Thank you. I lost my dog last night and he had to fight off coyotes for over 3.5 hours. He could have used my help. Now, I'm getting a GPS tracker and fast so he never has to fend off a pack of coyotes alone again. I'm lucky to have him still alive!
I had the previous Tractive version for about 3 yrs and it worked great. This new version works as well. I like the rubber clip. My lab plays hard with other dogs so I suggest using a zip tie to also help secure the device to the collar. The rubber clip can easily come off if it gets hung up on a branch.
What I would really like to understand is how the perimeter demarcation works, a space in which if the animal exceeds the alarm will sound for me, this is essential for me.
I use the FI collar, but I’ve never simulated an actual LOST situation. You’ve inspired me to do that. Better to know how and how well the collar works before you actually need it! I use the fitness tracker as motivation. We are in a friendly competition with a dog down the street.
What I would really like to understand is how the perimeter demarcation works, a space in which if the animal exceeds the alarm will sound for me, this is essential for me.
I got this for one of my foster dogs. She's a huge gsp mix who I think probably escaped someone's yard before being rescued. I was afraid she was going to escape my yard, so I got the tracker. Though luckily she never escaped. Now my dad uses the tracker for my brother when he goes to school so he knows where he is since he doesn't have a phone lol.
Tractive was easy to set up. I liked that it uses Google Maps. Tracked easily without experience. Tractive, Windows, and Android all worked well. And, additionally, what I liked, I plan on using this to find my car! The dog will stay at home. The charging adapter will work in the car. After watching your video, I thought this one might be better. Thank you.
I farm in rural Iowa. I have a Husky. She and a young lab like to go bumming about the area. They especially like a creek that runs through the farm. They can be gone for hours on some days, always returning home filthy. But I would like to keep track of them to be safe. I always worry they could be expanding the area they wander in, and I don't want that. It sounds as if this device is what I need. Thanks for the review.
I use the Tractive GPS tracker all the time! My dog LOVES to run off and explore the neighborhood. We're really working on training and making steady but slow progress. In the meantime, Tractive has been a lifesaver. The virtual fence is especially helpful when we travel and stay with friends. Live tracking works very well. For us the sound feature is great. It is really quiet but it's just enough to get my dog's attention and sometimes that's all he needs to reconsider his escape plans and come back to me (or at least stay put until I get to him). The only problem I have with Tractive is that I don't always remember to keep it charged. It's useless when the battery is dead. ;-) I wish it had a feature to alert you when the battery is running low.
Hey! Thanks for watching and commenting, don't forget that Tractive is not a replacement for safe supervision. It is a great tool for emergency situations and peace of mind but not a replacement. Especially when the battery is dead and turns it into nothing more than an expensive collar charm :) 🐾 Happy Training! ~ Dan
The sound helps get my dogs attention when I’m calling and he doesn’t come. I’m teaching him to come to me to “shut it off” because he doesn’t like the sound! Also… agree the customer support is incredible!!!
GREAT review Carol! I purchased Tractive for my 1/2 feral cat who travels all over the area here. She's a big girl (about 12 pounds) so I'm hoping the collar isn't too big for her. Getting it tomorrow and can't wait to test out the features..
@@LizBeLike_ so far it's been great! The only limitation is my cell tower coverage is pretty bad here, but that's more of a ME problem rather than THEM. The features in the app are fantastic!
I've had Tracktive in my Amazon cart for the longest time, thank you for your review :) Would love to see how it compares to other brands if you get the chance
@@trishaann1616 hope your cat was okay. My doggie was lost for about 15 minutes.. scariest 15 minutes ever. Somehow I got lucky and picked the right direction to begin my search. Got lucky.
@@trishaann1616 Depends on your cell coverage you can check with AT&T coverage map. If you're in the green then yes it will show you live updates on live mode so you can find exactly where your cat went. Only thing is if she goes under/in a building then you can't get live updates, but it will show her last position before she went into said building.
I’m currently using the apple airtag for my large golden retriever who constantly escapes our house. He runs around town and the apple airtag never ever ever updates!! So because of that it is unreliable and does not help. I need something that updates my dogs location accurately and often without error or constant error.
Great review! Showed and told everything i need to know. I'm assuming the reason the sound and light are soft is to not startle the pets, and to not draw the attention of predators. But enough that you can find their precise location once you're close.
