FitBark Dog Activity Monitor Review

FitBark is a dog activity tracker that turns a dog’s activity into BarkPoints by monitoring daily activity. FitBark fits all types and sizes of dogs including miniature breeds and very large breeds. This dog tracker has many useful features, and it is the smallest wireless activity monitor available for dogs. It was beautifully designed to fit comfortably on a dog’s collar. A dog owner can stay connected with their dog by accessing the dog’s activity through an Android smartphone or iOS.

Meet the Founders

Davide Rossi is the CEO of the Kansas City Company, FitBark, Inc. He graduated from Sprint Mobile Health Accelerator. Sprint Accelerator is powered by Techstars which is the top startup accelerator in the world. The Kauffman Foundation recognized FitBark as one of the top five promising startups in all of North America. Fabrizio Filippini, Sara Rossi, White Howlit, and Michael Chiang are also involved in the development, sales, and marketing of FitBark, Inc.

FitBark developed the wearable dog activity tracker so owners could better understand their dogs’ health. They understood that dogs were not the best at communicating, so they wanted to help them. FitBark was designed in Italy and it is made in the USA. FitBark wanted to have a community evaluate the company’s product, so they put private trials of the product out into the local community. These evaluation candidates were found to be more active than the general population.

FitBark is a mobile platform that includes a FitBark Wi-Fi Base Station, a FitBark Dog Activity Monitor, a FitBark Mobile App (iOS and Android), a FitBark Web User Portal, and a FitBark Heath and Lifestyle Canine API. FitBark’s goal was to have a Kickstarter campaign that resulted in pre-orders from more than 45 countries. They successfully reached that goal.

Benefits of FitBark

There are many benefits of FitBark, which include being able to monitor and understand behavior changes, understanding a dog’s health, and having real dog tracker data to make educated decisions while at a vet’s office. FitBark also allows a dog owner to share memorable moments with family and friends. In addition to being a great solution for dog owners who want to monitor their dogs’ activity, it is the perfect canine monitoring solution for client studies, boarding providers, shelters, food manufacturers, and trainers.

Dog owners can monitor and track a dog’s every move 24/7 with the dog activity tracker. They can understand their dog’s health by tracking what kind of a day their dog is having. This progress can be understood better by viewing a time and activity breakdown. If the data is showing unusual activity, they can take action if there is an issue with their dog’s behavior or health. A dog’s activity can be shared with a veterinarian, so there is no question as to how he or she has been doing.

Any FitBark can sync up with a nearby FitBark Wi-Fi Base Station. This will allow the activity information to be uploaded to a web server. This means that the dog’s owner will be able to receive alerts when the dog is not close to an authorized smartphone. FitBark is waterproof at IPX7 which means up to 1 meter for up to 30 minutes. The dog tracker battery lasts for one to two weeks.

A dog’s progress can be compared to the progress of other dogs that are the same breed. This means an owner can monitor what is normal and what is not. An owner’s activity can also be compared with their dog’s activity by linking the dog activity tracker to the owner’s fitness tracker.

FitBark is beneficial to vet and academia schools. Many validation studies, which are used for the approval of new canine treatment plans, are not based on free-living conditions. These studies are based on subjective lab-based activity measurements. FitBark can provide accurate activity measures.

Boarding providers can use FitBark to build a great reputation with their clients. FitBark has the capability of sending updates to dog owners who want to know how their dog has been doing while they have been away from home. By using a cell phone GPS location, boarding provides can send out reports.

Animal shelters or volunteers struggle to make sure every dog in a shelter is getting enough playtime. They also want to provide more transparency in the adoption process, make matches with potential new owners based on a dog’s personality, and compare living conditions based on location. The dog activity tracker has the capability to assist animal shelters and volunteers with all of these struggles and more.

FitBark benefits those who work with K-9 units and service dogs. Trainers, officers, and volunteers work with dogs who they want to assist in the task of apprehending criminals, performing searches and rescues, and detecting drugs. The dog tracker will allow a trainer, volunteer, or officer to assess the amount and quality of a dog’s sleep. FitBark can also assist with identifying when a dog’s performance is increasing or declining.

If your dog is on a sports team or performs at other organized activities, such as agility, disc dog, or rally obedience, he or she will need to be healthy and fit. It is hard to qualify physical activity during a competition or training. The dog tracker can help a dog reach his or her ideal weight, avoid overtraining, monitor compliance with a training or exercise plan, and share the best practices and activity data with team members.

Where to Purchase

FitBark Dog Activity Monitor and FitBark Wi-Fi Base Station can be pre-ordered from fitbark.com. Each monitor is $99.95, and it comes in a variety of colors including Life of the Party Blue, Romantic Snuggler Pink, Free Spirit Emerald Green, Rockstar Grey, and Passionate Lover Red. Each base station is $79.95. There is no monthly fee in order to use FitBark. All orders are on reserve, because the company is waiting for their shipment. FitBark will be publishing reviews once they receive the product.

Dog owners want to provide the best care for their dogs by using accurate statistics and actual data, so many are buying the dog activity tracker. FitBark’s goal is to extend the bond beyond man and his best friend by sharing data sets with the people who make the lives of dogs rich, such as pet care professionals.
We have purchased a Fit Bark for Kobi and we will post a review once we have received it.