Recommendations for a Dog Tracker?

OwnedbyCollies

OwnedbyCollies

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Since Dec 2009
Our older collie (13 yrs) has decided to become selectively deaf - especially when she gets her nose on to a scent. :rolleyes: She doesn't tend to go far but can be out of sight in undergrowth / bushes.

I am wondering about a dog tracker. Does anyone have any experience of the Tractive 4 or other tracker? I'm happy to pay for a subscription GPS if they work.

I read the mixed reviews on the thread started by reckless last May so I'm interested in any recent experiences or updates. reckless - did you end up getting one?

IMG_4858.jpeg
 
We've used one working perfectly for 7 years on my son's 10kg Westie for when we're Wild Walking, especially abroad when none of us is familiar with the area. It's linked to an iPhone, we pay a subscription and it leaves a track of his route. It's so clear and detailed that we can zoom in and even see which bush he's under. We can also set a virtual fence that will give an alarm if he wanders out of the predetermined area. You can't really see it in my pic below as it's only a bit larger than a matchbox. Brilliant for peace of mind as he always behaves unless he gets sight of a rabbit, squirrel or deer. Fortunately rabbits dive down the nearest burrow and squirrels up the nearest tree but deer run and run.

Still.JPG


It's this one

Dog Tracker Nano: Best GPS Tracking Collar For Your Dog

Dog Tracker Nano is the Best GPS Tracking Collar for your Dog. Buy peace of mind and protect your best friend today.
dogtrackernano.com dogtrackernano.com
This is the view we get and as mentioned it uses Google maps and I can zoom right in to see individual bushes etc.

3.24 mile walk college langton.JPG
 
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If you have an iPhone, I’d recommend getting an Apple Airtag. They’re only £29 (but you’ll also need to get a holder/fob) with no subscription as they use Bluetooth for close proximity and Apple’s Find My network of everyone else’s iPhones for greater range. It can also be attached to other things if you’d prefer (keys, bags, etc). It uses a replaceable button battery that lasts a year.
 
OwnedbyCollies
We didn't get one in the end. Other things going on. Roly has less time off lead, only where we're confident. We don't take any chances with the rise in dog theft. That would be unthinkable.
That's not to say we've dismissed the idea.
Karen

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Spriddler is that a Tractive? I gave up on mine (well, the dog’s!) last year as it wouldn’t work anywhere near trees and the picture was nowhere near as good as yours, iPhone7. Also I couldn’t get it to stay tracking unless I was holding the phone in my hand.
I‘m sure Cassie is developing selective deafness too, so I had wondered about an Apple Airtag. MajorClanger what sort if an image do you get?Will look at Pawfit
 
Downsie the Airtag is just a 3cm disk that broadcasts its position back to your iPhone. It can also make a noise if put into lost mode. It doesn’t have a camera or even GPS (I believe); it works by using the direction and distance capabilities of the iPhone - you’ll need an iPhone 11 or newer for pinpoint accuracy but it should give you a general location on older iPhones. You can also configure it to provide contact information when tapped by a compatible phone. The link I gave above describes this more eloquently than I ever could.
1631114678092.jpeg
 
WHats the average size of these things, ar ethey a ltille bulky for a jack russel?
 
We use a Tractive tracker on the cat. It works fairly well, but you've got to manage expectations. The accuracy of the GPS position can vary quite a bit, but it'll definitively get you to within 50m. And probably closer, depending on the amount of undergrowth. It does have a beeper and LED you can activate remotely, but they beeper is very high pitched and doesn't carry well and the LED would be useless in anything other than total darkness. We have a second battery for periods where we want to track him continuously. It needs switching every couple of days. Overall though, if he ran off, I feel fairly confident that we'd be able to reliably track him to within a fairly close proximity.

We've also got a Tile bluetooth tracker on him. This has a much louder beep and we're using it as a paranoia backup. The Apple tag uses similar technology (and also has UWB with the latest iPhones for directions when you get really close). But they both rely on a phone being pretty close and for a period of time to get a very rough lock on their location. If you take your pupper off to the countryside, once they go beyond about 50m from you, I'm not convinced these types of tags would be that useful.

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Downsie said:
Spriddler is that a Tractive? I gave up on mine (well, the dog’s!) last year as it wouldn’t work anywhere near trees and the picture was nowhere near as good as yours, iPhone7. Also I couldn’t get it to stay tracking unless I was holding the phone in my hand.
I‘m sure Cassie is developing selective deafness too, so I had wondered about an Apple Airtag. MajorClanger what sort if an image do you get?Will look at Pawfit
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Never been any issues with it at all and I assume that because it's GPS the track and trace range is unlimited although he never goes more than about 150 yds from us (only on moor and Downland, cereal farmland and with no livestock) but I'm sure you know that with dense undergrowth or derelict buildings they be 'lost' within 25 yds of you. It happened once mid-winter and I tracked him to the centre of a dense bramble patch about half a tennis court size. He can be a bit of a wimp and got stuck in total silence with brambles at his bottom and around his nose and the only way I could get to him was by crawling on my hands and knees along a filthy water-filled ditch for about 25 yds. But we're still pals, even though he wasn't happy to be put in the bath for a shower when we got back. He hasn't done it since.

