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Australian Dog Lover
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So when UK company Sure Petcare released the Animo activity tracker and behaviour monitor for dogs late last year, we were very keen to put this tracker and free app to the test as we hoped to have a bit more time over the summer break for extended walks.
Animo aims to deliver to pet owners insights into their dog’s daily activity and sleep patterns, as well alert them to potential problem behaviours such as shaking, scratching and barking. Used as a lifelong tool, you will understand the changing needs of your pet over their lifetime, enabling a more personalised and pro-active approach to pet care.
The Animo Set-up - What's in the Box?
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| Animo box includes Monitor / Lithium Battery, Collar mounting ring, Silicone bands and Quick Start Guide |
Worn on a dog’s collar, Animo comes with three different sized attachment bands, to suit dog collars of all sizes (12mm up to 30mm in width). Aramis' collar is standard and we found the second ring (15mm-20mm) was our best option to secure the Animo tracker. Just a note that you need to ensure your Animo Monitor is positioned upright and perpendicular (paw sign up) otherwise it won't record any data however the app will let you know if you get it wrong!
At only 22g, Animo is very lightweight so our dog never took any notice of it being there. It sits flat against her collar and thanks to the collar mounting ring special “twist and lock” fitting, it has never moved once despite lots of rumbles with her sibling. Our favourite feature is that it operates using a standard coin cell battery which lasts for six months so there's no need for regularly charging.
Animo connects to the free Sure Petcare – Animo app - available for download from the App Store or Google Play - via Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE). The recorded data will be kept in memory for up to 3 weeks but again the app will send you a friendly reminder to sync after 48 hours just in case.
Animo's Key Features
#4. Behaviour Tracking: Notice changes in behaviour such as increased barking, scratching or shaking.
From the moment Animo was attached to Aramis' collar, its suite of algorithms started learning her unique patterns of movement however this part of the app is still in Beta testing. Based on the data recorded over the past month, we couldn't see any significant changes that would be of concern.
#5. Connect with family and friends: Animo can be synced by any member of your app household and owners can share access to the app with their friends and family.
Pros & Cons
After continuous use over the past 6 weeks, we give the Animo dog activity monitor the thumbs up for doing exactly what it promises to do! Data has been successfully recorded every day and the syncing process is always smooth.
If your dog is battling the bulge (or you just want to improve their overall fitness), this is certainly a great tool to keep accurate records for your vet and based on our personal experience, it is also a very motivational tool!
A major improvement would be for the tracker to also record steps / distances walked or run - especially when you trial a new hike - and not just the calories burnt.
Sure Petcare app
The Sure Petcare app - Animo is available for free download on the App Store (iOS 9 or later) and Google Play (Android 4.4 or later). Desktop requirements: latest version of Safari, Chrome, Firefox or Internet Explorer on Mac OS X v10.9 or later and Windows 7 or later.
Technical Specifications
Price & Where to Buy
Animo connects to the free Sure Petcare – Animo app - available for download from the App Store or Google Play - via Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE). The recorded data will be kept in memory for up to 3 weeks but again the app will send you a friendly reminder to sync after 48 hours just in case.
Animo's Key Features
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| Tap each circle on the dashboard to see detailed data on your Dog's Activity & Calories Burnt |
#1. Activity: Set and monitor daily activity goals, check last walked time and view activity reports by day, week, month and year.
Ensuring your dog exercises sufficiently for their age, breed and fitness level is probably the main reason why you'd want this Activity Tracker. Animo accurately recorded the time and duration of all our walks and also distinguished between a sedate pace, a jog and a run - not much of that during the recent heatwave! Once the monitor has acquired data over a week-10 days, it will set goals for both (daily) active time / calories burnt (indicated by the yellow line) and you'll receive a gold star for your daily achievements!
Ensuring your dog exercises sufficiently for their age, breed and fitness level is probably the main reason why you'd want this Activity Tracker. Animo accurately recorded the time and duration of all our walks and also distinguished between a sedate pace, a jog and a run - not much of that during the recent heatwave! Once the monitor has acquired data over a week-10 days, it will set goals for both (daily) active time / calories burnt (indicated by the yellow line) and you'll receive a gold star for your daily achievements!
#2. Sleep Quality: Hour-by-hour sleep quality report throughout the night; a poor night’s sleep can be an indication of stress, discomfort or illness.
Aramis sleep records ranged between 91/100 (her lowest when she had to listen to us coughing throughout the night but she still scored 98/100 on hot Sydney summer nights) so anything under 90/100 for her would be a cause for concern.
Aramis sleep records ranged between 91/100 (her lowest when she had to listen to us coughing throughout the night but she still scored 98/100 on hot Sydney summer nights) so anything under 90/100 for her would be a cause for concern.
#3. Calories: Tracks the calories burnt by your dog comparing this to a recommended daily target based on their breed, age and weight.
We found that a 90 min walk combined with her daily routine (following us around the house and playing with her brother) would burn around 1450-1500 calories so this would now be our goal for most days.
We found that a 90 min walk combined with her daily routine (following us around the house and playing with her brother) would burn around 1450-1500 calories so this would now be our goal for most days.
#4. Behaviour Tracking: Notice changes in behaviour such as increased barking, scratching or shaking.
From the moment Animo was attached to Aramis' collar, its suite of algorithms started learning her unique patterns of movement however this part of the app is still in Beta testing. Based on the data recorded over the past month, we couldn't see any significant changes that would be of concern.
Dogs can’t tell us they are getting stressed or upset by something while we are at work but unless we start recording what's happening both inside and outside our house at all times, it would be hard to know what caused her excessive barking some days!
#5. Connect with family and friends: Animo can be synced by any member of your app household and owners can share access to the app with their friends and family.
You could use Animo to identify the activities your dog really likes (for us that's going off the beaten track in the nearby bush for a long hike), doing more of those things and making an effort to pack more fun into every walk instead of just plodding up and down the street!
Pros & Cons
After continuous use over the past 6 weeks, we give the Animo dog activity monitor the thumbs up for doing exactly what it promises to do! Data has been successfully recorded every day and the syncing process is always smooth.
If your dog is battling the bulge (or you just want to improve their overall fitness), this is certainly a great tool to keep accurate records for your vet and based on our personal experience, it is also a very motivational tool!
Sure Petcare app
The Sure Petcare app - Animo is available for free download on the App Store (iOS 9 or later) and Google Play (Android 4.4 or later). Desktop requirements: latest version of Safari, Chrome, Firefox or Internet Explorer on Mac OS X v10.9 or later and Windows 7 or later.
Technical Specifications
- Dimensions: 37mm dia. x 11.5mm depth
- Weight: 22g
- Battery: CR2032 coin cell battery
- Battery Life: 6 months
- Water Resistance: IP67 - Protected from immersion in water with a depth of up to 1 metre for up to 30 minutes
- Collar Attachment: Fits collar widths 12mm – 30mm
- Sensor: 3 axis accelerometer
- iOS & Android Compatibility: iOS 9 and above or Android 5.0 and above
- Bluetooth: Bluetooth Low Energy
- Data Synchronisation: 10m data synchronisation range
- Any member of an app household can sync with any Animo device in the household
- Memory: 3 weeks’ memory between syncs
Use your unique promo code AUDOG20 and save a huge $33.00! Plus all orders up until 18 December 2020 will get a free doggie bandana too!
RRP: $85.00 from www.surepetcare.com/en-au/animo
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