Last Updated on September, 2024
Imagine a situation where you could look at your phone to confirm that your dog is safe.
I wish I had thought of it before I witnessed a horrible accident. That made me remind myself of my dog’s safety; His name is Rex.
The truth is that I know how all of us, as pet parents, could face such circumstances.
But I know I’m not going to take my chances; I know you won’t too — that’s why you’re here and in the best place. We both know smart collars are the best solution.
I bought and tested around 20 of each smart dog collar, and chose the best nine.
That’s how I know its actual performance and secrets.
At the end of this article, I’m sure you’ll be able to buy the best smart dog collar.
So, let’s get into it.
Table of Contents
- 9 Best Smart Dog Collars (With GPS Tracking) of 2022
- 1. Fi Series 2 Smart Dog Collar (Editor’s Choice)
- 2. HALO 2+ Smart Collar for Dogs (#2nd Best Choice)
- 3. Tractive GPS Tracker for Dogs (#3rd Best Choice)
- 4. Whistle GO Explore Smart Collar
- 5. Whistle Health Smart Collar for dogs
- 6. Jiobit GPS Tracking Device
- 7. Tile Pro
- 8. Fitbark GPS Tracker (2nd Gen)
- 9. Petfon GPS Tracking Collar
- Uses of Smart Dog Collars
- My Go-To Factors in Picking the Best Smart Dog Collars
- Conclusion
- FAQs
9 Best Smart Dog Collars (With GPS Tracking) of 2022
1. Fi Series 2 Smart Dog Collar (Editor’s Choice)
Although founded in 2017, this American-based company dominates the dog tracking industry.
Their Fi smart dog collar was a clear candidate for the best smart dog collars,
Tip: get a $15 discount by sharing your email when you first visit the site.
The Fi smart collar has four sizes: small, medium, large, and extra large.
The smallest and the largest compatible sizes are between 11.5 and 34.5 inches; this measurement is around the dog’s neck.
The strap is made of polyester, and the locking mechanism is a buckle. The device comes with an IP68 waterproof rating. The design and durability aspects are well-fulfilled.
Its app is compatible with both iOS and Android.
Fi provides free shipping and one year of warranty.
Fi smart collar combines GPS, LTE-M, and Bluetooth, and that delivers location updates every 1 minute.
In addition to location tracking, you also can track your dog’s health. There’s activity and sleeping pattern tracking.
You get all these features with an impressive battery life of up to 3 months.
The Fi Series 2 tracker allows you to share access; you can easily add your partners, friends, family or even your veterinarian.
This tracker has a good balance between location tracking and health tracking along with a 3 months battery. As it fits all sizes and the other features included make the Fi collar better than the rest.
Here’s the complete Fi Smart Collar Review.
Pros
Cons
2. HALO 2+ Smart Collar for Dogs (#2nd Best Choice)
Losing a pet due to an avoidable mistake motivated me to get into smart dog collars.
Apparently, it was the same motive for Halo’s founders.
What’s even more impressive is how two tech pros with 20+ years of experience joined hands with a world-renowned dog behaviorist Cesar Millan to make the device.
Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised.
Halo 2+ is the upgraded version of the first Halo smart collar.
It has three major operations: location tracking, activity tracking, and safety tracking (with virtual/geofences). I’ll explain all that in a bit.
The new Halo collar comes in three neck sizes:
The tracking range of the collar is 10 square mile radius.
The location updating speed is around 6-7 seconds, which is almost real-time.
In terms of activity tracking, you can know how much time your dog has spent in safe areas, on walks, active vs. resting, and more, on a daily basis.
You can create up to 20 virtual fences at once.
It has the IP67 waterproof rating too.
If you didn’t already know, dog owners can create virtual boundaries or safe zones on the map in the app. When your pet leaves the boundary you get alerts on your phone.
The collar’s responses for crossing boundaries, such as sounds and vibrations, GUIDES your dog to stay WITHIN the boundaries.
All of these features are managed within a user-friendly companion app.
The package includes the Halo 2+ collar, collar strap, Halo Beacon, Wall charger, USB-C charging cable, and three pairs of collar attachments.
The Halo collar’s battery lasts almost for a full day.
You can also train your dog with the collar using the 21-day program made by Cesar. So, if you own a pup that needs training, this collar works like magic.
Pros
Cons
3. Tractive GPS Tracker for Dogs (#3rd Best Choice)
The company behind this GPS smart dog collar is “Tractive“; an Austrian-based company.
Its founder is an ex-developer from Microsoft and Amazon. That was the first green flag that pulled me toward the product.
I immediately noticed its compact size; 2.8 inches long, 1.1 inches tall, and 0.68 inches wide.
It weighs only 35g (1.23 oz), making the product suitable for dogs weighing 4 kg (8.82 pounds) and above.
