The Dog GPS Tracking System Explained

Humans and dogs have always had a long standing affinity for each other. This may be seen in the light of the number of stores which stock food and treats as well as some strange clothing for all kinds of dogs. Vets attend to vast amounts of dogs every year and there is a doggy parlour or even a dog cemetery in many neighborhoods. It comes as no surprise then, that a dog GPS tracking system would make its way onto the market.

Miniaturization has resulted in communications units being small enough to attach to dog collars making it much easier to track a dog that has strayed or has been stolen using current GPS or cellular technology. These devices may be fitted to either hunting dogs or to pets and are able to cover fairly large areas.

There are now many lightweight, small systems which are also waterproof and are fitted with longer lasting batteries. The units are suitable for dogs weighing in excess of 15 lb. The units are generally available in pairs, a transmitter on the dogs collar with the receiver which the owner can carry. Some transmitters are carried in a pouch fitted to the collar or in a watertight box also on the collar.

Personalized safety areas also known as GPS fences may be defined to some of the units. To do this the operator walks around the area confining the dog, while plotting GPS coordinates on the hand held unit. An alarm will sound, or a text message will be sent to the owners unit if the dog should stray outside of the designated area. A maximum of 10 areas can be set up on each set of trackers. In the same vein, warning the owner if the dog strays into a forbidden area is also possible.

The methods of tracking vary between satellite tracking, telecoms and radio frequency transmitters and receivers. Some units update the dogs position every 5 minutes and this can be displayed on a map on the GPS receiver or cell phone. The hand held GPS unit can display supplemental information like whether the dog is running, which direction, on point or treed. On one system, between 1 and 10 dogs may be tracked from a single hand held unit.

New anti-theft materials have been developed including buckle tamper alerts and tough anti-cut collars with an alert, all designed to inform the owner if criminal activity is detected.

Owners of a dog GPS tracking system may also enjoy a degree of protection through the use of a panic button fitted to some systems that will indicate to family or friends the owners position accurately to an area of about 5 metres.

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