How to Pick a Smart Dog Collar: Must-Have Features & More

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Track your dog and give yourself peace of mind with this smart collar guide

Co-authored by Halo Collar and Dan Hickey

Last Updated: December 3, 2025 Fact Checked

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How do they work?

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Must-Have Features

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Other Features to Consider

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Making the Right Choice

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You want the best for your canine companion, and these days, that includes a durable, smart collar that helps you track your dog’s location and train them to stay in a contained area. But with so many products on the market, how do you choose one? In this article, we cover the must-have features to look for in a dog smart collar, plus other helpful features you may want to fit your dog’s temperament and lifestyle. Keep scrolling to find the best collar for your pup!

Our Favorite Smart Dog Collar

The Halo Collar 5 leads the pack with AlwaysOn™ nonstop GPS tracking, a 48-hour battery, dedicated Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chips for reliable connections, an IP67 waterproof rating, and expert design. Co-founded by Cesar Millan, this system integrates dog psychology and training into one easy-to-use smart collar.

Section 1 of 4:

How do smart collars for dogs work?

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Smart dog collars use WiFi, Bluetooth, or cellular data to track your dog’s location and health. If you’ve ever worn a smart watch before, you’ll understand what a smart dog collar is capable of. At their most basic, a smart collar can track your dog’s location in real time with GPS, but many also include features like geofencing, health and activity level monitoring (like time spent sleeping, resting, or running), training features like vibrations or status stimulation, and more.
- Most smart collars integrate with your smartphone or other smart home devices through an app. The app can give you alerts about your dog’s location, let you set geofence boundaries, and store or share health and activity data.
- After purchasing the collar, many brands also require a low monthly subscription to maintain access to all of the collar’s premium features.

Section 2 of 4:

Must-Have Features for Smart Collars

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GPS tracking Tracking your dog with real-time GPS updates is one of the most valuable and essential features for any smart collar. A dog can run more than 30 feet in just one second, so timely feedback is critical!^{[1]
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Research source} In most cases, live GPS locations will be shared with your phone via an app, letting you see if your dog is approaching the boundaries of your electric fence or in an area they’re not supposed to be (and, of course, helping you find them if they wander off!).
- The Halo Collar analyzes GPS 20 times every second, so dogs receive a warning before they ever cross the fence line. Even if they are sprinting, the Halo Collar analyzes every step to decide if a warning is needed. That means dogs get feedback as they approach a boundary, not after it’s too late.
- Note: A GPS tracking collar is not a substitute for having your dog chipped. A fully-charged collar will lose power after 1-2 days if your dog is lost, but a chip is readable by scanners at any pet shelter or hospital your dog may end up at.
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Geofencing Geofencing is a technique for training your dog to stay within a predetermined area, like your backyard or within your property lines. Many smart collars allow you to set geographic boundaries for your dog in the accompanying app. When your dog approaches the boundary, the collar will vibrate or make noise to warn them, and you’ll get a notification on your phone with their location.
- On most apps, it’s easy to edit, add, and remove boundaries whenever you like to suit your needs for the day.
- With the Halo Collar, you can build an unlimited number of fences, so you get the same at-home protection anywhere you travel.
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Training Some smart collars can also vibrate, make noise, or deliver static stimulation to get your dog’s attention and train them to remain within geofenced areas and avoid unwanted or unsafe behaviors (similar to a traditional shock collar, but with more humane options and controls on your phone via the collar’s app). Along with some positive reinforcement, a smart training collar can make training your dog a much easier process!
- Halo Collar collaborated with renowned dog trainer Cesar Millan to design the smart collar’s training modules and feedback. It integrates Millan’s method of working with your dog’s natural instincts and capacity to learn to keep your dog safe.
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Halo collars are the only products on the market we could find that have every essential feature. When it comes to your precious pup’s safety and well-being, the Halo Collar 5 GPS Dog Fence is unmatched. It provides all of the essentials—GPS tracking, geofencing, and training—with cutting-edge precision and an easy-to-use app that keeps your dog healthy and happy and gives you peace of mind.
- GPS tracking: The Halo Collar 5 provides precision GPS that’s accurate to within 1.4 feet (0.4 m) of your dog’s true location, meaning you’ll always know exactly where your furry friend is. Halo Collar 5’s 20 updates per second far exceed other collars, giving faster feedback and much more reliable peace of mind.
- Containment: The Halo Collar app allows you to create GPS fences as small as 900 square feet (84 sq m) or as large as 1,200 square miles (3,110 sq km). It uses GPS satellites, so it works anywhere, even when you’re far from Wi-Fi. And it automatically connects to available cellular networks worldwide, so you’ll still see real-time tracking in the app wherever you travel. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth just make those updates even faster when they’re available.
- Training: The Halo Collar 5 lets you choose between three levels of customizable positive encouragement feedback—vibrations, sound, and optional static—to get your dog’s attention and correct unwanted behaviors. This flexibility lets you pick the stimulus that works best for your dog’s temperament and needs.
- Escape-proof protection from Halo Collar guides your dog back to safety with positive cues, rather than with confusing negative corrections. It’s the fence that guides them home!
- Ready to learn more? See what the Halo Collar 5 GPS Dog Fence has to offer you and your pup.

