Pet Trackers - Do you use one?

[TWelch]

As I will be traveling with a big dog, I have been considering a collar tracking system for him. I wonder if any of you who travel with pets use a GPS system for your dog, and if so, which one? Any recommendations?

I have read the descriptions on several sites (following links) but experience with one is priceless.

5 Best Pet Tracking Systems - Reviews and Recommendations | Petslady.com

The Best Pet Tracking Devices of 2017 | Top Ten Reviews

Thanks,
Tonie

[cpaharley2008]

We have our dogs microchipped with our cell phone# and we put the number also on their collars. No sense putting home info if traveling with your cell phone.

[Jim Bennett]

I had not heard of tacking devices for dogs, and don't really see the need for one in our case, as our dog is with us all the time. He does have a microchip though.

[CampyTime]

My dog is micro chopped and always with me. If not the case for you, you could get GPS system. In all honesty, didn't know they existed. Makes more sense to me than chipping, cuz first someone's gotta find the dog, then take to vet or spca for chip reader. Of you get a GPS homing device with it that lets you see where your dog is, I say go for it. In worst case, my dog's collar could come apart and she could run off. I wish I had advice for you on systems out there, but you could read online customer reviews. If you see multiple negative complaints from more than one buyer, especially if same complaint, be wary.

Sent from my VS985 4G using Fiberglass RV mobile app

[CampyTime]

Micro chipped. Sorry.

Sent from my VS985 4G using Fiberglass RV mobile app

[Bobbie Mayer]

I just finished a nine month trial of the Whistle Pet Tracker. Thumbs down and here is why.

I bought two trackers and two cell plans for two dogs. Whistle uses the Verizon network which gives good coverage in my area; I verified that before purchase.

Set them up and put one on each dog's collar. First irritation was that you cannot define home base as your own property- it's a circle, and its diameter is bigger than the width of my lot, so the dog could be outside my gate and not set off a notification. But not far away, so that seemed okay.

Then I took the dogs for walks. Yes, both trackers told me the dog was outside the Whistle zone, and where (just once on where unless you track in which case it will send location every three minutes.)

FF a month. Sadie went to play with her bff, another corgi, about 5 miles away. I got a notice she was at their house (fine, I took her there!) But then I got a notice she was back at the base station. Then another that she was at their house This happened on several different trips. I contacted Whistle.

It took a long drawn out trouble-shooting with them before they finally sent a replacement tracker. It worked until she chewed it off her collar and I cancelled her policy since obviously that wasn't going to work. (The tracker is quite bulky.)

Jack's worked fine until we went to Canada and it never once told me he was away from the base station. We got home and I set it back up and it never worked again. I finally got around to cancelling his and got the run around from Whistle again, and finally they sent another tracker. It did not work, out of the box. I asked to cancel, they tried to talk me into trouble-shooting (which, btw, includes sending photos of where you have everything plugged in and pictures of the charger, etc.) I said no, and I want a refund from the date I asked to cancel (in October). They refused and offered $6 (pro-rating refunds is charged at the monthly rate). They kept offering to send a new tracker- after the trouble shooting. Finally I just said, No, Cancel it. Then I got a survey on how their customer service did and blasted them.

So a higher-up contacted me and agreed to the refund from when I originally asked. I don't have it yet, though.

So- what I said on Amazon- it's a great idea but is a long way from being reliable. If it doesn't work just once it doesn't matter how good the customer service is (and it isn't as even when they did replace it it took 2-3 weeks of jumping through hoops and waiting for shipment all the while I was being charged for the cell plan) you can't trust the tracker. It needs to be smaller and it needs to be 100% reliable (and the charge lasting more than 3-5 days would be good, too.) I told the higher-up that as long as I couldn't trust it it was useless to me.

[Carl Pa]

My dog was micro chipped. But it would only work out if someone honest found her and reported her lost to authorities, otherwise someone would just keep her. I always worried about that. Carl

[Ttocs M]

My dog, my responsibility to keep her safe. I don't want my dog in other people's campsites, pooping in their yards, interacting with strays, chasing other animals, getting hit by a car, chasing a kid on a bikem bitten by a snake.... A tracking system won't protect a dog from being stolen or hurt.

My dog and I do a lot of traveling, hiking. I have trained her to stay with me...amazing how a training session with treats can reinforce good behavior. If hiking off leash, I keep her in sight, calling her back with more positive reinforcement if needed. I don't want her to scare up a bear or startle a horse on the trail, or fall off a steep cliff, or get attacked by an aggressive dog (or person), so we generally hike on-leash. I have taught her not to chase birds, squirrels, deer...and hopefullyshe learned her lesson about black & white critters.

On our last camping trip, I discovered she did not leave our campsite - she seemed to know the boundary and did not wander into other sites. Training pays off.

