Fitness trackers go to the dogs

HUDSON, Fla. (FOX 13) - Training dogs is Lisa Morrissey's business.

"We bring them here and burn some energy," said Morrissey, owner of Trick Dog U K9 Training Academy in Hudson.

She wants to make sure her border collies, 11-year-old Brody and 5-year-old Dali, are getting a workout too. 

"Dali had an injury and she was down for a couple of months and she gained weight because she became a big old couch potato,” Morrissey said. “So I wanted to monitor her, get her to lose some weight and make sure she was getting enough exercise.”

Morrissey decided to buy fitness trackers for both of her dogs.

"That tells me how many calories he's burned, how many miles he's gone, what his sleep is like,” Morrissey said.

She's able to track their progress through apps, which can set goals for how much time her dogs should exercise each day.

Morrissey said she has found there's more than one benefit for pet owners.

"If they have an overweight dog, they can monitor and make sure the dog is getting enough exercise," Morrissey said. "If they're getting older, you can monitor if they're getting enough sleep, any skin changes, any temperature changes."

She said her dogs are worth the high-tech help.

"They just make my day,” she said. “I couldn't live without them."