The best GPS dog collars for keeping track of your pooch

Kippy EVO is a new system for tracking your pet and monitoring their activity. First and foremost is the Kippy EVO tracker itself — a lightweight 14cm x 14cm gadget that's available in either pink, light brown, or a muted green (all depending on your pet’s fashion sense, of course). Also available are a dog collar or harness, which the tracker can attach onto. 

Kippy EVO tracks your pet using a combo of GPS, WiFi, and Bluetooth. It will locate your dog at any distance and tracks all the vital to stay on top of doggy health — walking, running, play, rest, calories burned, and sleep. This clever boy also takes specifics into account, such as doggo’s age, weight, and breed. 

Everything is tracked and monitored through a subscription-based app. The app sends you updates on pooch’s wellbeing and gives you friendly dog-advice. Another bonus — especially good for big or wooded spaces — is being able to set up a geofence, so you receive an alert whenever Rover goes out of range. 

The Weenect GPS Tracker operates without a distance limit, so you can follow your dog from your phone wherever they are in the world. More than 100 countries are covered, so this is a great device for anyone that gets around. The GPS tracker sends out its position continuously, in unlimited locations, so you can always keep tabs on your best pal.

There are great training features with this device too. For example, you can make your dog's tracker emit a little ring when they have their doggy dinner, and they will associate the sound with food. This means giving the tracker a ring will be enough to make them come home. That's the idea, anyway.

The battery lasts between two to four days in daily use, which isn't the best we've seen while researching, but it is fully charged in just two hours.

The GPS tracker is equipped with a SIM card, which is supplied when you purchase. It does requires a subscription to cover the service charge, however.

The Pawfit 2 GPS Pet Tracker monitors your pet's activity data including active hours, rest hours, calories burned, and distance travelled. Basically, everything you need to know about your beloved pooch's activities and lifestyle.

The collar is easily mounted on any pet collar or harness up to 1.25 inches, and alerts you to several issues: When the surrounding temperature of your pet becomes abnormal, if the tracker is removed from the collar, or when your pet crosses one of the 10 predesignated safety zones.

The battery lasts up to 10 days on standby and six days of regular use. It fully recharges in 2.5 hours, so when it does run out, it won't take long to restart.

The Pawfit tracker is designed to be waterproof and dustproof, with a hardened ABS shell makes it good for rough and tumble — both drop and bite-proof. You can see your pet's locations and activities on the Pawfit App, and receive alerts. The app also allows you to manage up to four pets on your phone.

The Apple AirTag isn’t built specifically for pets. But it should come as no great surprise that the all-powerful Apple tech can help with your pooch-problem. 

It's still a lesser-known product from Apple, designed to help find anything — keys, wallet, and, erm, dog. Setting it up is simple. Just tap it once to connect to your phone or device and attach the AirTag to your pet’s collar. 

It keeps tabs on your dog's whereabouts using a combo of Bluetooth and Apple’s own Ultra Wideband Technology. The AirTag has a small speaker that emits a sound to help you find it over short distances — around 30 ft or so — or you can follow simple directions on your mobile device.

If your dog gets seriously lost over a long distance, Apple’s Find My network connects to the cloud and uses other Apple devices to pinpoint the AirTag's location. You can also set to Lost Mode for added help from other Apple users.

The Tractive GPS DOG 4 allows you to track your pet’s real-time location anywhere, with all-day activity monitoring (a subscription plan is required). Similar to many GPS pet trackers, Tractive lets you access live tracking on an app — but a web interface is also available. 

With its Location History feature, you don’t only see where your pet is right now but also where they have been. Another cool feature? You can share info on a Tractive GPS device with friends and family members so they can also see your pooch’s location. This is especially helpful when you need to send info to a dog sitter — or to a very attached dog co-parent. 

Tractive also lets you set up a Virtual Fence, which defines the “safe area” for your dog. The Virtual Fence notifies not only you but anyone you’ve shared the tracker with when your pet leaves or enters the safe area. 

Note that the notifications are sent on your smartphone via push-notifications or email (not SMS) so you do need an internet connection.