If you have a dog that tends to escape from the yard, has trouble staying by your side while walking, runs off at the dog park, or accompanies you on hikes or camping trips, a GPS collar is the best way to keep your dog safe and help you have peace of mind.
GPS dog collars are becoming increasingly popular, providing many features that traditional collars don't. One of the leading GPS trackers is the Halo 2+ dog collar, which has all of the features needed to track your dog and more! Halo's collar is an innovative GPS accessory helping to locate your dog and ensure they stay within a designated area of your choosing.
The Halo GPS tracker can trace your dog's location, send training commands, help monitor their activity levels, and even create a Halo wireless fence that alerts you whenever your dog leaves their parameters.
In this article, you'll find out why the Halo 2+ is one of the best GPS tracker collars on the market and how it can benefit you and your canine companion.
- Key Features of the Halo 2+ Collar
- A Gentler Way to Train Your Dog
- What Type of Feedback Does It Send to My Dog?
- Where Can You Use Halo?
- Can You Use a Halo Collar Without a Plan?
- Does the Halo App Work on All Phones?
- Does the Halo Collar Have a Monthly Fee?
- Does Halo Work Without Cell Phone Service?
- Which Type of Dog is Best Suited for This Collar?
- Is It Only for Younger Dogs?
- Halo Dog Collar Review
- Is the Halo 2+ Collar Worth the Price?
- Give Your Dog Their Halo
Key Features of the Halo 2+ Collar
Appearance
When it comes to a GPS collar for your dog, you want it to be comfortable and not too bulky around your dog's neck. The Halo 2+ collar is a subtle way to add fantastic qualities to your dog's everyday collar. The dog collar comes equipped with GPS software, surrounded by a plush cushion that rests easily against your dog's neck.
The smaller strap of the collar holds a buckle clip and allows you to adjust it to fit your dog. There are two color options: black for light-colored dogs and white for darker ones. The colors will stand out from the dog's fur, helping you to keep an eye on your dog while they are in the yard.
Virtual Fencing
The Halo Collar 2+'s virtual fencing sets this collar apart from other similar products on the market. Halo uses high-tech geolocation technology that provides a more accurate location than a smartphone device. These virtual fences can be installed anywhere. No geographical barriers prevent you from initiating a wireless dog fence wherever it is needed.
Physical fences are costly and require installation. They can also be damaged by weather or circumvented by your dog digging under them or climbing or jumping over them.
Having a virtual fence allows you to trust that your dog stays within the confines you set for them. Unlike other GPS devices, the Halo helps keep your dog within your smart fence boundary before they escape, saving you time and energy to find and catch or call them back into the yard. Your dog receives a warning when they approach a safe zone. After using it for some time, your dog learns these boundaries as part of their training.
How Do You Create a Virtual Fence?
Creating a virtual halo fence is simple. There are two methods to do this. You can select points on a map with your fingers and "build" your wireless dog fence posts in these areas. You can also physically walk the perimeter of your fence while holding the Halo smart dog collar and store this data inside the device.
The second method is effective if you have obstructions in your yard or want to have a more specific fence boundary around your property. The first option is great for traveling, as it allows you to set boundaries in places you may not be familiar with or create more significant boundaries that may be too large to walk on your own.
The Halo app allows you to store up to 20 GPS-enabled virtual fences.
GPS Tracking
Tracking your dog is as simple as opening the Halo app to locate its whereabouts. The app provides your dog's most recent ping with a detailed map of its location. The GPS provides service in moderate and rough terrain so that you can keep track of your dog in various places. The updated Halo 2+ has over 50 percent more coverage than their previous models.
Extensive Training
The Halo 2+ collar is intended to train and track your canine friend. The Halo app allows you to access dog expert Cesar Millan's holistic dog 21-day training material, depending on your subscription tier. His boundary training walks you through how to properly train your dog and utilize the Halo smart dog collar to the best of your ability.
The system's design is user-friendly and easy to navigate. You can use it for just about any dog breed. The training and prevention feedback course allows you to access the instructions directly from your phone and work through them at your own pace. This enables you and your dog to work through each training lesson to ensure they have received and developed the behavior changes.
