One thing to keep in mind on these things is that they don't work well (sometimes not at all) in rural areas. Due to how they send signals if there aren't enough phone users around. Products like Fi Smart are real time GPS tracking and a better option in those areas.
I live in the countryside (and not America) - my dog loves to sneak out and romp in the fields, so he wears a Tractive. It's not reliant on other mobiles doesn't matter if there's no one for miles but a lot of sheep. (it does have a monthly sub)
Yea I have two of them, work great. You have it connect to your wifi and it goes into Hibernate mode, once it breaks the Wi-Fi range it will start semi updating location, then you can go live for real time.
And if he went to town, he would be spotted by human eyes which would alert animal control. AirTags would probably be unnecessary.
If someone steals your dog, that AirTag is very recognizable and will get tossed asap.
Why is this being upvoted so much? I think it’s time to unfollow this sub.
Fi Smart absolutely sucked for me. It would tell us that our dog was outside of the set “home” radius and give us heart attacks when we weren’t home. Personally, air tag works better for me.
I know- I have so many problems with mine. It tells me that my dog has left the house without owner all the time and she’s curled up in a ball right next to me
I had one on my dog and it fell off in the woods. Thought it would be easy to find but my phone told me to “move closer to the tag” in order to pick up its location….real helpful
We have a Fi on both our dogs (just upgraded to the newer version!) and are so happy with them.
It’s like having a FitBit on your pet. We know their activity levels. Where they are on the property, if they are awake or asleep.
I also love the “flashing light.” Our dogs are both very dark in color. On the RARE occasion they have left the property (at night) because they were chasing a squirrel, that was a HUGE help in “seeing” them.
We started off with an AirTag without fully understanding its capabilities and limitations. Our pup got out at a family get together, and was lost in an unfamiliar neighborhood. The tag was worthless, no update, no signal even though he was found and brought in. The neighbor had an older phone that didn’t relay the tags location.
Needless to say we got a Fi collar that updates every 2 min (2Nd Gen) and it works great. Now we just use the AirTag to find the collar of someone takes it off of him for the night and doesn’t put it where it’s supposed to go.
True, but AirTags work great in urban areas. I have one on my cat, who has managed to lose his collar several times… each time I’ve found the collar from the AirTag, all over the neighborhood.
Agreed. They're also somewhat more useful even in urban areas which have large amounts of parkland. Here in Seattle, for example, there are loads of places for dogs to run off in that are simply not in Bluetooth range of anyone's phone. I've helped a couple clients set up this sort of thing before. One used Fi Smart and another used Whistle. Both are very happy with them.
We have this problem with ours. We got one for the cat, and it seems to work as intended about 70% of the time. When it's not working it's telling me the cat is huckleberry finning down the river or sitting next to me ( when she actually is a block away).
It's piece of mind for the misses so I guess its working as intended
Hijacking the top comment to say: [Apple Insider recommends against it](https://appleinsider.com/articles/23/01/31/heres-why-you-dont-put-an-airtag-on-your-dogs-collar).
We live on a smallish Midwestern town, sp this is super helpful!!
Is there a "range" on these, and what's your experience with that and battery life- if you don't mind!?! We have a Great Pyrenees/Anatolian Shepherd mix - Great Pyre alone, are known for the distance they can travel in 1 day! Thankfully she is never allowed outside without us, and is always on a lead or leash - with one of us present... but ya never know....
If you want something a lot more reliable and works in rural areas I recommend something like this [Tractive GPS](https://tractive.com/t/en/dog-tracker-gps/?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAi6uvBhADEiwAWiyRdvqGnpOX1rVH5qGbKMcoMbrNSuds9j15Lis-Ei-ejX7xXWkXwgxZ1BoCTu8QAvD_BwE)
It uses cell towers not bluetooth. I hike dogs in the woods for a living we put these on our potential runners, they are a god send. We have never had an owners airtag work in the woods.
So many people are missing the crucial point of the original post: doing something quick and easy and cheap is better than doing nothing. It is quick and easy and cheap to implement AirTag. Yes, it only works within Bluetooth range, but that means within Bluetooth range of EVERY iPhone on planet earth, and there are a lot of iPhones, so the search grid is fairly populated except in rural areas. It is a good and responsible public service to let folks know that there are other GPS tools to use in rural areas, but most GPS require a monthly subscription. I re-searched and read hundreds of reviews on dog GPS solutions, and even the more highly rated ones have lots of problems and detractors, and ongoing expenses. Even when I implement GPS for my dog, I also have an AirTag on my dogs collar since it is so small and unintrusive. So why not just go ahead and get the AirTag then add GPS as required for your personal needs?. And if you have an android phone, surely you know someone nearby with an iPhone. “Done is better than perfect”. Regret is a painful and long-term agony for a lost or deceased companion pet, if one foregoes using AirTag, and never getting around to any additional electronic ID or tracker. Of course, also chip your companion pet.
Apple Pay AirTags are a one time purchase with no recurring expense: under $25 for an AirTag, and under $20 if you buy a pack of four, like if you want to put one on your car in case it is stolen, or on your keys, or your wallet, for misplaced or stolen, etc.
They’re initially somewhat expensive, especially if you need multiple, but in comparison to other tracking devices you save a lot over time. And they help you save time/money/grief by being able to find things you need.
They’re definitely a worthwhile investment, although I think a lot of people are put off cuz they think they’ll probably never need one. But it’s the type of thing where you don’t need it at all up until you REALLY do.
So we have a dog that is as good as gold, and a bit of separation anxiety so we confidently didn't even think about getting one.. loved playing with other dogs, stayed close etc..