Shower.jpg
 
I recently got a tractive tracker for Yoshi, and I have to say it’s awesome. Very accurate and also as a bonus records his activity and sleep. I have a 15%discount link if anyone can make use of it send me a message
 
Thanks for the update #Zoobec. I haven't got a tracker yet and am just reviewing the latest info. I had decided to go for a Tractive 4 - so it's perfect timing and good to know it works well!

I have sent you a PM ;)
 
MajorClanger said:
If you have an iPhone, I’d recommend getting an Apple Airtag. They’re only £29 (but you’ll also need to get a holder/fob) with no subscription as they use Bluetooth for close proximity and Apple’s Find My network of everyone else’s iPhones for greater range. It can also be attached to other things if you’d prefer (keys, bags, etc). It uses a replaceable button battery that lasts a year.
Click to expand...
We have two Samoyeds who are accomplished Houdinis. After They disappeared on New Years Eve 2021/22 and turned up in farm house New Year Party 3 miles from the pub we were having our party in (Moho in the carpark) we got these. Absolutely brilliant bits of kit, will last 7 days with hourly track or gradually less & less down to an hour or so for real time tracking down to a square meter.

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Although my two are frequently out of sight in woodland they always know where I am. If needed I can call them but I don't like to spoil their exploring. Naturally they are only free to roam in areas I know are safe.
 
Vodafone Curve works well: currently £14.99 to buy with a second for £7.49, it's got a built in eSim that costs £2.99 a month, it will alert you if it leaves a home (or other) zone you can set up and it has a number of modes including live tracking. Comes with a holder for collars, bags, keyc etc. Edit to add: It's got WiFi and Bluetooth capability too.

I use one as a tracker on the van.

Curve, The Smart GPS Tracker | Vodafone Smart Tech

Curve is a smart GPS tracker with 4 different types of tracking technology for a more reliable connection to your favourite things.
eshop.v.vodafone.com eshop.v.vodafone.com

NB: Pure conjecture in my part .. but having found that they're on offer, I wonder if they work on 3G so may be on borrowed time given that it's being taken out over the next few years.
 
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Many of the areas i frequent - (lochs and mountains in Scotland) have very poor mobile service - so these are of limited use - so that means looking at Sat tracking, or something like Garmin Radio collars- the problem with SAT tracking is that it can broadcast the location with no terrestrial mobile coverage, but you still need an internet connection to receive the updates -
they also have a hefty monthly subscription fee.

The Garmin gun dog Radio collars are probably the best solution for us, but they are pricy and quite big for a single 11 kg cocker spaniel.

plus our dog is pretty well trained and doesn’t roam too far and comes back to teh whistle
 
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Wonder if you can get a tracker that gives off an electric shock...? Be useful to slip into SWMBO handbag to remind her to switch her phone from silent..................
 
All great suggestions! We are really only concerned about the older pup - she is 14 this year. Still quite active but getting a little deaf and we think her eyes are deteriorating. The younger daft one is OK - he comes when called!

She gets her nose to the ground (never had such a 'sniffy' BC!) and then when she decides to look up she can become a little disorientated and on occasion has latched herself on to other people and panicked when she then realises she is 'lost'. She has also got lost in a thick gorse patch on the hill behind our house on one of our regular routes - we knew vaguely where she was but got quite alarmed when she didn't appear for several minutes despite frantically calling her. She must have been stuck but eventually managed to get out on this occasion.

I would hope that we know her general whereabouts but want to be able to get an accurate location in case of emergencies such as this and need something that can get a signal in a wide variety of places. We would, of course, keep her on a lead if we were particularly worried about her safety.

I was edging towards the Tractive 4 as it uses the best signal available from any provider worldwide. Do the Apple Airtag or Vodaphone Curve work on Bluetooth even if there is no signal?

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Airtag relies on lots of people being around with iPhones. The range is only a few dozen metres. Useful in the house, useful in cities. Probably not so good when you're walking the dog in the countryside. Not tracking a dog, but this gives you an idea of its limitations:


I've got Tractives on the cats. Not has a serious issue with signal, but I've not tried too many locations.

The Vodafone Curve looks similar to Tractive. The Tractive hardware works, but it's a bit basic. It's possible the Curve is more modern hardware with more accurate positioning, higher frequency updates and with better battery life? Or it could be worse. I'd want to see some reviews. I'd be a little worried that Vodafone will lose interest in the product in a year's time and you'll be left without an app. At least Tractive has been around a few years and it's their core product.
 
We have a tractive tracker for our springer spaniel, it has been a total waste of money, it takes ages to connect when you want to track, doesn't work in Woods on beach or moors. Basically if your not close to a town with a good signal and your dog is within ten foot away forget it. Customer service is rubbish, the response I got was I should have taken out the insurance package then we could have helped you.
 

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