Pet fitness trackers monitoring dog’s overall health gain popularity

Fitness trackers have long been a phenomenon among humans and are fast becoming the must-have accessory for dogs.

A healthy pet is a happy pet and now you can monitor your furry family member as they run, play and sleep.

Fitness trackers have long been a phenomenon among humans and are fast becoming the must-have accessory for dogs.

“There has been a meteoric rise in dog fitness trackers, especially noticed in our Eastern Suburbs and Inner City clinic,” Southern Cross Vet founder Dr Sam Kovac said.

“The rise in use has outstripped that of fitness trackers in their owners.”

The collar-worn devices monitor a dog’s overall health, daily activity and goals and usually include a GPS location tracker.

The fitness trackers for pets is attached to an app owners can monitor.

The tracker shows how many kilometres your pet has walked or run.

Their popularity surged during lockdown as pet owners tried to stay on top of their dogs’ fitness needs.

“These devices do attract some critics who say that technology is taking over our lives and our pets should be spared, however, these trackers can really help to motivate us to give our pets the activity level they need, deserve and have come to expect during our working from home time,” Dr Kovac said.

“I fear as we return to work in the office or on-site, our pets will begin to suffer with less exercise than previously and this could worsen their adjustment to their new lifestyle.

“Pet fitness trackers can help us be better owners and even if we don‘t use all their features, simply having one can serve as a reminder that we need to get out and about and keep our pets and us stimulated.”

Border collie Elsie is fitted with an activity tracker as he hangs out with two-year-old Chloe Matthews. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

The trackers need to be fit snug but not too tight in order to get an accurate reading, and work best on less-fluffy breeds.

Sydney dog owner Di Robinson has been testing one of the devices on eight-month-old border collie Elsie.

“It took a little bit of setting up but once it was going it was really great,” Di said.

“I could see from my phone Elsie had already met her activity target by 11am.

“She’s young so I don’t need to worry too much about her but it would be a really great tool for people who have a less-active dog.”

The fitness trackers retail between $50 and $300 depending on the brand and features.

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Originally published as Pet fitness trackers monitoring dog’s overall health gain popularity