A few weeks ago I was walking my dog when my phone pinged with a notification: “Heads up, Brisket is 1,200 feet from Home, near 42 Cranberry St.” It was an alert from my WHISTLE™ app — the one connected to the WHISTLE Go Explore 2.0 Smart Tracker I was trying out for this very story, and had affixed to Brisket’s collar. I looked at my phone then up at the house I was standing in front of. Wait, seriously?! I thought. Yep — it was 42 freakin’ Cranberry St., exactly.
Until that moment, I’d never experienced that type of precise location tracking for my 4-year-old Boykin spaniel mix. After a truly alarming number of neighborhood dogs went missing two summers ago, I’d bought a different GPS device for her, but I never once received a notification or real-time tracking more specific than a five-block radius. So when Mars asked if we wanted to try the WHISTLE Go Explore 2.0 Smart Tracker from its pet-tech brand, Brisket and I jumped at the opportunity. Many people know Mars for brands, like M&M’S®, BEN’S ORIGINAL™ and PEDIGREE® but the family-owned company does much more — especially for our four-legged friends. Think pet nutrition, veterinary care and innovative tech solutions like the WHISTLE tracker.
Setting It Up
Connecting the device was easy. You simply download the app and use Bluetooth technology to pair it with your phone. And one of the first things I noticed (and really liked) about the WHISTLE was its specificity. During setup, for instance, it asks several questions up front — including weight, age, breed and spayed/neutered status — so it can properly evaluate your dog’s wellness and then give fitness recommendations. Based on the information I entered, the science-backed app — which is supported by a global team of pet experts and health data from over 100,000 dogs — suggested an “activity goal” of 79 minutes a day for Brisket.
What It Tracks
After a week of continuous wear, the WHISTLE app begins to show you data averages in various categories, including how many minutes each day your dog spends scratching, licking, sleeping, eating and drinking. Some of these — how much time they are active, how often they hit their customized fitness goal and how much they sleep, for example — play into the overall Wellness Score, a number between 0 and 100:
Wellness Levels
Excellent (80–100) indicates that your dog likely feels great and has plenty of energy to play.
Okay (60–79) means that your dog may be low on energy from a poor night of sleep, or experiencing discomfort from a skin issue, for example.
Low (0–59) is a sign your dog may not be feeling their best. You’ll want to look closely at their other tracked behaviors (e.g., eating and drinking) for any significant changes and follow up with a vet, if needed.
Whistle involves a monthly or yearly subscription, in addition to the cost of the device; current annual prices are $40 a year for WHISTLE Health 2.0 (which provides everything except GPS tracking), and $99 a year for the WHISTLE Go Explore 2.0 — the product I was testing out here. At the higher price point, you can also buy the WHISTLE Switch, which includes health and GPS monitoring in a compact device, and comes with a collar and two batteries. Here are more of the impressive innovations you unlock when you sign up:
• You can immediately start a chat with a licensed veterinarian, powered by VETINSIGHT®, when there’s cause for concern. They can answer questions related to your dog’s tracked behaviors, as well as questions on food, dental health and more.
• You can keep a journal in the app, track your dog’s weight, and even — wait for it — scan your dog’s poop. (Don’t worry, that link is feces-free.) Using AI, the app can identify potential issues in it and provide next steps, thanks to a scoring chart created by the Waltham Petcare Science Institute — the pet science center from Mars, focused on improving the lives of pets by using science to understand their needs.
Our Experience
Brisket
When I signed on to write this piece, I was sure the app would tell me that Brisket doesn’t get enough activity. With my work schedule and the weather cooling down in Brooklyn these days, I don’t get to take her to the dog park every day, and our apartment is too small for her preferred style of fetch (fast and far). But WHISTLE tells me she gets an average of 57 minutes of activity per day, and we’ve been meeting her 79-minute goal every Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I’ll always strive to do better, but I (and she) can totally live with that in the cold-weather months.
According to the app, Brisket’s scratching is infrequent, and her eating and drinking habits are “average” — meaning I should keep doing what I’m doing. Her sleep is uninterrupted (wish I could say the same), and she licks herself occasionally; that would only be cause for concern if it seemed excessive. Oh, and my boyfriend really does walk her when I’m not home. (I mentioned you can track everything, right?)
Brisket is proud to boast an overall Wellness Score of 87, which falls in the “excellent” range (just like her mom’s credit). For me, the device has provided a welcome layer of security: where she is, how she’s doing and, ultimately, how I’m doing as a parent.