I have not used the tractive activity tracking but whistle (which now has a gps version) has some great health metrics about whether your dog is scratching more than usual, not drinking enough water, licking more than usual, etc. This is great to get more information especially I am not around to see my dog do this even though I may have seen him lick himself a few times in my presence. That way when I go to the vet I have an understanding about what course of treatment to give him such as whether its allergies like environmental, maybe its something that's seasonal or depending on the time, food related. I assume with the tractive, you get kcal, minutes, miles/km tracking so I find that helpful for really honing in on my dog's diet. On days he is super active I may give him a mid day kibble snack in a snuffle mat to make sure he is getting enough calories. He is an Aussie puppy. That is what I like about the activity tracking and these were things I never really thought about before. I know Fi collar has a really cool feature where you can see which dogs are at your local dog park if that is your thing and then you can head there if you know your dog's friends will be at the park. A friend of mine was showing me that feature so she can see when is a good time to take out her dog.
What I would really like to understand is how the perimeter demarcation works, a space in which if the animal exceeds the alarm will sound for me, this is essential for me.
I use the Fi collar, and I like the fitness feature. It's helpful for me to make sure my dog is getting at least 10,000 steps/day. Also, please address the charging of this unit. With the Fi, when we were on vacation and had no wi-fi, we couldn't charge the collar, nor did we get good tracking location.
I bought a device couple of years ago, it worked very well until recently and has got less accurate over time, plus stops working at 22% battery now, and problems finding the GPS or Bluetooth. In contact with company to see if they can resolve problems.
I know you mentioned how it can go on any collar in case of a smaller dog but how does the unit itself fit on a smaller dog? Or would a cat one be better for a smaller dog? Anyone have advice on that?
We're five days in with the new XL model... It came down to better to have it and never use it rather than need it and not have it. Turns out the wellness tracker feature has become our new addiction.
I've been using Tractive for several years. You have to pay a subscription for each device, so if you have two pets and want them to be both using a Tractive tracker at the same time then you need two devices with two subscriptions. You can see both trackers in the app at the same time. When I first started using Tractive the cat had it on when he went out and then I would move the tracker onto the dog for her walks.
Can you share about the length of time it holds a charge? I think I heard 2-5 days. Seems like I’d be removing it from collars and having to charge every night “just in case” and my Whistle tracker lasts longer 3-4 weeks.
I have the tractive one - it lasts 5 days if you're not using the live tracking function (where location is updated every 2-3 seconds). I use the live function quite a lot so I would say it lasts about 2 days. it does charge quite fast though (less than an hour for sure)
My whistle lasts a long time also but that depends on how long he leaves his home base and how often as it goes into “battery save mode” when he’s in his yard. So if you don’t leave for very long or very often it holds longer. I took him two hours away to my parents for a couple of days it drained in a day or so. Once I set up a second “home base” for their property it went into battery save mode there also.
What I would really like to understand is how the perimeter demarcation works, a space in which if the animal exceeds the alarm will sound for me, this is essential for me.
Excellent review!! I listened to you and it was extremely pleasant hearing how TRACTIVE works! You mentioned everything I needed to know and even more. II used to use FINDSTER DUO+, (which saved my "kitty" many times - I was even able to find him under the street - yes!! hidden in the sump!!), but I lost the guardian / controller, so I bought a PETFON for my cat and TRACTIVE to compare - for now all what is important to me and my "kitty" I can find using PETFON (which doesn't require subscription at all), but.. like I said I want try them both. And was only wondering if there is any chance you could test the PETFON as well and post your opinion comparing to the TRACTIVE? What do you think?
The claims are: tractive has 2-3 second location updates vs Fi 2 w/ 1 min updates. if Fi isn't successful sending a signal, then it'll be 2 plus minutes for a location update. That's too long in my opinion if you're in a panic situation.
Do they give a multi pet discount for the tracking software monthly fee. I have 3 dogs , so do I pay full monthly fee per dog or do they have multi pet discounts ? Thanks.
Does the GPS connect tracker connect immediately to the app on the phone or do you have to link iy first? is there a video on how to connect the tracktive GPS to the tracktive app on the phone?