Section 3 of 4:

Other Features to Consider

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Health and activity monitoring Many smart collars can track your dog’s activity levels, letting you know whether they’re getting enough exercise (similar to how a smart watch lets you know if you need to take a few more steps to reach your goal for the day). If you know your dog is prone to health issues, some collars offer more advanced features like sleep tracking, heart rate and other vital sign monitoring, and even respiration and temperature. This data can give you early warnings about potential health problems.
- Halo Health logs walks and tracks other daily activities like running, resting, eating, or even sniffing so that you’re always in tune with your dog’s health.
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Comfort and fit Since your dog will be wearing their smart collar for long periods of time, it’s important to make sure it fits well and doesn’t cause them discomfort. Most brands provide a sizing guide, but as a general rule, you should be able to slip 2 fingers between the collar and your dog’s neck—this ensures the collar fits well, but isn’t too tight.^{[2]
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- Lightweight materials, padding, and adjustable straps make for the most comfort.
- An ill-fitting collar might lead to inaccurate tracking and health stats, so a good fit is crucial.
- Whether big or small, the single-size Halo Collar 5 lets you custom-fit the collar to your dogʼs exact neck size, all the way from 8 inches (20.3 cm) to 30.5 inches (77.5 cm).
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Durability and battery life Dogs love to run, jump, swim, play, and roll in the mud, so a durable collar that can withstand their favorite activities is a must. Look for collars made of durable materials, that are waterproof, and that have a battery life long enough to last throughout your typical outings.
- The Halo Collar is waterproof and submersible with a battery life lasting up to 48 hours on a single charge—perfect for an amphibious pup with endless energy!
- The Halo Collar 5 has a durable connection to your phone, too—even when your Wi-Fi is busy. With the Halo Collar 5, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth each have their own chip. That means even if your Wi-Fi is overloaded, your Bluetooth connection to the Halo app won’t be affected. This means faster, more reliable updates and instant syncing between your collar and the app, no matter what else is happening on your network. And the new Bluetooth chip is built for the future, with extra features rolling out to Halo Collar customers soon.
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Subscription costs and overall value Many smart dog collars require a subscription to access all of the premium features available, like GPS tracking or health monitoring. This doesn’t mean you should automatically choose the cheapest option—your dog is a valued part of your family and you want them to be safe!—but you do want to make sure you’re getting good value for the money you’re spending. So, look for a collar that has all the features you need to justify the cost and make your investment worthwhile.
- Halo Collar subscription plans start at just $9.99 per month and let you maintain GPS services, cellular data, and create, edit, and use wireless dog fences anytime, anywhere. Plus, with Halo’s multi-dog discounts, you can add additional collars for just $3.99 or $4.99 per month each (depending on your subscription plan).
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Ease of use The easier it is to use and understand all of your collar’s features, the more you (and your dog) will get out of the technology. Look for collars with easy-to-use apps that integrate with your smartphone, smart home, or other devices for full and fast control over your dog’s location and well-being.
- With the Halo Collar, creating GPS fences is a breeze. You just enter your address or zoom in on the map and place your “fence posts” with the tap of a finger. It’s easy to edit or pause your fence whenever you need to!

Section 4 of 4:

Making the Right Choice

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Pick a collar that fits your budget and needs, and that’s comfortable for your dog. With so many options available, it can feel tough to decide which collar to choose. Start by assessing what your most important needs are. Does your dog like to wander out of the yard? Then reliable and easy-to-use GPS and geofencing might be most important to you. Does your dog have a health condition? Then tracking their vital health signs and activity may be a priority. Whatever you need, there’s a smart collar out there for you!
- Consider your budget, too. The price range for smart dog collars is large, with some collars as cheap as $50 and others costing several hundred dollars (plus possible subscription fees). Think about the features you’re getting for the price and whether it seems like a good value.
- Lastly, test your collar on your dog for fit and comfort. If they can’t stand it and resist wearing it, then all of those helpful features are of no use!
- We ultimately recommend the Halo Collar 5 GPS Dog Fence since it’s the only smart dog collar on the market to track, contain, and train your pup.