Labradoodle & Goldendoodle Forum
FitBark: Anybody Using One ?
Hi, someone mentioned this to me today and was wondering if anybody was using it for their Doodle ?
I have a FitBit for myself and like it alot and was wondering if this would be useful in tracking steps/miles/activity for Teddy my 7-month old Goldendoodle puppy.
He's not running with me or anything, just basic walks, occasional visits to a Dog Park, and fetch inside and outside. Plus whatever he does when I am out of the house, which appears to be mostly resting/napping/sleeping.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Amy and Annabelle on
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I have not heard of this. Interesting concept though. I would be curious, but eeeps, $70.
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Permalink Reply by Karen & Maple on
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We were given one by an investor. We loved it as it motivated all of us to meet Maples daily activity goals. We'd walk a bit more. It lasted about six months then quit on us. I've been meaning to contact the company to see if they'd replace it. I do think we've been lazier without it. It did a great job tracking her activity.
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Permalink Reply by Frank & TeddyToyDoodle on
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Does it tell you steps, distance walked, and other useful stuff ?
My FitBit tells me steps....miles walked....how long I sleep.....and other useful stuff. Not sure what the FitBark App measures on a dog.
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It measures 'bark points', which is basically movement. Not distance. It charts activity and time of day that it accured.
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Yup, I thought the 15,500 goal I set for Teddy was steps but they just let me know it isn't. Some proprietary algorithm or something.
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Well, I ordered the sucker so I guess I can always return it if it's too difficult or not really useful. Reviews on Amazon seemed very positive.
Will test it out this week and report back.
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For sure let me know. If it is water proof, I might think about it. The sleep part would be more interesting to me, than the activity part. I have a clip-on one that I bought myself a few years ago. That was back when I was going on 10 mile walks and hikes. There is no way Annabelle could do that, 4 miles is her limit. She is over it at that point, even with plenty of water and her own boots. I would clip my old on her at night, but would be afraid it would fall off and she would eat it.
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It's waterproof up to a degree, Amy. From their website:
Is FitBark waterproof? Yes, but only if you keep the rubber cap at the back of the unit firmly closed. FitBark’s waterproof specification is IPX7 (can be submerged up to 1 meter for up to 30 minutes).
Charging it now and will report back.....hope Teddy doesn't chew on it like his Rabies tag !! :-) LOL
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Early Thoughts On FitBarK: I like it ! I'm seeing how many "fitbarks" various activities encompass.
When inactive, it measures close to 0 barks per hour. From our last potty call to waking up the next morning -- about 8 hours -- the total Barkpoints went up by about 500 or about 50 per hour. It was probably less when he was just on the couch and bed, but he does move around, play with a toy, or get up for water which adds Barkpoints.
Teddy actually napping is close to 0 Barkpoints per hour if he doesn't move around.
A 15-20 minute potty walk (1/2 mile on my FitBit) is about 1,250-1,500 barks.
10 minutes of fetch is about 1250-1,500 Barkpoints. This is 8-12 runs back-and-forth of 50-75 feet chasing a ball and bringing it back. Plus some running around to escape me when he doesn't want to give up the ball ! LOL
1/2 hour at the Dog Park was about 3,000 Barkpoints. Lots of activity here, including him annoying some bigger dogs which always worries me.
1 hour of low-activity in the house (moving around, eating, etc.) is about 500 Barkpoints.
A 15 minute walk with lots of sniffing stops was about 800 Barkpoints.
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I love this FitBark !!
It's fun and it sort of tells you how active various activities are relative to one another.
For instance, a 15 minute walk on pavement/grass is only about about 800 Barkpoints (his daily goal is 15,500) but if it's mostly in the snow it's closer to 1,500 (alot more strenuous to hop and walk in snow). 30 minutes at the local Dog Park was 3,000 Barkpoints but 1 hour yesterday was only about 5,000 Barkpoints because he played with smaller dogs and tired after a while and did less running.
This thing was easier to use than my own FitBit so if you really want to compare how much activity your dog gets with varied walks, runs, play activities, or interactions with other dogs, I highly recommend it.
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Thanks for the review.
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You're welcome....this would be a very useful item if someone employs a dog walker and wants to make sure their dog is getting what they are paying for.
I like how it measures various activities differently so you can guestimate how much activity/calories your pet did in a day. I wouldn't have guessed the difference in a 15-minute grass/pavement walk vs. 15 minutes partly in snow. So if you normally like to give your dog a 30 minute walk you can be assured that 15 minutes in the cold and snow is basically the same level of activity.
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