The battery life is about seven days, and it only takes around 2-3 hours to charge fully.
That’s a convenience for all dog owners right there.
All of this is delivered while being an IPX7 waterproof collar.
Like all GPS devices, the Tractive GPS is also based on a monthly subscription fee.
But what helps your pocket is that you won’t be charged a cent for mobile data; the plans will cover it.
The Tractive GPS smart dog collar has its own iOS and Android app. The app streamlines the number of operations integrated into the system.
Some of these are:
The Tractive dog GPS tracker lets you share that data with friends and family.
But here’s where the true superiority of the Tractive tracker comes to life. Can you guess its coverage area?
Worldwide; you get worldwide coverage.
That’s right; the Tractive GPS tracker will find your dog wherever it is, as long as you have a cellular network. To me, that’s why this tracker is better than almost all the other collars.
Read & Learn more about this device in this review.
Pros
Cons
4. Whistle GO Explore Smart Collar
My wife has a cat she loves very much, and she was the one to notice the Whistle Go Explore first. The product works perfectly for both cats and dogs.
The company is US-based and is renowned in the cat and dog tracking community.
So, how do you think this product performed? Let’s find out!
Go Explore brings a combination of both health tracking and location tracking.
It’s a GPS-based tracker, so the subscription plan is there. Which means it comes with a designated smartphone app.
Max, my other dog, weighs around 25 pounds, and the tracker fits him amazingly, as it’s recommended for dogs over 20 pounds.
It’s only 1.8 inches long, 1.4 inches wide, and just 0.7 inches thick. All of these features are met under 1-ounce weight and also being IPX8 rated.
That’s how you impress potential clients.
The battery life lasted 18 days for me, although Whistle guaranteed 20 days of battery life. I’m pretty sure it’s the hard use of the smart collar.
The location tracking of Whistle is delivered with a combination of GPS and LTE. It will update approximately every 15 seconds with an accuracy range of 7-15 feet.
With its designated app, you’ll be able to see the location on the screen. It’s that simple.
With Whistle Go’s activity/health tracking, you can also discover its scratching, licking, drinking, sleeping, and even eating patterns with the same tracker and the app.
These are the typical features seen in Whistle health which is a separate tracker produced by Whistle.
Here you can read more about this device, if you want to learn more. Click HERE!
Pros
Cons
5. Whistle Health Smart Collar for dogs
The whistle is well-established for two strong reasons; the brand value and also because of variety.
Tracking of health is still tracking, and it’s crucial to save our little buddies from health complications.
This is why I’ve thrown in a Whistle Health and fitness tracker; a smart tracker for nothing but tracking health.
The key difference between Whistle Health and Go Explore:
The Go Explore has both GPS and health tracking. Whistle Health is a fitness tracker and doesn’t have GPS tracking.
Since it’s a tracker that should be attached to a collar, the weight of the collar depends on the selected material.
However, it weighs just 1.2 ounces, and that’s a comfortable weight. The size is a bit smaller than the Go Explore.
You can use the same designated smartphone app by Whistle to access all the features. You’ll see the health tracking features but not the GPS tracking ones.
After all, Whistle Health costs less than Whistle Go Explore for a reason. But the range is the same as the Go Explore.
You also need to choose one subscription plan out of three, which costs less than the GPS tracking ones.
The tracker is IPX8 waterproof rated and is suitable for any size, breed, or age of the dog.
In addition, the battery life is the same as the Go Explore which is 20 days; I timed it myself.
- The health tracking features
The tracker’s health monitoring features are comprehensive, making it one of the rare smart collars.
So, there is a wellness score; you can check it whenever you want.
These health data parameters are such as scratching, licking, drinking habits, sleeping, and typical fitness and activity, including stats on calories burned.
I noticed how the health tracking is real-time; you can see the horizontal bar updating. It explains the use of GPS for health tracking.
So, this product works like magic if you’re just looking to track health. But I personally recommend the Go Explore since it has both GPS and health tracking.
Pros
Cons
6. Jiobit GPS Tracking Device
Like anybody else, I love discounts, so I was happy to hear that Jiobit was giving a $20 discount. I used it to buy the Jiobit Smart Tag.
Jiobit is a mixture of GPS, LTE, and Bluetooth and automatically switches between them intelligently. Why is it important?
As the coverage area increases, the location accuracy decreases. So, with 3 types of coverage, it means that you can get the perfect accuracy.
The product weighs less than 18g and is about the size of an Oreo cookie; 37mm (W) x 50mm (H) x 12mm (D). Technically, ANY pet can wear it.
The product is also waterproof under the IPX8 rating.
Jiobit’s system is connected to a designated app, which is as amazing as the Tractive and Whistle apps.
