June 19, 2025, 11:53 am | Read time: 9 minutes
GPS Trackers for Dogs Now Offer More Than Just Location Tracking Today’s GPS trackers for dogs can do more than just show the pet’s location. The new model from Tractive is designed to monitor barking behavior as well as heart and respiratory rates. But is this necessary? And how accurate are these measurements? PETBOOK editor Saskia Schneider tested the new Smart GPS & Health Tracker—and was initially disappointed.
My dog walks well without a leash, is responsive, and has never run away. So why would I need a tracker, I thought for a long time. Until I learned that the “Smart GPS & Health Tracker” from Tractive also has a feature for recording barking behavior–a brand often found in specialty stores, leaving many owners wondering if it’s worth it.
“Find out how you can detect potential health issues or separation anxiety–through your dog’s barking behavior,” it says on the website. Being alone is indeed an issue I still need to work on with my dog Yumi. Often, our neighbor tells me how much the little Pomeranian cries when we’re gone for more than half an hour. How convenient would it be to have a tracker that informs and warns you about such behavior?
My First Tracker
The Health Tracker from Tractive is my first. As mentioned earlier, I didn’t think it was necessary to attach a tracker to the dog until now. Especially since they aren’t cheap. You not only pay for the device but also a monthly subscription, as you need a kind of mobile contract to read the GPS data–simply put. Overall, the GPS & Health Tracker from Tractive for small dogs like Yumi costs 69 euros plus five to eight euros monthly, depending on the subscription model you choose.
Turn on the Tracker, Install the App, and Done?
Installing the tracker is quite simple. If you’re tech-savvy, you probably don’t even need the instructions. You first need to charge the tracker, then turn it on, install the app – and you’re done. The usage is quite intuitive. Besides the tracking section, there’s also a health category. Here you can see how active the dog was, how much sleep it had, information on barking behavior, as well as breathing and heart rate. However, many values only appear after a few days because the tracker first needs to collect data.
In My Mind, Yumi Is Always Active – the Data Says Otherwise
The first few days with the Health Tracker from Tractive are quite uneventful, as the device, as mentioned, first needs to collect data. But there are immediate values for the dog’s activity. The tracker asks me if I want to set a daily goal for Yumi. According to Tractive’s data, the average activity for Pomeranians is about 140 minutes a day. That should be achievable, I think.
In my mind, Yumi is constantly active and on the go – we walk four times a day and have some play sessions at home. However, the data reveals something different: Often, we fall short of the breed’s average with 96 minutes a day – how can that be?
The mystery is quickly solved. For the data to be as accurate as possible, the dog should wear the tracker as much as possible. A minimum of eight hours a day is recommended. Since our device is attached to a harness (Yumi doesn’t wear a collar), the harness is removed as soon as we enter the apartment.
Even the Calorie Consumption Is Calculated
The first few days with the Health Tracker from Tractive are quite uneventful, as the device, as mentioned, first needs to collect data. But there are immediate values for the dog’s activity. The tracker asks me if I want to set a daily goal for Yumi. According to Tractive’s data, the average activity for Pomeranians is about 140 minutes a day. That should be achievable, I think.
In my mind, Yumi is always active and on the move. After all, we go for walks four times a day and have some play sessions at home. But the data reveals something different: Often, we fall short of the average for the breed with 96 minutes a day – how can that be?
The mystery is quickly solved. For the data to be as accurate as possible, the dog should wear the tracker as much as possible. A wearing time of at least eight hours a day is recommended. Since our device is attached to the harness (Yumi doesn’t wear a collar), I take it off as soon as we enter the apartment. All activities here are therefore not recorded. Additionally, my husband tells me that he uses a completely different harness for his walks – without the tracker…
Even the Calorie Consumption Is Calculated
This adjustment made a difference: suddenly, we meet the daily goal and sometimes even exceed it. It turns out that on days with outings, Yumi burns twice as many calories as usual. This is fascinating to me because I had never given it much thought before. However, it makes a significant difference in calorie consumption, which should be considered in feeding, especially for small breeds like Pomeranians, which are prone to hypoglycemia. However, the tracker only shows the data for the current day in retrospect. Still, it allows you to gather important insights.
