. Pet Technology Review: pet product review and analysis - 1.
Updated: Apr 10, 2021
Tractive GPS Tracker for Pets
Product Link - Tractive GPS Tracker
Day Release from Prison
As I stubbled down the riverside embankment, my gorgeous Springer Spaniel, Kiwi (Yes I know!! My Kids named her) stared at me with that look only dogs have: a loving affection for you but also a mocking expression as if to say "you two legged beings are so useless". As she shot away I happened to notice a couple looking intently at their phone. They looked across to where their young Cockerpoo was rolling around in the grass and then back down to their phone. Their puppy was wearing a collar but with a difference. Either their dog was on day release from the local young offenders facility or it had some sort of tech device attached to its collar. I had to find out. As our paths crossed we made polite conversation as only dog walkers can and then I asked what was on the dogs collar. It was a Tractive GPS tracker for pets.
First Impressions
After our chat by the river bank I shot home and after reading numerous reviews I felt the need to buy the Tractive GPS tracker for myself. My first reaction on opening the box is that it’s a really compact device and it looks great. Your techies out there will love the look. You get a rubberised plastic outer mount which attaches around your dog’s collar/harness quite securely, and then the GPS tracker clicks into this mount, held in by a couple of quick-release buttons on either side. It feels secure, and surprisingly our dog hasn’t been bothered by it at all. She’s not tried to remove it, or even scratch at it. It’s an easy operation to charge the device: Remove the GPS from your dog, unclip the battery half of the device and plug into the USB charging dock. I'm really happy with the design of the Tractive GPS tracker - good start!
So - does it work?
The app you download is clever, it allows you to highlight an area in which your dog can be, and if it strays out of this area you get an alert sent to your phone to warn you. This is a great idea and gives you real peace of mind, particularly with all of the dog thefts in my local area. But, the app is inconsistent at times and occasionally stated Kiwi was outside
of this virtual area, when actually she was right next to me. The Tractive GPS tracker app and device are effective in tracking my dog as you can see where's she's been and track the distances etc which is great if your dog requires specific exercise periods or distances (from a vet for example) or if you do come to think of it!! The battery life is good - but get into the routine of charging it every time you come back from your walk to give you the peace of mind that the device is charged for the next walk.
Peace of Mind
I think the Tractive GPS tracker is a great gadget which gives me complete peace of mind when I'm walking my dog. With two young kids and the dog to manage on our daily walks it is great to have this device which reminds to check where Kiwi is. The look is great, price point is bang on and it's an effective bit of tech. Go see for yourself. Click here to follow the link to the product page.
Thanks guys, take care and enjoy your walks. Phil and Tim