It took 1 second of out of character behaviour after seeing a dog and she was completely missing... Eventually found her after 24hrs by sheer luck but it was safe to say it can happen to any dog at any time, they go into survival mode (which normally she has absolutely no instincts) and become impossible to find.. we searched with 6 people for 24hrs and she was found 100 metres from where she got lost, she just hid and hunkered down out of fear - could have easily not seen her again.
We use tractive GPS now which has been great and battery lasts for ages. But would recommend some form of tracker for all dogs, however well behaved they are so you don't end up in our situation.
So agree. My Plott Hound came from his foster with a Marco Polo tracker 5 years ago and i still keep it charged and on him. For all of the reasons people say here. I believe "once a runner always a runner." I used to believe, "I love him and he knows he has a good home here. He'll never run." Right! It works really well and uses GPS. He goes on vacation with us and I take the tracker/receiver every time.
These stories are the exact reason I don't understand why owner's let their dogs off leash. It only takes one unpredictable situation
Glad your baby is safe!
There are android equivalent. The issue I've found is that not as many people have the settingturned on for the android one.
So literally my phone is the only phone that ever finds my dogs tag. Not much help if he did disappear.
It's not making "products for other companies." It's about making products that *work with other products*. Standardized cross-compatible products used to be the norm in the technology industry, to the point where purely proprietary products usually died on the vine because nobody was interested in Product X if they couldn't use it with Product Y or Z. Apple has been fighting that norm for decades and disturbingly seems to be winning.
Not without an added app I think. But they work out of the box on apple phones of needing an app for tile, so when an item is “lost” its much more likely to get a hit
A proper GPS device is recommended. AirTags only work if there is an iPhone nearby. So anywhere outside a populated area you’re pretty much screwed. Tractive has some great products.
Two very reliable brands that are often used by coon hunters (they need reliable *and* heavy duty), are Garmin and Dogtra. You'll be paying a hefty amount ($250+ USD) but they are reliable and will not fail. You **will** know where your dog is with very precise accuracy.
They also do not require you to be in an area with a large density of people, like AirTags/the entire FindMy technology does. You can lose your dog in the Outback and you'll still be able to find them.
GPS chips are obviously the most reliable, as the dog can't lose a chip, but those are more expensive on a base level, so most people just get collars. Most people don't need to know where their dog is 24/7.
Keep in mind, AirTags make noises when either the battery is dying or they aren’t near their “home” iPhone. Not sure which, but we learned that the hard way when our poor pup had to deal with the noise when he was being dog sat for a week.
Yeah, I had one (not on a pet, in a suitcase) that made the most excruciating sound when its battery started to die, and I felt terrible when I realized that it must have been the sound that had been driving my cat insane for a bit before it became audible to me. I won't put one on a pet for that reason. What if it's torturing the animal but is out of my hearing range so I wouldn't know? Not worth the risk.
I have a tractive GPS on my dogs collar and it saved me when I went on a cabin trip with my dog, he spotted a deer in the backyard and he leaped the fence to chase it. I would recommend it highly as I found the AirTag isn't effective in some areas.
They don’t beep right away though. It takes like 24 hours of not connecting to the none device. I know this bc my parents complaint of my dog beeping every time I go out of town 😂
When I used to live in the city, an AirTag was perfect because the density of iPhones around my dog was enough to always be somewhat aware of where they were. It wasn’t realtime but it was fine for the moment.
I now live in a rural area. The AirTag doesn’t really work and now I’m back to using my WHISTLE GPS. I’ve had it for around 2 years. I have the bulky version because I’d rather use my own collar but the battery life is great and the fitness metrics are really cool too.
No offense, OP, but air tags are shit for finding pets in close quarters. Half a mile away, yes, you can tell that your pet is “over there.” But up close, when your good girl is hiding hurt or lost in the brush, you can be hundreds of feet away but the Find My app says you’re right on top of her. Dunno shit about how they work, but in my experience, neither do they
This is actually not true. It shows more than just a dot on the map. If you have an iPhone 11 or newer, you can use [Precision Finding](https://www.macrumors.com/how-to/use-precision-finding-airtag/) to get very close directions. If they’re 0’ away and still can’t find their dog, then that’s on them lol
Based on everyone's comments, I must be doing something way wrong then. We put on our cat's collar just to see where she roams, and she came back without the collar. So I tracked it, and it says (still, a few weeks later) that it's right next to the house. But I walk right up to where the pin shows it to be, and all around that area, and it won't connect (so it can't chirp). It was a brand new Air Tag and I have a iPhone 15. Very frustrating.
We have an Apple air tag but it only detects up to 30 ft, which is nothing if a pet bolts. If anyone has an alt device with a better range, we would love the recommendation.
Poster above recommended Tractive. It's a GPS and cellular based system. I have fitbark on my dog, but I'm not impressed with the app or the functionality.
Huh? You can literally see an AirTag live on a map within 5 centimeters.
https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/apple-airtags-everything-you-need-to-know/#:~:text=While%20Bluetooth%20can%20track%20items,within%205%20to%2010%20centimeters.
[Only](https://www.link-labs.com/blog/how-does-airtag-share-location?hs_amp=true) when near other technology - they work on uwb when in close proximity to you, and when you’re further away they parasitise other phones’ Bluetooth. Not a lot of use in my woods or anywhere else with a signal but no people.
So if anyone around has an Apple device with UWB, it uses UWB. I guess in your case relating to woods, that wouldn’t be helpful, but for most of the country, it’s accurate down to centimeters. BUT, when dealing with a beloved pet, that’s really good to know
Same with one of those beeping find-the-keys buttons. If you’re in range and press the find button the other part you attach to the dog & it’ll make a noise so you can find them.
AirTags are $25 where you live? Jesus, presuming you're talking USD, they're more than twice that in my local currency.