The maximum expected battery life is up to one week. Mine lasted for six whole days.
You need to choose a subscription plan out of three; one of them requires no contract, and all are billed monthly.
What’s most interesting is the 6 unique operational modes such as:
Pros
Cons
7. Tile Pro
I actually own a Tile Mate to track my keys, which I lose all the time. But I was surprised to hear that Tile was able to track dogs.
It’s not designed for dog tracking like Tractive or Whistle, but it does the job.
So, for those who don’t know about this smart collar, what is it? And how does it help you?
Tile Pro 2 is a Bluetooth smart collar that makes the coverable range up to 120m or 400ft.
Tile Pro is IP67 waterproof rated with dimensions of 58 x 32 x 7.5 measured in millimeters.
You usually need to attach the Tile pro to your dog’s collar.
I also got a 1-year company warranty and a one-to-one replaceable warranty. I hadn’t seen it with any other in this list declared upfront.
Even if Tile doesn’t use GPS technology, it operates with a designated Tile app. It is available in both Appstore and Playstore.
Although the technical range is 400ft, it’s actually quite more vast than that. The reason is the vast Tile network.
- If your Tile is out of the range, someone can find your dog, and the Tile Pro is attached to the dog’s collar. What happens next?
They’ll see the QR code to which you can include your contact information. So, as soon as they scan it, you’ll be able to find the little furry friend again.
In addition, you can also view the most recent location of the Tile pro on the map in the app. While the refreshing rate is borderline zero, it does give you some information.
Most importantly, there is no subscription plan, unless for the premium plan, which is optional.
Pros
Cons
8. Fitbark GPS Tracker (2nd Gen)
Fitbark usually has discounts all over the year. I got $15 off when I ordered, and it’s still a saving.
The company is US-based, Kansas city, to be precise.
So, naturally, I expected it to work only inside the USA; I was wrong — you get worldwide coverage.
Remember that this is different from the Fitbark 2 collar.
At 16 grams, the collar fits between Chihuahuas and Leonbergers as the neck size can be adjusted up to 1.5’’ (38 mm) in width.
That’s not all.
With polycarbonate housing, the product becomes borderline dog-bite-proof. It’s also IP67 waterproof standardized, being one of the best smart collars in the market.
The Fitbark GPS dog tracker has a 3-axis accelerometer and has multiple output information as follows:
The collar would last a maximum of up to 5 weeks.
Unlike most other smart collars, it has a long battery life of up to six months with one full charge.
You can customize your cover if you’d like, but that comes separately. However, the package includes 1 black cover, 8 zip ties, 1 charging cable, and 1 quick start guide.
But remember that you need the Fitbark charging cable specifically to charge the tracker.
I personally love the display and that communicates information.
For instance, the LED flashes rapidly when pairing. If it flashes by 10-second windows, it means the battery is charging, and when the LED is on and not flashing in any way, it means the battery is fully charged.
You get all of these features for a one-time fee; no hidden costs and no monthly subscriptions. But that’s mainly because GPS is not used.
Click here to learn more about FitBark 2.
Pros
Cons
9. Petfon GPS Tracking Collar
All Dog GPS trackers must have subscription plans since they’re connected to satellites or for other reasons. But Pefton changed the game.
The Pefton tracker doesn’t require monthly plans.So, I was pleasantly surprised and ended up buying it.
But let’s see what else made me make the final decision.
Unlike the Fitbark tracker, the Petfon tracker weighs around 5 ounces with dimensions of 1.7 x 1.7 x 0.6 inches.
The tracker is also dustproof and waterproof with the IP65 rating.
The company claims that a charge lasts up to 16 hours. Mine ran for about 12-14 hours, so they’re not lying. And the device is rechargeable.
The range is 0.65 miles in urban and congested areas, whereas it rises to 3.5 miles in outdoor and suburban environments.
Surprisingly, there’s the E-fence feature, which is basically the geofence, with an alarm that goes off when the pet leaves the fence.
The alarm is both a sound and light system, so it’s convenient for you.
Pefton also has its own designated app, and that’s where everything is shown to the pet owner.
Want to learn more about this device? CLICK HERE!
Pros
Cons
Uses of Smart Dog Collars
There are many uses for smart collars, and here are a few:
My Go-To Factors in Picking the Best Smart Dog Collars
In the list below, you’ll find the same parameters I used to evaluate the quality of all smart collars in this list:
Conclusion
Fi Series 2 is the clear winner in this list of the best smart collars.
The reason is none other than the features and the corresponding brand value. If you want the best smart collar with little or no hassle, I recommend picking one from the top three.
If you feel otherwise, be sure to check out the smart collar for yourself via the attached link.
Because a responsible dog parent should have no boundaries, especially when it comes to tracking.
FAQs
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