Dogtra Pathfinder TRX 9-Mile 21-Dog Expandable Waterproof Smartphone GPS-Only Tracking Collar with 2-Second Update Rate, No Subscription Fee, Free Satellite Map

I bought this collar because I have a very high energy dog. She loves to run and is happier (and so are we) when she has run off some of that energy. I needed to know where she was when she disappeared from sight when running off leash in the woods behind our home. She is an Irish Setter and has a high prey drive. We have lots of types of game in the woods and she will chase anything. She also competes in AKC Hunt Tests so it was important she be able to wear the collar in competition. The collar was easy to set up on both my husband's phone and mine so either of us can track her when we walk. It was more expensive than some but I needed one that she could wear in the pond. She had no trouble adapting to the collar and now associates it with having fun. It does drain the battery on the phone but since we are only out an hour of so it does not run out. The battery in the collar has not required a recharge since we got the collar so I am happy with that too.

I absolutely love this! I’m on my second German Shorthair Pointer, and they love to run—far. I’ve resisted shocking them into submission (GSPs have been around since the 19th century so it should be possible to train them without a shock collar), but the occasional slip when he gets on a game trail has led to some scary moments. After a 3-hour excursion I decided it was time to keep track of my boy more closely. I was going to get a Garmen but they’re significantly more expensive, and the reviews indicated that the Pathfinder is just as good. I’ve used it several times and it’s amazing.

1/30/2023 - UpdateI started using this in 2021 and have had a lot of success with it. It's a great product. I did discover another feature. My dogs were running across toward a dump truck that was actively dumping large amounts of rock on a field! I started yelling to get the dogs to come back and they returned. Then I heard a female voice saying "Adverse training!" This was coming from my Pathfinder application! "She" didn't like that I was yelling at my dogs. What's even funnier is my dog jumped up on me, as is normal, and I was patting on her and telling her "Good dog!" and making smoochy sounds and again, the female voice saying "Adverse training!". I won't try to interpret the context! Great product!I am using two tracker colors now. A regular sized one for Copper (Vizsla) and the Dogtra mini for Adam (Rat Terrier). See photo.One other thing, based on my previous review. I have upgraded my smartphone which has made the GPS more reliable. My previous phone would lose the connector and the tracking lines would go squirrelly, not indicate the actual position, without restarting the phone. I haven't had that issue with the new phone.Part 1: My first review after one day of owning and using the Dogtra Pathfinder TRX 9-mile. The unit came really well packaged and is contained in a strong black box with handle, latches, and cut out foam to separate the components. Very nice.My first impression was that the collar felt heavy and the antenna on the collar seemed long and distracted Copper when I first put it on her.Copper is a female,10 month old Hungarian Vizsla who weighs 50 lbs. She is extremely driven to chase birds and track rabbits. She will burrow into blackberry patches to the point of worrying me because, at times, she is deep enough that I am not able see her at all. What if she was trapped or was unconscious for some reason? This was my main reason for buying this but it will help with hunt training too.I fully charged the components, and tested the TRX the next morning in Copper's favorite place. I put the collar on fairly snug, two fingers, side by side, as recommended. The antenna swings to the right and Copper was off and running without giving the collar any interest. That was good to see.I started monitoring her movements and the precision of the device. I attached the connector to the collar of my t-shirt. The precision of the device was really good. I live in an area with very good GPS signals but was working near high power lines and went very close to them and never had any issues. The device showed the full range of travel from 6 feet away to about 90 yards. The icons changed when she was still, walking, and running. I am really impressed with this unit so far. Copper seemed very natural when wearing it. It is fun and easy to use and gives me the assurance of knowing where Copper is even when I can't see her.I plan to get a velcro/elastic band that can be attached to my arm or even hat to hold the connector up high. That will assure that it will get the best signal but be out of the way.In the future I plan to assess battery life of the components and my smartphone, durability, etc.Part 2:I have been testing my unit with a single charge since my first review. The charge on the connector dies before the collar. The connector ran without recharging for about 17 hours. The collar was still at about 38%. I am very happy with that.One improvement I would like is USB charging rather than the required 110V wall outlet charger. If you are camping for a several days you will need to use an inverter in your car with a cigarette lighter adapter and 110V plugin, which is less than convenient.I bought a 2 inch x 22 inch elastic and velcro strap to mount the connector to my arm. It works great. It is a little tough to attach because the clip is very strong.I attach my smart phone to my other arm with a Nite Ize waterproof case. That frees my hands up to shoot and everything is easy to access without getting in the way.I haven't had any issues with using the tracker. Easy to use, Copper is very natural with it. She can do briar patch swimming without any issues. I can keep tabs on her activities with confidence. Great tool that I expect to use for years. I'll keep my rating at 4 stars because I wish it was easier to recharge. However, I highly recommend this unit.

The media could not be loaded.  I own 15 acres on a creek with 600 acres behind me on black water river state Forrest. I could not believe the piece of mine this tracker gave me. My dog ran off (bird dog) for 4 hours. I was able to track her the whole time. This tracker was very easy to set up. And it’s easy to use. I like the way that it tracks me also. That lets me get right to the spot as she’s coming out of the woods.It also gave me piece of mind to see that when she finally decided she had enough running she came back home. It normally takes me 2 1/2hours to float down the creek to where she ran too. I couldn’t believe the distance she went. I was also thankful that she didn’t cross the creek.You can set it up to where it gives u a notification of when she barks, runs, trees, etc.,This is such an awesome device.I charged it up every night.Twice I intervened her from crossing a busy road too.

I have two high energy red heelers. I take them to the desert often so they can be off leash and run off the energy. They are very good to listen and stay close - until they jump up a jackrabbit; then the chase is on. So far they have always come back in a few minutes, but I've always worried they would run too far and I would lose them. I was constantly yelling for them, only to realize they were just on the other side of a few junipers. I finally bought this with an extra collar for them and I'm so glad I did. I was skeptical about the antenna on the back and how they would react to it. The first time I put them on, they both shook their heads a few times, but quickly forgot about them and started exploring and playing. I love that I can see where they are at all times and I don't have to constantly be calling them back. My male usually stays close to me, but my female loves to explore. A few days ago she kept wandering off and when it was time to go home, I called her. She ignored me, but I could see where she was. I finally yelled that I was going to the truck and going home. Immediately, I could see that orange dot (Sasha) running toward the truck (you can mark your vehicle and see where it is also) and she actually beat us back to it. The peace of mind I now have is well worth the price because I'm no longer worried about losing my dogs. I am one happy woman with two happy dogs!

Located in Canada, I was looking for a device that we could use for hiking in thick backcountry and out of service ranges.Overall I’m quite impressed with this product- no cell service needed, 9 mile radius so I haven’t had an issue with distance connecting even through dense bush, constantly tracking with 2 second updates. It also alerts me if the dogs are barking, and gives me the compass direction for where they’re at, and if they are running, walking, or standing still. And the battery life on the actual collars is amazing, I haven’t charged them since I first got them months ago. We’ve also tested the water resistance - as my dogs are often in snow and sleet, causing no issues for the collars. Biggest downside we’ve found is that it drains my cell battery quite quickly, and the only way to save trails done is to actively record the trip, which further drains the battery. So I’m not sure how feasible it is for multi-day hiking trips, without taking an external charge pack.

The boundaries were simple to set. Would be nice if collar had additional clip to hold excess in place when using for more than one sized dog in the family. We live within plenty of thick bush, rock and rough terrain. Never lost connection with our dog.