How the Trax GPS Tracker Can Make Life Easier

Posted on March 29, 2017 by Ammo

Disclaimer: This post is an advertisement. All opinions are my own, and I only share products with my readers that I think you and your pets will love!

With every day that passes my little sister becomes more and more mobile.

While she may technically be moving she’s not exactly great at the whole “mobile” thing yet….especially the backing up part! Which means mom has to keep her eyes glued to Baby P pretty much all the time.

Now I’m a good dog 90% of the time (hey, we can’t all be perfect), and that other 10%….well, I sort of like to push the boundaries a little bit. What can I say, I am a stubborn DACHSHUND!

Mainly though, I just like to run (well and hunt, and dig, and roll in stinky stuff….but that’s a story for another day). So when mom has eyes on Baby P, she can’t keep tabs on me too – especially when I’m enjoying my time out on the farm.

Lucky for my mom she has had a secret weapon for many years now, the Trax GPS Tracker for Pets. While you might remember me mentioning Trax before, this time I got to take the newer Trax Play for a spin. Being the World’s smallest and lightest live GPS tracker on the market, it’s perfectly sized for a little dog like me!

Mom breathes a little easier when I’m wearing my Trax Play because she can worry more about making sure my sister doesn’t drive off a cliff, and less about where I’m wandering. Moms…..they are always worrying about their “kids”!

While I’ve tried many GPS trackers over the years, one of the main reasons my family keeps coming back to Trax as their favorite is because of the ability to add multiple custom geo-fences.

Geo-fences are basically “safe areas” that your pet can be, but should I wander too far and leave the geo-fence then mom gets a text alert on her phone to let her know I left the vicinity. Most of the other Pet GPS Trackers out there only allow you to create circular radiuses and only one per unit, but with Trax you can really be custom about your pet’s safe area.

Another cool feature is the augmented reality, where you can use your phone’s camera to locate your pet. When you point the camera in your dogs direction, an icon, with a distance indicator, will guide you to their location. Pretty cool, even if it does give away all of my secret ground hog hole locations!

Battery life in the new Trax Play is new and improved too, lasting up to 3 days on one charge! The only thing that would make Trax even better in mom’s eyes is if they added a sound locater (then I wouldn’t have to wear my annoying bells on the farm!).

You can learn more about all the features of the Trax Play on their website.

You can shop Trax Play which is available with a data plan for as low as $4.00/month – which is much lower than many comparable products on the market. Another reason why we love them!

And what’s even better is you can use code ammo10 for 10% off your purchase!

*Please note a data plan is necessary in order to use the Trax Play device.

A GPS Pet Tracker with no Monthly Fees + A Giveaway

Posted on March 14, 2016 by Ammo

Disclaimer: This post and giveaway is brought to you by Iota GPS Tracker. All opinions are my own, and I only share products I think you and your pets might love.

Way back when my mom decided to help fund a little kickstarter campaign for the Iota GPS Pet Tracker. Fast forward to about a month ago, and suddenly this little white box was strapped to my neck!

See what makes the Iota a little different than most GPS Trackers for pets is this little contraption sitting next to me (the Home Base), it’s because of this that there are no monthly fees, unlike most Trackers you might see on the market that require a monthly or yearly fee for their tracking services. And when you can save those extra pennies for more important things (like dog toys), that’s always a good thing!

You simply set up the home base inside your home near a window, and it connects up with your own Wifi network. Each home base can then track your tracker up to 1 – 4 miles away. And the cool part is Iota Trackers can connect to any home base in your area, meaning if your neighbor has one your reach is already extended even further.

The Iota is also the smallest pet GPS I’ve ever tried, which can make a big difference when you’re a small dog. I certainly can’t have some hunky thing on my collar weighing me down!

The free Iota App allows you set up geo-fences for your dog. Which is essentially a “safe area” that you would like your dog to stay in, when they enter or exit the area you can receive an alert on your smart phone.

You can then set up as many Iota trackers as you like within the app to monitor all of your pets. It even has a handy feature to notify you when the battery level is running low. The iota’s battery can to last up to approximately one month and is rechargeable for 200+ cycles. That’s a pretty long time.