The key to training your dog is consistency.
In talking about successfully training your dog, pet trainer Adnan Khan explains, "The most challenging aspect for me as a dog trainer would be consistency and repetition. Many times, even I lose consistency in my dogs' training because of being far too busy with my dog training startup. Pardon the irony.
"As a dog behavior consultant, the most challenging aspect of dogs is the HUMANS," Khan continues. "Yes, they are the causative factor to most behavioral issues in one way or another other, and the owners of dogs are the only way to fix the behavior problems. Most pet owners, however, perceive the training of a dog as installing new software by the trainers, where they want little or no involvement in the entire journey of conditioning the dog for obedience.
"Overall, if society's perception of human and dog psychology evolves, they will become a little more open towards learning and being involved in the process," Khan adds.
Durability
The Halo 2+ collar is very durable and made to withstand normal wear and tear from your dog's daily activities. If your dog enjoys taking a dip at the lake or beach, they can continue to wear the Halo tracker without causing any damage. Halo tested their 2+ collar through waterproof protocols to ensure the device can withstand water and moisture.
Battery Life
The Halo 2+ battery lasts longer than the previous model and can hold a charge for over 20 hours, ensuring your dog's location is tracked throughout the entire day. The improved battery life allows you to charge your collar at night and trust that it will stay charged and accessible while your dog is awake.
Do Halo Fences Work for Multiple Dogs?
If you have more than one dog, you must ensure each dog stays within the confines of your virtual fences. As long as each dog has a Halo collar, you can program their devices to have the same information, helping you simultaneously keep an eye on them.
If one of your dogs doesn't have trouble leaving the yard or has good behavior when venturing out on their own, you can turn off the virtual fence feature on their collar without affecting any other dog on your service.
A Gentler Way to Train Your Dog
GPS dog collars are a gentler way to train your dog than a shock collar. Shock collars can cause your dog unnecessary pain and fear, leading to behavioral problems. GPS dog collars are a more humane way to train and keep track of your furry friend without causing them any discomfort.
If they cross the boundary, the pet owner is alerted so you can bring them back safely.
What Type of Feedback Does It Send to My Dog?
The feedback options are fully customizable to fit your dog's needs. They include vibration, static prompts, and other sounds. These features allow you to find the training style your dog is most compatible with to help ensure they pick up on the commands and stay within your virtual fences.
Where Can You Use Halo?
Halo's coverage is set to expand worldwide, starting with the United States. Eventually, you can use Halo's service anywhere you have Wi-Fi or cellular data.
If you often travel and bring your dog along, this is the perfect device to help you keep them safe and within your location. Dogs are on high alert when traveling and much more prone to running off. The new environments can be overstimulating, causing them to have behavioral issues.
Can You Use a Halo Collar Without a Plan?
You must also purchase a subscription plan to use the Halo 2 dog collar. The subscription allows you to access data storage, location services, and activity monitoring features for monitoring your dog. These plans are relatively cheap — especially considering the features provided.
Does the Halo App Work on All Phones?
The Halo app is a convenient way to track your dog's location and activity levels and to access training and support features. The app is available to download on both the iPhone and Androids.
Does the Halo Collar Have a Monthly Fee?
Yes, the Halo collar comes with a subscription package fee billed monthly. There are three tiers to choose from, each ranging in price and features.
Basic Plan
The basic plan costs $4.49 a month (15 cents a day). The plan allows you to create up to 20 virtual fences. You can access basic tracking features, dog training content, and storage.
If your dog doesn't tend to leave the yard, and you don't bring them with you on trips or outdoor adventures, this plan should meet your needs. If you enjoy the plan but want more features, you can upgrade your subscription service to one of the other tiers.
Silver Plan
The silver plan includes all of the features of the basic plan, costing $9.99 a month (33 cents a day). This plan also contains customizable support, custom beacon ranges, enhanced activity monitoring, and Instant Feedback, allowing you to quickly communicate with your dog.
Gold Plan
The gold plan includes all of the benefits of the silver plan, costing $29.99 a month (99 cents a day). You also receive premium monthly training lessons, live sessions with expert trainers, Q&As with experts, and personalized training support.
