Dog Collar health-trackers extends the trend to pets

Waggit, a smart collar for dogs, aims to help improve your pup’s quality of life and help humans better care for their dog companions. Like other smart dog collars — think Whistle, which sold to Mars for over $100 million — Waggit offers tracking, but its core value proposition is health. “No one has truly tackled health for dogs,” Waggit CEO Susan Sierota told me. “Right now, it’s all about activity or tracking.” The collar learns your pup’s baseline and then tracks things like changes in vitals, body position (if your dog suddenly starts sleeping on its right side versus its left side) and sleep quality. Changes in those areas could signal pain, injury or sickness. Waggit also tracks your pup’s temperature. The company has been working with veterinarians, cardiologists and nutritionists to ensure the accuracy of its collar, Sierota said. The product, which has been in beta since June of this year, is on the necks of 50 dogs right now. Waggit is now accepting public orders, and the first units will arrive in November. Waggit retails for $249 plus a $4.95/month fee for cellular service. It’s a bit pricey, but the trade-off is that you may be able to detect health issues your dog faces. Whistle, on the other hand, retails for just $79.