As Shasta aged, I knew I wanted to keep better track of his health. The Whistle Monitor with GPS and activity tracking along with the Furbo Camera were the PAWfect solution for us. The Whistle Monitor would surpass all of my expectations!
This is an unsolicited review. Whistle has not sponsored this post nor have I been compensated in any way. Denise’s Dog Dish & Shasta’s Yorkie Yap/ denisegruzensky.com only shares information about things we feel you will benefit from as well. Whistle.com is not responsible for the content of this post.
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I knew I wanted a monitoring device but I had a very particular wish list.
Wish List
- GPS tracking
- Activity monitoring
- Water Proof
- Lightweight secondary to Shasta’s arthritis
- Cost-effective
- The app needed to be both Android and Apple compatible (I’m a droid girl and my hubby is an iPhone boy)
I spent a lot of time searching and comparing. I finally decided to purchase the Whistle Monitor for Shasta approximately 3 years ago and have not been disappointed.
Whistle Monitor Pros
- GPS tracking and activity monitoring combined in one device.
- Personal settings making it individualized for your dog. I’ll be more specific in each area below.
- GPS tracking with great location accuracy on their map. The only time we lost Shasta’s monitor we took it off on our ski boat and didn’t realize it was gone until the next day after we’d returned home from work. That left me thinking he’d lost it in the backyard. The locator was so accurate I knew which side of the house it was on but alas decided it was in our, inaccessible to humans, bushes. We love the Whistle Monitor so much we replaced it only to find it in the boat the following summer. User error… BOL
- GPS tracking with mobile notifications sent to our mobile devices. You personalize the radius around the base station and Whistle notifies you when they are outside of that radius. Hint: we take the base station with us on vacation and often change the radius to accommodate the new location.
- Activity monitoring. As Shasta sleeps, plays, and walks the monitor records his activity.
- Health monitoring. Another area of customization is with your dog’s daily goals. We set Shasta’s daily goal based on averages for his age and health. When there is a significant decrease or increase in his daily activity a message is sent to our phone(s).
- Dog walker/sitter monitoring. We know immediately if our dog sitter is taking Shasta for walks. You can add multiple caregivers so your family and dog sitter can also help monitor your dog’s health.
- Water-resistant and shockproof.
- Fits collars up to 1″ wide.
- Weight 0.92 oz
- Battery life up to 7 days (also see cons).
- Whistle Monitor app user community. We can compare Shasta’s activity and rest levels with other similarly sized dogs in the community. We can also cheer for our online furry friends.
- You can share your dog’s progress reports on social media.
- Great customer support.
- Cost-Effectiveness is very personal so I’ve placed it in both categories. I purchased an earlier version for $99-well worth it to me. Their latest version with the same capabilities is $74.95 on Amazon
$79.95 directly from Whistle.
$79.95 directly from Whistle Monitor Cons
- I do not think this can be helped but the battery life is impacted (like almost all of our other Wi-Fi devices) by connectivity. However, you do receive notification when the battery needs to be recharged. You will receive several prior to the Whistle Monitor powering down. Plus recharging only takes 2 hours.
- It can take up to an hour to sync with your phone. This is not the case when you use tracking for an escape artist or notifications as both are in real-time.
- If you are looking for style, the Whistle Monitor will not be your choice.
- Cost-Effectiveness con-a subscription plan is required. They have 3 different plans to suit your individualized needs. The risk is also low as they have a guaranteed “90-day commitment free” grace period.
July 2017 my husband and I went to Hawaii. My wonderful mother made the four and a half hour drive to Shasta sit for the week. While away I received notification that Shasta’s Whistle Monitor activity level was through the roof and Fubo sent an alert regarding Shasta barking. I decided to Whistle Monitor and Furbo stalk my mom and the dogs (she brings their dog Teddy too). The Whistle Monitor demonstrated over 200 hours of activity. Previously this had only occurred when we had him backpacking. When I peeked in with the Furbo camera I saw him pacing and whining. I immediately called my mom. She was so grateful as she had not wanted to disturb our vacation but was worried about Shasta and what she should do. We determined a plan together.
Shasta was with us and comfortable (thanks to Treatibles) until July 13, 2017. We were home and together when he crossed the Rainbow Bridge because his Whistle Monitor and Fubo had alerted us early.
I passionately believe both the Whistle Monitor and Fubo pet camera are incredibly valuable assets to caring for your pet.
[bctt tweet=”Activity monitoring for the elderly dog. Tracking for the escape artist. With Whistle, you get both! See why I think it is a MUST HAVE for dog owners!” username=”@denisegruzenk”]
This is pretty cool! I especially like that it lets you know when your dog has gone past a predetermined perimeter and it can help you find a lost dog.
It is really helpful to be able to set the perimeter and change it when needed. For instance, when we were in a hotel room we made it MUCH smaller.
This sounds like a wonderful device that many pet owners could benefit from. I wonder if it can be used for cats as well? If one of my cats had an illness I’d like to be alerted about it.
