When we help our dogs be healthy, we’re more likely to achieve our own goals.
FitBark is a new way of understanding your dog’s health and making better decisions regarding living an active lifestyle. You can also share memorable moments with friends and family via the free App.
Even for the technically challenged, we found the set-up process could not be any easier…
Setting up your new FitBark
1. Fix the FitBark onto your dog's collar
Additional details regarding your dog’s gender, age, weight, breed, whether he/she is neutered or not and existing medical conditions will help determine his individual optimal exercise requirements.
4. Share your dog profile with other users
You simply tap on your dog's name in the home screen and then tap on the "i" information icon to access your dog's profile. Scroll to the bottom, tap on "Add User" and fill out the invitee's details.
How it works
Your dog’s FitBark is an activity monitor but unlike a human FitBit it will not track how many kms your dog has walked or how many calories he has consumed.
It will measure “BarkPoints” (activity counts) which are a rather “pure” unit of measurement (developed in line with best veterinarian practices). Each dog through his or her FitBark is anonymously contributing health data that helps other dogs and their owners. Within this framework, the default goal is currently calibrated on an averagely active dog.
The more our dog Conner moved, the more points he collected. He got no points (or very few points) for resting.
Each minute of Conner's daily life was allocated into one of three buckets (rest, active and play). You can think of “rest” as your dog sleeping, “active” as your dog moving slowly, and “play” as your dog walking or running. A tug-of-war with his brother burns a lot of BarkPoints!
FitBark fetches (or collects) data 24/7 and syncs whenever your dog is within the Bluetooth (low energy) range of an authorised Smartphone or the optional Wi-Fi Base Station (this sends a live feed to your phone even when you're away from your dog). Indoors, this range equates to a couple of rooms, whereas outdoors you should be able to sync from a distance of at least 15-30 metres.
FitBark stores activity information in its memory for up to 4 weeks before its internal memory fills up if you have forgotten to sync regularly.
With our dog suffering from the occasional seizure, we did query if there was any potential issue with him wearing an electronics device so close to his body.
The answer from the manufacturer is that FitBark emits less than 1/10,000th the amount of radiation from a cell phone and a fraction of what we may experience from a Bluetooth headset and we have not experienced any issues at home.
What we liked
It will work on dogs of any breed, size and weight. The FitBark device is so light that our dog never even noticed its presence which was great as I half expected him to start scratching vigorously and lose the device prior to writing our review….
The battery lasted 9-10 days between charges as promised.
FitBark’s waterproof specification is IPX7 (up to 1 metre and 30 minutes) so there’s no need to remove it from your dog’s collar before a quick dip in the pool or at the beach which is perfect for our Australian climate. Just make sure that the rubber cap at the back - which protects the USB connection -is securely closed.
Contrary to other systems, it will work worldwide and there are no monthly fees.
What we felt could be improved
They currently only support collars not wider than 3 cms, so if you have a large breed and like wide collars, this may not work for you.
When you wrap the elastic band around the collar, pull the FitBark away about 2cms until you hear two "clicks". This ensures that you have secured your FitBark correctly.
2. Fully charge your FitBark
Plug your FitBark into the micro USB connector provided and charge on your computer for 90 minutes. There's no need to remove the FitBark from the collar. A battery charge should last anywhere between one and two weeks but we found 9-10 days was the average.
3. Download the free App
Plug your FitBark into the micro USB connector provided and charge on your computer for 90 minutes. There's no need to remove the FitBark from the collar. A battery charge should last anywhere between one and two weeks but we found 9-10 days was the average.
3. Download the free App
You will need to set up your Personal User Profile - you will receive an introductory video and some daily tips to get you started - and this only takes a minute.
Then you will create your dog’s profile including a picture (you can take a new one or use one saved on your phone) and his/her name for social sharing purposes.
Additional details regarding your dog’s gender, age, weight, breed, whether he/she is neutered or not and existing medical conditions will help determine his individual optimal exercise requirements.
4. Share your dog profile with other users
Providing you know someone who also owns a FitBark, you could invite another user (dog owner, friend or veterinarian) to follow your dog and create journal posts.
You simply tap on your dog's name in the home screen and then tap on the "i" information icon to access your dog's profile. Scroll to the bottom, tap on "Add User" and fill out the invitee's details.