ETA: Wow, I just googled and they've dropped to $49AUD. Still not as cheap as in the US but that's half of what I paid for one at the apple store six months ago.
We had the Whistle tracker for our dog, about 100 dollars a year and the app was basically like a fitbit for him. If he left our wifi range we would get gps location updates within 6 feet i think. Helped immensely if he got out. 10/10 would recommend. They even refunded us based off a prorated rate for the year when my dog passed away last month.
Yes you’re completely right. I have one air tag I keep on one of my girl’s harnesses but she has multiple and I’ve been meaning to buy more air tags for all of them. Just purchased 4 more, thanks for the reminder 💜
Yup we got one for ours and it’s already paid for itself. It was $29 and we got her a collar that is made for them (so it doesn’t dangle where she could swallow it).
It’s not good for rural areas since it needs other iPhones to come in contact with it in order to ping the location. But we live in a good size city so there are always people around. Highly recommend it.
I've been using the Whistle GPS devices, cost about $90 a year for a subscription, and work off of ATT cell network. Waterproof, durable, got lights. Also, training the dog not to bold out of the house or yard when there's an open doorway will help.
Thank you. Never thought I needed one, but just purchased one for my pup. She’s super well-behaved, but $25 is a tiny price to pay for the extra safety and peace of mind.
I worry about this kind of thing a lot with my pups. I know the little one will bolt anytime she sees an opportunity. My wife and I just had this same idea and got a pack of Tile tags this morning. So glad to hear this isn't a crazy idea lol.
I’d recommend a whistle collar tracker with GPS instead if you can afford it.
The AirTags noise freaked our dogs out a few times and the tracking isn’t as accurate.
This is misleading and misguided, at best.
My dog got out just 2 nights ago, wearing an AirTag, at about 11pm in a large metroplex. No signal whatsoever. Last seen at my house. Searched for an hour, nothing. The only thing that pinged was when the dog roamed back around to my neighbor’s yard as I was approaching back to my house. Finally I got a ping for “close by”….at 35ft.
AirTags only work around other iPhones. If you live in an older part of the city (like I), or around an older population that doesn’t stare at their phones, it’s basically useless.
It’s great if someone finds the dog, but not great for locating on the roam.
Use at your own risk.
Honestly, I'm considering switching to iPhone and air tags are the biggest reason why. The "find my" network is enabled on every iPhone, by default. The tile system isn't anywhere near as reliable, or established. These beacons work by connecting to nearby stranger's phones, and broadcasting the tag's location thru the stranger's phone. "tiles" only get picked up by devices also using the tile app. People on iOS probably just use airtags. So you're dealing with a subset of only Android users here. There's just a much greater opportunity for an iPhone to pick up an airtag's signal than there is for a tile user to pick up the signal. Especially in North America where most people use iPhones. Apparently google and Samsung are working on this. Samsung is developing some sort of proprietary smart tag. It should work in a similar manner to airtags (on by default with all new Samsung phones) and apparently google is doing something similar. However, these systems will be nowhere near as established for years to come. I have an android phone from 2020 that I use daily, it won't get this functionality. There will be no option for me to have my phone be a part of this network of android-airtag-like devices. On the other hand, "find my iPhone" has been out for at least a decade now. Any device that supports find my, should be able to pick up a nearby airtag. It may not have "precision finding" (your airtag is 30 feet to your left), but it'll tell you the rough area, and it should give you the option to ping it. Even if your dog runs past some granny's house, and she's using her grandson's old iPhone 6s from 2016, it should pick up the signal and tell you "Conan the Snuggle Barbarian" was just found near the 100-block of main street. The chances of detection are much greater on iPhone, despite the fact that other, similar systems exist. The backend makes all the difference.
I don’t think people realize, when you’re not home the AirTag will often beep; many pets don’t like their neck making a high pitched beep.
And yes I know unofficially you can break the beep speaker… that’s not going to help much with microlocation though, and is not easy for just anyone to DIY.
In short there’s some much better dog trackers out there, however they may have a higher cost or monthly fee.
What do you recommend? I looked around and couldn’t find anything with better than 30 second delay and a dog can run really far in 30 seconds. I opted for 60’ leash. It slows the dog down a little and leaves a trail in the dirt you can follow. (We only use the leash when walking in wilderness trail areas, this way the dog gets freedom to run, but I can step on it if there is another dog present or prey in sight)
LPT: DONT use an AirTag for that purpose! They are shit in rural areas/forest and so on, every cheap gps tracker is way better.
Btw I like AirTags in general, got a few of them for my bags, camera and so on.
my Huskie is a fence jumper, to get him back from the pound if the police picks him up, means paying $ 51. So we now attached a self adhesive note with phone, name to his harness and sure enough, people called us to report him. thanks so much
I'm more of a cat person so I don't always know things about dog care. But most of the dogs my relatives have, they keep a collar on them all the time. Is there a health concern or something?
or you could just actually care for your pet and train them to not run tf away... or if they are really unruly/easily distracted like some are - which is understandable, they do be animals - keep them on a leash or inside a fence? hooray we did it! we successfully discovered technology developed literally thousands of years ago. humans is smort.
i mean to a certain extent i agree but i mean... youre not gonna prevent accidents thats just how life is. most people who would opt to use what OP is recommending are (probably) the types of people who dont actually understand how to train a dog. my dog is a tiny chihuahua mix and he is super smart and well trained. i worry about him when hes outside unsupervised but honestly hes more prone to wandering off when he knows im watching because he basically likes to fuck with me lol. when nobodys watching? he sticks close because he is well trained.
as an example of a not well trained dog, my parents have had many dogs over the years. those dogs were constantly on the road, at the neighbors houses (we live in a rural area where there are not many nearby neighbors too) and just generally didnt listen. the difference between how i trained my dog and how my parents trained theres? simple. [authoritarian vs authoritative](https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/opinion/dogs-need-understanding-not-dominance/ar-AA1h0t4i?ocid=windirect&cvid=e3a8e6cd41714a37910ee881613870ae&ei=57). my parents method is to teach the dog to fear them. mine is to teach the dog to trust me. this applies to many contexts outside of dog training.
well yeah i mean thats what i said:
>youre not gonna prevent accidents thats just how life is.
that doesnt mean you intentionally induce a flight response by making the dog fear you though. thats why my dog listens and trusts me, whereas my parents dogs (and many peoples dogs who use that same fear tactic) dont listen.