Does Halo Work Without Cell Phone Service?
The Halo 2+ Collar has certain features that can be used without cell phone service. The virtual fences are programmed into the collar and alert your dog if they approach a boundary. These alerts will happen without Wi-Fi or cell service, helping your dog remain safe regardless of location.
To use the app, your phone must be connected to Wi-Fi or have a service to use its location tracking services.
Which Type of Dog is Best Suited for This Collar?
Halo's collars are recommended for dogs that weigh over 20 lbs and have a neck size between 11" to 30.5". Most medium-to-large-sized dogs fit this description, making them good candidates for the Halo collar.
The Halo 2+ collar may be too large to fit small dog breeds because the size and weight of the collar aren't proportional for cat-sized dogs.
Is It Only for Younger Dogs?
Halo states its collar is suitable for dogs of all ages. The collar's sophisticated technology is designed for training all dog breeds and all ages. It has proven effective in helping to train and track dogs all over the country.
Photo source: Halocollar.com
Halo Dog Collar Review
Halo's website displays over 400 reviews from its customers. The overall average rating is 4.7 out of 5 stars, with many customers highly praising the collar.
Check out what customers had to say about the Halo 2+ collar; each Halo collar review can be found on Halo's website:
Quality
"This has been a good product for our dog and us. He's a Labrador retriever, so he loves chasing bunnies, and when he goes out of his boundary to chase them, he does come right back into the yard with the whistle feature. He has been very good at paying attention to the beeping sound as long as no bunnies are around!"
Training
"I am writing this review after I have personally been using this for six months. The Halo Collar is worth every penny. I purchased it for our new Australian shepherd puppy. I started introducing him to the training at five months old. We live on a working beef farm, and it is just great to leave him outside alone and not have to worry about his safety. We put the collar on at 4 a.m. and must recharge by two because it is usually dead by 5 p.m. That way, he can join us for evening chores and a fun time. It is super easy to use. Just follow the training seminars and the first zoom meeting is very informative and helpful. I love that we can go between both farm properties, and he has a fence. It gives us peace of mind, not having to worry about him getting on the road."
Durability
"Halo Collar has kept my 2 German shepherds safe. Having 10 acres to roam, the Halo Collars keep us informed about where they are. There is a river on our property that our dogs frequently use, and there hasn't been an issue at all when the collars have gotten wet. I have received fast, professional advice."
Is the Halo 2+ Collar Worth the Price?
The Halo 2+'s training features and virtual fences set this collar apart. Although you have to purchase a subscription service to activate the collar, it's much cheaper than investing in building a physical fence in your yard or worrying about paying the fees to get your dog out of the pound if they ever run off.
While other collars on the market are less costly, they don't contain the valuable features detailed in this article. The collar usually costs $999. At the time of this writing, Halo is offering their collar for $699 with code HALOFREEDOM*. They even offer a financing option on their website to help split your total payment into monthly payments until it's paid off.
Setting up virtual fences and teaching your dog boundary training is essential for their safety, as well as teaching them proper behaviors. Taking your dog to a specialized trainer can be costly and less convenient than learning the training on your own and having the Halo app walk you through each step.
If you're looking for a simple way to keep track of your dog, investing in this collar is worth the money. Not only will you pay a similar amount, — or more — with other collars, subscriptions, and training, you won't receive the specialized product made by Cesar Millan and the rest of the Halo team.
by Halo Collar
Give Your Dog Their Halo
There's nothing more frustrating than having to locate your dog after they leave the yard — not to mention the worry that you might not be able to find them or that they are injured (or worse). Your dog's safety is important, and making sure you can support them is essential.
While there are many GPS collars or invisible fence products on the market, Halo 2+'s technology has produced a superior smart collar that covers all the bases of teaching your dog boundary training and helps you access their location and activity any time of the day.
Whether this is your first dog, an older dog, or you have a whole pack of different dog breeds, Halo 2+ is sure to help you keep track of your pet in the most user-friendly, technologically advanced, and effective way possible.
