dog has bouts of vigorous activity repeated way to often in an abnormal fashion then you can determine ways to adjust your dog’s space and access while you are gone. If you are trying to monitor your dog to help treat separation anxiety many people set up video feeds, but a monitor would give you added information on your dog when it goes out of camera range.
I got an activity tracker for myself a few weeks ago and when I started looking at the different choices I found out that now there are several that are available for dogs too. Just the same way I wanted to be able to know how active I was as I promised myself I would begin a push towards a better fitness program for myself, these devices record your dog’s activity so you can see if you are giving your dog enough exercise as well. They will serve to help you motivate yourself to keep your dog fit, record if they really are healthy and getting enough exercise and also give you access to information you otherwise wouldn’t get while you are away from your dog. Do you wonder if your dog walker or pet sitter is really taking you dog as far as you are paying them to? Are they getting too much (or enough) playtime in day care?
Which activity tracker is right for my dog?
Over the course of my research I came across the Whistle, FitBark and Voyce activity trackers for dogs. There is also Tagg, The Pet Tracker that is a live feed GPS device and can tell you where your pet is at any time as well as recording the activity. These devices give you another picture of your dog’s activity and health. Here are the basic details on each:
Whistle allows you to set goals, and monitor rest and play activity. You can check in from wherever you are and see what your pet has been up to. Whistle syncs over any know Wi-Fi network and uses Bluetooth to know the presence of an owner, for instance when you return to the dog with your cell phone.
Fit Bark attaches to your dogs collar. They don’t include GPS so the device is small enough to use even for little dogs. Like most of the dog devices it records continuously and can be synchronized via Wi-Fi and iOS or Android aps.
Voyce will be available in the Spring of 2014 and is deisgned by a team of veterinarian, tech people and even dog behaviorists. It includes a non invasive way of monitoring activity including heart rtate and respiration so it really has the ability to help you get a good picture of your dog’s health.
The Tagg Tracker is a GPS and wireless device that monitors your pet 24/7 for a small monthly fee ($7.95 for the first pet and $0.95 for additional pets). You can monitor your pets activity as well as get a notice if your pet strays from its know “Tagg zone”.
For more information see the websites below:
http://www.pettracker.com/
http://www.fitbark.com/
http://www.whistle.com/
http://www.mydogsvoyce.com/