[jerrybob]

We travel with two dogs. Best solution.....keep them on a leash at all times. A few years ago.......our dog chased a deer into the woods.....he was gone for 30 minutes and finally came back. Scared the heck out of us.

[TWelch]

Thanks, everyone for your replies and the information you have offered. I appreciate your taking the time to share your advice.

My dog is microchipped. He is always on leash when we are out. . . I too think the best situation is to be in control of your dog at all times. I would want the GPS tracker for emergencies - which are situations that are not predictable. They are unforeseeable, and you cannot train for them. I try to anticipate any danger my dog might get into, though, and neutralize it.

Thanks again to all who have replied.

Tonie and Abel

[Bobbie Mayer]

Leashes, gates, fences, etc, are all fallible. I'd like a reliable tracking system for the times when they fail. Yards get broken into even if locked, things like a tree falling on a fence can happen, collars and leashes can break, dogs can slip collars...(but a tracker won't work if the collar isn't on.) Chipping is great if the dog is found by an honest person who wants to return it. My wanderer has my cell phone number on his collar (first thing I bought after changing phone numbers was a new collar for him!) but he's also a Houdini with gates and latches.

There are new tracking systems coming out all the time so I hope one of them ends up reliable. We just aren't there yet and I'm not going to try again until I see a few more good reviews, long term.

[Kai in Seattle]

Bobbie--exceptionally clear post about drawbacks to current GPS systems...we hadn't heard of them before but from now on I'll be alert to the idea...sounds like right now it's not worth it. Ours are microchipped and we're careful with leashes and x-pen...but do know the unexpected can happen.


Good topic; important to consider pet safety!


BEST
Kai

[tractors1]

Originally Posted by M Scott

On our last camping trip, I discovered she did not leave our campsite - she seemed to know the boundary and did not wander into other sites. Training pays off.

Absolutely. Just takes time, patience, and practice, which is why service dogs are so expensive. At home my dogs will let me know if the driveway gate is open rather than wander off.

[Glenn Baglo]

Our beagle ( now in the past ) slipped her collar once when my daughter took her out for a run. Dog ran back to our front gate and waited for somebody to open it for her.
Beagles are supposed to run off into the bush never to be seen again.

[Bobbie Mayer]

Originally Posted by Kai in Seattle

Bobbie--exceptionally clear post about drawbacks to current GPS systems...we hadn't heard of them before but from now on I'll be alert to the idea...sounds like right now it's not worth it. Ours are microchipped and we're careful with leashes and x-pen...but do know the unexpected can happen.

I've seen some new ones advertised that appear to have the collar thickness more under control, but I'm not going to experiment again. Jack hasn't been lost for almost a year (he has a tendency to do walkabouts in the neighborhood and coyotes, not cars, are the concern) as he is over 12 now, and the other two don't do it.

One nice thing about how the Whistle is supposed to work is that the base station is easily moved- so camping you could plug in in your trailer and be notified- not if they left your site, but if they left a larger area, and more likely you'd see your dog go and be able to track him. Or if your dog is left with a petsitter you'd get the notifications wherever you are- I've heard of a few too many petsitters NOT notifying the owner when the pet disappeared. But unless you can trust it, it isn't worth the money. (It was about $7 a month for a two year contract plus $60 for the tracker.)

Beware of trackers that only work on Bluetooth and rely on other people having the same app on their phone!

[bullfrogeh]

In our 'neck-of-the-woods', a few friends (and visitors) have GPS systems for their dogs. But they are being used so the owners can track their dogs, to give the owner a a better chance to locate the associated deer or moose! Knowing where the dog is located helps the dog owner find his dog, during and at the conclusion of the hunt ! Twice, I've found loose dogs wandering well away from hunting areas, with GPS collars on; and have been able to reunite the dog with the hunter. Just another twist on the usefulness of the GPS device !

[Brenda in Alberta]

I live on a farm and although I have a 3 acre fenced yard, 2 of my dogs sometimes get out and take off, causing me concern. I haven't received it yet, but I ordered the Findsyet Duo, which had a Kickstarter campaign going. It had some features that I really liked. It should be coming soon and then time will tell. Sorry I don't have a link, but a Google search should turn it up.

[Steve L.]

One of the last years I tent camped my dog slipped under the tent flap to see where I had gone to (I was visiting the "bushes") in the middle of the night. I never heard him. He was nearly deaf and never heard my calls. All the rest of the stay in the state campground I searched and talked to other campers. Called the pet shelters in the area over the next month. No luck.

I was devastated and convinced that I couldn't handle the responsibility of a pet. I've sort of half forgiven myself after 15 or years. I'm thinking I might venture another dog after I retire in the next year or two. I'm inclined to get a Garmin unit. No service to buy or dependance on cell phone coverage as the collar broadcasts it's location which the GPS unit can home in on.