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August 22, 2016

FitBark Dog Activity Monitor: Pet Technology

This FitBark Dog Activity Monitor post is sponsored by Purina. All opinions are my own. #PurinaPartner

I never thought I would need a FitBark Dog Activity Monitor, and now I’m so glad I have one. At the beginning of August, I shared 5 Tips To Keep Your Pet Fit This Summer after I attended a Google Hangout with Dr. Kurt Venator, (Purina Veterinarian). I learned a so much and I explained in my last post that I knew my dog wasn’t getting enough exercise, but I had no idea just how much my family was going to need the information I had just learned or how much I would appreciate our new FitBark.

FitBark Dog Activity Monitor: Pet Technolgy

FitBark Dog Activity Monitor The Product I Didn't Know I Needed

Two weeks after writing the first post, Sophie had a vet appointment for an ear infection. My husband texted me during the appointment and told me something I never expected to hear from our vet. The vet informed us that our dog is overweight. At first, I thought my husband was joking because I honestly just can’t see it. Maybe I just don’t want to believe it, but that day when Sophie came home, we sat the kids down and explained to them that they could no longer sneak Sophie treats under the table. We made sure that they understood just how serious this is and after seeing their response we know they understand. My oldest will go as far as sending her outside during dinner, so she doesn’t beg under the table.

FitBark Dog Activity Monitor

I never realized how much the kids were feeding her, and if I’m honest, I probably gave her a lot more than I should have. The first week was the hardest for everyone, especially Sophie. She struggled and would go as far as licking the crack of the fridge trying the find any food that may have been dropped, but she’s finally realized that dog food is the only food she’s getting now.

FitBark Dog Activity Monitor Phone App

FitBark Dog Activity Monitor:

FitBark Dog

Food is only one part of Sophie’s problem. Now we have to get her active. We are a very active family, and Sophie goes everywhere we go, but we’ve never actually trained her, so it makes it hard to take her anywhere. She pulls on the leash when we walk her, and she tries to go after other dogs so now we have to work to train her because she needs to be able to go out with us when we go for walks and even when we go out on the water.

Lab PitBull FitBark Dog Activity Monitor

On our last camping trip, we made it our goal to spend more time working with Sophie, and we saw some pretty fabulous results. Every walk was easier than the one before and the water play was a lot of fun! She is getting better at listening to us and letting us walk her, and it’s not as hard on our backs (or the leash). She has broken five or six leashes and broke on on this camping trip, but her health is worth it, and this is partly our fault because we should have trained her when she was a puppy, but we didn’t so now it’s a little harder.

Waterproof Fitbark

Note: Fitbark is waterproof as long as you keep the rubber cap at the back of the unit firmly in place. The unit can be submerged in up to 1 meter of water for up to 30 minutes. (information provided by Fitbark website)

FitBark Dog Activity Monitor: What It Tracks

FitBark Activity

FitBark Activity:

The impressive thing about our FitBark is that it does what I can’t. Obviously, I know when I take Sophie for a walk or if we let her go out on the water, but we don’t always know how active she is when we let her go out or when the kids play with her outside. Now I can keep track of her total daily activity and add in additional play time based on what the data I see tracked on my phone. That’s pretty impressive.

FitBark Goals

FitBark Goals:

Having the FitBark helps us because we can set goals for Sophie and it reminds us to get out with her and help her reach those activity goals. There are three goal levels with FitBark.
Average: 7,300 BarkPoints: (lots of snuggle time, couple of walks a day, in the 50% percentile)
Active: 10,100 BarkPoints: (adventurous, always playtime, in the 75% percentile)
Olympian: 13,600 BarkPoints: (never stops going, full speed ahead, in the 90% percentile)

Right now we are starting with average with Sophie and working our way up because she’s really lazy so I don’t want to overdo it. Just being honest 😉

FitBark Sleep

FitBark Sleep:

Sleep, we all know how important sleep is, but how can we track a dog’s sleep? Well, before FitBark I’ve never been able to track it! According to our readings, Sophie’s sleep is in the 95% percentile, so that seems pretty good. She is a snorer, so I was curious to see if that meant anything. I have always wondered if she is experiencing nightmares or dreams because of her whimpering but I it looks like she is sleeping well, so that is great. I can’t wait to see how it reads after a thunderstorm because I fully expect it to read very low. After that, I will know it reads accurately.

