What Are Smart Dog Collars?

As dog owners, we want to make sure our dog is happy. And, in order for them to be happy, we need to make sure they are safe. According to Lost Pet Research, between 11-16 percent of dogs are likely to go missing at least once in five years. Fortunately, there’s a way to keep track of your dog’s location, and that’s by using a smart collar with GPS tracking.

What Are Smart Dog Collars?

In general, smart dog collars do two things. First, most smart dog collars are equipped with GPS technology. This gives you the ability to track your dog’s location. Second, smart collars collect activity data, giving you insights about how much exercise your dog is getting.

Some smart dog collars have both of these capabilities, while some focus on one or the other. If one of these features are most important to you then choose the smart dog collar that is in alignment with your preferences.

Other smart collars offer premium features including geo-fencing your desired place for alerts, virtual fences, health monitoring, and a training program for your dog.

Benefits of a Smart Dog Collar

There are plenty of benefits of smart collars for both you and your dog. Some of these include:

• Worry-free tracking of your dog’s location
• Monitoring against potential dog theft
• Monitor your dog’s health
• Keep track of your dog’s medical records
• Keep track of your dog’s temperature
• Connect it to your phone’s app
• Help with training
• Ever-evolving technologies

Are Smart Collars Safe for Dogs?

Yes, they are. Smart collars expose your dog to the same levels of GPS signals already all around us, which are perfectly safe.

Some smart collars, like the Halo collar, use vibration or static feedback to keep your dog within the boundary you have set. Shock collars are generally safe when used properly, but this is a controversial topic.

Many dog parents are opposed to using shock collars of any type on their pups, so this is something you should discuss with your veterinarian and decide for yourself.

What to Consider When Purchasing a Smart Dog Collar

Here are some points to consider when purchasing a smart dog collar.

• Purpose

What is behind your motivation to purchase a smart dog collar? Does your dog tend to run away? Does your dog have health issues? Are you hoping the collar will help reinforce your training efforts? All of this will impact the type of collar you purchase and determine what features you may or may not wish to have in a smart dog collar.

• Features

Not all smart collars have the same function; be sure to investigate the features of each collar you’re considering. Common features include GPS, geofencing, health monitoring, activity tracking, behavioral monitoring or correcting, and more. Take the time to determine which features are important to you, your dog, and your lifestyle.

• Waterproof

If your dog likes to swim, plays outdoors, or spends time out in the elements, make sure your smart dog collar is waterproof to keep your dog healthy and ensure the collar lasts a long time.

• Subscription

Many smart collars come with subscription add-ons, meaning different features are available for an additional monthly (or  yearly) cost. You will want to factor in whether or not your purchase includes subscription-based services or add-ons and if this fits into your budget.

Top 6 Smart Dog Collar Picks

Here are some details about some of the best smart dog collars available right now. This is not an exhaustive list so be sure to look around before making a final purchase decision.

1. Halo Dog Collar – Best Overall Smart Dog Collar

The Halo Dog Collar allows you to create GPS fences with the touch of your finger on your phone. Once your dog is trained, you can let them explore. If they get too close to the boundary line you’ve set up, they will receive customized feedback from the smart collar.

Once your wireless fence is saved in the app and synced up with the collar, you don ‘t need to worry about cell signal interruptions causing problems with the boundary.

If your dog does leave the invisible fence area, you can use location tracking on the app to find them immediately.

The Halo collar is also an activity tracker. You will be able to see how much time your dog has spent being active vs. resting.

Battery Life – 20+ hours per day, so you need to charge it at night

Pros:

• Chew-proof, waterproof, and generally dog-proof
• You can save up to 20 different wireless fences. If you often go to the park and various family or friend’s houses, you can have a fence saved and ready to go for each
• The app provides boundary training instructions by expert dog trainer Cesar Milan
• Low monthly subscription costs

Cons:

• Expensive, especially with the required subscription plan
• Fence boundaries can’t be too close to each other
• Need a minimum space of about ½ acre
• Battery life is not as long as other collars
• Requires monthly subscription
• Cellular service is necessary for some smart system features
• Not for very small dogs – minimum neck size is 11” with a minimum weight of 20lb

2. Fi Smart Dog Collar – Best Fitness Tracker with GPS

The Fi Smart Collar is like a Fitbit for your dog. It is both a GPS tracker and activity monitor. This is a good collar if you’re concerned about your dog going missing.

The Fi Smart Dog Collar will notify you immediately if your dog leaves the safe zone you’ve set up. Unlike many other smart collars, it is not a shock collar. It will not shock, vibrate or otherwise signal to your pup they need to turn around. Since you should never use a shock collar on a young puppy, this is a good fit for a young dog.

If your dog needs to lose weight or get more exercise, you can check calories burned and set step goals. The Fi collar will monitor your dog’s activity.