In general, the Health Tracker from Tractive displays activities, health values, and barking behavior in retrospect. The principle is to assess behavior in terms of deviations from the average – specifically, the average of your own dog. Even though there are comparable values for breeds, each animal is somewhat different, especially when it comes to barking behavior. The tracker would only issue a warning if it turns out that the dog is barking more often or for longer than usual – it doesn’t generally issue a warning just because the dog is barking, and this is where misunderstandings can occur.
Dog Barks, but Tracker Gives No Warning
The Health Tracker from Tractive interested me mainly because of its ability to monitor barking behavior. Often, our neighbors tell us that Yumi cries loudly when we leave her alone. However, we don’t hear anything–either when we leave the house or when we return. I had even considered installing a pet camera. But if the tracker records the barking, I thought I could save myself the trouble.
For the first tests, I occasionally left Yumi alone in the office. I received no warning, and my colleagues confirmed: The dog was quiet. At home, I then started the ultimate test: I deliberately didn’t tire Yumi out in the morning and left the house for a longer period. A guarantee for a tantrum with lots of howling! But the tracker showed nothing. Was the dog really quiet? I called the neighbors and found out: Yumi had been crying bitterly for half an hour. We stopped the test – I was disappointed. Did I do something wrong?
I contacted the Tractive team to find out why the device didn’t show a warning, even though the dog had barked much more than usual. A conversation with Lennart Lassalle, the press officer, and Melanie Spitzbart, senior product manager at Tractive, quickly clarified: In the app, barking behavior is assessed over time. If it deviates over time, a health warning is issued–but only the next day, when the data is evaluated in comparison. This is also explicitly stated in the description. However, Melanie Spitzbart admits that this is often a misunderstanding among customers. In the future, a feature is planned to warn owners in real-time.
Does the Tracker Listen In?
While I had the opportunity, I asked how the recording of barking behavior generally works. Does it use a microphone? And does it also record my conversations? Lennart Lassalle reassures me: The tracker does not contain a microphone and does not record sounds. It specifically responds to the barking of dogs. This is also explicitly stated in the app.
Still, as a consumer, I naturally wonder how secure the data recorded by the Health Tracker from Tractive is from third parties. While barking behavior and heart rate might not be very useful, the GPS data reveals a lot about habits, walking times, and locations. Such sensitive information should not fall into the wrong hands. However, this is also the case with other mobile data. As a consumer, you have to trust that Tractive handles data as carefully as the company guarantees in its privacy policy.
New: Heart Rate and Breathing Frequency
A feature that has only recently been added is the recording of heart rate and breathing frequency. Tractive emphasizes in the app that the device only shows health trends and that you should always consult your veterinarian for safety. I think that’s good and necessary. After all, the tracker doesn’t replace a vet’s check-up.
However, the data can be a helpful support and may contribute to earlier detection of diseases or health problems. For this, however, it is necessary for the dog to wear the tracker regularly and for an extended period, and here I see a small problem–at least for my dog.
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Wearing It Too Much Causes Hair to Break
For my small dog (Yumi weighs about three kilograms), the tracker only fits well when she wears a snug harness with a wide surface area. With more delicate harnesses, it quickly shifts to the side due to the tracker’s weight, creating an imbalance. This alone would be fine, but constantly wearing a harness with a wide surface area on her back causes the hair to break and mat.
Normally, I would take Yumi’s harness off in the house. Now I leave it on to collect health data. This has a noticeable impact on her coat care. However, there are also GPS trackers from other manufacturers like Weenect, or Pawfit, which are ultra-light and also provide accurate location data.
For me, the tracker is especially worthwhile for the additional features. Even if the dog listens well and is responsive, there are always situations where she might run away. Yumi, for example, is afraid of loud noises and can easily get spooked. I once found myself in a situation where my dog ran off because of a loud noise, and I had no idea where she went. The search area was huge–where do you even start? In such cases, having a tracker is an enormous help.