BBC Focus - 09.2019

RADAR

The PitPat2 fits

onto your dog’s

collar to

monitor their

activity via an

app. The device

is waterproof

• great news if
  your pet loves
  to swim!

In conjunction with your vet, you can even set a

weight loss target, and the app will estimate how

long it will take for your pet to achieve it.

A paid version of the app, called PitPat Life,

comes with discounts on various dog products

and gives you the ability to earn points to

exchange for dog toys and merchandise, though

it doesn’t add any extra data or features.

Now I know his daily goal, I’m not sure that

tracking Alfie’s exercise would be particularly

PITPAT2
£39, PITPAT.COM

How much exercise does your dog really need

• and how much do they actually get? How
  many miles do they run on a single walk? I
  ponder these questions when I let Alfie, my
  black lab, o the lead and he immediately
  vanishes over the horizon. PitPat2, a fitness
  tracker specially designed for dogs, answers
  with a wealth of data. The device, which
  connects to a free smartphone app via
  Bluetooth, tracks how much time your dog
  spends walking, running, playing and resting,
  based on a step counter. Alfie normally hates
  having anything on his collar, but he doesn’t
  even seem to notice the unobtrusive PitPat.
  To calculate how much exercise Alfie needs,
  the app considers his breed, age and weight and
  produces a daily goal – though you can adjust it.

Sara Rigby

ONLINE ASSISTANT

WHAT I’ M

TESTING

useful in the long-term. That said, the app is

easy to use and keeping an eye on what he

does each day is definitely interesting. Alfie

is quite an active dog, so I can imagine that it

would be more useful if your pup prefers

cuddles to walks. Plus, you can share your

dog’s data with anyone else who has the app,

so I’d be more comfortable with someone

else looking aer Alfie if I could make sure he

was geing plenty of walks while I was away.