Pros:

• The Fi smart dog collar is completely waterproof and can even handle salt water spray
• You can use the app to control the light on your dog’s collar so you can see them in the dark
• The battery lasts for up to 3 months without needing to be recharged

Cons:

• Some reviewers have reported the location tracking in rural areas was not as good as they had hoped. The collar uses AT&T’s LTE-M cellular network, so you will want to check coverage in your area

3. Whistle GPS + Health + Fitness Dog Collar – Best Health Tracker

If you want to keep track of your dog’s location as well as their health, the Whistle GO Explore might be just the right smart collar device for you.

This is a device you attach to your dog’s collar or harness instead of having to use one provided by the company.

On the app, you can create a boundary for your dog. The app will notify you if your pup escapes the zone. It then uses the AT&T network and Google maps for tracking.

The health tracking on this collar is quite robust.

In addition to the usual activity tracking of most smart collars, it will monitor behaviors such as scratching, licking, and sleeping. This will come in handy if you’re concerned about what’s normal and what’s not.

If you’re worried about your dog’s weight, you get expert nutrition advice and can monitor calories through the app. The Whistle monthly subscription also gives you access to a vet anytime, through chat, phone or email.

Pros:

• This smart dog collar uses a rechargeable battery with a battery life of 20 days
• The collar has three LED light modes for walking your dog at night. There’s a slow flash, fast flash, or always on

Cons:

• The Whistle GO Explore is meant for pets 25 lbs and up, so this is not a good collar for smaller dogs
• Some reviewers reported the GPS real-time tracking was quite delayed or inaccurate

4. Tractive Waterproof Dog Collar – Best on a Budget

The Tractive GPS tracking collar attachment makes it super affordable to track your dog at all times. It is a 100% waterproof collar attachment, which means you can put it on your dog’s current collar. It connects to an app that works on iOS and is an android app. On the app, you can set up your dog’s boundary zone. If your dog leaves this safe zone, you will get immediate escape alerts.

You can find your dog quickly because of real-time GPS tracking. It has an unlimited range and connects to several cellular networks to provide good GPS accuracy.

This smart collar attachment uses a rechargeable battery and the battery life is about 7 days.

Pros:

• This smart dog collar is small enough for small dogs. Some reviewers even use this tracker for their cats
• The monthly subscription cost goes as low as $5 per month
• This smart dog tracker claims to be extremely simple to set up and has an easy-to-use app

Cons:

• This smart dog collar does not have a very robust health monitoring features on this smart collar, though it does track your dog’s activity. If you’re looking for health monitoring features, this might not be the best choice for you

5. FitBark GPS Dog Tracker – Best Tiny Dog Tracker

While many GPS dog collars are heavy and bulky, the FitBark GPS dog tracker is small, lightweight and has some of the features usually found on high-end options.

Using the iOS and android app, you can monitor your dog’s health, activity level, sleep quality, anxiety, calories, and more. You can pair it with your Apple watch as well.

The device itself is a waterproof collar attachment with a battery life of 10-20 days.

You can set up a safe area and will receive alerts if your dog escapes the safe area.

Pros:

• This smart dog collar is small enough to be worn by a 5 lb dog. It works equally well for extra-large dogs
• This smart collar device is extremely budget-friendly while still having all the features most dog parents could want, including activity tracking

Cons:

• Escape alerts can take 3 minutes to kick in, meaning your dog could be decently far away by the time you realize it
• While the device is one of the most affordable out there, the monthly subscription fees are a little bit higher

6. Garmin T5 GPS Dog Collar – Best Middle-of-Nowhere Tracker

So far, each smart dog collar on this list has used cellular service and GPS technology to locate dogs. If you live somewhere without cell service, this just isn’t going to work.

Garmin has been a top GPS brand for many years. This smart collar allows you to keep track of your dog if you go hunting or are out hiking in the middle of nowhere.

It has a rechargeable battery that can last 20-40 hours. This collar can also go swimming with your dog.

Since this device doesn’t use cellular technology, you have to also purchase a Garmin handheld GPS receiver. The collar communicates its position to the receiver within a range of up to 9 miles.

One benefit of this system is that you don’t have to pay a monthly service fee because no cellular service is used.

Pros:

• The collar has an LED light that can be turned on for extra visibility
• It is super rugged, made to be worn through forests and thick brush by hunting dogs

Cons:

• Geography can interfere with the signal. If your dog is on the other side of a ridge or other geographical feature, you may not be able to track them, even if they are close to you
• There are no health tracking features with this smart collar

Final Thoughts

As dog parents, we want to make sure our pup is safe and healthy. GPS smart collars can do so much to ease your anxiety and ensure your pup is getting enough exercise each day. Tracking abilities mean you can quickly locate your dog in the event he or she goes missing.

Does your dog wear a smart collar? If so, which collar did you choose? Would you recommend this device to the Canine Campus community? Please comment below…