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 every single place, and my household would usually 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 marvel, “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 secure—even should you dwell in a rural space. Please, please, please be a accountable canine proprietor and hold your pup from wandering round your neighborhood. That being stated, there are nonetheless many advantages to buying a GPS collar on your pet.
Our group has examined and reviewed one of the crucial fashionable pet trackers available on the market, the Tractive GPS and well being tracker. We break down the important thing options, professionals, cons, subscription plans, and extra.
Tractive Evaluation
Product Identify: Tractive
Product Description: Tractive is a GPS and well being tracker for canine.
Abstract
Tractive GPS trackers for canine mix improbable location accuracy with further wellness monitoring options at an inexpensive value. LIVE monitoring updates your pet’s location each 2 to three seconds so you possibly can see precisely the place their heading. You too can arrange digital fences to obtain a textual content alert when your pup leaves a selected space. Bonus options embody sleep and exercise insights (e.g., in case your pet is much less energetic than regular).
Execs
- Makes use of GPS, GLONASS, and Galileo natigation techniques to find out canine’s location
- LTE, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi connectivity
- Geofencing characteristic to create digital perimeter
- Two sizes obtainable
- 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 information export
- Could also be much less correct indoors attributable to GPS interference
10 Key Options
- Stay monitoring: Tractive’s real-time monitoring permits 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 specific 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 stage insights to provide your canine an general 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 modifications to your canine’s sleep and exercise minutes.
- GPS information export: With Tractive’s premium subscription, you possibly can share a monitoring hyperlink with neighbors, pet sitters, and pals who don’t have a Tractive account.
- Household sharing: Tractive’s premium subscription permits a number of customers to view your pet’s monitoring information once 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 once 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 whenever you’re out of state, on a trip, or work journey.
The tracker additionally permits for Bluetooth communication. It shifts into Bluetooth mode whenever you’re nearer in proximity to your pup to assist pinpoint their actual location utilizing lights and sound. In Bluetooth mode, you possibly can even “ring” your canine’s collar to steer your self to your wandering pup. This characteristic is a superb instrument to discover a hidden pet.
Tractive additionally affords a power-saving mode when linked 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 canine. 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 gadget is slim and light-weight, permitting for normal put on. It’s appropriate for puppies and canine as small as 9 kilos.
Tech Specs
- Weight: 1.2 oz
- Dimensions: 2.8 x 1.1 x 0.7 in
- Appropriate for canine weighing 8.8 lbs and above
- As much as 10 days with out charging
- IPX7 waterproof
Pricing
- Value
$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 includes a robust 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 canine 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 yr.
Tractive GPS Canine Tracker Opinions
We share our evaluations 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 gadget is straightforward; the app guides you thru many of the course of. You too can view Tractive’s quick-start guides by mannequin on Tractive’s web site.
Begin by charging the gadget, which takes not less than 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 totally costs.
As soon as the gadget finishes charging, press the ability 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. Comply with 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 should you bought a plan when shopping for the tracker. In any other case, you should purchase a plan throughout gadget 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 too can arrange digital fences to obtain notifications when your pup leaves or enters a specific 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 finest GPS canine collar and our price alternative for the finest good canine collar and canine exercise monitor.
Needless to say the Tractive GPS tracker might not work for everybody. The Tractive collar received’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 find it irresistible! The tracker suits 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 manner, 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 information extra to remain motivated on walks. I’m extra involved about monitoring his location through GPS.
– Sadie Cornelius, Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Guardian & Artistic And Content material Advertising For Canine Journal
Our canine like to hike with us, and Tractive is nice at telling us the place and what number of minutes our canine have been energetic as soon as we linked to a cell sign or WiFi. It even exhibits their whereabouts visually on an in depth map. If our canine acquired misplaced in a populated space that was effectively served by cell service, this product can be an amazing 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 instrument would show unhelpful in the event that they acquired 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 Guardian, Licensed Insurance coverage Skilled & Canine Journal Author
Continuously Requested Questions
Listed below are some questions our group regularly will get requested in regards to the Tractive GPS tracker for canine. 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 obtainable mobile community. Tractive gadgets 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 go with out a subscription, however you received’t have the ability 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. Choose 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 gadget like Tractive ensures the place your canine is always. We've got loads of different suggestions for pet journey gear, together with moveable water bottles and crates. Ensure 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 every little thing dog-related. Most of our group members are lifelong canine homeowners and may present private insights on every subject we cowl. For this text, Tara spent 2+ hours researching Tractive monitoring gadgets and used private suggestions from different members of the Canine Journal group.