Worrying about where your dog is is a concern for those that do not have a fencing solution for their backyard, but it does not have to be. The Halo collar introduces a way to keep your dogs location on your phone through the use of GPS and their mobile Halo Collar app.
The Halo Collar works best for people at the beach, the dog park, a campground, or with a backyard to create virtual fences that provide SAFE and Gentle feedback to your dog when getting close to the edge of their permitted areas. It really is the best portable dog fence on the market. Note: this is NOT a shock collar and was designed to be the most safe and effective solution on the market.
Cesar Millan is the founding partner of Halo Collar, and he is a dog psychology expert. Cesar Millan provided the necessary input to develop a safe and effective way to give your pup more freedom and tail wags.
The product is currently on its second version of the Halo dog collar. Halo 2+ has added many improvements that now make it a viable option.
No More Wires, Set Your Fence Up Anywhere With Halo – Best Available Pricing
This Halo dog collar review will discuss the Halo Collar GPS system; alongside many other relevant details for dog owners.
Pros
- Easy installation
- Not a Shock Collar
- Safe and Gentle Feedback
- Excellent customer service
- Great GPS accuracy
- Great app
Cons
- Pricey
- Monthly subscription
- Battery life
- Not suitable for very small dogs (think teacup)
Things to Consider Before Buying a Halo Dog Collar
Virtual fences allow dog owners to limit the area their dogs are allowed to explore. The Halo app provides easy-to-set-up virtual zones that work by using GPS. The collar also functions well for those on the road, as you can easily create fences for areas such as the beach and a dog park.
This device is for those who dislike the wire installation offered by other fence systems for dogs.
The battery of the Halo Dog Collar lasts around 21 hours, meaning that I have to be mindful to charge the device.
There are two main points most buyers need to know before purchasing a Halo dog collar. The first is the initial price of $999, which is a big ask for many people. The second is that users have to use a subscription plan to use the Halo Collar. That might scare some people off, but we have tested all of the top collars on the market and this one is hands down the best bang for the buck.
There are three subscription plans ranging from $4.5 to $30 a month, though all plans include a cellular data plan.
Features & Benefits
Dog owners will value the Halo Collar GPS for its accuracy, among other features, such as the Halo app.
We will talk about the enhancements in Halo 2+, among other pertinent features and advantages.
The Halo 2+ costs $999 and requires a subscription to access its features. You can check here for the latest promotions and specials: Visit the official Halo site.
Halo Collar Guidance
The Halo Collar stores all fences you create within the device and will autonomously direct your dog to avoid trespassing outside the virtual zones you have laid out; this feature will still work without a cellular or WiFi connection.
Teaching your dog boundary training is essential before you can use the Halo collar. Your dog will understand the sound and vibration modes with time.
Introducing and training your dog around using the Halo Collar guidance will take time, but there are many guide videos on Youtube by other users. The Halo app also has a guide on introducing your dog to the collar and all other steps. It really is a great online dog training course.
Having many available videos on Youtube will provide you with lots of resources that will give a guide to follow if you struggle at any step from the Halo training process within the Halo app.
Youtube videos will provide additional insight into behavioral psychology training methods for your dog if you are struggling with the Halo training process.
Your Halo Collar will begin alerting your dog when they approach the set boundaries. The alerts provided are customizable within their Prevention Feedback. All feedback ends once your dog distances itself from the edge.
Customization options include a plethora of sounds, vibrations, and static choices to help you match your dog’s learning method.
If your dog has moved past your virtual fence, the Halo dog collar will use a Return Whistle feature to direct them back to keep your dog safe. You can also set a specific color for your dog’s profile and lights up during nighttime.
Collar Fit
The Halo dog collar is larger than the average collar making it struggle with small dogs. Through experience, I would recommend dog owners only consider the Halo dog collar if their dog is over 20 pounds.
Owners of very small dogs will find the dog’s neck is too small to fit the Halo Collar.
The fit is intended for any dog over 20 pounds, as the Halo dog collar has a flexible comfort grip with three replacement strap options from small to large. Custom strap replacements are easy to swap out and feature an anti-slip grip.
The Halo App
The app is the primary way to communicate with your Halo device, as all functionalities are possible through the app. You can establish your fences and beacons, customization options, and online dog training through the app.
You can build up to 20 wireless fences using the app. Through your app, you can also see the current security situation for your dog.
The Halo app can support more than one dog and allows more than one user per account; this allows an entire family to stay connected and manage settings through the app.
There is a lot of functionality around creating fences; the Halo app allows you to edit or pause already established fenced areas or beacons.
