It’s not enough that we make wearables for every conceivable activity, even for babies, but now we have wearables for dogs because we do.
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Garmin, the folks who are more known for their GPS systems but also the Vivosmart HR+, now have a wearable for your canine. It’s actually worth your time.
The Delta Smart, as they are calling it, will not only help you locate your pooch but will also help you train him to be a good boy.
Garmin’s design utilizes the oldest dog wearable technology, mixes in one part modern-day smarts with one part old school training collar, granting your dog autonomous training opportunities.
Delta Smart
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At a glance, from the top, the Delta Smart is invisible. It sits low on an otherwise normal collar. There is a pod that hangs in the front just below your pup’s neck, where all the action takes place.
The device comes with three different color bands so you can match it to your dog’s collar, not that your pup will care. You simply slip your dog’s collar through the device collar, connect the device and device collar to the dog’s collar, then let ‘er rip.
You control the settings from your smartphone via Bluetooth. As an optional purchase, you can select the training bundle which comes with keep away tags.
Put the tags near things like trashcans or the cat food, places where Fido isn’t allowed. The training part of the Delta Smart will do all the work for you.
Learning Curve
(Source: garmin.com)
For most dog owners the challenge is enforcing rules when they leave the room. Delta Smart changes this.
With the Delta Smart, you can keep your dog from wandering, but also from destroying your slippers. You can also limit his barking.
A combination of stimuli, vibrations, and tones, guide these learnings. You set the intensity for each, design the parameters, then let Delta Smart go to work.
If you want, you can manually apply stimulation, say when you are working one-on-one. Dogs will learn at different rates, but the Delta Smart provides a consistent set of parameters.
Shocking Truth
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If you’re a dog lover, you’ll immediately think of old school shock collars, where trainers administer shocks to dogs who get out of line.
These can deliver painful shocks, in some cases driving the dog to go nuts over time. Their effectiveness is debatable. Most everyday dog owners don’t use them, but we’re not talking about the Delta Smart.
Settings on the Delta Smart are adjustable, but there is no shock delivered. The lightest stimulation is all that your pup needs to correct behavior.
The win for the Delta is how it impacts your lifestyle. The device trains your dog when you aren’t even there, which makes your life and the dog’s life better.
Assuming he is properly stimulated and otherwise healthy, a dog who knows your expectations is a happy dog.
Wearable Specifications
(Source: explore.garmin.com)
The Delta Smart last three weeks between charges. It’s waterproof to ten meters, so Puppy can go out in the rain or run through puddles.
The range is one to three feet from tags, but 100-feet from your smartphone outdoors, 32-feet indoors.
You can train multiple dogs, so long as they all have Delta Smart on their collars. The device fits on any collar up to one inch in width.
(Source: buy.garmin.com)
So maybe the advent of doggy wearables isn’t proof of the four horsemen, but it makes for silly headlines. This may be one of the best lifestyle wearables you buy all year.
Our take is it will get more use than most fitness trackers, mostly because dogs are cool with anything so long as you feed them. To ensure that feedings take place, perhaps dog owners should wear their own collar?
Now that’s silly.