Tractive GPS for Dogs and Cats Reviews

by Former Fan *

I do not live in a remote area. Just 70 miles fromthe St Louis airport. Cellphones and other devices work very well here.
I have 3 tractive devices and only 1 of them works.
There is no customer service you can reach by phone, which is heartbreaking when the devices once again do not work on a runaway dog and you need fast help. There are endless emails going back and forth with days and days delay, blaming the reception in my area and not the two faulty devices. Ridiculous statements , considering that one of them does works u der the exact same circumstance.
They replaced one of the devices and that one is even worse, it never works. Also it was not new in a neat box. But in a ziplock baggy. Without a doubt returned, because it has charging issues to boot. No matter how often i explain this to the manager Amy, she keeps repeating the same connectivity sermon, totally ignoring that one of the devices works.
When they work, they are fantastic. But boy they are very fickle indeed.

by TeryeA

Developer response state that it’s (and I’m using their exact words, grammatical errors included) “normal for the tracker is not connect in the house, and the walls and roof will be interfering with the signal”.
This isn’t true at ALL. When I first got this tracker a few months ago, one of its handiest features was being able to locate my cat inside our big farmhouse . He gets in the attic over our garage, our basement. The tracker USED to have a “getting closer” feature with sort of a build-eye image with each outer circle going solid as you got closer to the tracker. That feature worked just fine even “…in the house and walls…”
FURTHERMORE it USED to tell you how many feet away you were from the tracker within a few feet at which point it would indicate “Nearby”. NOW it doesn’t do that inside OR outside.
My BIGGEST BEEF with this device is when I first got it and started using it, it was great. It worked really well. Several updates later, it is no longer the device I purchased.
And WHY in the name of God can’t this tracker stay charged for mor than 24 hours? Fitness trackers , Fitbit eg, can hold a charge for several days to a week.

by AlphaMiker

Continue to have problems with this Tracker and app. My problem is it takes 30 minutes or more for to leave power saver mode what’s my dogs run away and left the virtual fence.

I’ve open multiple support cases there’s no one you can call the only way to get a hold of him is via email that you not respond in a timely fashion the dogs went off three times all three times of not able to even find him I have to wait till he comes back which is the whole reason why I bought the $35 unit and paid $150 a year for the services

1st Helpdesk ticket - they responded a week and a half later said sorry we took so long let us know if you’re still having a problem and close the ticket.

2nd ticket -they told me we need to update the software on your dog tracker all you need to do is make sure that it’s in plain site of the sky so I’ll get it update make sure you put it in live mode for 10 to 15 minutes and that will update it.. have to try that for a day it never worked so I decided to go ahead and take it for a drive and get it out of the power saver mode at least then I can put it in live mode. Drove around for 30 minutes each time having to reset the live mode because it’s only on for 10 minutes never received an update and still have the same problem.

3rd ticket no response yet I’m definitely at the point where I have buyers regret.

by Tina&Loki

I love my Tracker gps. We moved to the country and having an invisible fence was our only option. All of our dogs are off leashed trained but the occasional husky exploration occurs. This gadget had given me peace of mind knowing my dog is where he should be even if I’m in another state. The clasp to attach to the collar hasn’t been the greatest (I’ve found it laying in the yard with the gps numerous times) but have found a bag to hold it to his collar. We turn it on every morning and have to charge it every other day to keep the battery alive. I have also noticed it likes to give me notices that my dog is out of the “fence” when he is really laying on my back porch. That’s ok with me! I’d rather be alerted falsely to make me go check on him instead of never receiving a message at all in the act that he does run off somewheres. I have also noticed that the turning on and off sound feature has stopped working (gps still works) and has recently having a white light appear with the red one. I have contacted customer service and am waiting for their reply. Hopefully it’s an easy fix or the extra insurance covers it! I’d hate to not have it working in case someone decides to take an afternoon run away from mom day!

by Idegbaj

I’ve been using a tracker for one of my cats for a month now and it works fine for the most part. The design and materials used for the collar are sturdy enough although wigs other similar objects can scratch it easily. I have two issues the first being location history and overall accuracy. Now I understand this could be dependent on the country and location but sometimes there are spots on the heatmap that are way off not just a few meters but like the other side of the city. I know there’s no way my cat had been there since he doesn’t even leave the street he rarely wanders and the next minute it shows he’s back in the garden. Maybe the connection is weak or the tower has issues but fortunately real time tracking works fine.

