In addition to the ability to add outdoor maps, and a helpful TrackBack function to help lead you back to your truck, the Fenix watch series has the ability to track your dogs' distance, direction, and status (pointing, sitting, treed) using Garmin's handy Dog Track widget.
To begin, ensure you have at least one collar paired to your Alpha unit and transmitting a GPS signal. For this demonstration, we'll be using a TT15, Buddy's Alpha 200i, and his Fenix 6X.
On the Handheld
Ensure your Dog Broadcasting is ON. This will transmit positional data to nearby Garmin devices around you, such as a Drivetrack 71 or watch.
On an Alpha 100 go to Setup>Dogs to toggle Broadcast Dog Data
On a 200i unit, go to Setup>System to toggle Broadcast Dog Data
On the Watch
Once you've ensured your handheld is transmitting, go to your Fenix 6. Hold the middlemost button on the left-hand side (marked UP-MENU) to bring up your menus.
Scroll and select Sensors & Accessories.
Select Add New.
Select the 'Search All Sensors' option
After it searches for sensors, add the DogTrack sensor that appears
After you have connected your watch to your handheld, you can now add the dog tracking widget.
From your menu, select Widgets.
Scroll down to select +Add, and then select the DogTrack widget to add it to your watch.
You can cycle through menu commands while viewing the DogTrack widget by pressing Start/Stop.
Mode - Change between List View for multiple dogs and Single View for larger numbers.
Dog Alerts - When enabled, Dog Alerts notifies you via vibration and message on the watch if the dog is on point, or treed.
Forget Transmitter - Severs the link from your current connected device and allows you to add a new broadcasting handheld in the area.
Having you and your dogs' position available at a glance can be a handy tool for any houndsman or gun dog owner. You can see how other hunters implement this technology by exploring our Ambassador Articles.