Chances are good that you or someone you know wears a smartwatch of some kind But have you ever thought about buying such a thing for your dog?Invoxia unveiled its new smart collar at CES 2022

While activity monitors for pets have been available for purchase for several years, the Invoxia Smart Dog Collar takes the concept a step further by monitoring vital signs such as heart rate and breathing, while also acting as a GPS tracker

Best of all, the collar is compatible with all types of hair In other words, it shouldn't matter if your dog has no hair or is so fluffy that you can't tell where it comes from that it's an actual dog

This is all thanks to the small radar sensor on the collar These readings are sent to an algorithm that calculates heart rate and respiratory rate The system also means that the collar can be worn loosely, just as a dog collar would, rather than the snug fit that a human smartwatch requires to get accurate readings

According to Invoxia, 10-20% of dogs are at risk for or already have heart disease, which is difficult for veterinarians to diagnose Developed with the help of veterinary experts, the Smart Dog Collar is designed to monitor a pet's health over time

Devices of this kind have been around for some time, but the Invoxia Smart Collar comes all in a fairly small and attractive-looking package, with no special vest or bulky attachments to monitor the dog's health

Not to mention the built-in GPS, which is another major advantage These features include escape alerts if your dog leaves a pre-defined area, proximity radar, and a "lost mode" that increases the accuracy and frequency of updates to the built-in GPS

Invoxia also promises that the battery will last "several weeks between charges" That's handy if you already forget to charge your own fitness tracker, as I regularly do The collar also tracks activity and sleep like any good pet-centric activity tracker, but this is an addition rather than a major selling point

The main drawback is that these collars are only available for medium and large dogs This is because it is difficult to miniaturize all the technology needed to make such a device lightweight and comfortable for smaller pets

Still, if you have a dog that deserves to use this collar, it will be available this summer and is expected to cost $99 However, the GPS feature will require a $1299 monthly subscription