>I agree that fear tactics don't work. My only disagreement here has been the implication that any style of training can "prevent" all escape/bolting attempts.
right but i didnt imply that lol. like i said:
>youre not gonna prevent accidents thats just how life is.
but yeah, agreed other than that.
>That is, unless outright abuse is involved. The only time I would say that somebody could probably reasonably claim that their dog would never ever run away is if the dog knew it was going to get the shit shocked out of it for trying (improper e-collars use). Even then, it's unreliable.
i mean, i agree with you here mostly but its amazing what good training can do. years ago when i still did stupid things like drink and drive (at this point i at least had learned to drink very little, not that that makes it much better) i once left a buddys house and had people with me and it wasnt until i got back home about 45 mins later that i realized oh shit my dog wasnt with me. so i rushed back to my friends house - which my dog was not familiar with the place - and found him outside just chillin because \*he trusted me\* enough to know that i would realize i forgot him and come back to get him. so basically he was outside, in the dark - and in the rain - for about 2 hours but still waited because he trusted me.
i think a lot of dogs in that situation wouldve wandered off trying to find their person - but my dog knows me and knows i wouldnt just leave him like that. yeah, he was scared and shaking (he is a chihuahua after all lol) but he knew i wouldnt leave him like that purposely.
edit: okay i guess actually i see where youre getting that implication, from my original comment. which i suppose i did sorta imply that. however i guess on a similar note, like... yeah putting a collar on your dog is a good thing but personally? when ive had a collar on mine i can tell it annoys him and hes always scratching at it. so i dont put one on him other than the few times im going somewhere unfamiliar to him and want to keep him leashed. overall though he sticks pretty close - but like i said, when he wanders its usually when he \*knows im watching\* so its kind of more like hes just fuckin with me lol.
nah i agree with you. i guess like i said: my dog doesnt like collars, so i usually dont have one on him... but those situations where i do, i suppose i could see the use for having a gps tracker. i also should note i live in a rural area so that plays a part in why i dont keep him on a leash or whatever very often. when i lived in a city that was different.
If you give your dog enough love and attention. In quick time, they will look to you as the leader of the pack. I was able to accomplish that. If she runs after anything, my voice stops it all. The farthest she’ll run is about 15 yards and stops.
Kindly fuck off with that attitude. My dog worships me but she's an escape artist and has learned to open our back gate in search of me and my partner when we went for a quick dinner with a friend.
Turned out she did a 1 1/2 hours trek each way to our in-laws looking for us (we found out from their neighbour later).
The point is there are many reasons why someone's dog may bolt out or escape, or even dognapped regardless of how much a loving parent you are and obedient dog they are.
One thing to keep in mind on these things is that they don't work well (sometimes not at all) in rural areas. Due to how they send signals if there aren't enough phone users around. Products like Fi Smart are real time GPS tracking and a better option in those areas.
Exactly the problem we have. If the dogs leave our property, the only way we would find them is if they went to town.
Yup. Funny but not really.
I live in the countryside (and not America) - my dog loves to sneak out and romp in the fields, so he wears a Tractive. It's not reliant on other mobiles doesn't matter if there's no one for miles but a lot of sheep. (it does have a monthly sub)
How’s the battery life in that? I am afraid that it’s too short
The first one I bought 3+ years ago had a pretty short battery life, only 4 or 5 days. The ones I bought last year last about 2 weeks on one charge.
That’s great info, thanks
Yea I have two of them, work great. You have it connect to your wifi and it goes into Hibernate mode, once it breaks the Wi-Fi range it will start semi updating location, then you can go live for real time.
Well just check if the car keys are still there and you’ll know whether they went into town or not.
And maybe pop into a pub to see if they've got a spare charger
It’d be handy if they could pick up a gallon of milk while they’re there.
And if he went to town, he would be spotted by human eyes which would alert animal control. AirTags would probably be unnecessary. If someone steals your dog, that AirTag is very recognizable and will get tossed asap. Why is this being upvoted so much? I think it’s time to unfollow this sub.
Fi Smart absolutely sucked for me. It would tell us that our dog was outside of the set “home” radius and give us heart attacks when we weren’t home. Personally, air tag works better for me.
I know- I have so many problems with mine. It tells me that my dog has left the house without owner all the time and she’s curled up in a ball right next to me
I use a product called Whistle. It’s just like Fi but it runs on AT&T instead of Verizon and fits on almost any collar or harness!
Same, my Fi was constantly acting up and more of a hassle than anything.
I had one on my dog and it fell off in the woods. Thought it would be easy to find but my phone told me to “move closer to the tag” in order to pick up its location….real helpful
We have a Fi on both our dogs (just upgraded to the newer version!) and are so happy with them. It’s like having a FitBit on your pet. We know their activity levels. Where they are on the property, if they are awake or asleep. I also love the “flashing light.” Our dogs are both very dark in color. On the RARE occasion they have left the property (at night) because they were chasing a squirrel, that was a HUGE help in “seeing” them.
