There Are a Crapload of Dog Wearables at CES This Year

While searching for a particular booth on one of the many floors of CES, I passed three separate booths pitching canine wearable technology within about 30 seconds. This demanded investigation. Why would so many companies feel the need to create wearable devices for our pooches when we have yet t​o perfect the human variety?

Along with the three spotted initially, I tracked down two more dog wearables in a matter of minutes. The concept being offered by all five is a small device owners can secure to their dog's collar in order to track its behaviour. Each of the devices varied in size, style, price point, and function. Some tracked the pet's location, sending an alert if it leaves the property, while others tracked the dog's motion, using data about the size and breed to let owners know if their pooch is getting enough exercise.

A few of them did all of these things, and included goals, apps, and social media aspects.

All of the company spokespeople I talked to tried to convince me their product was different from the rest.

"We're the only fashion-forward, female-focused dog tracker on the market," said Betsy Fore, founder and CEO of Wondermento, which makes the admittedly-cute bowtie-shaped Wonder Woof wearable. "Eighty-seven percent of our customers are female. We're really proud of this."

"Females own the most dogs and have the spending power in the household when it comes to accessorizing your pet," she said, "so it just makes sense that we're designing for our market."

According to the United Kingdom Kenn​el Club, she's right: women own twice as many dogs as men.

But what about the other contenders?

Tractive has both an activity monitor and a GPS tracking device, but they're separate. Elena Tineghe, a developer at Tractive, told me the difference for them is that they've already got a wide user base that can provide a track record for the product.

"Let me put it this way: it's a working solution," she said. "It's been tested. We have many customers, we have already been on the market for awhile. I don't know if the other companies can say that."

Newcomers FitBark got their initial boost through a Kickstarter campaign and the products from those donations will start shipping out mid-month, with the rest of the pre-orders getting shipped by February 15. The tiny wearable only tracks movement and sleep, via an accelerometer, with an accompanying app. But Whit Howlit, director of sales and operations, said their wearable stands out because it's solely geared towards the dog's fitness and the app aids the user in gauging their pet's health.

"It's a way to understand the health and behavior of your dog," he said. "We're really focused on translating what activity means in terms of interpreting what kind of a day your dog's having."

"If you are the owner of a dog with a medical problem or who is sick, this is a way to watch that dog very, very closely, hour by hour, minute by minute," Howlit continued. "If you just happen to be a health and fitness enthusiast, you can set fitness goals for the dog."

The differences are not particularly startling, and it seemed like a bit of overkill at first glance. How many pet-tracking collar accessories do we really need?

But it turns out, the pet industry is extremely lucrative. Americans spe​nt a record $56 billion on their pets in 2013, and industry experts estimated spending in 2014 would be closer to $60 billion. That amount includes everything from more expensive, health-conscious food to supplies and services, so there's definitely room in the market for activity-tracking gadgets.

And if CES is any indication, if you do happen to be in the market for a wearable for your dog, there are plenty of options. Go nuts.