GPS for Dogs- Tractive Review
With such a strong natural chase drive, we have had occasional recall mishaps with our whippets. A recent scare was enough to prompt us to overhaul our whippy security. We invested in whippet house collars, also GPS for dogs so that we could track our boys should this ever happen again.
The wish list:
We wanted a product that was small and light enough to sit comfortably on a skinny whippet neck. Our dogs usually wear either harnesses or martingale collars so it needed to be compatible with these. We wanted a device with no delay in the feed so that we had an accurate location. We are not ever-so techy, so something easy to set up and use was also a must. All of that and a low monthly cost and we would be happy- quite a wish list!
Tractive:
After much research and the reading of many positive reviews, we settled on Tractive. Key features for us were;
- It Weighs less than 30g so suitable for delicate whippet necks.
- It has a Live Tracking feature in real time with an unlimited range- whippets can cover a huge area and fast.
- The subscription costs just over £3 per month (if paid in advance).
- The device is easy to charge. and the battery lasts for 3-5 days before needing to be recharged.
- It is a waterproof device that fits to different sized collars or harnesses so would fit on our existing harnesses.
Another feature, and a welcome bonus, is that we can monitor our dog’s activity levels throughout the day using Tractive. This is such good fun!
The monitor categorises the dogs activity into 3 sections; calm, active (walking or movement), or playful (jumping or running). You can set a Pet Point target for your dog and also compete against other Tractive users. This is a great incentive if you have a dog who is trying to lose weight or increase activity.
Tractive allows you to set virtual fences so that you can receive alerts if your dog wanders out of your fenced zone- we are yet to use this function.
GPS for dogs:
We have been really impressed with this product. It is really easy to set up and use via your phone, so great for less technical folk. You receive alerts when the device needs charging but can also check battery levels at any time on your phone. Charging is really easy and done via USB.
When fastened to their harnesses, the dogs haven’t noticed the device as it is so light and compact. Most importantly, priceless peace of mind of having this with us when we do let the whippets off lead for a run.
Tractive initially invited me to review this product. I subsequently chose to pay to subscribe and bought a second device and subscription for my other dog as we were so impressed with it. As always, all opinions are genuine and my own.
Why not check out our other dog friendly recommendations?
I’ve been thinking about a GPS device as well, just in case. I love how it tracks the different activity levels for the dog – that is so cool!
I have a client with five rescue beagles and she swears by her GPS trackers. They often go off running when she’s trying to corral one or the other.
How does this device attach to the harness? I’d love to have something that I could switch between different harnesses and collars.
Hi Jenna,
It has a rubber base that stretches to fit different sized harnesses/ collars. The base then stays on the harness/ collar and the device clicks off for charging etc.
Thanks for the info.
What a fantastic device, I have a friend that swears by his and do believe they are worth the investment. As Layla is aging she does not go far from me anywhere, actually she is velcro but I am sure when I adopt my next one I will invest in it.
I have always been curious to know how at my dog is. He runs and runs and runs.
I have wondered how active my dog is daily. He runs and runs and runs.
yes its fascinating isn’t it!
Oh wow! This is such a great idea, and so creative too. Thank you so much for sharing. I have a few clients who need this!
I have read a lot about them and think they are such a clever idea, I do not need one for layla as she is velcro and does not venture far when we out and about but if I had a dog that did I would invest in one too
That’s a nifty device! I might look into this when we get more active – especially my bully, i always wonder if she’s getting enough activity besides running around all day
This is so awesome! I’ve always been interested in the collars that can track your pet’s activity, but I feel like this one really does it all. I’ll definitely look into this one if I ever decide to purchase one.
We have had the classic for 3 years, ordered this black one with the rubber clasp and don’t see how a clasp for 2 cm fits on a 4cm martingale collar. How did you do it? Our harness is the same width.
Tractive hasn’t responded yet on how to solve it, but to buy the classic again.
I use it with a harness and that works well. I’m not sure how it would work with a martingale either sorry. Tractive need a wider clasp don’t they?