The other problem I had is the fact that I already had to ask for a replacement tracker. Unfortunately the collar or my cat got caught in something and instead of breaking away at the breakaway strip it came apart between the battery and the tracker so of course I couldn’t find it even though I spent half a day searching the last known location. So yes it does what it says and I like the activity monitoring feature but there definitely things that could be worked on.

by Sarah ~ Spencer

TractiveGPS definitely helps to keep tab on pets but we also need to track our love ones and family members the work of such tracking apps is usually limited because it is specifically for pets. When you see signs of infidelity, your immediate reaction may be to confront your partner, but confronting your partner directly about how you feel, may not be the best idea without strong evidence. And if you need evidence reach out to an investigator. I started suspecting my spouse having extra marital affairs with younger folks he lied that nothing is happening when I confronted him. so I had to do some underground research to bring solid proof to the table. The next time he did it again, he was probably begin to be more careful and secretive with everything he does to prevent me from discovering the truth. I didn’t go on immediately accusing him without facts. I was prepared and emotionally ready with strong evidence before I bring it up. However, some people are very good at disguising and masking the truth, so make sure you are also doing your due diligence and research, to find out what’s really happening on your spouse phone, fb messenger, instagram chats, WhatsApp, voice calls, video calls, text messages etc. contact Jack on his gmail at ‘ hackerdon1001’@gmailcom ‘ ... he is a professional hacker, deal with any hacking and tracking related issues.

by K.K. T.

I adore the tracker in almost every respect. Overall, I’d give it a 5 if and you could pay by month rather than for set number of years in advance, and the accuracy was just a tad better. For instance, I ran to put shoes on and get car keys because my cat was way outside of his fence. Just to be sure it wasn’t thrown off by being indoors, I checked my deck. Lo and behold my cat was napping there. Aside from that, it’s very accurate outdoors, and they warn you on the paperwork that being indoors could throw it off. In terms of ease of use, 5/5 my baby niece could use it. I love the notifications when my cat is out of the fence, I live in town and on a fairly busy street and worry about him being stolen/hit by a car. I’d tried just letting him out on a harness for a walk, but he hates the constraints so I bought this.
Since a breakaway collar risks losing the tracker, or a normal collar risks choking my cat, I attach the tracker to a harness and just remove it when he’s indoors! He loves it and comes home with ease, or I can just find him and bring him in using live tracking.

by 2882717

I really like the Tractive app it works very well, although I wish the battery would last longer than 48 hours.😀
The Things I wish were different are: the collar clip- it can be difficult with a wiggly dog, there are easier designs out there. I also have sewn little zippered “sleeves” that I slip on my dogs’ collars to hold the tracker in place. Sure they are insured, but replacing is a issue I don’t need.
The tracking mechanism is spot on for locating the dogs, only off occasionally during inclement or very cold weather—of course those are the most important times to track so you know the babies are safe. I have farm dogs who free roam 100 + acres and sometimes ya just want to know where they are!!!
I also wish there was an 800 number for quick issues.. currently everything must be handled via email, which is ok BUT takes at least 24-48 hours for a reply, and if my dog is missing, I need help NOW not when y’all get around to it!!!! Please change that if you can!!!
All in all a good product/good purchase.

by Gallito Girl

So far I’m satisfied with this. My dog hasn’t gotten lost, but we are traveling in an RV and she has been getting in and out at rest stops, gas stations, and strange RV parks and it is reassuring to know that if she got loose I would have a chance of finding her. Let’s be realistic - nothing keeps your dog safer than a leash and an attentive owner. But mistakes happen and this seems to be a good safety net. I saw some complaints about the attachment system. Here’s what I’ve learned - 1. only try to attach to one thickness of your dog’s collar. If your dog’s collar has two laps of cloth, slip the attachment under only the top layer. Otherwise the attachment will seem ok but will fall off easily. If you get it properly attached it stays securely. 2. Figure out how to position the attachment device and the tracker first, before you start wresting with your dog. Or take the collar off so you can work more easily. It seems like the attachment clip and the tracker have to be positioned exactly so, and then when you hear a little click it is on securely. 3. I haven’t used it in live mode much, but even in the regular mode it seems pretty darn accurate. And probably the battery lasts longer, although we are still recharging it nightly.

by Egoinahikk

Our Podengo escaped through an open gate Sunday but she had her Tractiv device on, no problem. At one point we lost coverage in a valley where the cell coverage was lost and we had to return into the service area with the Tractive app on my husband’s cell phone, so he had to stay within the service area with the Tractive app on his phone while I took mine in the car and tracked her down from his directions. It was like a treasure hunt. She had traveled 2 miles in fifteen mins into the hills and woods. I was able to recall her once she was within sight. Gives me peace of mind that I can find her anytime. I keep it on her collar all the time except to charge it at night when I take her collar off. It goes back on her first thing in the morning.

by DcWonderWoman

I have a Yorkie that, every so often, will either bolt out the door or crawl out from a small hole on my deck and roam the neighborhood. I’ve used the cheap trackers in the past and always ended up chunking them in the trash because they either didn’t work at all or they’d beep all the dang time. A few months ago I started searching for a good tracker and came across Tractive. I debated on it for a good while, read all the reviews and questions, and finally decided to get it. From day one it’s worked awesome! We haven’t had a neighborhood roamer yet, but I have no doubt when it happens I’ll be able to find him and get him back home quickly.