I’ve found one , the rubber clip is cheap and has tore easily, I’ve tried to return it to its owner but I can’t return it as there is no acceptable information. So how do I find the owner if you can’t access its information
How would you compare it to the Halo? I have a new dog and trying to find a device worth it. The price to this tractive seems too good to be true. Halo is asking around $650 and saying goes.."you get what you pay for " but that seems extreme for a GPS tracker.
Just something to be aware of about this tracker. It doesn't use the satellite GPS system, it uses LTE , which is part of the cell networks. If there is no cell service in the area, then the tracker will not work. That is also why the battery life is less than a week. LTE transmitters use more power.
The website describes it as a “GPS tracker”, and technical specifications say it uses “GPS, LTE/4G, 2G”. If it is only using a cellular network, then they are being highly misleading to the point of dishonesty.
I had an AirTag on my dog who got out of our yard. We have a somewhat wooded area behind our property where his “escape route” began. The AirTag was 100% useless and failed to detect his location as soon as he was outside an area with any type of WiFi. Very disappointing.
I watched your video. Then I got two of them. They're crap. If my dogs go into creek or into wooded areas, I lose them. Also, their customer service is absolute crap. It was a waste of money.
The only reason I can think a review of a mobile device would not mention battery life is because battery is really weak and this info was deliberately omitted.
This collar is trash. The battery doesn’t even last a day. It also doesn’t track very well at all. The FI collar works a bit better but it’s battery is leaps and bounds better.
The Fi is pretty terrible I lost dog mode. It only updates once every 30-60 seconds. Battery with FI lasts forever, but what’s the point of it doesnt serve its primacy purpose
The battery lasts 2-3 days, depending on use of WiFi connection and time on Live mode with continuous signal tracking. You had a bad one or did something wrong if it lasted less than a day.
Mine only lasts a day also. But I don't think it's the tracker, I think its the weak cell signal where I live. I have mine on a cat at home. We live in an area with terrible cell coverage. 99% of the time I have no bars, calls can't get through, and it's a real pain when I try to log in anywhere that involves sms verification. Anyway, I know my phone battery drains quickly when I'm in a low coverage area. So I'm assuming the same happens for the tractive. I just work with it- I simply charge it morning and night when my cat gets fed. It's part of the routine.
I’m watching this because I can’t figure mine out. It’s kind of been garbage so far. Idk why the app isn’t user friendly at all. Seems like a monkey designed it blind folded on the moon
Don't trust Tractive if you love your pet. The company knows their units charing system will fail. You will be stuck with failed unit and your pet at risk unit after paying for your Tractive service. They will tell you they will replace it but they, as they already have your money for the service, they won't get arround to senidng you and unit. Their company no longer has phone numbers to reach them at. Eveyone knows that technologies can fail but this company is dishonorable in how they will treat you after they have your money.
Thank you. I lost my dog last night and he had to fight off coyotes for over 3.5 hours. He could have used my help. Now, I'm getting a GPS tracker and fast so he never has to fend off a pack of coyotes alone again. I'm lucky to have him still alive!
i absolutely love that you're emphasizing fighting off coyotes together because i have coyotes here so i can relate.
I had the previous Tractive version for about 3 yrs and it worked great. This new version works as well. I like the rubber clip. My lab plays hard with other dogs so I suggest using a zip tie to also help secure the device to the collar. The rubber clip can easily come off if it gets hung up on a branch.
What I would really like to understand is how the perimeter demarcation works, a space in which if the animal exceeds the alarm will sound for me, this is essential for me.
I use the FI collar, but I’ve never simulated an actual LOST situation. You’ve inspired me to do that. Better to know how and how well the collar works before you actually need it! I use the fitness tracker as motivation. We are in a friendly competition with a dog down the street.
What I would really like to understand is how the perimeter demarcation works, a space in which if the animal exceeds the alarm will sound for me, this is essential for me.
I got this for one of my foster dogs. She's a huge gsp mix who I think probably escaped someone's yard before being rescued. I was afraid she was going to escape my yard, so I got the tracker. Though luckily she never escaped. Now my dad uses the tracker for my brother when he goes to school so he knows where he is since he doesn't have a phone lol.
