Strava for dogs: how to track and tag dog walks
Record dog walks with Strava’s With Pet tag, connect Fi or Tractive, or use Pupnik on iPhone. Compare free options, setup steps and what each route actually records.
Published by Pupnik’s makers. Pupnik is our app. We checked official feature and integration documentation on October 23, 2026. This is a documented comparison, not independent hardware or tracking-accuracy testing.
Yes, you can record dog walks on Strava.
Record a walk and add the With Pet tag. For a “Strava for dogs” setup, you can also connect Fi or Tractive, or keep a separate dog-focused log in Pupnik. The key question is whether you want to record an outing together or locate your dog when you are apart.
Compare Strava dog-walking options
| Option | Walk record | Cost and requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Strava + With Pet | Your activity, labeled as an outing with your pet | Free basic recording; phone or compatible recorder. No collar needed. |
| Fi + Strava | Fi-recorded walks shared to your Strava account | Fi collar and membership; connected owner’s phone on the walk. |
| Tractive + Strava | Tractive Walk route from the phone’s GPS, shared to Strava | Linked, powered tracker and subscription; phone with you. |
| Pupnik | Independent iPhone walk log with dog levels and collectibles | Free download; optional Pupnik+. No Strava sync. |
For basic walk recording, start with a phone app before buying hardware solely to fill an activity feed. If you want a device that can locate your dog away from you, compare the tracker’s location features, coverage and ongoing cost separately.
How to add the With Pet tag in Strava
- Record and save your walk in Strava as usual.
- Open Quick Edits or edit the saved activity.
- Find Activity Tag, choose With Pet, then save.
Strava’s activity-tag instructions cover its mobile app and website. Strava notes that some mobile tags are not supported on the web and can be removed by a web edit, so use the mobile app if a tag is missing there. The tag describes your outing; it is not your dog’s own GPS device or step counter.
Strava’s walking app supports recording and sharing walks for free, with additional paid features. Check activity and map-sharing settings before posting a route.
Connect a Fi collar to Strava
Fi offers a Strava integration for sharing walks recorded in its app. In the Fi app, open your dog’s area, open the menu, choose Integrations and connect Strava. Keep your phone with you and Fi open or running in the background during the outing. See the official Fi–Strava setup guide.
If a Fi walk does not appear
- Check the connected Strava account and keep the Fi app running.
- Strava’s guide specifies a walk 250 metres beyond the Fi Safe Zone for proper tracking.
- Only owners can use this integration. With multiple owners, the connected phone determines whose Strava account receives the outing.
Fi requires a collar and membership. Strava’s current guide says Fi purchases and app downloads are US-limited. Check current availability before buying. Our Fi vs Tractive guide covers the wider hardware decision.
Connect Tractive dog walks to Strava
Tractive’s Walk feature uses your phone’s GPS. Its current Strava help guide says you also need a linked, powered tracker. This is separate from the tracker locating your pet.
- In Tractive, open Account, then Connect Apps, and connect Strava.
- On the map, start Walk and carry your phone on the outing.
- End the walk; eligible new walks synchronize to the connected Strava account.
Past walks from before connection are not backfilled. If Walk is unavailable, check the dog profile, internet connection, tracker link and battery. Tractive says its duration includes stops, while Strava can show moving time; compare elapsed time before assuming the recording is wrong.
Tracker use requires a subscription. Check Tractive’s current plans for your region and billing term. For a phone-only diary, compare Tractive Dog Walk alternatives.
Pupnik: a separate log built around dog walks
Pupnik records the GPS route, time and distance of new walks on your iPhone, then adds dog-profile XP, levels, streaks and nearby collectible finds. It suits people who want their everyday outing to have a game layer. It does not sync with or import from Strava, and it cannot locate a dog away from your phone.
Prefer a different motivation? Our dog walking app comparison also covers charity-linked walking and places to explore. Planning an outing? Use the dog walk calculator for a starting estimate.
Choose a record that matches the question
A phone route shows where the phone went. It cannot measure all the extra steps a dog takes sniffing around you. Moving time and elapsed time also answer different questions. In our first Dog Walking Report, we publish recorded durations with a clear method; we do not treat those figures as total daily exercise.
Sources: Strava’s activity-tag, walking and Fi support pages, Tractive’s integration help and plans, and our own Pupnik product details, linked above. Checked October 23, 2026. We have not independently measured GPS accuracy, battery life or reliability across these products.