When it does need charging there is a handy charger that plugs into any USB port.

I’ve been wearing my Iota around home, and when mom and dad leave me home alone. Even though its very rare that I ever “escape” my fenced yard, my parents feel safer knowing they would be alerted if I ever left the area.

For testing purposes though we drove my Iota to the farm one day to see if it would alert my mom to the fact that it left the geo fence, and not long after exiting the designated area mom got a notification on her phone.

And the alert also showed up on the app’s notifications too.

Eventually the Iota will be adding more features like temperature sensors (to alert you if the Iota is above or below a certain temperature). Each iota is also weatherproof and submersible up to 3 feet.

A video posted by Ammo The Dachshund (@ammothedachshund) on Mar 11, 2016 at 9:49am PST

The Iota also has a cool little ring feature, so if you’re trying to find your dog (who’s maybe really good at playing hide-n-seek like me), you can just turn on the sound to find them quicker.

If you’d like to find out more about Iota you can check them out here, and you can even use code ammo4iota to save $15 off your order with them!

And now for the best part…

ONE WINNERS WILL WIN A HOME BASE & IOTA INTRO KIT!

Here’s HOW TO WIN:

No purchase necessary. To enter use the Rafflecopter widget below. You will be contacted via e-mail to claim your prize. All the winners will also be announced on this blog post once the giveaway ends. Open to USA & Canada readers only. Winners must claim their prizes within 48 hours of being notified or prize will be forfeited. By entering you are agreeing to the terms & conditions set forth in the Rafflecopter widget (see below).

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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GPS Pet Tracker To Keep Your Dog Safe + A Giveaway

Posted on August 25, 2015 by Ammo

Disclaimer: This post and giveaway is brought to you by Trax and does contain some affiliate links. All opinions are my own, and I only share products I think you and your pets will love.

You might remember that at the beginning of this year I started testing out a new GPS Pet Tracker on the market to keep pets (and anything else you want) safe called Trax.

This tiny little device that gets attached to my collar has changed the way I get to enjoy time on the farm. Not to mention it keeps my mom from worrying ALL THE TIME (She’s a bit dramatic if you ask me) about what I’m doing.

Now for those of you that are dachshund owners – this is a common scene I’m sure you know all too well. You trust “dachshund” to stay close, you unhook leash, dachshund takes off and pretends they can’t hear your frantic yelling, you chase dachshund down, you tie dachshund up again, no one is happy.

Now while a good recall is always a good idea, I (nor any dog) wants to listen all of the time (life is just too short for that), and being tied up 24/7 is just oh so sad. So enter the Trax GPS Tracker.

With this around my neck my mom feels better about letting me roam the farm (which is not fenced) because she can check in on me any time she wants. I’m happy because I don’t have to be tied up as much, and I still get to go on my coveted hunting excursions!

Mom sets up a “geo-fence” around the areas she would like me to stay and anytime I cross the invisible boundary she gets a text to notify her and can check in to see where I’m at using the free Trax mobile app.

And guess what, it even works underground! Thanks to Trax I’m able to enjoy my time outdoors without the restrictions of a leash. If you haven’t tried it, it’s heaven!

Mom even leaves my Trax on me when I’m home alone, and it’s kinda fun to check it later to see where exactly I traveled inside the house. Now while the farmhouse is still too new to show up on the aerial view of the map, you can sort of still decipher that I only traveled to check the side doors and to my dog bed while mom was gone.

A fun little tip for all you Trax wearers out there is that since Trax is only water resistant (not waterproof), mom slips mine into one of these tiny little bags before putting it on my collar to make sure it doesn’t ever get too wet on dewy mornings or rainy days.

Thanks Trax for helping set me free, and making sure I get to check EVERY SINGLE ONE of my ground hog holes!

My pal Minnow is thrilled that I can keep those pesky critters at bay so he has no scary holes to fall into when he’s playing in the pasture.

You can fetch your own Trax GPS Pet Tracker for $249 + 2 years of free service ($5/month for each additional year). Which is much cheaper than many of the comparable trackers we have researched.