Tractive was easy to set up. I liked that it uses Google Maps. Tracked easily without experience. Tractive, Windows, and Android all worked well. And, additionally, what I liked, I plan on using this to find my car! The dog will stay at home. The charging adapter will work in the car. After watching your video, I thought this one might be better. Thank you.
I farm in rural Iowa. I have a Husky. She and a young lab like to go bumming about the area. They especially like a creek that runs through the farm. They can be gone for hours on some days, always returning home filthy. But I would like to keep track of them to be safe. I always worry they could be expanding the area they wander in, and I don't want that. It sounds as if this device is what I need. Thanks for the review.
I use the Tractive GPS tracker all the time! My dog LOVES to run off and explore the neighborhood. We're really working on training and making steady but slow progress. In the meantime, Tractive has been a lifesaver. The virtual fence is especially helpful when we travel and stay with friends. Live tracking works very well. For us the sound feature is great. It is really quiet but it's just enough to get my dog's attention and sometimes that's all he needs to reconsider his escape plans and come back to me (or at least stay put until I get to him). The only problem I have with Tractive is that I don't always remember to keep it charged. It's useless when the battery is dead. ;-) I wish it had a feature to alert you when the battery is running low.
The whistle device texts you when it’s low.
Hey! Thanks for watching and commenting, don't forget that Tractive is not a replacement for safe supervision. It is a great tool for emergency situations and peace of mind but not a replacement. Especially when the battery is dead and turns it into nothing more than an expensive collar charm :) 🐾
Happy Training!
~ Dan
@@kellerayra7363 ?
@@McCannDogsi have cat 4 collar its not so good near buildings half of the time its not going to live mode..
The sound helps get my dogs attention when I’m calling and he doesn’t come. I’m teaching him to come to me to “shut it off” because he doesn’t like the sound! Also… agree the customer support is incredible!!!
GREAT review Carol! I purchased Tractive for my 1/2 feral cat who travels all over the area here. She's a big girl (about 12 pounds) so I'm hoping the collar isn't too big for her. Getting it tomorrow and can't wait to test out the features..
How do you like it so far? Is there a limit to how far it tracks like only a certain amount of feet or no?
@@LizBeLike_ so far it's been great! The only limitation is my cell tower coverage is pretty bad here, but that's more of a ME problem rather than THEM. The features in the app are fantastic!
I use and love my Fi collar but I need something that works outside the US so I have to look more into it. It’s just so big! Thanks for this video!
I've had Tracktive in my Amazon cart for the longest time, thank you for your review :)
Would love to see how it compares to other brands if you get the chance
Did you get tractive? Do you like it? My cat went missing for 7 horrible days. Will it show me exactly where she is? I know I'll need a subscription.
@@trishaann1616 hope your cat was okay. My doggie was lost for about 15 minutes.. scariest 15 minutes ever. Somehow I got lucky and picked the right direction to begin my search. Got lucky.
@@trishaann1616 Depends on your cell coverage you can check with AT&T coverage map. If you're in the green then yes it will show you live updates on live mode so you can find exactly where your cat went. Only thing is if she goes under/in a building then you can't get live updates, but it will show her last position before she went into said building.
I’m currently using the apple airtag for my large golden retriever who constantly escapes our house. He runs around town and the apple airtag never ever ever updates!! So because of that it is unreliable and does not help. I need something that updates my dogs location accurately and often without error or constant error.
Great review.. Hit all points, no fluff
good review. glad you covered the accuracy because that's important, but you never mentioned the range on this device
Great review!
Showed and told everything i need to know.
I'm assuming the reason the sound and light are soft is to not startle the pets, and to not draw the attention of predators.
But enough that you can find their precise location once you're close.
Was wondering if I should buy the whistle go or this one? I Love your review!! I Love that this told you where to turn to find the pup! Thanks !!
I have not used the tractive activity tracking but whistle (which now has a gps version) has some great health metrics about whether your dog is scratching more than usual, not drinking enough water, licking more than usual, etc. This is great to get more information especially I am not around to see my dog do this even though I may have seen him lick himself a few times in my presence. That way when I go to the vet I have an understanding about what course of treatment to give him such as whether its allergies like environmental, maybe its something that's seasonal or depending on the time, food related.
