Picture by Sadie Cornelius for Canine Journal, © Cowl Story Media, Inc. 2024.
Rising up, my mother and father all the time let our miniature poodle, Duffy, run via the streets of our small city. Duffy traveled right here, there, in all places, and my household would commonly get calls from the neighbors when he strayed previous town limits.
Sometimes, after such adventures, Duffy would come house with a brand new “toy” or significantly putrid odor, and I’d surprise, “The place have you ever been?” I may have actually used a GPS collar to trace his adventures.
I do know what you’re pondering. Sure, letting your canine roam free isn’t protected—even if you happen to dwell in a rural space. Please, please, please be a accountable canine proprietor and hold your pup from wandering round your group. That being mentioned, there are nonetheless many advantages to buying a GPS collar on your pet.
Our group has examined and reviewed probably the most well-liked pet trackers in the marketplace, the Tractive GPS and well being tracker. We break down the important thing options, execs, cons, subscription plans, and extra.
Tractive Evaluate
Product Identify: Tractive
Product Description: Tractive is a GPS and well being tracker for canines.
Abstract
Tractive GPS trackers for canines mix improbable location accuracy with further wellness monitoring options at an inexpensive worth. LIVE monitoring updates your pet’s location each 2 to three seconds so you possibly can see precisely the place their heading. You may also arrange digital fences to obtain a textual content alert when your pup leaves a particular space. Bonus options embrace sleep and exercise insights (e.g., in case your pet is much less energetic than traditional).
Professionals
- Makes use of GPS, GLONASS, and Galileo natigation programs to find out canine’s location
- LTE, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi connectivity
- Geofencing function to create digital perimeter
- Two sizes accessible
- Light-weight
- 100% waterproof
- Two-year guarantee
- High quality cellular app
Cons
- Requires month-to-month subscription
- Premium subscription required for worldwide protection, location historical past, household sharing, and GPS knowledge export
- Could also be much less correct indoors as a result of GPS interference
10 Key Options
- Stay monitoring: Tractive’s real-time monitoring enables you to monitor your canine’s actions through your cellular app.
- Radar mode: Faucet the app’s Radar button, and lights and sounds will information you to your pet’s location.
- Digital fence: Set as much as 5 geofences to obtain alerts when your canine enters or exits a selected space.
- Location historical past and territory monitoring: Tractive’s premium subscription features a 1-year location historical past to see your canine’s earlier routes.
- Wellness and exercise monitoring: Tractive’s well being monitoring consists of sleep and exercise degree insights to provide your canine an total wellness rating. You possibly can see how your pup performs in comparison with others by checking the Tractive leaderboard.
- Well being alerts: Obtain electronic mail notifications of adjustments to your canine’s sleep and exercise minutes.
- GPS knowledge export: With Tractive’s premium subscription, you possibly can share a monitoring hyperlink with neighbors, pet sitters, and associates who don’t have a Tractive account.
- Household sharing: Tractive’s premium subscription permits a number of customers to view your pet’s monitoring knowledge after they create a free account.
- Waterproof: Tractive calls its tracker “100% journey and waterproof.” It may be protected for half-hour in as much as 1 meter of water.
- Limitless vary with premium plan.
How Does The Tractive GPS Tracker Work?
The tracker makes use of a mixture of satellite tv for pc navigation and Bluetooth to find and monitor your furry pal.
GPS and different satellite tv for pc navigation decide your canine’s location after they’re farther from house. The tracker connects to LTE through the built-in SIM card to seek out your canine’s location inside a limiteless vary. This implies you possibly can see the place your pet spends their time, even while you’re out of state, on a trip, or work journey.
The tracker additionally permits for Bluetooth communication. It shifts into Bluetooth mode while you’re nearer in proximity to your pup to assist pinpoint their precise location utilizing lights and sound. In Bluetooth mode, you possibly can even “ring” your canine’s collar to guide your self to your wandering pup. This function is a good device to discover a hidden pet.
Tractive additionally affords a power-saving mode when related to trusted Wi-Fi networks. On this mode, sure options—like dwell monitoring—are paused to increase battery life.
Tractive Fashions For Canine
Tractive sells two fashions for canines. Select between the smaller DOG 4 or the DOG XL / Journey, which options an prolonged battery life and protecting cowl.
DOG 4
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The Tractive DOG 4 comes with a rubber fastener, a clip charger, and a USB-C cable. Tractive affords three shade choices: brown, darkish blue, and white.
The machine is slender and light-weight, permitting for normal put on. It’s appropriate for puppies and canines as small as 9 kilos.
Tech Specs
- Weight: 1.2 oz
- Dimensions: 2.8 x 1.1 x 0.7 in
- Appropriate for canines weighing 8.8 lbs and above
- As much as 10 days with out charging
- IPX7 waterproof
Pricing
- Worth
$49.99
DOG XL / Journey
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Tractive created the DOG XL / Journey for pets above 50 kilos. This tracker comes with a rubber clip mount and charging cable. You possibly can select between the usual for on a regular basis use or the journey addition, which encompasses a sturdy fiberglass casing.
This mannequin is heavier however affords prolonged battery life—as much as one month with out charging.
