GPS Trackers and Smart Collars for Dogs

What features are available for keeping tabs on our dogs and managing their health – and which features we advise you to avoid using for your dog.

By
Stephanie Colman
-
Published:
2
Cute puppy dog with intense body language. Obedience collar for safety and behavior correction. Female Harrier mix. Selective focus
Many dog owners get peace of mind from smart collars with GPS tracking, whether it’s needed to reassure them about the whereabouts of their dogs or to help find dogs who have gone astray. Photo by Petra Richli, Getty Images

Smart technology has found its way into nearly every aspect of our lives – even our dogs’ collars! From using GPS technology to help locate a pet who’s wandered off to accelerometer technology to track activity, modern dog collars offer more than just a functional way to attach an ID tag and leash.

In fact, there are so many functions and features available in various combinations that it’s hard to know what’s what. We’ve organized a table to help you compare products and find a collar that offers just those features you need or want in a smart dog collar.

We were discouraged to discover that a number of companies that produce or sell shock collars for training and/or containment have entered the “smart collar” market, incorporating the ability to use electrostatic shock to collars with more beneficial features. We stand firmly against the use of shock collars for training and containment, and don’t recommend these devices.

Some of the products are familiar to us – we’ve thoroughly tested them in the past – and some we’ve not heard of but spent time looking through the manufacturer’s websites to understand what they offer.

Here’s what we discovered:

Dog Smart Collars Compared

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Stephanie Colman
Stephanie Colman
Stephanie Colman has been a contributor to Whole Dog Journal since January 2010, with multiple articles recognized by the Dog Writers Association of America.  Colman has an extensive background in positive-reinforcement dog training, having spent more than 15 years teaching group and private training classes focused on basic manners, problem solving, sport-dog training, therapy dog prep, and more.  She’s also competed at high levels in a variety of dog sports including obedience, agility, Rally, hunt tests, lure coursing, and working trials.  She currently serves as the puppy program coordinator at Guide Dogs of America, where she leverages her dog training and journalism/PR backgrounds to recruit and support the organization’s volunteer puppy raisers.  In addition to Whole Dog Journal, her work has also been published in APDT Chronicle of the Dog, Off-Lead Animal Behavior, and the book Magical Dogs: Love and Lessons from our Canine Companions.  She holds a B.A. in Journalism and an M.A. in Mass Communication from California State University, Northridge.  Find her on Twitter and Instagram as @caninestein, or on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-colman/.

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2 COMMENTS

  1. We use Apple AirTags on our dog and cat. Our dog is 15 and mostly blind. While she wouldn’t intentionally run off, if we were separated, she wouldn’t be able to find me. She loses me in our one-level home. She’s microchipped and has an ID tag, but I feel better with being able to track her. Our 19 year old cat no longer can jump our backyard fence but we still “lose” her in the house sometimes as she’s gray and just blends in. We’ve already had to search for her collar one time and being able to play the sound sure helped.

    At under $30 with a replaceable battery that easily lasts a year, this was well worth our peace of mind. We both have iPhones and iPads, so tracking the AirTags is easy. With iOS 17, you can now share an AirTag. (Prior to this version, only one user could view the AirTag.)

  2. There are a ton of articles all over that say airtag are unsafe for your dog. And there are more articles out there that say putting wireless things on your animals where the wifi is continuing to beam down on them is also unhealthy. I understand being scared when your dog or cat go missing but it is not worth the health risk for me.