Make sure you check out my full review from back in January with even more nifty features that are available when you purchase the Trax GPS Tracker.

And now for the best part….

ONE GRAND PRIZE WINNER WILL WIN A TRAX GPS TRACKER! ($249 value!)
TWO RUNNERS-UP WILL WIN A DISCOUNT CODE FOR TRAX + A TRAX SLEEP MASK!

Here’s HOW TO WIN:

No purchase necessary. To enter use the Rafflecopter widget below. You will be contacted via e-mail to claim your prize. All the winners will also be announced on this blog post once the giveaway ends. Open to WORLDWIDE residents. Winners must claim their prizes within 48 hours of being notified or prize will be forfeited. By entering you are agreeing to the terms & conditions set forth in the Rafflecopter widget (see below).

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Read our full Terms & Conditions for this giveaway.

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Trax Review – The Best GPS Tracker for Dogs

Posted on January 13, 2015 by Ammo

About a month ago my new friends over at Trax sent me one of their GPS Trackers to test out. Now if you’ve been reading my blog for quite some time, then you might know that I’ve had my eye on GPS Trackers for quite some time.

Paired with the free Trax app (available for apple and android users) using the Trax Tracker can help you keep a watchful eye on your pets and other loved ones.

My mom never quite pulled the trigger on getting me one because she hadn’t found just the right one – that is until Trax popped onto the market. Trax has a whole slew of features that make it stand out above the others that are available.

Trax comes with all the items you see here, which includes a handy case to attach to clothing and one to attach to your dog’s collar depending on how you plan to use it.

The usb cord charger plugs into a slot on the tracker and can be charged by plugging into any usb port you might have (computer, car charger that has a usb converter, etc).

Trax is water resistant, shockproof, stain resistant, and functions in weather -10 °C to +40 °C – but you can help protect it further from the elements by placing a piece of tape over the usb port to help keep out water.

Since I am a dog, I opted to slip mine into the dog collar silicone case, which then easily slides onto any dog collar. One of the things I like about Trax (above a lot of other trackers out there) is the size (approximately 2.2in x 1.5in x 0.4in), it’s one of the smallest on the market – which makes it perfect for even small dogs like me to wear.

Once turned on the Trax Tracker takes a few seconds to locate satellites in your area – especially the first time you start it up. The company does note that it’s quicker to locate them in a more rural setting then in a city setting (because of the tall buildings). For me it took no time at all to connect since I tested it out on the farm for the first time.

You can also share your Trax Tracker between multiple smart phones, so both mom and dad can be tracking me at all times.

One of the features my mom loved about Trax is the ability to set up Geofences. A Geofence is essentially a virtual safe zone for your dog. With Trax you can set up as many geofences as you like (while many of their competitors only offer the option for 1), and they can be any size and even any shape (doesn’t have to be a square or a circle even). With geofences enabled you can receive a text alert on your smart phone whenever your pet enters or exits those areas. You can even set up a schedule for when you want the geofences to be active (for example during the hours you are at work monday through friday).

Trax location updates depend on how fast the tracker is moving and they can be as frequent as every 3 second.

Trax is also working on adding proximity geofences where you can surround yourself with a dynamic digital fence that moves when you do. This would be great for when you walk your dog off leash as you’ll get a notification when he strays too far.

While tracking your dog you can open up the Trax app at anytime to get an idea of where your pet is. In fact one day while I was testing out Trax on the farm my mom heard me faintly barking in the distance. She popped open the Trax app and quickly located me near one of the horses’ pastures. She used the app to track me and found me lying on the ground with my legs caught inside of one of my jackets (the perils of short legs!). We had quite a good laugh after mom set me free, but I can tell you I was super thankful for Trax after that!

While I’ve always had free reign of the 20 acre farm, Trax has been great for my freedom – because now my mom doesn’t have to worry about where I am or what I’m getting into, because my location is always right at her fingertips.

Now while I always liked to keep my whereabouts on the farm a bit elusive – things are a little different now because with the Trax history view my mom can view my travels at any certain time throughout the day. My groundhog hunting trails are no longer a secret, drat.

