Sleek, New Dog Activity Monitor: Meet the Whistle

Whistle fan, Walter, on an adventure

Wouldn’t it be fun to be able to track your dog’s activity, like we can do for ourselves? What about if there was a social network component, too, so you can share pictures and details from your adventures? And, a GPS device so you could stay in touch with your best friend anywhere, from your IOS or Android device? I discovered this sleek dog activity monitor and more at Global Pet Expo. It’s brand new, high tech, and it’s called the Whistle. The company was nice enough to lend us one to try on Sophie. We set out on an adventure and here’s what we found.

Here’s how it works

It’s been described as the FitBit for dogs or the canine equivalent of the Jawbone UP, a fitness tracker for humans. And, considering how much we’ve integrated our dogs into our lives, it’s not surprising that a product like this has arrived.The Whistle, a circular disc that’s 1.5″ in diameter and 3/8″ thick,  uses the most up-to-date technology to monitor how hard a work out or how much rest your dog is getting, for how long and with whom. It attaches easily to the collar. You set a daily exercise goal, customized for your pup’s individual needs, and track her progress.  The device will also compare that data against other similar dogs to see how Fido is stacking up against his competition. If you choose to add other dogs in your pup’s social circle, you have the ability to share photos and notes about your adventures with your community or on your social network. And you can write important notes to yourself about your pet’s day, add her medication schedule or track what or when he’s eaten. If other family members or friends are sharing in the care of the dog, you can add them in, too.

Recently, the company introduced a version with GPS tracking,  called WhistleGPS. It is billed as “the smallest, longest-lasting and most affordable pet location and activity monitor available,”  and uses Global Positioning Satellites and breakthrough cellular technology (Sub-GHz) to locate your dog on demand. WhistleGPS costs the same as the original Whistle, but you pay a $5.00 monthly fee for location services. That is, apparently,  the lowest monthly fee of any pet GPS tracking device on the market, and it seems really economical when you think about what it offers for us as pet parents. We can stay connected to our dog’s activity level from anywhere through our phones, and see who they’re hanging with from the community.  I always wonder what Sophie does when we’re not home. With this device, I could see whether she runs around the apartment or is lounging on the sofa.

Both models give us and our vets a complete pet picture on the exercise and rest front,  reveal health trends and provide indicators when something might be amiss if those trends are disrupted. Whistle has two veterinarians on its advisory board, and has the support of many more, citing the device as a great tool in providing key insights and information, which would, otherwise, be more difficult to obtain.

The set up is pretty easy…

Once we received the Whistle, downloaded the app and connected it to our bluetooth, we were ready to go. The company provided user friendly, tech for dummies type instructions for set up, which was great for me! Really great, because even with that, I had a bit of trouble. What I especially liked was the tech support. The technician who helped me was readily available, easy to deal with and very helpful. Once I was back on track, the rest was easy.

When I attached the Whistle to Sophie’s collar, it seemed a bit big and heavy for her. She didn’t appear to mind, but I thought for dogs 15 lbs and under, maybe a smaller and lighter version would be great.

the Whistle on Sophie’s collar

Using the Whistle

We tested the Whistle for two weeks for this review. Sophie averaged 75  minutes of exercise a day one week, and 76 minutes the next, reaching her goal two and three days those weeks, respectively. Similar dogs averaged 67 and 68 minutes. It showed me I needed to either up the ante a bit, so Sophie would reach her goal more often, or lower the goal.  For us, it’s not always consistent. Some mornings we have more time and will walk around for two hours. Others, I may have an appointment and it’s more rushed. But I try to catch up on the afternoon walk. You might find the same thing, too.

I uploaded a couple of pictures from our walks, but we only had a community of one, so we also shared them on Instagram. The owner of the company, Ben Jacobs, has his dog, Duke, pre-loaded onto all of the Whistles, so you can expect to see him on yours, too.

I also liked that the battery lasted a long time; I only had to charge the Whistle a couple of times during that 2-week trial run.

Never too fabulous to be tracked…

Summary

After our trial run, would I buy a Whistle for Sophie? I probably would. I really like how clear and easy it is to read Sophie’s exercise and rest stats and I feel like I’m doing a proactive and great thing for her as her mom by tracking her health trends. I talked to our vet about it and she, too, thought it was a useful tool to help keep us informed on what’s going on with Sophie. I still wish they’d make a smaller version, as I can’t see a toy breed dog wearing this. But, all in all, I think the Whistle is a great product whose time has definitely come. Others must agree; the Whistle has been featured in Time, the New York Times, TechCrunch, Wired, Bloomberg, Parade and more.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Pros:

• great way to keep track of our dog’s exercise and rest trends, daily and weekly
• great tool to anticipate potential health issues by monitoring those trends
• offers basis of comparison to other similar dogs
• can be a fun social network to share photos and details of your adventures
• battery lasts a good amount of time
• fairly easy to set up
• WhistleGPS offers most up-to-date tracking available
• monthly fee for location services very reasonable

Cons:

• a bit big and heavy for Sophie’s size. I think best suited for dogs 15 lbs and up.

Where to buy: Amazon and Petsmart. WhistleGPS is available on pre-order now at Whistle.com, shipping in summer 2015

Price: $129.00.  For the WhistleGPS, you would add on $5.00/month for location services.

How do you exercise your dog? Do you keep track of how much exercise they get? Tell me about it in the Comments below.

(Disclosure: affiliate links included)

Even puppies can use it