I think their newer device is smaller and would be more manageable with a cat collar. I really love their notifications!
Great review and I like the idea to use the Whistle monitor in conjunction with the Furbo, especially when you are away. Sorry to hear that you lost Shasta last year, but how wonderful that you were able to be with him, that is a comfort in itself.
I really like using both together and know we will continue to use them when the next furry family member chooses our family. We miss him so much!!
What a great tool to safely monitor our dogs! I’m glad it helped ease your stress while on vacation, and that it allowed you to be there for Shasta’s last moments. We recently went through that with our Ginger and I know how priceless that time is. Hugs.
Thank you for the cyber hugs! It was priceless to be with him as he crossed to the Rainbow Bridge…
I know personally how great all of these devices are. If you have an older pet they are even more helpful, as the author has stated!
You are Grandpa and Grandma extraordinaire! I know you miss him as much as we do!!
I am intrigued by these products. Jasmine’s vet has been using one of these to determine pain levels in post-op cats etc.
Wow, that is fascinating! I am guessing a device that tracks their heart rates…??
I’ve heard of the pet trackers and know it’s one of the hottest trends right now. But it’s really nice to see screen shots of exactly what a pet owner would see for information on their pet. Nicely done.
I am glad it was helpful. Good thing I have a difficult time deleting ANYTHING. BOL
I haven’t had a need for a device like this yet. I appreciate your review with the pros and cons. Obviously it was well worth the investment since you were able to be with Shasta when that time we all know will come far too soon arrived.
I absolutely love my Furbo!! I travel a lot so it lets me check on Kilo regularly and thrown him treats. The Whistle Monitor sounds very cool too.I’ll definitely look into it further. Shasta was so lucky to have wonderful years with you so well cared for and loved. Sending hugs.
I love the concept of a GPS tracker and fitness monitor in one device. I’m less concerned about GPS location right now. I’m kind of on the fence waiting to see what technology evolves in terms of better coverage. However, I love my FitBit for me. It keeps me motivated to walk, so I’d love to see how much activity the pups get each day. Does the Whistle monitor sleep with accuracy? Knowing how much each dogs restfully sleeps would also be useful information.
It doesn’t technically monitor sleep but I could still see when Shasta was sleeping based on his activity level. It is shown on a graph too.
I want to try one with Mr. N sometime. It would be interesting to track his activity levels. I don’t hugely worry about him getting lost as he’s velcro but it would be nice to have for peace of mind.
This looks tremendously useful. I would love something similar but OH so much smaller for our wandering cat Silver. GPS is amazing and can be so helpful in finding a dog (or a cat – I can’t wait for them to miniaturise GPS)
That should definitely be on their “to do” list. It was fine for Shasta but I would have purchased a smaller version if it was available.
I love it … still too big for my wee fellow and that’s always the problem. At 3.5 pounds — that won’t fit around his neck! I do love the health monitoring element. One issue we’ve always had is that the GPS systems always assume you have phone service or access to WiFi…. I’m looking for something that we can use when we travel overseas and where that isn’t always a given (without HUGE roaming fees). Ah … it will happen one day! Has there been any research done on what the “waves” near the face all the time do on a long term health side?
Yeah, they definitely have not solved the “traveling out of your country” or “live/travel outside of WiFi areas” problems. Have you ever submitted a suggestion? I just received an e-mail (I think I deleted it) asking for suggestions. Maybe they have a “suggestion box” on their site. I’m not sure about the research about the “waves”. I’ll have to check that out. Any research done on the ones we humans wear will have quite a bit of crossover information and application.
On a side note, I LOVE all of your travels. We have never traveled out of the country with our furry family members and enjoy living vicariously!
This sounds like a very useful tool both from a safety perspective and a health monitoring perspective. I don’t like the need for a subscription plan or contract on anything so I wouldn’t go for that. I do love the messaging aspect though.
Love & Biscuits,
Dogs Luv Us and We Luv Them
I definitely understand the need for a plan being a deterrent. Definitely, each families individual weighing of pros and cons. The safety and health monitoring made it worth it to us.
My friend’s dog was missing for 8 terrifying days. Luckily, the dog came back home, and my friend immediately bought a Whistle monitor. My friend checks the monitor frequently because he never wants to relive that nightmare.
Thank you for sharing such a personal testament to the GPS. I am so glad their story has a happy ending!
I love that this monitor not only has a GPS. but it monitors activity and health. This sounds like an excellent piece of equipment for those who want to monitor their fur children. I use a video cam at home to watch my girls, but it’s only located in one room, so the monitoring is limited.
This device sounds awesome, and what a blessing it was for you in the end. Being able to sense when Shasta’s behavior was “off” was definitely critical and I can see the applications for all of us in this regard. I don’t travel without my dogs often, but on the few occasions we’ve had our neighbors c9me watch them, I would have loved something like this!! I’m so sorry about sweet Shasta. I can only imagine the whole he left in your hearts. Thank you for sharing this story and terrific review!