Your dog’s FitBark is an activity monitor but unlike a human FitBit it will not track how many kms your dog has walked or how many calories he has consumed.
It will measure “BarkPoints” (activity counts) which are a rather “pure” unit of measurement (developed in line with best veterinarian practices). Each dog through his or her FitBark is anonymously contributing health data that helps other dogs and their owners. Within this framework, the default goal is currently calibrated on an averagely active dog.
The more our dog Conner moved, the more points he collected. He got no points (or very few points) for resting.
Each minute of Conner's daily life was allocated into one of three buckets (rest, active and play). You can think of “rest” as your dog sleeping, “active” as your dog moving slowly, and “play” as your dog walking or running. A tug-of-war with his brother burns a lot of BarkPoints!
FitBark fetches (or collects) data 24/7 and syncs whenever your dog is within the Bluetooth (low energy) range of an authorised Smartphone or the optional Wi-Fi Base Station (this sends a live feed to your phone even when you're away from your dog). Indoors, this range equates to a couple of rooms, whereas outdoors you should be able to sync from a distance of at least 15-30 metres.
FitBark stores activity information in its memory for up to 4 weeks before its internal memory fills up if you have forgotten to sync regularly.
With our dog suffering from the occasional seizure, we did query if there was any potential issue with him wearing an electronics device so close to his body.
The answer from the manufacturer is that FitBark emits less than 1/10,000th the amount of radiation from a cell phone and a fraction of what we may experience from a Bluetooth headset and we have not experienced any issues at home.
What we liked
It will work on dogs of any breed, size and weight. The FitBark device is so light that our dog never even noticed its presence which was great as I half expected him to start scratching vigorously and lose the device prior to writing our review….
The battery lasted 9-10 days between charges as promised.
FitBark’s waterproof specification is IPX7 (up to 1 metre and 30 minutes) so there’s no need to remove it from your dog’s collar before a quick dip in the pool or at the beach which is perfect for our Australian climate. Just make sure that the rubber cap at the back - which protects the USB connection -is securely closed.
Contrary to other systems, it will work worldwide and there are no monthly fees.
What we felt could be improved
They currently only support collars not wider than 3 cms, so if you have a large breed and like wide collars, this may not work for you.
We were initially disappointed by the depth of data available as we could not see how you could start tracking Conner's medium or long term health trends …
Maybe reading all the instructions first would have helped. You can tap the centre of the activity dial and this will open a new view compiling all data over the past week.
You can use the slider to review your dog’s daily history (just like MyFitness Pal for humans) or if your dog is overweight and you’d like to increase his daily activity target, you can set a new level in the activity dial.
If you really want to drill into the minutiae's of your dog's day, you can review his hourly activity and sleep data. Simply tap on any the 24 hours on the edge of the dial and it will open a new visualisation.
FitBark Explore is a brand new interface and a first-of-its-kind open source data hub for canine health. New features will allow you to monitor your dog's fitness next to yours by linking to your Fitbit. You will also be able to search your country to see how Australia ranks in terms of dog activity etc.
If you really want to drill into the minutiae's of your dog's day, you can review his hourly activity and sleep data. Simply tap on any the 24 hours on the edge of the dial and it will open a new visualisation.
FitBark Explore is a brand new interface and a first-of-its-kind open source data hub for canine health. New features will allow you to monitor your dog's fitness next to yours by linking to your Fitbit. You will also be able to search your country to see how Australia ranks in terms of dog activity etc.
Technical Specs
RRP: US $99.95 (includes free shipping worldwide)
FitBark also offer a 45-day return policy and a 1-year limited product warranty.
For all the details, visit www.fitbark.com
- Weight: 8 grams
- Dimensions: 41 x 28 x 11 mm (curved design)
- Compatible with both iOS (Bluetooth 4.0 running iOS 8 and above) and Android (Bluetooth 4.0 running Android 4.3 and above).
- Available in 5 colours: Blue, Grey, Red, Pink, Green
RRP: US $99.95 (includes free shipping worldwide)
FitBark also offer a 45-day return policy and a 1-year limited product warranty.
For all the details, visit www.fitbark.com
