Fitbit collar band and app for dogs or pets

[beatyoursteps]

I work at an animal hospital & have been there for almost 16 years. Time after time you see dogs come in that are overweight, we prescribe a prescription diet and they are told to increase the dogs activity. Today I had a dog come in for doggie daycare to incorporate more activity into her daily routine and I thought how great it would be to have a fitbit flex collar & chip that would track the animals steps, calories lost, weight, food & water intake, etc. I have 6 dogs of my own and it is very important to me that they get enough exercise. I think it would make people more conscientious of their dog's health as well. Not everybody walks with their dogs, sometimes a petsitter/dog walker walks them, play at doggie daycare or an owner will take them to the beach and watch the dogs run or swim. The app can be specific for dogs, the steps are calculated differently and the way they burn calories, the food logging portion can have all major dog foods/treats so the owner could track that as well. You could sell different fitbit flex collar band prints. People love there animals and want them healthy sometimes more than their own selves. The pets could reach goals too! Then they could get a printed fitbit tennis ball, Frisbee, collapsable travel food/water bowl, leash, etc for accomplishing biannual goals.

Moderator Edit: Added Labels

[Bowie1]

This idea has been mentioned so many times (even by myself).

When will the creators of Fitbit tell us if they are going to produce a pet Fitbit?

[Rich_Laue]

Currently i think Fitbit is more geared to people than animals. 

It is not simply taking a tracker and placing a Fitbit on a dog, but both the online interface and the firmware will need to be changed .

[PatrickHobbs]

GPS could track you animal faster. The current embedded Vet  chip is fine,  if your pet is found by someone.  This is a better way. Your Pet can exercise with you.  PETBIT (PetBit) is a good idea. Bark! Bark! 

[LariVeldhouse]

I agree, I think Fitbit is missing an entire market here and thus far have been very disappointed in their response to my request for a doggie ‘Fitbit’ or better named ‘petbit’ as you suggested.  

[TheWrightClan]

Agreed, I suggested this idea several years ago and was directed to this
forum under the impression I would get a response?
I am not aware of any other avenues to explore, perhaps, as someone
suggested it’s worth doing independently?

[Frisko]

There are a bunch of companies in this dog activity tracker space now, from coin battery powered (4-6 month autonomy) as Xiaomi or Petkit or Pawbo, to USB charged as Fitbark or PitPat or Whistle Fit.

After few years equipped with a Fitbit Zip, my dog has now a Xiaomi Amazpet dog activity tracker (~$15 battery included).

For GPS there is Whistle for US or Tractive for Europe.

[TheWrightClan]

Many thanks for your response.

I’m aware that since this idea other companies has developed gps / trackers
etc but i can not understand why FitBit (as a leading brand name) haven’t
done the same?
With their revolutionary technology, ideas and brand power it would sale
far better and probably be the leading product in the market

[Frisko]

I've contacted their Business Development Manager 4 years ago to propose this "fork" of their development. She answered me they need to keep the focus of their small team on their human wellness target. As many startups focus is key to keep the trust of investors especially on this field competing with apple & co.

To work on dog, you need to have a user centric dog lover team. That's how companies like Whistle or Fitbark were born.

[MySami]

Fitbit just is so so behind on getting the technology out there on several great suggestions and ideas. 
Their CEO James Park likes hoarding onto a large stock pile of cash...For What? 
James Park simply let's the competition come in to do the job for him. The board of directors of the company needs to get rid of James Park.
Yes, Pitbit is a go idea. Maybe the board could spin-off the company into two...Fitbit and Petbit. 




Sent from my Sprint Samsung Galaxy Note8.

[Frisko]

Finally after testing a bunch of dog activity trackers I'm going for the Xiaomi dog tracker button on my dog collar for $15 (battery included, 4 month autonomy).

The blinking LED in the dark is a smart feature for evening walk along roads.

[HaliCityTempest]

Imagine, if you will, You are about to go on a walk. You have your leash in Hand, because your 🐱 or🐶 is coming with you. On your arm is the latest in Tech apparel. But, wait something is different this time. . . Thanks to advancements in Dog and Cat collar technology. Your app is no longer all about you, that collar you put on Your Dog/Cat today has allowed you to put your pets health into focus. No longer will you need to guess on when is the best time to walk your 4-legged friend. Now you have helpful notifications as a reminder. In addition to this is the best In Satellite GPS technology. Fear no more if your cat gets lost. With Location service always on with a dedicated connection. You can put your mind at ease. Petfit by Fitbit.

[YojanaFitbit]

Hey @HaliCityTempest! Thanks for sharing this suggestion, we add it to a similar ideas since it has more votes! The more votes and comments an idea has the more visibility and momentum it gains. You can also check this suggestion to give your vote: Fitbit To Find Lost Pets. Keen to hear what others think?

