Are you in the market for a smart dog collar but you feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of options on the market?
We understand it can be a stressful experience deciding which smart dog collar best fits your needs, especially when we just want our pets to be safe.
If you’ve been a longtime follower or reader of Life With Klee Kai, you’ll know that we had a scary experience a few years ago where Copper chased a coyote.
Our male Alaskan Klee Kai dog managed to slip his traditional collar, and he went missing for five scary minutes as he pursued the coyote in our neighborhood.
Fortunately, he returned after a frightening experience, but it underlined our need to invest in a smart dog collar to keep our Alaskan Klee Kai dogs safe.
In this ultimate smart dog collar guide, we will share our overall winner and select some other smart dog trackers that we believe could serve specific needs.
Overall Winner: Fi Series 3 collar
Our favourite dog collar and overall winner is the Fi Series 3 collar. We love the integrated design because Copper and Skye can be sensitive, like many Klee Kai. We found with some smart dog collars, they wouldn’t move naturally or looked a little uncomfortable.
This wasn’t the case with the Fi smart dog collar. It was easy to set up and fit snuggly on their neck without a big bulky device. The Fi collar had all the features we wanted: GPS tracking, safe zones, activity monitor and a long battery life.
Admittedly, the Fi is a little more pricey than some other more budget-friendly smart dog collars such as Tractive, Pawfit and Weenect, but we believed the integrated design compensated for the extra investment.
Best For Value: Tractive
If you’re dog isn’t as sensitive as my Alaskan Klee Kai dogs, you may prefer to go with Tractive. They’re one of the best-known brands in the smart dog collar space. You’ve probably heard of Tractive and may even know a pet owner already using their devices.
Tractive is significantly cheaper than Fi and most of the other smart dog collars in this comparison guide. You pay around $69 for the device and a membership can range from $5-10 a month, depending on the length of your subscription.
It has similar features to the Fi collar. It has excellent live GPS tracking and great signal strength, you can monitor activity and sleep, and it’s detachable. However, it doesn’t have the same battery life as the Fi smart collar.
Best For Containment: SpotOn
The SpotOn dog collar is another market leader in this niche. We got our hands on a SpotOn collar to test out on Copper and Skye. However, it wasn’t a hit with my Alaskan Klee Kai dogs. It weighs around eight ounces, and it was slightly too big for my Klee Kai dogs. So we don’t use this collar.
But I wanted to feature SpotOn in this ultimate smart dog collar guide because it gets rave reviews from a lot of pet owners. If you’re motivation is to purchase a collar to keep your dog safe in a certain area, this is a good option.
It stands out from the other dog collars on this list because of the containment feature. The SpotOn works by issuing audio cues as your pup reaches a boundary area, before an optional vibration or static correct if they cross the line.
Best For Exercise: Pawfit 3
We were first introduced to the Pitpat 3 activity tracker when we lived in the UK. We’ve tested out the Pawfit 1, Pawfit 2 and now the Pawfit 3. This smart dog collar has more of an emphasis on dog activity tracking.
It’s important to note the Pawfit 3 doesn’t have a GPS feature. So pet owners can’t track where the dog is. If that’s your main goal with buying a smart dog collar, you’ll want to consider one of the other devices on this list.
Having said that, you don’t require a subscription with the Pawfit 3 for that reason. Therefore it’s an affordable option for dog owners who want to keep tabs on their pet’s activity, sleep routine and other health concerns. It costs around $169.99.
Best For Weight: Weenect
Let’s move on to the lightweight contender in the smart dog collar guide. The Weenect stands out because they claim to be the lightest smart dog collar on the market. Perfect for sensitive dogs like my Alaskan Klee Kai. It weighs 54 grams.
While it’s lightweight, it still has a lot of features that we look for. It has nationwide coverage, live tracking and no distance limit. Other features that set it apart include a strong flashlight and waterproof.
It has a battery life of up to three weeks, which is good compared to many dog trackers on the market. While it claims to have an integrated design, Copper and Skye appeared to prefer Fi over Weenect.
It’s a more affordable option at a price of $64.99, but their subscription costs $12.99 a month, $99 a year or $199 every three years.
Best For Outdoors: Garmin Alpha
We haven’t tested the Garmin Alpha but I wanted to include in this article because it kept coming up during my research. The Garmin is rated as one of the best dog trackers for dog owners who like to explore the outdoors with their pups.
The Garmin Alpha has an excellent range, it updates extremely quickly, while pet owners can use features such as tone and vibration to work with their pets. As you might expect from a tracker designed for exploring, it’s got a robust design to withstand the elements.
This smart dog collar wasn’t designed with pet owners like us in mind. We wanted a device for our unadventurous daily walks and use in our fenced yard. But if you’re looking for a smart dog collar to use on hikes or in the wilderness, it could be for you.
Best For Training: Halo
The final smart dog collar on our list is Halo. To be transparent, we tried the Halo dog collar, we even had a tutorial with a Halo expert, but we didn’t use it beyond a couple of weeks.
Again, like the SpotOn, it was simply too heavy for Copper and Skye. They didn’t like wearing it and ultimately, we didn’t have a need for a lot of their features. It weighs 6.55 ounces – slightly lighter than the SpotOn but still heavy.
But we wanted to include the Halo 4 because some dog owners swear by it, especially when it comes to training your dog. It uses sound, vibration or a static trap to help with training your dog.
Wrapping Up
So there we have it. We’ve reached the end of our ultimate smart dog collar guide.
We’ve discussed some of the different types of smart dog collars available to pet owners who want to keep their furry friend safe.
Our recommendation would be the Fi smart dog collar if you’re primary goal is GPS tracking, activity monitor, comfort of use and long battery life.
We use the Fi smart dog collars on Copper and Skye, but we also liked the Tractive and Weenect as potential alternatives.
Kieran runs Life With Klee Kai on social media and other online platforms alongside his wife Yasmin. With over 10 years of experience as a journalist and a passionate dog owner, Kieran loves to combine his passion for pets and writing to share useful insights and product reviews to help other dog owners.