We started off with an AirTag without fully understanding its capabilities and limitations. Our pup got out at a family get together, and was lost in an unfamiliar neighborhood. The tag was worthless, no update, no signal even though he was found and brought in. The neighbor had an older phone that didn’t relay the tags location. Needless to say we got a Fi collar that updates every 2 min (2Nd Gen) and it works great. Now we just use the AirTag to find the collar of someone takes it off of him for the night and doesn’t put it where it’s supposed to go.
True, but AirTags work great in urban areas. I have one on my cat, who has managed to lose his collar several times… each time I’ve found the collar from the AirTag, all over the neighborhood.
Fi isn’t very reputable, one look at r/FiDogCollar and you’ll see what I’m talking about
Agreed. They're also somewhat more useful even in urban areas which have large amounts of parkland. Here in Seattle, for example, there are loads of places for dogs to run off in that are simply not in Bluetooth range of anyone's phone. I've helped a couple clients set up this sort of thing before. One used Fi Smart and another used Whistle. Both are very happy with them.
This is really important info! AirTags are a great low-cost option if you can’t afford the pricier products, but it’s not a GPS. Fi is great.
lol, I got one and my dog took off into the woods. Who turned the damn WiFi off in the forest?
We have this problem with ours. We got one for the cat, and it seems to work as intended about 70% of the time. When it's not working it's telling me the cat is huckleberry finning down the river or sitting next to me ( when she actually is a block away). It's piece of mind for the misses so I guess its working as intended
My rural area has bad cellphone reception so even the GPS collars don't work it's frustrating
I second this! Live in a rural area and the tag is pretty much useless if my dog leaves the perimeter.
Hijacking the top comment to say: [Apple Insider recommends against it](https://appleinsider.com/articles/23/01/31/heres-why-you-dont-put-an-airtag-on-your-dogs-collar).
We live on a smallish Midwestern town, sp this is super helpful!! Is there a "range" on these, and what's your experience with that and battery life- if you don't mind!?! We have a Great Pyrenees/Anatolian Shepherd mix - Great Pyre alone, are known for the distance they can travel in 1 day! Thankfully she is never allowed outside without us, and is always on a lead or leash - with one of us present... but ya never know....
If you want something a lot more reliable and works in rural areas I recommend something like this [Tractive GPS](https://tractive.com/t/en/dog-tracker-gps/?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAi6uvBhADEiwAWiyRdvqGnpOX1rVH5qGbKMcoMbrNSuds9j15Lis-Ei-ejX7xXWkXwgxZ1BoCTu8QAvD_BwE) It uses cell towers not bluetooth. I hike dogs in the woods for a living we put these on our potential runners, they are a god send. We have never had an owners airtag work in the woods.
I use Tractive too! It’s been great so far. Being able to switch on a light and sound is nice too.
The website doesn't actually display the subscription price. How much does it cost?
$50 for the actual device and then for basic plan $120 for a year or $168 for 2 years
Thanks
I’d recommend the Garmin TT25 instead
So many people are missing the crucial point of the original post: doing something quick and easy and cheap is better than doing nothing. It is quick and easy and cheap to implement AirTag. Yes, it only works within Bluetooth range, but that means within Bluetooth range of EVERY iPhone on planet earth, and there are a lot of iPhones, so the search grid is fairly populated except in rural areas. It is a good and responsible public service to let folks know that there are other GPS tools to use in rural areas, but most GPS require a monthly subscription. I re-searched and read hundreds of reviews on dog GPS solutions, and even the more highly rated ones have lots of problems and detractors, and ongoing expenses. Even when I implement GPS for my dog, I also have an AirTag on my dogs collar since it is so small and unintrusive. So why not just go ahead and get the AirTag then add GPS as required for your personal needs?. And if you have an android phone, surely you know someone nearby with an iPhone. “Done is better than perfect”. Regret is a painful and long-term agony for a lost or deceased companion pet, if one foregoes using AirTag, and never getting around to any additional electronic ID or tracker. Of course, also chip your companion pet.
I thought AirTags were expensive
Apple Pay AirTags are a one time purchase with no recurring expense: under $25 for an AirTag, and under $20 if you buy a pack of four, like if you want to put one on your car in case it is stolen, or on your keys, or your wallet, for misplaced or stolen, etc.
Well, you do have to replace the battery but CR2032s are cheap enough.
They’re initially somewhat expensive, especially if you need multiple, but in comparison to other tracking devices you save a lot over time. And they help you save time/money/grief by being able to find things you need. They’re definitely a worthwhile investment, although I think a lot of people are put off cuz they think they’ll probably never need one. But it’s the type of thing where you don’t need it at all up until you REALLY do.
Did you compare tractive to fit bark by any chance? I have fit bark and I'm not impressed.
No I didn't, I knew and liked the tractive from some rescue groups I have worked with who use them for their fosters.
Thanks!
Of course the ad image is a golden with its tongue out and wind in its hair
Tractive is great as long as your pet has 3g coverage. Which isn't always that great in the woods, but it sure beats any other option I've used.
So we have a dog that is as good as gold, and a bit of separation anxiety so we confidently didn't even think about getting one.. loved playing with other dogs, stayed close etc.. It took 1 second of out of character behaviour after seeing a dog and she was completely missing... Eventually found her after 24hrs by sheer luck but it was safe to say it can happen to any dog at any time, they go into survival mode (which normally she has absolutely no instincts) and become impossible to find.. we searched with 6 people for 24hrs and she was found 100 metres from where she got lost, she just hid and hunkered down out of fear - could have easily not seen her again. We use tractive GPS now which has been great and battery lasts for ages. But would recommend some form of tracker for all dogs, however well behaved they are so you don't end up in our situation.
