Can the WHISTLE devices be placed on dogs of any size? Absolutely! We want to collect activity data on all sizes, ages, and breeds of dogs that come through the shelter.
Do you have an age limit on the dogs that receive WHISTLE devices? There is no age limit, just be careful when, for example, a litter of puppies is housed together or if you have more than one dog in a kennel, to ensure the devices are not pulled off.
How often will the WHISTLE devices need to be charged? That depends on the activity level of the dog. It can last up to 20 days, but the more active the dog, the more battery life the device will consume. You will be able to monitor the battery level of each device directly in the WHISTLE app. Recharging a device typically takes approx 2 hours. If you have notifications turned on within the app, you will get a notification when the battery is low on any of the devices.
Are the WHISTLE devices waterproof? Yes, up to 6 feet.
How do the WHISTLE devices attach to the dog? All you need is a collar! The device simply loops onto the dog’s collar. You’ll be receiving the WHISTLE Health, to learn more about these devices, click here.
Do they come with collars? The devices do not come with collars, they attach to any collar via a velcro loop.
How easily do the devices break away if the collars get caught? Will they pull off easily? Not very easy, but it’s not very difficult either. :) The device is connected by a velcro loop that goes around the collar and back down and velcros around itself. Another dog could bite the device and pull it off, however, if the dog is unattended in a kennel, it should be fine.
What happens if the dog chews off the device? You can just put a new device on the dog, and notate the date that the first device was chewed off and the date a new device was placed on the dog.
What data will I be able to see in the WHISTLE APP? It analyzes licking, scratching, drinking, minutes active, and sleeping week-over-week. After 7 days of data collection, averages are calculated and you will then be able to see trends since a baseline has been established.
Will you be able to see if the dog is pacing or circling or just whether it’s active? It’s going to give you levels of activity; for example, walking is considered high activity, vs tossing and turning or standing is considered low activity.
Is there a minimum amount of time that a dog has to be in our shelter with a device on? No! Devices can be put on any dog that enters your shelter, we are not tracking the live vs non-live outcomes and we will not ask you for that data. Please encourage the person(s) who will be caring for the dog moving forward, be it an RTO, foster, adoption, transfer, etc, to keep the device on (and share with them the free benefits they receive).
Can we have more than 10 devices running at one time? Yes, however, the WHISTLE App won’t let you add more than 10 active devices at one time. You’ll need to have multiple App logins if you are managing more than 10 at the same time, for example, if you have multiple facilities and would like to have 10 active at each location.
When we have 10 at a time on the app, and one drops off (and we add another one), will we lose access to that data history, or can we always go back and review old device data after we switch out a device? When the devices are on the dogs in your shelter, they will show up in your WHISTLE App. You won’t be able to see the data history on dogs no longer in your shelter on the app itself, however, that data is not lost. Our Adopt a Pet team will be sending you a data report each week on all the dogs that have gone through your shelter.
Can we have multiple logins for the WHISTLE App and/or site? You’ll use the same login unless you are tracking more than 10 WHISTLE devices at one time.
Does it matter if a dog is on any behavior modification medications such as trazodone or gabapentin? There is a place to notate this specifically in the Research Tracking Sheet. There is also a place for staff notes if there is anything about that dog that you would like for us to know.
Who is responsible for entering the data into the Research Tracking Sheet? It will be the shelter’s responsibility to enter the data into the Research Tracking Sheet.
How long will you be collecting data on each dog? Is there a minimum or a maximum number of days that you want in the shelter and out of the shelter? We want the device to be kept on the dog as long as possible and they shouldn't be reused on a different dog. Place the device on the dog, and even if it gets adopted in 3 days, it should go home with that dog and a new device gets placed on a new dog. We don't have a minimum or maximum number of days that it should be on the dog while it's in your care.
During a Foster Break or Sleepover Situation (away from the shelter), is there a period of time in which we need to transfer the data? Be sure to notate in the tracking sheet that the dog was out on a foster outing or a sleepover. If a dog is going to be away from the shelter for more than 48 hours, please transfer it and then transfer it back once back in the shelter. Please note, the data is still being collected even when the device is offline, there will just be a huge data dump when they’re back on your WIFI.
Can we see the data after the device has been transferred to the foster/adopter? Yes! You will receive a complete dashboard of data every week of all of the dogs that have had devices on them and that currently have devices on them even those that have left your care.
What if adopters are not interested in keeping the device or continuing the tracking? If they’re making it very clear that they are not interested, do not send it home with them and notate that on your data sheet. Keep the device and set it to the side, we’ll likely have you refresh it and have you put it on another dog in your shelter.
We have extra WHISTLE devices, what now? If you’re approaching the end of March and you have extra devices you still want to use, that for some reason were not given to the owner, let us know and we’ll figure out how you can continue to use those devices and participate further in the study.
How much time does our staff need to devote to this research study? Less than 30 minutes per dog (15 minutes on the front end and 15 minutes on the back end).
Will the device time out if it’s on the dog for an extended period? As long as the device has a charge, it will continue to monitor activity even if that activity is null due to the device sitting somewhere.
Do the Wisdom devices need to stay on the dogs after business hours? Yes, they need to stay 24/7.
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