As a bonus, the Halo collar helps you keep track of your dogs activity and informs you on how long they are active or resting and how many warnings they receive when near a fence.
The first primary interaction you will have with the halo app is a training program. New users will need to go through a 21-day-long program created by Cesar Millan. The halo app also offers premium lessons to help you understand many training techniques to train your pup.
The app is available on iOS and Android.
Once you are completed with the 21-day training guide, most of your interaction with the app will consist of editing or creating new wireless fences.
One bonus of the app is that it receives automatic software updates that add new features.
No More Wires, Set Your Fence Up Anywhere With Halo – Best Available Pricing
Training Guide
Cesar Millan, a leading authority on dog psychology, developed a comprehensive boundary-training method featured in the Halo app training manual. Training guides are in video form, making them easy to follow and understand.
I found the videos straightforward to follow. The training guide works on all dogs, large and small, regardless of breed or age. The app has been shown to work on all dogs.
While the training may take effort and time, it will ultimately improve your bond with your dogs through working together and establishing lifestyle changes.
You can watch training lessons on any device at your own pace.
Halo offers a virtual Dog Park that specializes in helping new Halo Collar owners with any issues they are facing.
The best part about the Halo Collar is the amount of helpful Youtube videos. Using videos will help any struggling Halo collar owners during their training guide.
Beacons
Beacons are Bluetooth device that is used in the initial training process of the Halo training guide. Beacons add added functionality to the base function of your Halo Collar, they provide an alternative method for indoor wireless fences that work great.
Indoor Halo Beacons can be configured to forbid your dog from specific areas within your house, such as kitchen countertops. You can alter the range of your beacon to accurately create a no zone for your dog.
The configurable range allows you to tweak the permitted area, allowing you to forbid entire rooms to specific areas like tables. Beacons can also create safe zones within established fence zones, creating a place where your pup will not receive any fence feedback.
Beacons will communicate directly with your app and provide notifications to inform you of updates. You can temporarily mute them as well through the app.
Setting Up Fences
Fences are the main feature of the Halo collar. Setting up wireless fences with ease is possible through the app.
The ideal minimum size for a backyard to fence is at least half an acre. Smaller areas will struggle to function properly.
You can set up to 20 fences at any time. This is ideal for areas such as a dog park, a friend’s backyard, or a different property you may own.
Setting up fences is easy through the Halo app, which allows you to draw virtual lines that act as your fence. Any shape will function as a fence. It does not need to be perfectly shaped.
Halo 2+ Wireless Dog Fence and GPS Dog Collar
The original Halo Collar had many shortcomings that prevented the product from being an easy recommendation. It struggled with GPS features, battery life, and even build quality.
The initial Halo Collar reviews had lots of criticism, and the company took note and applied the fixes to the new version.
The Halo 2+ is phenomenal and has vastly improved over its predecessor enabling it to better its customers. One of the major features that have been improved is the Halo Collar GPS.
The original Halo Collar received frequent criticism over the instability of the GPS and how it frequently lost connection.
The Halo 2+ has improved GPS capabilities, seeing a vast difference that enhances the experience. The location accuracy has benefited from the revised GPS mechanics, making it accurate up to 3 feet on a clear day.
Battery life was bumped up to last 21 hours. This makes a large difference in how often I need to be on top of charging my Halo collar. Another difference that affects the collar is how sturdy the Halo 2+ is. They made sure that it would put up with rough wear and tear and even chewing from a dog.
Bluetooth capabilities were also enhanced, making it function better and faster in more instances.
Prevention Feedback Tuning
There are two levels of prevention feedback, allowing you to pick a lower-level option if you want to be softer on your dog.
You can set your Halo collar to provide a gentle vibration or sound if they wander too close to a fence border. The Halo collar can also function as a safe alternative to a shock collar if you want the added prevention feedback to keep your dog inside the fenced area.
If your dog escapes the fenced area, you will receive an immediate alert informing you of its location.
There are 15 degrees of feedback to choose from, allowing you to find a level that you are comfortable with. Having the option to pick a lower feedback level is essential for many owners as the goal is not to be harsh on your dog in any way.
The Halo Collar provides encouraging feedback as it is essential and preferred in the training process.
Keep Out Areas
This is a new feature of the Halo 2+ and adds added functionality to your fenced areas.
It allows users to create a keep-out area inside an existing safe zone. This works great for having your dog avoid areas such as a pond or a pool.
Plans
The Halo dog collar offers three subscription plan options for its users. Using a plan is mandatory to use the Halo dog collar.