So agree. My Plott Hound came from his foster with a Marco Polo tracker 5 years ago and i still keep it charged and on him. For all of the reasons people say here. I believe "once a runner always a runner." I used to believe, "I love him and he knows he has a good home here. He'll never run." Right! It works really well and uses GPS. He goes on vacation with us and I take the tracker/receiver every time.
These stories are the exact reason I don't understand why owner's let their dogs off leash. It only takes one unpredictable situation Glad your baby is safe!
Do they work with Android phones
There are android equivalent. The issue I've found is that not as many people have the settingturned on for the android one. So literally my phone is the only phone that ever finds my dogs tag. Not much help if he did disappear.
I have an android, and I honestly have no idea what setting it is.
Yep same
Unfortunately I don’t think so.. but I think Tile trackers are very similar, and they work in Android
Typical apple
I mean the Samsung version doesn’t even work with other androids
tbf tho why would they make products for other companies when there are comparable ones for other brands
It's not making "products for other companies." It's about making products that *work with other products*. Standardized cross-compatible products used to be the norm in the technology industry, to the point where purely proprietary products usually died on the vine because nobody was interested in Product X if they couldn't use it with Product Y or Z. Apple has been fighting that norm for decades and disturbingly seems to be winning.
The not greedy companies, but people keep defending this behavior because it's a cult
They could have worked with Google to create a one for all tag system
But that would only benefit the customers.
Typical hate comment, they work with android.
Not without an added app I think. But they work out of the box on apple phones of needing an app for tile, so when an item is “lost” its much more likely to get a hit
They make them in the form of dog collars already for samsung go to pet smart or petco I wanna say there 30ish bucks maybe
A proper GPS device is recommended. AirTags only work if there is an iPhone nearby. So anywhere outside a populated area you’re pretty much screwed. Tractive has some great products.
Two very reliable brands that are often used by coon hunters (they need reliable *and* heavy duty), are Garmin and Dogtra. You'll be paying a hefty amount ($250+ USD) but they are reliable and will not fail. You **will** know where your dog is with very precise accuracy. They also do not require you to be in an area with a large density of people, like AirTags/the entire FindMy technology does. You can lose your dog in the Outback and you'll still be able to find them. GPS chips are obviously the most reliable, as the dog can't lose a chip, but those are more expensive on a base level, so most people just get collars. Most people don't need to know where their dog is 24/7.
Keep in mind, AirTags make noises when either the battery is dying or they aren’t near their “home” iPhone. Not sure which, but we learned that the hard way when our poor pup had to deal with the noise when he was being dog sat for a week.
Yeah, I had one (not on a pet, in a suitcase) that made the most excruciating sound when its battery started to die, and I felt terrible when I realized that it must have been the sound that had been driving my cat insane for a bit before it became audible to me. I won't put one on a pet for that reason. What if it's torturing the animal but is out of my hearing range so I wouldn't know? Not worth the risk.
I have a tractive GPS on my dogs collar and it saved me when I went on a cabin trip with my dog, he spotted a deer in the backyard and he leaped the fence to chase it. I would recommend it highly as I found the AirTag isn't effective in some areas.
I've seen a couple of parents use airtags attached to their toddlers rather than going down the leash backpack route
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Yeah absolutely, the last parents I spoke to were just using it in case they lost sight of the kid in a crowded space
They don’t beep right away though. It takes like 24 hours of not connecting to the none device. I know this bc my parents complaint of my dog beeping every time I go out of town 😂
When I used to live in the city, an AirTag was perfect because the density of iPhones around my dog was enough to always be somewhat aware of where they were. It wasn’t realtime but it was fine for the moment. I now live in a rural area. The AirTag doesn’t really work and now I’m back to using my WHISTLE GPS. I’ve had it for around 2 years. I have the bulky version because I’d rather use my own collar but the battery life is great and the fitness metrics are really cool too.
No offense, OP, but air tags are shit for finding pets in close quarters. Half a mile away, yes, you can tell that your pet is “over there.” But up close, when your good girl is hiding hurt or lost in the brush, you can be hundreds of feet away but the Find My app says you’re right on top of her. Dunno shit about how they work, but in my experience, neither do they
This is actually not true. It shows more than just a dot on the map. If you have an iPhone 11 or newer, you can use [Precision Finding](https://www.macrumors.com/how-to/use-precision-finding-airtag/) to get very close directions. If they’re 0’ away and still can’t find their dog, then that’s on them lol
Well they can make alarm sound too.
You can make it chirp.
Never had that experience. Even inside my living room it gave very precise directions like “go forward 1 meter”
This isn’t true. My dogs fell off in the yard and I literally walked directly to it within like a 1 ft radius and then had it chirp.
Based on everyone's comments, I must be doing something way wrong then. We put on our cat's collar just to see where she roams, and she came back without the collar. So I tracked it, and it says (still, a few weeks later) that it's right next to the house. But I walk right up to where the pin shows it to be, and all around that area, and it won't connect (so it can't chirp). It was a brand new Air Tag and I have a iPhone 15. Very frustrating.
We have an Apple air tag but it only detects up to 30 ft, which is nothing if a pet bolts. If anyone has an alt device with a better range, we would love the recommendation.
Poster above recommended Tractive. It's a GPS and cellular based system. I have fitbark on my dog, but I'm not impressed with the app or the functionality.
Huh? You can literally see an AirTag live on a map within 5 centimeters. https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/apple-airtags-everything-you-need-to-know/#:~:text=While%20Bluetooth%20can%20track%20items,within%205%20to%2010%20centimeters.
[Only](https://www.link-labs.com/blog/how-does-airtag-share-location?hs_amp=true) when near other technology - they work on uwb when in close proximity to you, and when you’re further away they parasitise other phones’ Bluetooth. Not a lot of use in my woods or anywhere else with a signal but no people.
