Keep Up With Your Dog with the FitBark Wireless Activity Tracker

Most of us understand the need to keep track of our own fitness and activity levels. Whether we are trying to lose weight or just to simply maintain an active, healthy lifestyle, being able to realize activity patterns is an important part of maintaining overall health and wellbeing. Dogs are no different, either. In order for them to remain healthy and in good shape, they need plenty of exercise and play time. Normally this means walking them on a leash or turning them loose into the back yard in hopes that they play by themselves. Now there is a better solution in the form of FitBark, which is a small electronic device that attaches to the dog’s collar.

What is FitBark?

The FitBark is a tiny wireless device that keeps track of your dog’s activity levels so that you, as a responsible pet owner, can ensure that your pooch is getting the exercise that he or she needs to remain healthy and fit. The device features a curved design and weighs less than 10 grams. Because of its small size, 41mm in length, to be exact, the FitBark can fit most sized dog collars comfortably. A Lithium ion polymer battery that can run for up to 10 days on a single charge powers the device. It also includes a 3-axis accelerometer, which is similar to those found in many modern smart phones and touch screen hand held devices.

The FitBark wireless dog activity tracker is built inside a rugged, water resistant casing, meaning that you don’t have to worry about your beloved pet getting the device wet or damaging it through rough play. Granted the FitBark is not completely waterproof, so while splashes and moderate rain will not affect the device, it should not be submerged or left on the dog’s collar during swimming or bathing.

At the moment the FitBark works only with a very specific set of iOS and Android smart phones, including the newer iPod Touch devices, iPhone 4S and 5, the newest iPad and iPad mini, and a very limited selection of Samsung smart phones. If your smart phone is not one of the supported devices you will, unfortunately, not be able to use your phone to sync wirelessly. You will still be able to use the base station and the smart phone app to view the data.

What does FitBark Do?

The idea behind the FitBark wireless activity tracker is simple. During the day, the device monitors the activity levels of your dog and stores them in internal memory. Whenever the device comes within range of your smart phone, the device automatically synchronizes the stored data with the FitBark servers, which then crunches the numbers and sends the relevant data back to an app on your smartphone. This enables you to see exactly how much exercise your dog has had during the day. An optional base station can be used to constant updating, as well.

While this sounds like a great way to keep track of your dog’s activity, it is important to realize that since the FitBark does not contain any sort of GPS modules, you will not be able to use the device to locate your dog should he or she get out of the yard.

Where You Can Get FitBark

The FitBark is not currently available for sale, as it is still being funded by a popular Kickstarter campaign. The campaign has already exceeded its fundraising goal, however, so we can expect to see the device on pet store shelves in the near future.