Fit Bark Dog Activity Monitor Review

I feel blessed that I was chosen to participate in the Google Hangout with Dr. Kurt Venator because at the time I had no idea how useful the information would be and now I feel like Sophie’s life will fuller and possibly longer because of it. So I would like to say a special thank you to the people at Purina for caring so much about our pets and doing all you can to educate us on ways to keep them both happy and healthy!

If you are interested in tracking your pets activity, you should check out FitBark for yourself you can purchase yours here.

Purina Fitness with Pets Infographic

 

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Filed Under: Blog, Lifestyle, Pets Shasta Walton 51 Comments

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Comments

  1. Birdiebee says

    September 8, 2016 at 11:38 PM

    I wished I had this when my dog was alive as he was always barking. This would have been something I would have liked to try out on my Sammie.
    Reply
  2. holly lawson says

    September 8, 2016 at 10:35 PM

    This is such a great product! I have never thought about having one on a pet!
    Reply
  3. Audrey T says

    September 8, 2016 at 9:42 PM

    That's a neat little gizmo!
    Reply
  4. Celeste Herrin says

    September 8, 2016 at 7:45 PM

    I have an indoor Pomeranian. I bet I would be shocked at how low her activity level is. This article really made me start thinking. Thank you so much for taking the time to share it with us all!
    Reply
  5. Faye Gates says

    September 8, 2016 at 6:30 PM

    These dog monitors are becoming really popular.
    Reply
  6. Rena Walter says

    September 8, 2016 at 3:26 PM

    Great idea!
    Reply
  7. tiffany dayton says

    September 8, 2016 at 2:22 PM

    All dog should have this.
    Reply
  8. MichelleS says

    September 8, 2016 at 9:52 AM

    I think this is a great platform to monitor your dog's activity.
    Reply
  9. Lisa Brown says

    September 8, 2016 at 5:43 AM

    wow, there are even monitors for the pets, love that.
    Reply
  10. Allyson becker says

    September 8, 2016 at 2:16 AM

    Technology is amazing!
    Reply
  11. MichelleS says

    September 7, 2016 at 1:03 PM

    This is great for those who want to be better in sync with their pets.
    Reply
  12. tiffany dayton says

    September 7, 2016 at 1:02 PM

    My dogs need this. This is great.
    Reply
    • Deborah Dawson says

      September 8, 2016 at 9:47 AM

      I had a crazy dog who could have used this.
      Reply
  13. Celeste Herrin says

    September 7, 2016 at 9:14 AM

    I think this would also help pet owners to be more aware of their own activity levels as well. Thank you for all the great information you provide!
    Reply
  14. Jennifer Webb says

    September 6, 2016 at 11:48 PM

    This is a really neat thing. I have a dog that we have been trying to get to lose weight for awhile. We have tried cutting back his food and getting him more exercise. This can make the whole family responsible and see his progress.
    Reply
  15. MichelleS says

    September 6, 2016 at 10:42 PM

    Nifty idea to really track your dog's progress.
    Reply
  16. Crystal Dowling says

    September 6, 2016 at 1:44 PM

    My BFF could use this for her dog
    Reply
  17. Rena Walter says

    September 6, 2016 at 9:58 AM

    I know someone who needs one!
    Reply
  18. Austin H. says

    September 5, 2016 at 5:15 PM

    This is such a great idea for pet owners to have. Some dogs really just don't get enough exercise and possibly eat a little too much. It's great we can keep track of them and adjust our routines
    Reply
  19. Crystal Walker says

    September 5, 2016 at 1:44 PM

    My Dad has something similar to this for his 3 Corgis, they have to walk all three daily and this helps them keep up with them and control tham
    Reply
  20. Crystal Dowling says

    September 5, 2016 at 1:35 PM

    This would have been great for my dog, as he was overweight
    Reply
  21. Celeste Herrin says