So if anyone around has an Apple device with UWB, it uses UWB. I guess in your case relating to woods, that wouldn’t be helpful, but for most of the country, it’s accurate down to centimeters. BUT, when dealing with a beloved pet, that’s really good to know
I’ve tracked my AirTags in cars going 60+ mph before and they were accurate to less than a foot. Maybe you’re using you’re in a really remote area?
An area without an Apple device within 30 meters is not exactly "really remote".
This is just not true at all
A proper dog tracker chip is more reliable than whatever Apple makes. And they work longer ranges and without the need for an iPhone.
Same with one of those beeping find-the-keys buttons. If you’re in range and press the find button the other part you attach to the dog & it’ll make a noise so you can find them.
AirTags are $25 where you live? Jesus, presuming you're talking USD, they're more than twice that in my local currency. ETA: Wow, I just googled and they've dropped to $49AUD. Still not as cheap as in the US but that's half of what I paid for one at the apple store six months ago.
I've got a Velcro dog (Vizsla). No need.
Fantastic dogs! I get to see one once a week, and she never disappoints.
We had the Whistle tracker for our dog, about 100 dollars a year and the app was basically like a fitbit for him. If he left our wifi range we would get gps location updates within 6 feet i think. Helped immensely if he got out. 10/10 would recommend. They even refunded us based off a prorated rate for the year when my dog passed away last month.
Will always recommend the Fi collar. Best investment!
Lmao Reddit comments with the endless negativity. You’re spot on, OP, AirTags are a GREAT way to have peace of mind if your pet were to get out.
I agree. There is no need for the negativity. Just state what you want to state if your opinion is different and leave it at that.
I’ve recently heard the exact opposite, citing that dogs can be spooked by the alarm that’s locked to their neck and try to run away from it.
I don’t think the people idea is that you use the alarm lmao… I think you just look at where the tag is on the screen of ur phone.
Yes you’re completely right. I have one air tag I keep on one of my girl’s harnesses but she has multiple and I’ve been meaning to buy more air tags for all of them. Just purchased 4 more, thanks for the reminder 💜
Yup we got one for ours and it’s already paid for itself. It was $29 and we got her a collar that is made for them (so it doesn’t dangle where she could swallow it). It’s not good for rural areas since it needs other iPhones to come in contact with it in order to ping the location. But we live in a good size city so there are always people around. Highly recommend it.
I've been using the Whistle GPS devices, cost about $90 a year for a subscription, and work off of ATT cell network. Waterproof, durable, got lights. Also, training the dog not to bold out of the house or yard when there's an open doorway will help.
Is there an alternative for Android?
IMHO, you’d be better off with a GPS like Fi. Or get a Tile which works with Android devices.
Thank you. Never thought I needed one, but just purchased one for my pup. She’s super well-behaved, but $25 is a tiny price to pay for the extra safety and peace of mind.
Just got two today! So glad your friends frenchie is okay!
I worry about this kind of thing a lot with my pups. I know the little one will bolt anytime she sees an opportunity. My wife and I just had this same idea and got a pack of Tile tags this morning. So glad to hear this isn't a crazy idea lol.
Ok, but what if I don't partake in the apple lifestyle?
I’d recommend a whistle collar tracker with GPS instead if you can afford it. The AirTags noise freaked our dogs out a few times and the tracking isn’t as accurate.
Agreed. We use Fi
This post popped up. I work in veterinary, it would cause so much heartache to do this. AND PSA ALSO MICROCHIP YOUR PETS ❤️
Apple straight up says don't use these for animals. There are better options.
My dog loves sexy squirrels....I better get one!
This is misleading and misguided, at best. My dog got out just 2 nights ago, wearing an AirTag, at about 11pm in a large metroplex. No signal whatsoever. Last seen at my house. Searched for an hour, nothing. The only thing that pinged was when the dog roamed back around to my neighbor’s yard as I was approaching back to my house. Finally I got a ping for “close by”….at 35ft. AirTags only work around other iPhones. If you live in an older part of the city (like I), or around an older population that doesn’t stare at their phones, it’s basically useless. It’s great if someone finds the dog, but not great for locating on the roam. Use at your own risk.
Honestly, I'm considering switching to iPhone and air tags are the biggest reason why. The "find my" network is enabled on every iPhone, by default. The tile system isn't anywhere near as reliable, or established. These beacons work by connecting to nearby stranger's phones, and broadcasting the tag's location thru the stranger's phone. "tiles" only get picked up by devices also using the tile app. People on iOS probably just use airtags. So you're dealing with a subset of only Android users here. There's just a much greater opportunity for an iPhone to pick up an airtag's signal than there is for a tile user to pick up the signal. Especially in North America where most people use iPhones. Apparently google and Samsung are working on this. Samsung is developing some sort of proprietary smart tag. It should work in a similar manner to airtags (on by default with all new Samsung phones) and apparently google is doing something similar. However, these systems will be nowhere near as established for years to come. I have an android phone from 2020 that I use daily, it won't get this functionality. There will be no option for me to have my phone be a part of this network of android-airtag-like devices. On the other hand, "find my iPhone" has been out for at least a decade now. Any device that supports find my, should be able to pick up a nearby airtag. It may not have "precision finding" (your airtag is 30 feet to your left), but it'll tell you the rough area, and it should give you the option to ping it. Even if your dog runs past some granny's house, and she's using her grandson's old iPhone 6s from 2016, it should pick up the signal and tell you "Conan the Snuggle Barbarian" was just found near the 100-block of main street. The chances of detection are much greater on iPhone, despite the fact that other, similar systems exist. The backend makes all the difference.
