AirTag chirruping but says it’s not connected

An AirTag shown in the correct place on the map uses a different technical function from the “Play a Sound” and “Precision Locate.” It might even have be “mapped” by a neighbor’s phone.

AirTags are only just over 2 years old, meaning that you might have just performed your 2nd battery replacement.

Maybe it’s time again? Or maybe the device is failing. 😕

It’s chirping when your dog moves because it doesn’t “think” that your device is nearby.

This seems to correlate with your inability to cause it to “play a sound” manually.

Is your phone’s BlueTooth “on?”

Suggest a battery replacement first; Then try completely removing the AirTag from your account and re-installing.

Remove an AirTag or other item from Find My on iPhone – Apple Support (AU)

Since the AirTag relies on Bluetooth to transmit its location, any iPhone (not just yours), in the vicinity, can trigger the tag to make a sound. That Bluetooth range is typically 30-40'.

Whether or not you want to continue to use an AirTag, instead of a dedicated GPS tracking device, is (of course) totally up to you. However, you should be aware, that doing so has, at least, two disadvantages:

1. It really does not really work well for this purpose.
2. Some animals can be sensitive to random noises. I'm sure you are aware that some training collars employ emitting a sound/shock. Not inferring you are using one, but you can see how this could confuse an animal.

Chattanoogan had the chance to respond to your post before I could, but I would second that, as to what you should try next.

Of course, the other possibility is that the AirTag is, for one reason or another, now defective. Since the AirTags first appeared in April 2021, it has not had a long history to determine its reliability.

Best of luck. 🤞

FWIW, I’ve found a glob of “Silly Putty” to be an effective aid for removing AirTag covers.

NOTE: That we didn’t say “reset” … rather “Remove” and “Re-install”