This blog is about a comparison of dog trackers. The Garmin Alpha 200i, F2 Series 3, Traction Adventure, and Whistle Go. We spend over +150 days per year hiking with the dog and have extensive experience in keeping track of fido.
Our German Short haired Pointer, Addison, is the crown jewel of the family and she is a runner. Needless to say, we were curious, which tracking device works and why. So this comparison looks at what the trackers do when out on the trail in intervals. Not scientific, but good enough to give you a handle on how they keep tabs on your pup.
NOTE: We purchased all of these devices for this test and none of this was sponsored by any of the 4 hardware providers. This is an independent test. |
The Rundown of Dog Tracking Collars
Comparing these trackers to the Garmin Alpha 300i is like running a Formula 1 race car against a Toyota Camery. You're not driving an F1 car to work everyday. It's purpose built.
For the record, Addison wears a Fi everyday and Garmin when we go hiking.
Look at this test with the lens of how the trackers performed against the Garmin and probably the closest to that device is best.
None of the trackers were placed into 'Recovery Mode' or 'Live Tracking,' we where just seeing how frequently they check-in on the app and what they report back over a period of time.
By no means is this an extensive test, but I can tell you from what we've experienced with the Whistle over a 3 year period and switching over to Fi for about a year, it's pretty accurate.
All the Time Tracker | Purpose Built Tracking |
The Fi, Tractive, and Whistle are meant to be on your dogs collar all the time. They require cellular coverage to work and are really only real time tracking when you put the device into "recovery" mode (e.g., Fi calls it 'Live Tracking'.) | If you need a device that gets strapped to the dog when you go hiking and comes off when you leave the trail that provides pinpoint accuracy, go with the Garmin. If you need a device that doesn't need cellular coverage to work because most of your treks are off the grid, go Garmin. |
So how do each of these shape up with one another. And just because I have the Whistle listed below and talk about it, I don't believe that it's a tracker that can sit in the same sphere as the Fi or Tractive.
Fi, Tractive, Whistle: These trackers are essentially fitness trackers for you. They are using your phone's Bluetooth to connect with the dog tracker and assumes that your dog is by your side. Not for this test. And that's intentional, we wanted to see what the real world looks like with your dog running around.
Garmin: The Garmin Alpha 200i paired with the TT25 collar is going to give you the best real time tracking, it's down to a few seconds with GPS accuracy. There is no disputing that this is the real time tracker. The Whistle tracking was non-existent. Seriously, about 40 minutes into the hike, the device was still showing at the trailhead. You'll be able to tell, I am not a fan of Whistle. And when I tried to cancel my subscription with them noting the tracking, they gave me the run around. To date, no refund has been issued.
For this test, we let Addison have some freedom. And yes, she is fully trained by a professional, although the professional will argue that they trained me (us). Regardless, she is trained as hunting dog with near perfect recall and command control.
The Test: Garmin Alpha 200i (the Goliath) v. The Rest of Them
In the process of looking at all the options on the market, we decided to test 4 devices at the same time. You can thank Addison for letting us bolt 4 devices to her at once. She's a trooper.
What is the Baseline?
Addison is a bit of a runner. For this trek and to understand what the trackers should be doing, the Garmin Alpha 200i with the TT25 collar is the baseline. You can't beat the accuracy of the tracking of this device. In this trek, she did 6.29 miles and we did 2.46 miles.
What Does the Garmin Real Time Tracking Look Like?
As you can see, it's showing her move in seconds increments - exactly where she is at. I am a big fan of this device, it has literally tracked +3,000 miles of Addison's outdoor adventures. In 2021, she logged over 1,500 miles alone.
The Adventure by Turn: How Each Device Performed
This is where it gets interesting. Comical by many standard or at least comical for the Whistle's poor performance. For those of you that want the headline. The Fi is probably the 2nd best, next to the Garmin. The Tractive is excellent but was a little large. The Whistle is a train wreck, don't buy it. So let's go...
Starting at the Car
So far so good. Everyone is reporting that we are at the trailhead. From here forward, the Tractive and Fi are on par with us, the Whistle seems a bit lost.
1 | Turn#1
At the first fork, the Fi is right there connected to my bluetooth and surprisingly the Tractive was doing pretty good with showing some detail to where the dog was moving. The Whistle, still at the trailhead. Poor Whistle. It gets worse, actually much worse.
2 | Straight Away in the Gulch
So far so good, the Fi and Tractive are following along. We're seeing the Tractive showing some more detail with zig and zag, but none compare to the Garmin. Again, poor Whistle, it's still at the trailhead.
3 | Turn#2
Same report here, Garmin still more accurate by long shot, but the Fi and Tractive are close. The Whistle, still at the Trailhead. This is 32 minutes into the hike. 32 minutes!
4 | Turn#3
You should be seeing a pattern. Fi and Tractive along side of us. Whistle finally appeared, but no clue where it was and where we were. Garmin, spot on.
5 | Turn#4
Again, Garmin was on par. The Fi started to show some weird activity, but that's probably because it attached to my wife's phone and back to mine since we were a good 100 ft apart. The Tractive was spot on and the no surprise, the Whistle was back at Turn#2, maybe. This is laughable for the Whistle, a device that claims to be a "GPS tracker."
6 | Turn#5
Garmin, good. Tractive and Fi doing pretty good, but by this point, we noticed that the devices were just tracking us. The Whistle, still back at turn#2. Poor Whistle, you almost have to feel bad for the device.
7 | Back to the Trailhead
Garmin, Tractive, and Fi all good. And finally, the little engine that could - the Whistle appeared with us. So of the multiple checkpoints, it finally can put a point on the scoreboard.
Final Tracking Totals
The Garmin had Addison at 6.29 miles. The Fi at 4.21 miles, Tractive at 2.3 miles, and Whistle had no report. I still don't know why the Fi had 4.21 because they have clearly communicated to us that the device is tracked by the bluetooth on your device. Perhaps it tracked her running circles around us.
Our Verdict: Garmin v. The Rest
If you need real time tracking, go Garmin. Just know that the device is meant for limited use. Goes on the dog at the trailhead, off when you get back.
If you need something that has some level of tracking and great notification when the dog leaves home, go with the Fi. They have great customer service too.
The Tractive is big but functions similar to the Fi. If you have a big dog, then it probably doesn't matter as much. They also had great customer service. I give them a thumbs up.
The Whistle is probably still reporting that Addison is at the trailhead. Don't buy a Whistle. Plus not the first time I have had customer service issues with Whistle and really why we did this test. Since they switched from Tagg to Whistle and appear to be owned by a subsidary of Mars Pet Products. To us, they have fallen off a cliff and shifted focus to health of the dog. The subsidary is a pet health company, so it would make sense that they are focused less on the tracking features and more on if you pet is licking and sleeping.
We hope this helps.