Whatever the reason your dog has for constantly wandering away from home, dog tracking systems can help you keep them in check. Some dogs are natural experts at escaping a leash, jumping fences, and wandering off. Some even suffer from Canine Cognitive Dysfunction (CCD) or dog dementia and start wandering off as the illness worsens.
Like many other modern gadgets, there are several dog trackers options, all with different features, prices, and sizes. Here’s our list of the top dog tracking systems.
Table of Contents
Top Dog Tracking Systems
Fi Series 2 Smart Dog Collar – Best GPS Tracker
This excellent dog collar is our top pick for several reasons. First, it uses three GPS satellites, a home base, Bluetooth, and LTE-M cellular technology and location to track your dog. The Fi Smart Dog Collar is exceptionally accurate and transfers data at an excellent speed.
Another outstanding feature of this tracker is its extended battery life. The battery can last up to three months, and its intelligent features allow it to detect bad signals and conserve battery life.
Once you connect the tracker to your mobile device, you can set a virtual boundary for your dog and receive notifications when the dog leaves the set boundary. It also has an inbuilt activity monitoring feature that lets you stay abreast of your dog’s daily routine.
The fitness tracker feature in this tracker lets you track your dog’s fitness and compare it with other dogs of the same age and size in the neighborhood.
Pros
- Lightweight and comfortable
- Excellent battery life – lasts up to three months after a full charge
- LED light
- Accurate activity and fitness tracking
- Virtual fence feature
Cons
- Requires subscription for advanced features
- More expensive than others
Tractive LTE GPS Dog Tracker – Best Dog Tracking Systems
- REAL-TIME GPS TRACKING: See the location of your dog and track them anywhere with no distance limit
- WORKS WITH SUBSCRIPTION: The subscription covers all the costs of the integrated SIM card and data, starting from $5/month (varies depending on...
- GET HEALTH ALERTS: Your tracker monitors and tracks the sleep quality and activity patterns of your pet; when it detects something unusual,...
If you’re looking for a dog tracker with an unlimited tracking range, the Tractive LTE GPS tracker is the best option. This tracker can pinpoint the exact location of your dog using the LTE cellular network and GPS connectivity.
The Tractive GPS tracker also has an inbuilt fitness tracker and a virtual geofence that notifies you when your dog crosses a preset safe zone. The tracker has a live tracking feature that keeps tabs on your dogs and updates you every few seconds.
The system also keeps a log of your dog’s last locations. The Tractive GPS tracker is lightweight and suitable for dogs of all sizes.
Pros
- Usable in over 150 countries
- Dog-safe power button
- Available in four sizes and colors
- Very affordable
- Excellent customer service
Cons
- Poor battery life
- Requires subscription
Whistle Go GPS Dog Collar – Best Dog Tracking Systems for Hiking
The Whistle Go GPS tracker combines GPS, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GLONASS, AT&T’s cellular network, and Google Maps to isolate your dog’s location in real time. The tracker is an excellent choice if you love taking your dog with you on a hike.
It also comes with a virtual fence feature that will alert you when your dog leaves the safe zone. The app also logs your dog’s movements over the past 24 hours.
This dog tracking system offers more than only location tracking. You can also track your dog’s health from several metrics, including scratching, licking, and sleeping pattern. You’ll get all this at the end of every month.
Signing up for a subscription gives you even more value for your money. Subscribing gives you access to tele-vet services and much more. The Whistle Go tracker is the perfect choice if you want to enjoy excellent tracking features and overall health monitoring, all at once.
Pros
- Accurate fitness and health monitoring
- Real-time location tracking
- Monthly health report
- Access to tele-vet when users subscribe
- Six bright color choices
Cons
- Requires a subscription plan for advanced features
- Its large size doesn’t fit well on smaller dogs
Link AKC Smart Sport Dog Collar – Best Sport Collar
- Winner CES 2017 Best Of Innovation. Order now to lock in a special pre-order price - Save $20 for limited pre-order period.
- Always know your dog’s location via the LINK AKC app. LINK AKC converts your home into a digital safe zone and will quickly alert you if your...
- Only LINK AKC offers customized activity level recommendations tailored to your individual dog to help you better monitor your dog’s daily...
Besides tracking your pop’s activity levels, the Link AKC Smart Dog Collar tracks temperature changes and has a virtual fence that notifies you when your dog starts wandering away. Its reflective fabric allows you to locate your pop at night quickly. The leather strap is also weatherproof and waterproof.
The collar is 5-inches long, making it more suitable for more giant dog breeds. It comes with a bright LED light for night walks. Another unique feature of this collar is that the mobile app suggests exercise routines based on your dog’s age, breed, and other factors.
The app also has a note-taking feature for logging your visitation to a vet and other crucial information about your dog.
Link AKC collar uses GPS and AT&T cell signals with a reasonable monthly subscription. Overall, the tracker is aesthetically pleasing without sacrificing performance.
Pros
- Bright LED night lights
- Temperature alert feature
- Attractive leather collar
- Nationwide tracking in the US
- App has a sound trigger to help you locate your dog easily
Cons
- Bulky
- Poor battery life
Factors to Consider When Choosing Dog Tracking Systems
You’ll face the dilemma of choosing one of several options when you visit the store to pick up a dog tracking system. To help you narrow your options, the following are a few things you must look out for when comparing dog tracking systems.
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Tracking
What’s the point of purchasing a tracking system with inaccurate tracking results? Ensure that the tracking system you want to buy sends tracking results in real-time. You should also check if the tracker has a mobile app compatible with the specific device you have.
If you have more than a dog, it will be more cost-effective if you choose a system that can track multiple pets at once, or you’ll risk bearing the cost of buying a tracker for each of them.
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Geofencing
A dog tracking system with a virtual fence will eliminate the need to erect a physical boundary around your property. The geofencing feature allows you to restrict your dogs from the areas you don’t want them to reach. Once it steps out of the predefined safe zone, you’ll get a notification in real-time.
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Battery Life
You must ensure that the tracker you’re choosing has enough battery life that suits your needs. For instance, you should choose a tracking system with poor battery life if you’ll be taking your dog camping away from any source of electricity.
You may not worry about battery life if you live in the city and don’t intend to take your dog out of there anytime.
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Waterproofing
Suppose you reside in an area where you experience frequent rain or intend to take your dog for an evening walk along the beach occasionally. In that case, you must pay attention to the tracking system’s waterproof rating.
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Price and Subscription
Besides the store price, many dog tracking systems require a subscription to access advanced features like tele-vet. Hence, you must carefully work out every monthly, quarterly, or yearly cost before choosing a tracking system.
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Collar Size
Dog tracking systems come in different sizes. However, most brands have a single size for their brand. Ensure you choose a tracker that fits perfectly and comfortably on your dog’s neck. The perfect-sized tracker will not slip off their necks easily, nor will it choke them.
Dog Tracking Systems – Conclusion
The Fi Series 2 Smart Dog Collar is our best pick since it has all the features you’ll expect in the best dog tracking system. It has the most accurate tracking, excellent battery life, virtual fence feature, waterproof, and four different sizes.
- Choose Your Light Color: This unique dog collar light uses Disc-O Select technology, so you can choose one of six colors or leave it cycling...
- Versatile Dog Collar Light: Attach this push-button light to your pet collar with the integrated stainless steel carabiner for instant visibility
- LED Light with Replaceable Batteries: Included lithium 2016 batteries last up to 20 hours and can be easily replaced for use over and over again
Our runner-up option is the Tractive GPS tracker; it has a fitness tracker besides the standard location tracker. Its live tracking feature sends you tracking notifications are regular time intervals.
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