Another neat feature in the Trax app is augmented reality view (AR), with this feature enabled you can use your smartphone’s built-in camera to locate and show the distance to your tracker. It will appear in the image on your phone once it’s pointed in the right direction of your tracker.

My mom also found a special use for the Trax Tracker when I’m out running errands with her. Trax has the ability to set up speed alerts. So if your dog were to start traveling over the speed limit you set, you would be notified via text alert on your phone. Mom tested out this feature while I was sitting outside in the parking lot during a quick errand – but not to worry, no one tried to kidnap me – and if they ever did my mom would HUNT THEM DOWN.

But it is nice to know I’m a little safer with speed alerts set up on my Trax Tracker. Although my mom did want to note it would be helpful if the text alerts displayed in miles instead of km.

When you purchase Trax, two years of data and service are included, therefore during these first two years there will be no monthly fee! After these two years, you will have the option to continue your usage on a monthly basis for a fee of $5.00 or 3.95 EUR per month. Compared to the other comprable GPS Trackers I investigated, Trax is able to offer the most affordable monthly rates out of any of them.

Battery life is also important when you are looking into GPS Trackers for your dog, and Trax comes with a rechargeable battery lasting 1 day depending on how active your child/dog is. Trax is constantly enhancing those figures in every firmware update. My battery has been lasting up to about 2 weeks when I use it 3 -5 times a week for about 3-4 hours at a time.

Now while I can’t say I’ve personally tried any of the other trackers on the market, I can say that I’m not sure how I’ll ever go back to not having one. I feel like I’ve entered the future! I highly recommend checking out the Trax GPS Tracker for your dog, you can fetch one for $249 from Trax.

Disclaimer: I received a Trax GPS Tracker in exchange for a review, but all opinions are entirely my own!

P.S. Don’t forget today is the last day to enter my giveaway for a Sleepypod Clickit Sport Harness & Yummy bowl!

Friday Fetch: Pet Trackers for Dogs

Posted on April 26, 2013 by Ammo

I spend a lot of my time on my family’s 20 acre horse farm and while I love roaming the open land, I admit, I do like to push the natural boundaries a bit. Our farm is not fenced for dogs (me and Trooper) and for the most part I usually don’t wander too far from the barn, well that is unless I get on the trail of a pesky groundhog.

Now while I am microchipped, and I wear identification tags (including my BlanketID tag) at all times, my mom always said she wished there was a way to track my where-abouts at all times. Enter GPS Trackers for dogs! Now while I haven’t tried any of these myself, I did round up a few promising prospects that perhaps someday I’ll get to take for a whirl.

RoamEO Pet Monitor System $179

By placing the battery chargeable GPS collar from RoamEO on your dog you can use their receiver to locate and track your dog should the need arise. Once it is able to locate your dog the receiver will light up with directional bars pointing you towards your pet. It will even tell you the distance your pet is from you.

My thoughts: The collar looks a bit bulky and their website says it’s meant for medium to large sized dogs, so I wonder if it would even work on smaller dogs. I do like that it only costs a one-time fee, and there is no annual subscription fee to use the tracker. It also wasn’t entirely clear on the website how far the gps can track your dog, it may be only 0.5 miles.

You can purchase the RoamEO HERE.

Garmin Astro $599

The Garmin Astro is a GPS-enabled tracking system for sporting dogs. Able to track your dog up to 9 miles, this unique system pinpoints your dog’s position and shows you exactly where he is. One GPS tracker can track up to 10 dogs and as often as every 5 seconds, your dog’s collar transmits his position to your handheld. You can see his current location and a trail of where he’s been on the map page of your handheld. Switch over to the Dog Tracker page to view a compass pointing to your dog’s location as well as his current status (stopped, walking, running). This system works with AA batteries.

My thoughts: While this model seems to be great at tracking dogs, it is more designed for hunting dogs when they are in the field – then locating a lost dog. I like that it has a map view which may make finding a dog a bit more convenient. It also only costs a one-time fee and does not require a monthly subscription plan.