[SeleneD]

Hi!  @GershonSurge gave me this idea!  There should be a FitBit for dogs! I know there is already products like this, but I think it would be great for FitBit to do it!  For this FitBit it should track your dog's exercise, steps, and sleep! It would be very helpful to see how much sleep and exercise your dog is getting. And you should be able to put the FitBit on the dog's collar. But it should have a good latch so it will not fall off the dog, also it should be waterproof.

[YojanaFitbit]

 Hi @SeleneD, thanks for sharing this idea. And special thanks to @GershonSurge too. I've moved it into a similar suggestion which has a lot of votes. As the more votes and comments an idea has the more visibility and momentum it gains.

[Cynfranks]

I think this is a great idea. If it didn't track heart rate and sleep I would be fine with that. I would like to be able to see their route though. I run my dogs off-leash in a marsh and although they always come when called, sometimes we think they much farther away. It would be fun to see where they go.

It would be good if it functioned as a companion to my FitBit. Currently I use my old FitBit for this. I have not tried it in the marsh yet because I wasn't sure how to get it to work with my phone. The switching of accounts by logging in and logging out is a pain in the rear end. If you could log in and switch that would be great.

[TheWrightClan]

Thank you.
I maintain this is a great idea for several reasons and something FitBit
could really pioneer

[Frisko]

Frisko is testing for few months dog-designed activity tracker buttons. From right to left: Amazpet (Xiaomi), Animo (SurePetcare) and Whistle Fit. 

Beyond activity, rest and calories, the Animo is good at sleeping quality and also to detect itching/barking/head shaking after 2 weeks learning from your dog to alert you only for abnormal behavior.

[Rich_Laue]

@TheWrightClan you say that there are several reasons, but haven't really mentioned any in the post. 

Currently there are several trackers for dogs and one even gives the user real time tracking with its built in GPS and cellular network. 

[Darryl14]

I was out walking my huskies and realized that FitBit is probably the best and most logical company to come out with a new product that lets you track your dog/pet activity alongside your own.   

A few of the key pieces would include: 

1) A new small device that connects to the dogs collar for tracking

2) Ability to "link up" your pets fitbit to your own (like a walkie talkie kinda) so that if the pet gets away from you.. or leaves the house accidentally.. etc.. you can find him quickly within a certain radius based on your own fitbit.  This eliminates monthly tracking fees for bulky gps trackers and woudl be a natural extension to your product line.   OR... with a FitBit Platinum monthly subscription (something like that)...you can get gps features and more... so could help with a subscription service as well.  

3) My dogs are family too me... and like my best friends... so being able to see how we are all doing together would be fun and motivating.

4) People who walk their pets do so pretty regularly... which becomes habit/routine and ties directly to FitBit's goal of getting you out often and more consistently.  

5) Being able top track patterns / steps / mapped walks / etc would be good to know and look back on with your pets over time.  

6) Dog/cat/pet ads on TV/Youtube/etc are usually very uplifting and would tie amazingly well to your brand.. with lots of viral opportunities online too.  

7) I would guess the tech for the pet device would not be all that much different from your core devices... so it should make for a logical product line extension.  

😎 The brand visibility lift and new messaging would make for a great launch opportunity that should also lead to improved performance on your core products as well.   

Anyway... just friendly feedback from a big fan.   Keep up the amazing work guys.... love what you are doing. 

[AlexandraFitbit]

Hello @Darryl14 ! Thanks for sharing this suggestion, I moved it to this similar post so you can add your vote to it. Please keep sharing your ideas with us!

[keta180]

I’ve been an avid Fitbit user for some time now. Although I don’t have children, I always admired the Aces family Fitbit account idea. And it is the Aces family account that got me thinking- I know that I am getting enough steps per day, but is my dog? What if Fitbit made a step tracker for dogs that could be tied into the Fitbit family account section. Dog step goals could be based on criteria such as breed, weight, and age. I think this would encourage users to a. walk their dog more and b. be a fun way to encourage users to get more steps, not to mention this could lead to a healthier dog life! Just an idea! I think it would be really fun.

[LuciaFitbit]

Hi @keta180, thanks for taking the time to share your feedback with us. This feature suggestion already exists so I’ve moved your post here. Don't forget to add your vote!

[RynoElway]

My daughter has a recommendation for an update for virtual pets. In future updates would it be possible to design collars for virtual cards that people can personalize? Perhaps there could be a $.99 charge for this capability. Thank you for your consideration.

[YojanaFitbit]

Hi @RynoElway! Great suggestion, thanks for taking the time to share why you would like to see this option for pets. I've moved it into a similar suggestion. Hopefully we will have support from other users since more votes and comments an idea has the more visibility and momentum it gains.

[RynoElway]

Actually the post I submitted is not related to the collar band and app for dogs or pets. It's about the virtual pet watch face Fitbit already provides. My daughter wanted a way to personalize the collar on it. Thank you