by Shg3847

Works very well for my beagle/Corgi mix. Live tracking and standard location are wonderful features and tie in nicely with my iPhone. The activity feature is a nice touch, as I do want to keep Bella’s weight down. I haven’t tried the virtual fence as yet but I expect to set it up in the next few days. The tracker depends on a good cellular reception, without which it does not work, as was the case recently in VT, where we have a summer cottage. I will be trying a different network, which had direct service as opposed to roaming. Make sure you have good cellular service, as that is essential. The device is very light weight and fits nicely on her collar. She will be wearing it all the time, except at night, when it is recharging .

by Jessica JEllen

I’ve been looking for years for a good GPS tracker for my indoor/outdoor cat. This is exactly what we wanted —actually designed with pets in mind. It doesn’t bother her to wear it and it’s easy to take on and off and charge. I love the virtual fence option and the fact that I can see where she’s been throughout the day. The live tracking option works great, too! I am able to track her down to the exact location. TractiveGPS works really well. I’m so thrilled that I have an idea of where she is at all times. It brings me so much peace of mind and I love knowing that if she doesn’t come inside when I call her, I can always track down her exact location and go get here. Seriously, this is worth every penny.

by SFvet18F40

Been using Tractive for almost two years now, with adventuresome German Shepherd puppy. Very impressed with strong commitment by development team to continually improving firmware. I train backcountry Search and Rescue dogs; Tractive will be a big help.

We measured battery life in hours when first purchased, needed to limit live tracking to a few minutes at a time and charge tracker every night. But firmware improvements have steadily improved battery life. We can go 3 days on a charge if not being highly active although I usually charge every other night. Only takes a few hours to charge.

Overall product support has been impressive. Puppy chewed up the rubber collar attachment and Tractive sent us another in two days.

by Body Builder 30

I was a bit hesitant about buying this tracker due to some of the reviews that I saw about battery life but I’m glad that I still bought this! TractiveGPS is well done. I love the live tracking functionality. I don’t need to charge the collar every night like I previously thought. I’ve had the collar for about 2 weeks now and it’s only at 50% charge. I’ve yet to recharge it. I’m sure the batter would drain faster if it wasn’t connected to my wife as often but this is exactly what I wanted from a tracking collar. I get updates if her were to leave the designated area, I don’t have to charge daily, I get live tracking, easy to navigate app and reasonable pricing. The only downside is that I wish the attachment to the collar mechanism allowed for expansion to accommodate a 1.5-2.0 inch collar

by Celestejewel25

Our Great Dane snickers wanders all over our property. We have 65 acres and he is constantly gone throughout the day. Now we can see exactly what addresses he stops at and can locate him immediately. It also has a nice feature where you can click sound on and it makes a little high pitch sound where we are trying to correlate that with “come home” so every time he hears the sound he comes home and gets a treat or it’s dinner time. You can also find him in the dark, it has a nifty little light you can activate from your phone. The satellite feature is neat where you can see exactly with a blue line where he goes and heat spots of where he hung out for a longer period of time. I definitely recommend this if you have a dog that gets out constantly and you need to know where he is.

by Iowa Corn

Been a week now and no major surprises from people’s positive reviews and not one negative review from others.
Purchased the 2 year plan and that seemed to fit our budget so we are locked in for 2 years. The battery is very similar to charging a cell phone that I can see. So no big issue with battery. I really like the activity feature and the goals you can set. For added security of it coming off the collar using white duct tape about inch wide on the white GPS housing. Don’t even see it. Blends in with the white hair.
My only gripe is the bluetooth is a hit and miss and more miss than hit inside the 1800 sf home.
Would like to see easy access from TractiveGPS to set alarms from a ding to sirens if my dog gets out beyond the fence or worse dog napped.
If they upgrade the bluetooth and alarm settings I will come back and give 5 stars.

by Luftpause

I use this to track my cat and it helps me SO MUCH. She was not returning for days at a time and I worried that she was at someone else’s house. After checking the tracker, I can go find her in the neighborhood, before the battery runs out. The battery lasts for two days. I like the satellite feature, so I can see the exact place she is at. I like seeing her history, and also that there is AR, a heat sensor, and the flashing light helps if it is dark and I can’t find her. I post screen caps to my Facebook friends so they can see how many miles my cat traveled and we all giggle about it. I would like for there to be a collar for cats, because the tracker can fall off and then I go and retrieve it. TractiveGPS works great. I love it and check it all day. I would post photos, but I can’t do that in this review. I like that I can see how much battery is left from TractiveGPS , so I know to look for her and charge it again.

