This is the world’s smallest and lightest dog GPS tracker – FitBark GPS review.
If you’re not impressed now, soon you will be.
We have been using the FitBark GPS tracker for almost a year now and we can definitely say – We Love It!
That’s why we decided to make this FitBark GPS review.
At first, we were looking for a GPS tracking device for our active Frenchie girl Vivi. Sometimes she manages to give us some mini heart-attacks by running further than we would like and not listening to us when we call her.
So we decided to have an insurance – device that has a GPS in it.
When we found another FitBark GPS review we immediately decided to buy it, because it has a GPS option, obviously, and a lot of different benefits that we didn’t really look into at the begging, but we liked it that they had them.
Now it is the other way around.
We mainly use a health monitor, not FitBark’s GPS tracker option which we really love. It helps to keep Vivi in better shape and helps us to spot any health changes.
So here’s our honest FitBark GPS tracker review.
What is FitBark Dog GPS and Health Tracker?
It’s a GPS tracker that monitors your dog’s overall health.
FitBark GPS not only catches your dog’s location, but also the daily activities and sleeping habits. From the information gathered, it forms a detailed health record. You can also link your Fitbit, Apple HealthKit, or Google Fit device to your dog’s FitBark and you can view your own and your dog’s progress together in one app.
- Install the FitBark Mobile App;
- Attach the FitBark to Your Dog’s Collar;
- Track Health & Location 24/7.
Note: Geo-fencing and location tracking features are only available for the FitBark GPS tracker (United States)
You can create multiple safe zones around familiar Wi-Fi networks (e.g. home, daycare, friend’s house) and get alerted when your pup leaves or enters one of these safe areas.
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How does FitBark’s GPS Health tracker Monitoring work?
FitBark GPS tracker monitors every activity your dog makes 24/7 unless you take it off.
It gathers information minute-by-minute so then you can see your dog’s sleep quality, traveled distance and steps, even how many calories have been burned. By identifying all of these things, we see the overall health and behavioral changes.
Changes in behavior and/or sleeping can indicate mobility problems, anxiety, and skin diseases.
If your dog has arthritis you can use the FitBark GPS health tracker to see how much activity is too much and if your dog is in pain.
FitBark GPS health tracker helps you to see early signs of illness in your dog. Nightly Sleep Score can show you the development of skin conditions over time, such as atopic dermatitis, infectious dermatitis, hot spots, or flea allergies.
You can invite your trainer or veterinarian to monitor changes in your dog’s mobility, osteoarthritis, or orthopedic rehabilitation. They can follow your dog’s FitBark GPS Health Index to catch early signs of discomfort or disease from their phone.
There are more than 100 universities that use FitBark GPS Health Data in their research studies.
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FitBark GPS tracker design and technology
It’s in the shape of a pretty dog bone, which has multiple color covers you can choose from. That’s already a winner in my eyes.
It fits XXX-S and XXX-L dogs.
So you can use FitBark GPS tracker for any size and breed dog.
Although the material is pretty hard and durable, nothing on earth is 100% dog-bite proof.
You can connect your iOS device with Bluetooth 4.0 and set it up running with the current official iOS version or the previous ones. As for the android device owners, they can connect it with Bluetooth 4.0 and set it up running with Android 7 or above.
Specifications
Dimension and width
We were surprised by its small size: 1.6 x 1.1 x 0.5 inches (41 x 28 x 13.5 mm). And you can put it on a collar that is < 1.5″ (38 mm).
It’s super light: 0.35 ounces (10 grams) and made from high-impact polycarbonate.
Waterproof
The most important thing is that it’s WATERPROOF.
That was one of our main points because our dog spends a lot of time in the water during summer, so a waterproof device is a must for us.
Waterproof IP67 (Can be submerged up to 1 meter for up to 30 minutes)
Battery
What surprised us was BATTERY LIFE UP TO 6 MONTHS. You don’t need to recharge FitBark every week or every month. Plus it has a 1-Year Warranty.
You can charge it without removing the unit from the collar.
Environmental requirements
Operating temp: -4°F to 122°F (-20°C to 50°C)
Storage temp: -22°F to 140°F (-30°C to 60°C)
Our journey with the FitBark GPS and health tracker
It has been really interesting and fun to use this device.
Basically, it tracks your dog’s steps made during the day and reflects them in the app.
The data is being reflected in real-time but you need to refresh it manually. So you will be able to see the traveled distance, calories burned, overall health, and behavior.
Another cool thing is that you can set the daily goals for your doggo. We made our dog’s goal for 8500 steps a day, it’s about 7-8 km in one day.
The app suggests the optimal distance for each dog breed.
So now we know how much she has been walking and if it is enough for her. If we see that she hasn’t reached her daily goal yet, we know that she needs to go out for a walk.
Additionally, you can see how well your dog sleeps and this data is being saved. Therefore you will be able to monitor health and see if something is wrong.
The app
Well, the user interface (UI) for the application is quite okay but honestly, I’m not a big fan of it.
I am more than positive they can easily update it in the future to make it more appealing and user-friendly.
As with any app first, you need to register (You can use social media account). Afterward, you will need to create a profile for your doggo.
Also, you can invite friends, chat with them, see your friend list activities. It’s like a Facebook for dog owners.
Haven’t really used this feature but the idea is kinda nice.
Every day you will receive notifications from FitBark GPS and health tracker if your daily goal is reached, if not they remind you that it’s time for a walk.
The negative side
So the downside of FitBark GPS tracker is that if you are not within the USA then you won’t be able to use it as you need a mobile provider from the USA.
Nevertheless, in case you really don’t care about it you can use it as an activity tracker.
Conclusion
The FitBark GPS and health tracker is a light, good-looking device that helps you to track your dog’s overall health.
It’s very affordable and worth every cent if you can monitor your dog’s health changes and act quickly when it happens.
The battery life is really impressive, so you don’t have to worry about recharging it every two days as it is for the majority of devices.
If you’re not from the USA the GPS option won’t work for you.
