tractiveGPS Dog Tracker, Market leader, Worldwide real-time location tracking, Escape Alerts, Monitor Activity & Get Health Alerts, WhiteGreenCircle Certified: Certified Energy Savings

My tracker arrived last week so I decided to give it a go in the secure offlead paddock we hire so our houdini dog can get to run around.I was impressed with how easy to set up the tracker was. I had a few moments when setting it up on both my iPad and iPhone where it thought I was trying to register the tracker again but once I clicked on the right bit it was all fine.The field we used for its first outing is quite open but rural so I wondered how it would cope with phone signal. It did very well, connecting as soon as we got out of the van and remaining connected throughout the hours walk. I set it to live track for 60 minutes and it kept up no problem. It got down to 85% battery life over the 60 minute period but set to track normally that wouldn’t be an issue. Live tracking really is only necessary if you are actively looking for your dog and in their vicinity.Whilst I was distracted with one of my other dogs Chance took the opportunity to test out how securely it attaches to the collar by rolling in something right on top of the tracker. He caked it in mud and looked very pleased with himself. The tracker was actually hard to get off his collar when we got home to clean it so I’m confident it won’t fall off unless the connectors get brittle. It cleaned up fine using the most function on the hose the water proofing seems to be ok. (Picture attached of the hooligan shaking after his roll. You can see the mud on the tracker 🙄).Charging it is simple with no need to remove it from their collar or harness to plug it in.All in all I am happy so far.

Great pea e of mind to know that if your pet was to get lost that the tracking accuracy is tip top , it is easy to install and fun to keep track of your dog walking history

I bought one of these to give me peace of mind when walking the dog off lead. I no longer worry about him running away and me not being able to find him again.The unit is pretty small and sort of stream lined, so when it's attached to the collar it looks quite smart. It's certainly waterproof having survived several swims in rivers, and the dog doesn't seem to notice it at all. The rubber clip that attaches the unit to the collar is quite fiddly to attach/unattach and every time I take it off I do wonder if it's going to break, but so far so good, and you can order replacement clips. The alternative of course is to buy a dedicated slim line collar and have it permanently attached to that. You can get the unit to beep / light up, but you'd have to be very very close to it for it to be useful as it's very quiet / dim - I guess it's really designed to help you in the dark when you're within a few metres of the dog.Battery life is OK, for me lasts for about 2 days and I just leave it charging overnight.The accuracy is fine for my purposes, to within +/- 10 metres, good enough to find a lost dog, although you will need mobile coverage if you're using your phone to find them. The app gives a nice little map which you can zoom into, choose satellite / normal etc and the main features are fairly intuitive. I've not really explored the non core features much... I just want to know where the dog is ;)You have to subscribe to one of the plans of course... I had my doubts whether the unit would last for more than 2 years, so just plumbed for the 2 year plan. I wish the subscription was cheaper and that you got discounts for having multiple plans.Overall though, happy with the purchase.

I use the device in case my dog runs off and I need to find it. So far I have not had to use it in an emergency, but I have often tested the device by finding the dog when my wife takes it out for a walk. The tracking is reliable and accurate. (I have not yet used it in a very remote area.) The app is very easy to use, showing your location and the dog's location very clearly. When you want to, the app turns the device to "Live" mode, where you will get a location every few seconds. The rest of the time, the location is reported every minute or two. The device has a small light which can be turned on from the app. It's a small light - to keep the battery drain low - it is not intended to replace a high-visibility flashing collar, but it helps find the dog in bushes at night.The device itself is small and light. It is easy to attach and remove to a collar, and the dog doesn't seem to notice it. It's secured with a rubber clip. I suspect the clip will eventually wear out after repeated use, but you can buy new clips from the Tractive store. The clip has four fasteners, so it one breaks, the others will keep the device secure. If you are very unlucky, I can imagine situations where the device might get caught on something and be pulled off, but that seems extremely unlikely and I can't see a solution without making the device harder to remove when you want to. Incidentally, mine has been in sea water will no ill-effects.The battery lasts for a few days. The manufacturers claim six days if you don't use "Live" mode often. That's possible, but you will want to keep it charged in case you need it. I charge mine every two or three days.Note that the device is effectively a miniature mobile phone. As well as buying the device, you also need to subscribe to the service. Check the company's website for current prices.I'm very pleased with it so far. There are cheaper alternatives, but this one seems to have been carefully designed for practical reliability.