When learning how to set a virtual fence on a pet GPS tracker or specifically how to set up Tractive virtual fence boundaries, follow the instructions for your actual tracker service, then check the boundary's active state and your phone's notification permissions separately. A saved shape on a map does not show that a boundary alert reached your phone. It also does not physically contain a pet.
This guide uses three current Tractive help documents from one publisher. It describes their mobile-app workflow, including an open disagreement between two Tractive help pages about rectangular minimum size. Other services and different app views need their own matching instructions.
Identify the tracker and the boundary you intend to create
Select the intended tracker before working on its settings. If an account contains several devices, check its identifier or other documented identification rather than relying only on a nickname. This is a setting for the selected service and device, not a boundary attached to the physical collar itself.
Decide what location you want to describe and give it a name you can recognize later. Keep your intended area separate from what the app will accept and display. A property line, garden edge or road on a map is not, by itself, a verified notification boundary.
Follow Tractive's creation path and review Active separately
Tractive's Virtual Fence guide describes these mobile-app steps:
- On Map, tap the plus icon, then Add Virtual Fence.
- Choose Safe Zone or No-Go Zone, then a type such as Home or Park.
- Customize the shape and size, continue and name the fence.
- Review the settings and select Create.
The guide cautions against overlapping fences. It also gives a separate management path: Profile → Safety & Location → Virtual Fences. Select the fence, check the Active switch and save any intended change. A deactivated fence does not produce its alerts.
Safe Zone and No-Go Zone are service labels for digital areas. They do not certify that a place is safe or that a pet cannot enter or leave it.
Keep the conflicting Tractive size requirement open
The creation guide lists a rectangular minimum of 100 m², while Tractive's dedicated minimum-size article and its diagram say 100 × 100 m. These are different requirements.
The dedicated article also explains that small boundaries and less accurate indoor positions can contribute to false notifications. In addition, inside a Power Saving Zone, the tracker does not report GPS positions or deliver Virtual Fence notifications—so a Power Saving Zone is not simply another name for an active virtual fence.
Keep that size discrepancy with your setup record rather than hiding it behind a “setup complete” note. Do not replace the conflicting dimensions with a guessed garden-sized boundary or a measurement borrowed from another brand.
| Record field | Details to retain with your setup notes |
|---|---|
| Cited source titles | 1. “How to use Tractive Virtual Fences” 2. “What is the minimum size for a Virtual Fence?” |
| Conflicting rectangular figures | 100 m² (creation guide) vs. 100 × 100 m (dedicated minimum-size article and diagram) |
| Device and app environment | Tracker hardware ID, mobile OS platform (iOS or Android), app version, and the exact minimum-size limit shown on screen during map dragging |
| Verification status | Keep the size requirement marked open until verified against your specific account and app build |
Check the phone's permission layer
Tractive's notification troubleshooting page starts with app permissions. It describes Account → Notifications → Enable Notifications, followed by the applicable phone permission. Its iOS route opens the phone's app settings to allow notifications; its Android route uses an Allow prompt.
The same page lists phone internet access, Do Not Disturb or Focus settings, battery optimization and third-party blocking among possible delivery issues. Use the instructions matching your phone. Allowing notifications is a permission change, not proof that a particular boundary alert was delivered.
If the view differs, note the phone platform, app view and exact on-screen message. Do not keep changing unrelated settings until a button happens to resemble an old screenshot.
Record the setting and the observation as four distinct layers
| Layer | What to check | What this layer alone does not prove |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Boundary creation | Fence named, shape/type selected without overlapping fences, and saved via Create (with the 100 m² vs. 100 × 100 m minimum-size note retained) | Does not prove the fence is currently active or that notifications can reach your phone |
| 2. Active state | Active toggle switched on and saved under Profile → Safety & Location → Virtual Fences, separate from any Power Saving Zone | Does not prove phone-level notification permissions or internet delivery are working |
| 3. Phone permission layer | In-app notifications enabled plus iOS/Android OS permissions, internet access, and Do Not Disturb / battery optimization exclusions checked | Does not confirm that a live boundary-crossing alert has been generated or received |
| 4. Observed alert delivery | Dated log of an actual notification arriving on the phone during ordinary use (never stage an unsafe pet crossing to test) | Does not physically contain the pet or guarantee future cellular/GPS coverage |
A useful completion note identifies the tracker, fence name and type, displayed shape, Active state, phone permission and any open size question. If an alert has actually arrived during ordinary use, record that observation separately. Do not substitute “created a fence” for “received an alert,” or interpret no alert as proof that no crossing occurred.
This guide has not operated an account, staged a pet crossing or tested notification delivery. For the separate location-to-phone connection, read how pet GPS trackers work. When comparing cellular GPS pet trackers, check each exact service's documented boundary features.