Tech Specs
- Weight: 3.2 oz
- Dimensions: 3.5 x 2.0 x 0.9 in
- For canines above 50 lbs
- As much as 1 month with out charging
- IPX7 waterproof
- Journey version options bite-proof fiberglass casing
Pricing
Tractive Subscription Plans
Tractive’s built-in SIM card requires a month-to-month subscription plan. The SIM card lets the collar hook up with a mobile community, so you possibly can obtain notifications of your pet’s whereabouts in your cellphone.
Tractive additionally affords the Tractive Care plan, which protects customers in opposition to loss, injury, and theft. The plan begins at $2 per thirty days for a 12 months.
Tractive GPS Canine Tracker Critiques
We share our opinions of the Tractive GPS Canine tracker, together with private experiences from our doggy testers, Barley, Lily, and Georgie.
Getting Began
Picture by Sadie Cornelius for Canine Journal, © Cowl Story Media, Inc. 2024.
Organising the Tractive machine is simple; the app guides you thru many of the course of. You may also view Tractive’s quick-start guides by mannequin on Tractive’s web site.
Begin by charging the machine, which takes at the least two hours. The LED mild on the tracker will flip pink whereas the battery is charging. The pink mild will flip off as soon as the battery absolutely fees.
As soon as the machine finishes charging, press the facility button for 3 seconds to activate the tracker. Then, obtain the Tractive GPS app in your smartphone through Apple’s App Retailer or the Google Play Retailer. Observe the directions within the Tractive app to activate your tracker.
For the tracker to start out working, you’ll want an energetic subscription plan. You possibly can enter the pay as you go activation code if you happen to bought a plan when shopping for the tracker. In any other case, you should buy a plan throughout machine set-up.
When you’ve activated your account, you possibly can fine-tune your pet’s profile to incorporate their identify, breed, beginning date, top, weight, and gender. You may also arrange digital fences to obtain notifications when your pup leaves or enters a selected geographic space.
Is The Tractive GPS Canine Tracker Good?
Tractive is a world chief within the pet monitoring market, and our group agrees. We selected Tractive as our greatest GPS canine collar and our price alternative for the greatest good canine collar and canine exercise monitor.
Understand that the Tractive GPS tracker might not work for everybody. The Tractive collar gained’t work correctly if you're in a distant location with a poor mobile connection. A radio frequency tracker or another GPS tracker that doesn’t depend on a cell connection can be a greater choice.
Our Private Expertise With Tractive
Picture by Sadie Cornelius for Canine Journal, © Cowl Story Media, Inc. 2024.
Our canine has been utilizing Tractive for years, and we adore it! The tracker matches on his harness and lasts for a number of weeks with out a recharge. I get notified (on my Apple watch) when he leaves his “Protected Zone” when on walks after which returns again house. That means, I do know if/when my husband is strolling him and I’m not house. We don’t use the heatmap or stats that usually, however I ought to actually make the most of that knowledge extra to remain motivated on walks. I’m extra involved about monitoring his location through GPS.
– Sadie Cornelius, Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Dad or mum & Artistic And Content material Advertising For Canine Journal
Our canines like to hike with us, and Tractive is nice at telling us the place and what number of minutes our canines have been energetic as soon as we related to a cell sign or WiFi. It even reveals their whereabouts visually on an in depth map. If our canine bought misplaced in a populated space that was effectively served by cell service, this product can be an incredible assist! Nevertheless, the GPS wouldn’t hook up with the app after we didn’t have a cell sign throughout our mountain hikes, so the device would show unhelpful in the event that they bought misplaced throughout our off-the-grid adventures. And, whereas it tracks the minutes of exercise, the info is much less detailed than with conventional exercise trackers.
– Michelle Schenker, Rescue Canine Dad or mum, Licensed Insurance coverage Skilled & Canine Journal Author
Incessantly Requested Questions
Listed here are some questions our group ceaselessly will get requested concerning the Tractive GPS tracker for canines. Don’t see yours? Ask us within the feedback.
How Far Away Does Tractive Work?
The tracker’s vary is limitless so long as there's an accessible mobile community. Tractive units at present work in 150+ international locations.
Does Tractive Work With out A Subscription?
The Tractive has a built-in SIM card that makes use of cellular networks to ship you your pet’s location info. It's essential to pay a subscription to make use of this service. Tractive’s Bluetooth options may fit with out a subscription, however you gained’t be capable to entry your canine’s GPS location.
How Do You Cancel A Tractive Subscription?
Tractive affords a money-back assure inside 30 days of buying your subscription. To cancel your subscription, go to my.tractive.com and log in to your account. From there, choose Trackers & Subscription Plans. Decide your tracker, choose Subscription Plan, after which click on Cancel Subscription Plan.
Gear For Touring With Your Canine
Do you journey together with your doggo? A monitoring machine like Tractive ensures you recognize the place your canine is always. Now we have loads of different suggestions for pet journey gear, together with transportable water bottles and crates. Be certain to additionally take a look at our ideas for flying and vacationing together with your pup.
Why Belief Canine Journal?
Tara is a part of the Canine Journal group, which has over a decade of expertise researching, testing, and writing about something and the whole lot dog-related. Most of our group members are lifelong canine house owners and may present private insights on every subject we cowl. For this text, Tara spent 2+ hours researching Tractive monitoring units and used private suggestions from different members of the Canine Journal group.