GPS Dog Collar
Welcome to the GPS Dog Collar, a review site created after shopping for my own dogs and finding that there are a few differing GPS collars for dogs differing quality. If you are looking for something to track your dog when you take them to a new place, then the less expensive collars would probably work just fine. However, if you’re taking the dogs out hunting, and know that you’ll spend precious time rounding them up, a more sophisticated GPS dog collar is what you need. You know what they do; let me show you what I’ve found about these electronic tracking units for dogs.
Zoombakâs Advanced GPS Dog Locator
Probably the most popular GPS dog collar on the market today is the Zoombak Advanced A-GPS Dog Locator. What you want when you’re out in the wild is accuracy and dependability. Zoombak uses both satellite and cellphone technologies (thus the A for assisted) to give you a real precise location of your dog. I found the unit for the dog was very light but rugged, and if your dog is anything like mine, they don’t care what’s strapped to them when they hear game in the bush. So these things take a beating, and this appears to be made for the wide open.
GPS Dog Tracking
If you’re new to the technology, don’t worry. There is nothing too complicated about GPS dog tracking. It’s as easy as putting a lightweight collar or harness on your dog and then with a handheld receiver you find out where your dog is. Made for use in the USA where cell technology assists the unit, these trackers are excellent if you have any trouble getting Rover to stay near the gang. Think of the peace of mind you’ll have knowing that your dog is being tracked, and you know where they are. I review a handful of these units on the site here and give you my opinion.
Garmin Astro 220
This unit is one of my favorites, but it’s not cheap. When Garmin first entered the game, the early Astro was a mess. The Velcro designed to keep the antenna in place became full of dog hair and the antenna often snapped off as Rover raced through the underbrush. The Garmin Astro 220 is redesigned and better than before. Using VHF and GPS, you can track your dogs precisely. The only problems I encountered were with using the unit around another hunter having the same system. You just have to do a little frequency coordination.
RoamEO
The RoamEO GPS Pet Location System is a collar and the tracking handheld, but I wasn’t too excited about it. The most important gripe for me would be that the device that hangs on the dog isn’t waterproof. A few users complain the collar battery won’t hold a charge overnight. If you’re a hunter, I would recommend the Astro 220 by Garmin, but for the average dog, the RoamEO might be just what you need. Remember the limitations and you should be fine.