If your dog is an escape artist or needs fitness tracking in order to lose weight, the wearable technology from Whistle, the startup which launched the $99 Whistle Activity Monitor for dogs in 2013, could offer a solution.

Whistle's activity tracker is a small disc that snaps into a mount designed to fit any collar. It is a health monitor for your dog that attaches to any collar and measures your dog's activities. The data gives you a perspective on daily behavior and long-term trends. You can get automatic updates on your smartphone and see daily levels of playtime, walks and rest. If you travel and your pet is in a kennel or with a pet sitter, you can check in to see how he or she is doing.

The activity tracker is especially useful for dogs with health problems. You can buy it at major retailers, such as PetSmart.

Last year Whistle introduced the WhistleGPS, which provides a dog's location using both GPS and a cellular technology, with the promise of a "late 2015" launch date. The company decided to acquire Tagg, a Qualcomm subsidiary that is already making and shipping a device that accurately tracks lost pets, to expand its position in the pet wearable market, reports USA TODAY.

According to Ben Jacobs, Whistle co-founder and CEO, the Whistle activity monitor syncs to WiFi and Bluetooth only and couldn't consistently track lost dogs.

The acquisition of Tagg changes that.

"Tagg has wide area network coverage. Wherever you can use your cellphone, you can use Tagg to track your pet," Jacobs told USA TODAY Network.

Tagg's hardware offers the longest lasting batteries in the pet tracking market with battery life between 7 and 14 days, and its data connectivity covers the U.S. Jacobs says that Tagg's unique GPS and pet tracking technology will be combined with Whistle's existing product designs.

Consumers can still buy Tagg's pet tracking products at PetTracker.com.

Whistle will continue to support current Tagg and Whistle products.

More than 100,000 dogs are wearing a Whistle or Tagg product. While the current technology is designed for dogs, there are plans to develop services for cats, Jacobs said.

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