Pawfit GPS tracker - anyone have one?

[CaptainDogbeard]

I’ve received an offer for a Pawfit GPS tracker (no subscription which appeals, just a one off cost) but the places we walk have patchy phone reception, so I’m not sure how helpful it will be. Though I’d feel better with a tracker vs none at all. Just wondered if anyone has one and recommends?

I have a tractive GPS tracker and that works well. Not sure how the 2 compare

Another tractive vote

Just got a Tractive and impressed so far

We found a cheaper alternative was an apple air tag on their collar!

Yes I was looking at the Tracactive also and wondered what the difference was in the actual trackers, as I am trying to avoid a subscription but if that is better then I will. Does the Tracactive have the GPS in all the time or do you just switch it on if your dog wanders off? Some of the Pawfit reviews say it takes a while to connect to GPS and it sounds like it’s only activated when you need it, rather than on all the time.
What is the battery life like on the Tracactive?

Tractive has about a three day battery life. Recharges in less than an hour, so after breakfast nap. Less if using live mode.

Gives quite good coverage. Not good it deep gullies, what would be. They will replace the dog unit once a year for free, looking at you DDog.

Can map on phone and computer, very useful when she legged it across Salisbury Plain.

What a gorgeous little face @AdventFridgeOfShame ! Thanks for those details. I think I’m sold on Tracactive now!

Another Tractive vote. You can use general tracking mode most of the time but if they go missing you can switch to real time. Uses more battery but is very accurate (tells me which corner of the garden he is in!). Also can turn on a little
light and make a sound. I’ve never used the sound but we have used the light.
We take it off his collar at night and charge over night. It goes back on in the morning. The customer service has been excellent too.

Thanks @Burnamer that’s useful to know. I didn’t realise they had a light too. Looks like a winner. I think I can do a 2 year subscription to bring the price down (well it’s an upfront cost but works out cheaper) I’ve read you can pay a little extra to get a free replacement if it’s lost or damaged also which may be worth it.

The only thing it hasn’t got (I don’t think from my research) is a weight management thing - the Pawfit let’s you know how much to feed based on activity and as my DDog is a little rotund following too many pigs in blankets over Xmas (like the rest of us!!) I thought this would be handy. But probs just a gimmick as I know I just need to do slightly longer walks and less treats and she will even out again!

Tractive currently have a wellness feature (bad) , along side minutes of exercise (good).

Might work for you but my dog does canicross and after a race she has a rest day, tractive tells me she might be ill and I should consider a vet visit. None of the smart features on different makes will fit all.

She might have a gorgeous little face and look cute, but she can hop a 6ft fence, run at in excess of 27mph, thinks cats and squirrels are more interesting than recall and could she read and write would petition the government to decriminalise hare coursing. She is a poppet though.

The wellness feature pisses me off. The other 90% is great. If you have a more normal dog, the feature might work well.

Unless your dog is rather special or an athlete, food requirements should be pretty consistent. Measure out food and treats in the morning and don't exceed.

@AdventFridgeOfShame mine is a bit more sedate in her activity, but looks cute and gives puppy dog eyes to my daughter for treats!! So it was more to try and get everyone in the family on board with what her nutritional requirements are and stick to them! I have been doing this by writing it down, just thought a nice added bonus of the tracker would be to save me doing this and an “outside source” recommending it rather than it being mean mum saying no more sausages!!

Pitpat released a subscription free GPS tracker a while ago, might be worth checking out reviews for that one too.

I can tell you a little something about Pitpat. I find I have to charge daily or every other day as a minimum. It doesn't have a very strong signal, can't get it to work inside my house. And as for tracking takes a good 2 to 3 attempts to start working most of the time, & when it's dark or even raining hard forget it it doesn't work at all & that's in a city while my dog is standing right next to me & apparently has a good signal. I got it thinking it'd be great as no subscription. I do however like the fitness tracker & find it's more accurate for the fitness than their stand alone fitness tracker

@Leeeeeeeeeeeeeee thank you so much, that’s really really useful. I suspected that was the case - that it was a great “Fitbit for dogs” but less so the gps. Thanks for posting.

Which one did you go for op?

im stick between pitpat pawdit or tractive?