    September 5, 2016 at 11:54 AM

    I'm not sure why others would think it's silly or not useful. We buy people gadgets similar to this. Aren't our dogs health just as important? Thanks for the info. I think it could be helpful for pet owners.
    Reply
  22. lulu says

    September 5, 2016 at 7:57 AM

    What will they think of next.
    Reply
    • Deborah D says

      September 6, 2016 at 5:03 PM

      that is nice to have
      Reply
  23. Christine Holliday says

    September 4, 2016 at 7:37 PM

    I still think this is not really a very useful endeavour.
    Reply
  24. Rena Walter says

    September 4, 2016 at 1:22 PM

    Alright!
    Reply
  25. Rena Walter says

    September 3, 2016 at 2:18 PM

    That's nice!
    Reply
  26. Mindi Eden says

    September 3, 2016 at 9:46 AM

    Nice gadget to monitor our little dog who could go fat quick!
    Reply
  27. J. Husin says

    September 3, 2016 at 9:17 AM

    This is actually pretty cool. Thanks for the info. Happy weekend to everyone!
    Reply
  28. tiffany dayton says

    September 2, 2016 at 8:02 PM

    Good item.
    Reply
  29. Rena Walter says

    September 2, 2016 at 4:02 PM

    Good news!
    Reply
  30. Rena Walter says

    September 1, 2016 at 4:04 PM

    All dog owners need one!
    Reply
  31. Rena Walter says

    August 31, 2016 at 4:30 PM

    This will work!
    Reply
  32. Natalie says

    August 30, 2016 at 7:36 PM

    It would be interesting to see how much activity my dog gets.
    Reply
  33. Celeste Herrin says

    August 30, 2016 at 7:00 PM

    Wow! I didn't know this even existed! Thank you so much for the information. This is such a great idea!
    Reply
  34. Rena Walter says

    August 30, 2016 at 12:25 PM

    What a good idea!
    Reply
  35. Mindi Eden says

    August 30, 2016 at 9:54 AM

    This would be so super cool for my little Pita!
    Reply
  36. Alejandra Carreno says

    August 29, 2016 at 3:25 PM

    This is a great gadget that will help keep both the owner & dog active. Very cool!
    Reply
  37. tiffany dayton says

    August 28, 2016 at 6:30 PM

    What else will they think of!
    Reply
  38. Rena Walter says

    August 28, 2016 at 2:22 PM

    Sounds Good!
    Reply
  39. Christine Holliday says

    August 27, 2016 at 10:33 PM

    The more I look at that thing, the more silly it sounds to me...I do however agree that my little sweetie gets me out more than I would normally...
    Reply
  40. Rena Walter says

    August 27, 2016 at 1:56 PM

    What will they think of next!
    Reply
  41. Christine Holliday says

    August 26, 2016 at 11:23 PM

    to tell you the truth, I couldn't be bothered! hehe.. not for us. My little doggy is doing just fine.
    Reply
  42. Alejandra Carreno says

    August 26, 2016 at 11:16 AM

    I think my kids would get a kick out of this gadget too if we adopt a pup. It would get them excited about taking the dog out.
    Reply
  43. Rena Walter says

    August 26, 2016 at 10:13 AM

    This is Great!
    Reply
  44. Alejandra Carreno says

    August 25, 2016 at 10:38 AM

    I'm glad I saw this. We've been looking at adopting & this gives me some peace of mind. Never had a dog before. Great gadget!
    Reply
  45. Rena Walter says

    August 25, 2016 at 10:29 AM

    This sounds great!
    Reply
  46. Alejandra Carreno says

    August 24, 2016 at 11:11 AM

    This is such a cool product! I can see this motivating me as well to get up and stay active!
    Reply
  47. carol clark says

    August 23, 2016 at 10:20 PM

    this is nice like the gadget is so neat ill check in on it
    Reply
  48. Rena Walter says

    August 23, 2016 at 2:10 PM

    Great!
    Reply
  49. Birgit L. says

    August 23, 2016 at 3:12 AM

    Now that's a cool and helpful gadget - personally I won't need it as I don't have a dog, but I'll definitely share this post with friends who do.
    Reply

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