You can purchase the Garmin Astro HERE.

Tagg Pet Tracker $100 (plus $7.95/month service)

Tagg is a pet tracking device that uses GPS and wireless technology to track your pet’s location. Using your computer or a mobile device Tagg will track your pet 24 hours a day. You can set up boundaries on their map, and whenever your dog strays from the zone the Tagg system will alert you via email or text message. You can also use Tagg to track your pet’s daily and long-term activity levels to stay on top of their health and exercise. The Tagg can easily be attached to any collar your dog owns and is fully rechargeable lasting up to 30 days. The Tagg system is not based on a range or distance from your home or docking station, and it will locate and track your pet anywhere in the United States where there is Verizon Wireless network coverage. The first 3 months of service is included with the Tagg Tracker and after that the service is $7.95/month. Additional costs apply to adding another dog to your subscription. This device is recommended for pets 10lbs or over (and can be used on cats too).

My thoughts: I really like that Tagg can locate your pet anywhere in the United States regardless of how far it is from the docking station or your home. It is also nice to be able to attach the tracker to any collar (so we can still be stylish). It’s unfortunate that there is a monthly subscription fee in addition to purchasing the pet tracker, but perhaps it’s well worth it to make sure your best friend never goes missing. I wonder how the map boundaries would work for a dog that spends time in multiple locations (like me who spends time on the family farm and at home in my own backyard) – it was unclear if you can add multiple locations to be notified if your dog leaves the area.

You can purchase the Tagg Pet Tracker HERE.

Pocket Finder $150 (plus $12.95/month service)

The PocketFinder GPS Pet Tracker turn virtually any sized collar or harness into a GPS dog collar. Simply attach the device to your dog’s collar and track them from the website or with the free apps for your smartphone. Similar to the Tagg Tracker, you can set unlimited “Geo-Fence” zones and receive alerts via email or text when your dog goes outside the zone. This rechargeable device allows you to instantly see the GPS location of your dog anytime, anywhere, with the greatest accuracy, to within a few feet of its physical location. You can even access up to 60 days of tracking history to ensure a dog walker does their job or your pet is active.

My thoughts: The website says it’s designed for dogs 20lbs or over, and the tracker device is about the size of an oreo – so it seems a bit bigger than it’s counterpart the tagg tracker. I do like how you can set up multiple zones to track your dog in, should they leave the area – and I’m not sure that the tagg can do this. The monthly service fee is a bit steeper than the comparable tagg.

You can purchase the PocketFinder HERE.

SpotLite 2.0 $120 (plus $12.99/month service)

SpotLite is able to locate your dog from anywhere at anytime using your cell phone, smart phone and/or computer. SpotLite comes with a unique “Rescue” button. If someone finds your lost dog, all he or she has to do is press the “Rescue” button and an emergency message with your dog’s location will be sent to you. Just like the Tagg and PocketFinder you can set up “SafeSpots” so when your dog strays outside the area you will receive a text or email message letting you know the current location of your dog. SpotLite also comes with the American Kennel Club Companion Animal Recovery (AKC CAR) support, which is available 24/7 to help you get your dog – or locate the home of a found dog enrolled in the program. Their tracking device attaches to your dog’s existing collar and is fully rechargeable.

My thoughts: Their website says the device can be used on any size dog, but they recommend 10lbs or over. I really like that this device works with the AKC CAR program, boasting to be the only GPS pet tracker on the market that offers this, which provides your pet with a unique id number and is available by phone 24/7, even giving you turn by turn directions should your pet go missing. The rescue button on the actual GPS unit is also a great bonus feature. I also like that you can set up multiple safespots (10 total) and activate up to 5 at a time. The monthly service fee is a bit higher, but it comes with a lot of extras that the other devices don’t have.

You can purchase SpotLite HERE.

I hope you enjoyed my round-up of GPS Pet Trackers. Perhaps I’ll get a chance to really test some of these out someday soon, but for now I’m just gathering up some research and deciding which one might be the best tracker for me and my lifestyle.

Any other pets out there test out some pet trackers? Which one’s were your favorite?