PitPat 2 Dog Activity Monitor Review

We just got a dog, he’s called Chase, he’s a handful but it’s enabled us to branch out into the doggy tech business and boy is it full of gadgets! One of which being PitPat, a small device that you put on your dogs collar and it monitors what is does. PitPat are now into their second generation of the device and they sent one over to us for try out on Chase.

PitPat is a activity monitor for your dog, it monitors how much exercise your dog does, what sort of exercise and gives you details on distance and calories burnt. You can currently purchase the device on its own for just £39 or you can sign up to PitPat Life, which is £4 per month, includes the device and gives you access to rewards and extra features.

The Unboxing

The device comes in a small plastic case, with just some instructions. The monitor is battery operated and comes with a battery pre installed. Power consumption is minimal, so I expect the battery to last a long time but replacements are readily available and cheap. The battery is housed behind a small screwed cover to the rear. To the front of the device is an orange paw print button, with a circular light around it which illuminates when pressed. It’s fixed to your dog’s collar via a piece of velcro which is supplied. It’s very small, lightweight and very secure on the collar when installed. It’s dog friendly too, it wont get in their way, with no restirctions. The device is waterproof, so it never really needs to come off.

Set up was very simple. Firstly you need to download the free app available on iOS and Android and follow the on screen instructions to create an account. You will need to submit an email address and verify. During set up, it will ask you to create a profile for your dog (you can have multiple profiles if you have multiple devices). It will ask about breed, weight and age, and will recommend a suggested amount of exercise required for a healthy lifestyle. Once done, the device needs to pair with your smartdevice via the power of Bluetooth. When promoted on screen, press the button on the device and wait for the two to pair.

As the system relies purely on Bluetooth, you need to be near your dog, with the app open and press the button for the data to refresh. You cannot get an update on data without being within proximity of the device.

Performance

The PitPat device and app work fairly seamlessly and I’m impressed with how quickly the data is updated once you hit the button. The app details the data by each day of the week and includes the amount of walking, running, playing, resting and pottering your dog has done. It also shows total miles, total calories burnt and whether or not you achieved your preset goal. There is also a timeline graph at the bottom of the screen, where you can at what time during the day the dog did what and you can move your finger along the graph to see data from that specific time.

Also in the app, you can monitor the weight for your dog, although this needs to be manually inputted by you on a weekly basis but this can be used as a tracker, if your dog needs to lose or gain weight. You also get awarded badges based on your dogs performance. It’s quirky, it’s fun and it has awards like ‘Your dogs walked up and down Mt Snowdon’. There is also the reward points, which I was unable to try but from what I’ve read, you can get freebies and/or discounts on items for your dog.

Here are chases results.

As you can see from the stats above, we managed to achieve our original recommended goal of 50 minutes of exercise, and then our own set goal of 95. In fact, we smashed it. It’s unclear how accurate the tracking is, as although sometimes the distances and timings seem about right, sometimes they seem a little high and the tracker could be misinterpreting a neck scratch or similar as an activity. You can see the app is laid out well, it’s very easy to navigate and find what you’re looking for.

Verdict

The PitPat activity monitor is a lot of fun and its great to see what your dog has been upto. This is especially beneficial if for example your dog needs to lose weight and your vet has set guidelines on exercise, or even if you have a dog walker come visit your home, you will be able to check to see if they have in fact taken your dog for a walk or not. I’m not totally convinced on it’s accuracy, so take it with a pinch of salt.

For more info, head over to the official PitPat website.