by Ileparis

My cat has been been using this tracker for several months and I love it! I can track her down to the exact bush she is hiding behind. It gives me a lot of peace of mind and is also kind of fun to see where she is.
My cat is small (only 8 lbs) so the tracker is a little big, but it has never bothered her at all. The battery life is good…I check it every time she goes out to be sure there is enough to let her out. I love the new finder function and the camera locator functions.
Every once in a while TractiveGPS doesn’t connect. I’m not sure if that is a connectivity issue on my end. It eventually will though, but thankfully it’s not often.
The only thing I would change is to have the tracker smaller for cat and a louder ping when it is activated, but I’m guessing there are battery issues with a smaller tracker and a loud ping would potentially freak out the cat or dog.
I would highly recommend this tracker for cats and dogs.

by Ukulele-Bug

I am so thrilled to have finally found a product that I can use to track my cats in real time! Each spring for the past three years, when my two cats get spring fever and constantly barge the door whenever it’s opened, I feel sick to my stomach I may never see them again! So I began looking for something like this but three years ago, while I believe you may have been around, I’m thinking you were new and not a life of reviews just. So I waited . Last year, you were leader of the pack with reviews but if I recall, not as consistent as I would have liked, plus, I was concerned the GPS tracker might be a bit cumbersome for my one cat. What a difference a year makes! Congratulations on such consistently positive reviews! Those reviews prompted me to just place my order for two to place on my cats!!!! I’m so thrilled that I will finally have the piece of mind I’m looking for when they escape on me. Thanks for providing such a fantastic service for all us pet lovers! I’ll be sure to update my review once I receive product and activate my subscription!
H. R. aka “Bugs Mom”

by J5thwheel

I just love the indicators for distance and direction to Marcella. That’s been more useful than the map.
I wish live tracking would work more reliably. I tap it and it spins for maybe minute then gives up. I sometimes have to tap it 3 or four times before it will start live trading. There is no indication of whether it’s the cellular or GPS connection that’s not working. Quite often when this is happening my phone shows a.strong Verizon signal.

by Beachboyhhi

I used the tracker for the first time today as my wife walked Dusty around the block. Using the Live Tracking feature, I could see every time they stopped, even which side of the street they were on. Accuracy seemed to be about +/- 30’. The biggest problem seems that you cannot adjust the virtual fence close enough. Dusty can easily climb our 4’ fence. She would be several houses away before the virtual fence would alert. At least I can get in the car and track her down.

by CH US BBC Fan

I’m in the US and my husband and Henry (the cat) are in Switzerland. The peace of mind this device brings is enormous. The low battery warning is quite good. I check regularly and send screen shots as reminders. 😑 It’s not clear to me why I’m off one house number. (Admin set-up = correct) Henry lives at #24 and the tracker address says #25, which is across the street. Still, I can see from the map that he is home. This system ought to be made mandatory, although not sure how. If you don’t want to know, don’t look, but keep battery charged and collar on just in case. Tractive’s accuracy, in our experience, is perfect.

by Mountain MoJo . . .

Charge every night it works everyday.... If I have to have it on her at night no problem charge last over 24 hrs if I don’t hit track all the time... Charge ruthenium just like a cell phone... I don’t trust the collar clip though.... I put a narrow strip of black duct type around the clip and gps every morning to make sure she does not scratch it and pull gps out of clip.... did not tape it once and I later found the gps on the road and a car ran over it... Big dogs... tape it on... the gps is worth a little time and duct tape... thinking about using them on my horses when I pack in the mountains.....

by Wudkutter

Able to see exactly where the dogs are when they leave. Saves a lot of time because I know where to go to look. We live in the country and they can disappear in in a minute. Used it twice in the first two days. Wish I could set a tone alert when they leave the fence as they can cover a lot of ground before I see the notice. We will see how well the collar clips hold up. Have to remove from collar to charge. So far it functions quite well.

by Vince Tibbetts

Dont wait till its too late and your pet is lost or gone. This device is priceless. I now know where my dog is anytime. Their app is very simple to use to track your pet. I get a text telling me if he’s left an area that I’ve set the parameters. Tractive Customer Service Team is top notch, they will make sure to resolve any issue you may have. If you love your pet, this device can/will save you much heartache

by AlyyyyyyB

I bought this gps after my dog was stolen & then returned. After the incident I knew that I needed a device like this for him since he sneaks off and runs around the neighborhood (we live in a rural area by the beach) and I can’t go out looking for him all the time, being able to check up on him and get notifications if he goes out of bounds gives me great peace of mind. Thank you so much Tractive❤️.

by Blazarofski

Have been using TractiveGPS and product for a little over a year now. Works great (the GPS isn’t real-time but close enough to keep track of my curious Shiba Inu) and the augmented reality feature is really cool.

The clip I had that attached the device to the dog collar broke, and Paula from their customer support was more than helpful in helping me find a replacement part.