I assume with the tractive, you get kcal, minutes, miles/km tracking so I find that helpful for really honing in on my dog's diet. On days he is super active I may give him a mid day kibble snack in a snuffle mat to make sure he is getting enough calories. He is an Aussie puppy. That is what I like about the activity tracking and these were things I never really thought about before. I know Fi collar has a really cool feature where you can see which dogs are at your local dog park if that is your thing and then you can head there if you know your dog's friends will be at the park. A friend of mine was showing me that feature so she can see when is a good time to take out her dog.
What I would really like to understand is how the perimeter demarcation works, a space in which if the animal exceeds the alarm will sound for me, this is essential for me.
I use the Fi collar, and I like the fitness feature. It's helpful for me to make sure my dog is getting at least 10,000 steps/day. Also, please address the charging of this unit. With the Fi, when we were on vacation and had no wi-fi, we couldn't charge the collar, nor did we get good tracking location.
I'm on my 3rd FI.... time for a change
Great dog! ❤️
I bought a device couple of years ago, it worked very well until recently and has got less accurate over time, plus stops working at 22% battery now, and problems finding the GPS or Bluetooth. In contact with company to see if they can resolve problems.
I know you mentioned how it can go on any collar in case of a smaller dog but how does the unit itself fit on a smaller dog? Or would a cat one be better for a smaller dog? Anyone have advice on that?
We're five days in with the new XL model...
It came down to better to have it and never use it rather than need it and not have it.
Turns out the wellness tracker feature has become our new addiction.
Great review, thank you
Can you include more than one dog with one app subscription or do you have to pay for an account for each pet?
I've been using Tractive for several years. You have to pay a subscription for each device, so if you have two pets and want them to be both using a Tractive tracker at the same time then you need two devices with two subscriptions. You can see both trackers in the app at the same time. When I first started using Tractive the cat had it on when he went out and then I would move the tracker onto the dog for her walks.
@@Pepperthestaffie thank you! That’s helpful. I searched the Tractive website this morning and they did not indicate how it worked with two pets.
Can you share about the length of time it holds a charge? I think I heard 2-5 days. Seems like I’d be removing it from collars and having to charge every night “just in case” and my Whistle tracker lasts longer 3-4 weeks.
I have the tractive one - it lasts 5 days if you're not using the live tracking function (where location is updated every 2-3 seconds). I use the live function quite a lot so I would say it lasts about 2 days. it does charge quite fast though (less than an hour for sure)
My whistle lasts a long time also but that depends on how long he leaves his home base and how often as it goes into “battery save mode” when he’s in his yard. So if you don’t leave for very long or very often it holds longer. I took him two hours away to my parents for a couple of days it drained in a day or so. Once I set up a second “home base” for their property it went into battery save mode there also.
Please do a video of how to carry dogs up an escalator. In the UK 🇬🇧 we have to carry dogs up escalators to get to the tube. Thanks!!
What I would really like to understand is how the perimeter demarcation works, a space in which if the animal exceeds the alarm will sound for me, this is essential for me.
It tells you when your animal is outside the perimeters you set up
Excellent review!! I listened to you and it was extremely pleasant hearing how TRACTIVE works! You mentioned everything I needed to know and even more. II used to use FINDSTER DUO+, (which saved my "kitty" many times - I was even able to find him under the street - yes!! hidden in the sump!!), but I lost the guardian / controller, so I bought a PETFON for my cat and TRACTIVE to compare - for now all what is important to me and my "kitty" I can find using PETFON (which doesn't require subscription at all), but.. like I said I want try them both. And was only wondering if there is any chance you could test the PETFON as well and post your opinion comparing to the TRACTIVE? What do you think?
Hi and thank you for the review. The title of your video says: GPS LTE. Is this tracker both or as one commenter mentioned it is only LTE??
How easy is it to set up a perimeter. Can you walk fields and areas and set a perimeter or is it just a 360 area from one's house? Many thanks,
Great sharing 😊 very useful
Is this better than the Fi Series 2? I am really trying to make sense of all the GPS tracking options for my dog. Sigh.
The claims are: tractive has 2-3 second location updates vs Fi 2 w/ 1 min updates. if Fi isn't successful sending a signal, then it'll be 2 plus minutes for a location update. That's too long in my opinion if you're in a panic situation.