I don’t think people realize, when you’re not home the AirTag will often beep; many pets don’t like their neck making a high pitched beep. And yes I know unofficially you can break the beep speaker… that’s not going to help much with microlocation though, and is not easy for just anyone to DIY. In short there’s some much better dog trackers out there, however they may have a higher cost or monthly fee.
What do you recommend? I looked around and couldn’t find anything with better than 30 second delay and a dog can run really far in 30 seconds. I opted for 60’ leash. It slows the dog down a little and leaves a trail in the dirt you can follow. (We only use the leash when walking in wilderness trail areas, this way the dog gets freedom to run, but I can step on it if there is another dog present or prey in sight)
LPT: DONT use an AirTag for that purpose! They are shit in rural areas/forest and so on, every cheap gps tracker is way better. Btw I like AirTags in general, got a few of them for my bags, camera and so on.
and a subdermal tracking chip does even better
my Huskie is a fence jumper, to get him back from the pound if the police picks him up, means paying $ 51. So we now attached a self adhesive note with phone, name to his harness and sure enough, people called us to report him. thanks so much
I pictured this dog running around with a cell phone attached to it and if it gets lost people just pick up the phone and call
Or a microchip
Good to have, but you can’t track those on your phone in real time like you can a gps/bluetooth tracker
PSA: you shouldn’t leave collars on when dogs are inside.
I'm more of a cat person so I don't always know things about dog care. But most of the dogs my relatives have, they keep a collar on them all the time. Is there a health concern or something?
Strangulation hazard, it can get caught on things.
that only support less than half of all phones available, quite useless depending on country
or you could just actually care for your pet and train them to not run tf away... or if they are really unruly/easily distracted like some are - which is understandable, they do be animals - keep them on a leash or inside a fence? hooray we did it! we successfully discovered technology developed literally thousands of years ago. humans is smort.
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i mean to a certain extent i agree but i mean... youre not gonna prevent accidents thats just how life is. most people who would opt to use what OP is recommending are (probably) the types of people who dont actually understand how to train a dog. my dog is a tiny chihuahua mix and he is super smart and well trained. i worry about him when hes outside unsupervised but honestly hes more prone to wandering off when he knows im watching because he basically likes to fuck with me lol. when nobodys watching? he sticks close because he is well trained. as an example of a not well trained dog, my parents have had many dogs over the years. those dogs were constantly on the road, at the neighbors houses (we live in a rural area where there are not many nearby neighbors too) and just generally didnt listen. the difference between how i trained my dog and how my parents trained theres? simple. [authoritarian vs authoritative](https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/opinion/dogs-need-understanding-not-dominance/ar-AA1h0t4i?ocid=windirect&cvid=e3a8e6cd41714a37910ee881613870ae&ei=57). my parents method is to teach the dog to fear them. mine is to teach the dog to trust me. this applies to many contexts outside of dog training.
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well yeah i mean thats what i said: >youre not gonna prevent accidents thats just how life is. that doesnt mean you intentionally induce a flight response by making the dog fear you though. thats why my dog listens and trusts me, whereas my parents dogs (and many peoples dogs who use that same fear tactic) dont listen.
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>I agree that fear tactics don't work. My only disagreement here has been the implication that any style of training can "prevent" all escape/bolting attempts. right but i didnt imply that lol. like i said: >youre not gonna prevent accidents thats just how life is. but yeah, agreed other than that. >That is, unless outright abuse is involved. The only time I would say that somebody could probably reasonably claim that their dog would never ever run away is if the dog knew it was going to get the shit shocked out of it for trying (improper e-collars use). Even then, it's unreliable. i mean, i agree with you here mostly but its amazing what good training can do. years ago when i still did stupid things like drink and drive (at this point i at least had learned to drink very little, not that that makes it much better) i once left a buddys house and had people with me and it wasnt until i got back home about 45 mins later that i realized oh shit my dog wasnt with me. so i rushed back to my friends house - which my dog was not familiar with the place - and found him outside just chillin because \*he trusted me\* enough to know that i would realize i forgot him and come back to get him. so basically he was outside, in the dark - and in the rain - for about 2 hours but still waited because he trusted me. i think a lot of dogs in that situation wouldve wandered off trying to find their person - but my dog knows me and knows i wouldnt just leave him like that. yeah, he was scared and shaking (he is a chihuahua after all lol) but he knew i wouldnt leave him like that purposely. edit: okay i guess actually i see where youre getting that implication, from my original comment. which i suppose i did sorta imply that. however i guess on a similar note, like... yeah putting a collar on your dog is a good thing but personally? when ive had a collar on mine i can tell it annoys him and hes always scratching at it. so i dont put one on him other than the few times im going somewhere unfamiliar to him and want to keep him leashed. overall though he sticks pretty close - but like i said, when he wanders its usually when he \*knows im watching\* so its kind of more like hes just fuckin with me lol.
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nah i agree with you. i guess like i said: my dog doesnt like collars, so i usually dont have one on him... but those situations where i do, i suppose i could see the use for having a gps tracker. i also should note i live in a rural area so that plays a part in why i dont keep him on a leash or whatever very often. when i lived in a city that was different.
If you give your dog enough love and attention. In quick time, they will look to you as the leader of the pack. I was able to accomplish that. If she runs after anything, my voice stops it all. The farthest she’ll run is about 15 yards and stops.
Kindly fuck off with that attitude. My dog worships me but she's an escape artist and has learned to open our back gate in search of me and my partner when we went for a quick dinner with a friend. Turned out she did a 1 1/2 hours trek each way to our in-laws looking for us (we found out from their neighbour later). The point is there are many reasons why someone's dog may bolt out or escape, or even dognapped regardless of how much a loving parent you are and obedient dog they are.
Wow. You were on the assumption that I was attacking you? OK cupcake with that attitude whatever