3 Benefits of Dog Trackers: Keep Tabs on Your Pet with the Right Device

Tracking your dog and its activity is a great way to let it roam free without worrying if it’s safe or not. You might think that putting a microchip in your dog would offer the same features as a tracking collar but the purpose of both solutions isn’t the same. A microchip only serves one purpose and that is identification. This is in case your dog gets lost and someone finds it and brings it to the vet. The vet will scan your dog to check if it has a microchip which will show up with its ID number. This number will help them find you and notify you about your missing dog. A dog tracker, on the other hand, may not provide that but it can do a lot more than help identify your dog.

Benefits of GPS Dog Trackers

Save Your Dog’s Life

Knowing where your pet is at all times is a great way to prevent your dog from getting euthanized at a dog pound. This happens to dogs that are not claimed in a certain period of time. Since you can check the location of your dog through the dog tracker online either via a web page or an app this can be easily avoided. This may not always be the case though as sometimes your canine friend may get lost and you can prevent it form going to the dog pound with the real time information being sent from the tracker.

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Real-Time Info

With real-time information being delivered directly to your phone or tablet you can easily mark an area where you want your pet to roam. In case your dog exits that area you will get a notification on your phone. Some apps even allow you to contact other dog owners nearby so that you can get help finding your lost pet or keeping it in your marked area.

Keep Track of Your Dog’s Health

Just like us humans our pets need to have their daily exercise  in order to stay healthy. Through the tracker you can easily access information on how much your pet has covered in a day and you can even set goals to make sure your dog has been active enough.

How Do Dog GPS Trackers Work?

A GPS dog tracker works by relying on cellular networks and of course the Global Positioning Service  (GPS). Both work together to trace your pet and deliver coordinates directly to you. In order to get information from a dog tracker online in real time usually you need to do one of two things, download an app or sign up on a manufacturer’s website.

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What to Consider When Buying a GPS Dog Tracker

Size

The size of a tracker shouldn’t be a burden to your dog which is why you should avoid anything heavy. This goes especially for small breeds as your dog will not only find it uncomfortable and unbearable to wear the tracking collar it can also end up damaging it. Your pet can start scratching it because of the tracker’s bulkiness or weight. The majority of manufacturers require a dog to weigh at least 4 kg but this isn’t always mandatory as there are trackers that weigh less than 50 g.

Battery Life

While a light tracker is going be a good solution for your dog, you shouldn’t skimp on battery life. Usually the smaller the device the smaller the battery capacity too. There are some devices that need to be charged every other day, some require weekly charging and there are trackers with a battery that can last for months.

Alerts & Activity Tracking

A tracker that has the ability to notify you about your dog’s activity is a must but a tracker that lets you know about your dog’s every move is a big plus. Maybe not every single move, but if you can get notified about most of the things your dog does every day that is a pretty good feature to have. Activity tracking as mentioned above will let you get a more detailed look into whether or not your dog is being active enough every day.

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Ease of Use

Having all kinds of features is cool but actually using those features is more important which is why ease of use is what you want to look for in a dog tracker. A tracker should be ready to be used out of the box without a complicated setup. It should also present options and features in a way that is easy to understand by everyone.

Safe Zones & Protection

By defining a zone you’ll be able to know when your dog has left a certain area. While you can train your dog with a similar device, this feature can also over time teach your dog where it can move freely. Make sure to check whether or not the device you are getting has this feature alongside being able to stay operational in different conditions. This is why you’ll need your tracker to be waterproof, dust-proof and shockproof too as your pet can splash in water or start jumping over stuff.