The delay in Fi 2 updating its location is a deal breaker. Don’t bother with it. It’s so frustrating
Do they give a multi pet discount for the tracking software monthly fee. I have 3 dogs , so do I pay full monthly fee per dog or do they have multi pet discounts ? Thanks.
You need great cell service otherwise they are trash, not iffy service but great service. THis is a sales video
Does the GPS connect tracker connect immediately to the app on the phone or do you have to link iy first? is there a video on how to connect the tracktive GPS to the tracktive app on the phone?
I’ve found one , the rubber clip is cheap and has tore easily, I’ve tried to return it to its owner but I can’t return it as there is no acceptable information. So how do I find the owner if you can’t access its information
So if my dog run like 5km from me will this work? And for how long will it work, afer he run?
What kind of dog is the burke? He looks just like our rescue.
Can you do a review on Fitbark please?
It looks comparable to this one.
Can it work where there is no cellphone service? I know colar gps will work, but how does it communicate with phone?
How would you compare it to the Halo? I have a new dog and trying to find a device worth it. The price to this tractive seems too good to be true. Halo is asking around $650 and saying goes.."you get what you pay for " but that seems extreme for a GPS tracker.
Nice wht is the battery on it! Plz thank you
Just something to be aware of about this tracker. It doesn't use the satellite GPS system, it uses LTE , which is part of the cell networks. If there is no cell service in the area, then the tracker will not work. That is also why the battery life is less than a week. LTE transmitters use more power.
The website describes it as a “GPS tracker”, and technical specifications say it uses “GPS, LTE/4G, 2G”. If it is only using a cellular network, then they are being highly misleading to the point of dishonesty.
For a just outside the city in suburbs would you suggest an AirTag or this?
I had an AirTag on my dog who got out of our yard. We have a somewhat wooded area behind our property where his “escape route” began.
The AirTag was 100% useless and failed to detect his location as soon as he was outside an area with any type of WiFi. Very disappointing.
How about the battery life?
How was battery life?
About how long does the battery last?
👀
How lomg dose the battery last ?
Where can I get a tracker like that can I get one at pet valu
pretty sure you can at least get them on amazon, they might have christmas deals right now
why does there have to be a subscription
I watched your video. Then I got two of them. They're crap. If my dogs go into creek or into wooded areas, I lose them. Also, their customer service is absolute crap. It was a waste of money.
range?
The only reason I can think a review of a mobile device would not mention battery life is because battery is really weak and this info was deliberately omitted.
does this work without data/ wifi?
No it doesn’t
This collar is trash. The battery doesn’t even last a day. It also doesn’t track very well at all. The FI collar works a bit better but it’s battery is leaps and bounds better.
I find that hard to believe that it doesn't last a day lol
The Fi is pretty terrible I lost dog mode. It only updates once every 30-60 seconds. Battery with FI lasts forever, but what’s the point of it doesnt serve its primacy purpose
The battery lasts 2-3 days, depending on use of WiFi connection and time on Live mode with continuous signal tracking. You had a bad one or did something wrong if it lasted less than a day.
They must be paying this person a fair bit to say that
Mine only lasts a day also. But I don't think it's the tracker, I think its the weak cell signal where I live. I have mine on a cat at home. We live in an area with terrible cell coverage. 99% of the time I have no bars, calls can't get through, and it's a real pain when I try to log in anywhere that involves sms verification. Anyway, I know my phone battery drains quickly when I'm in a low coverage area. So I'm assuming the same happens for the tractive. I just work with it- I simply charge it morning and night when my cat gets fed. It's part of the routine.
I’m watching this because I can’t figure mine out. It’s kind of been garbage so far. Idk why the app isn’t user friendly at all. Seems like a monkey designed it blind folded on the moon
Fi gps collar series 2
Don't trust Tractive if you love your pet. The company knows their units charing system will fail. You will be stuck with failed unit and your pet at risk unit after paying for your Tractive service. They will tell you they will replace it but they, as they already have your money for the service, they won't get arround to senidng you and unit. Their company no longer has phone numbers to reach them at. Eveyone knows that technologies can fail but this company is dishonorable in how they will treat you after they have your money.
Why is the dog they're showing on the cover pic SO skinny. You can see his ribs.
It’s a healthy working dog.