Basic Plan
The basic plan is the cheapest option which costs $4.49 a month. One major benefit of any plan is the inclusion of cellular service for your Halo Collar.
The default training program is included with the basic plan, alongside the ability to create 20 fences, monitor real-time GPS location for your dog, and access daily activity tracking.
This plan is what most people will go after as it is the most economical and provides all the essential features for the Halo Collar.
Silver Plan
Silver plans cost $9.99 a month and introduce new features such as adding custom beacon ranges, improved activity tracking charts, and access to instant feedback to communicate with your dog.
Gold Plan
The gold plan is the most expensive option offered by the Halo Collar. It costs $30 a month.
With the gold plan, users now get monthly premium training lessons and live sessions with Halo expert trainers. You also get Q&A’s with Halo experts to help create a personalized training experience.
The gold plan would only be recommended to people who need a helping hand in getting their dog to get used to the Halo Collar.
Halo is Proven to Work on Any Age or Breed – Check the official site for the latest exclusive offers
Social Proof
I scoured the internet to find the average user experience with the Halo Collar, and most reviews seemed positive. Most users agreed that they loved the ability to tune the prevention feedback levels.
Many individuals stick to the cheapest plan and feel no need to fork out for the higher tier and more expensive plans.
One common complaint among users was the long training process. Most complained that the training was difficult but was able to get through with the help of the training videos or other user videos.
After getting through the training phase, users agreed that their dog was able to understand the collar and was better about staying inside the fenced areas.
Get Halo the next generation of portable dog fences, wireless fences, GPS tracking and training
Halo Collar Alternatives
There are many alternatives to the Halo Collar. Some may even be a better idea, depending on your use case and needs.
SpotOn Virtual Dog Fence Smart Collar (Best Alternative)
SpotOn offers the closest competition to the Halo Collar, but it provides some advantages over the Halo Collar. Check out the full Spoton vs Halo review.
Correction feedback is more flexible with the SpotOn Virtual Dog Fence. It provides users with 30 levels of varying sound, vibration, and static.
Users can create over 1,500 wireless fences that are easy to set up.
The GPS accuracy is top-notch. Its patented True Location™ technology allows you to set up super accurate fences and keep real-time tracking on your pup.
Battery life is identical to the Halo Collar, with users reporting battery life between 14 to 22 hours.
The SpotOn Virtual Dog Fence is more expensive than the Halo Collar, costing $1,495. Subscription plans start at $9.95 a month and $95.4 yearly.
Due to its higher price, the company provides a 45-day money-back guarantee and also includes a year-long warranty.
Having a money-back guarantee allows you to get a feel for the device and see if it fits you and your dog.
>>Visit The Official SpotOn Site Today<<
Fi Smart Collar
The Fi Smart Collar works with dogs above 10 pounds, giving pet owners with tiny dogs a chance at using a GPS collar.
One major difference between the Fi Collar and the Halo Collar is the battery life. The Fi Collar can last up to three months on a single charge. They can achieve this through incredible energy efficiency.
Sleep monitoring is a bonus feature that provides insight into possible health issues as sleep will be impacted.
The device works to keep an accurate location 24/7 by using GPS and LTE-M cellular data.
The device costs $129 and offers a free trial, and provides yearly discounts on their plans. Users can pay $99 a year or $248 for a three-year plan.
Choosing the Fi Collar is an excellent choice for users seeking a cheaper Halo Collar alternative.
>>Today’s Latest Price on the Fi Collar<<
Tractive GPS Dog Tracker
If you are looking for a budget dog tracker, the Tractive GPS collar costs $49.99 and also includes a cat variant.
Due to the lower price, the collar loses out on specific features such as sleep tracking or activity tracking.
The device is best intended to alert you on escape attempts by providing fast alerts. It works great in providing live tracking by updating regularly every 3 seconds.
The Tractive GPS device has no collar of its own but is easy to install on your dog’s collar.
Yearly plans cost $72, providing an amazing discount over their monthly plan of $12 a month.
>>Check Today’s Latest Price on Tractive<<
Conclusion
The Halo Collar provides an excellent wireless fence solution for large backyards without a fencing system. Having an invisible fence is a better alternative for many people, as fencing, a large backyard is messy and expensive.
It provides real-time tracking through GPS location services on your phone and even displays an activity chart regarding your dog’s activity.
The new Halo Collar offers improved GPS functionality allowing it to accurately provide real-time tracking information and keep your dog inside designated areas.
Users can set up 20 virtual fences and edit them all from the Halo app. Get the latest specials and promos from Halo by visiting the official site.
