Dog trackers and GPS collars have been on the market for longer than you expect, however over the last 3 years they have become more popular as we head further into a technology driven future.

As with technology once it hits the market the devices available becomes immense and the choice is vast. In this article I have compiled a list and given you some information about what regard as the best dog trackers available in the UK to date.

Research shows that we as a nation love our dogs with 8.5 million dogs within 24% of UK households. Dogs have been part of the human society for over 25’000 years, they have however through the years become a stable part of our family life.

Sadly, though as society has changed we as dog owners have become more and more worried about our dogs being stolen or going missing.With over 60 dogs per week being reported missing this is where dog tracking devices could be the difference between your dog being lost forever or being reunited with you.

The important thing to remember when looking for a tracking device is to make sure you get the best one for you, think about budget, breed and location. Many dog owners are still unfamiliar with dog trackers, so therefore you should research first before you buy.

We are all familiar with GPS, it is Global Positioning System (GPS) which is a satellite-based navigation system made up of at least 24 satellites. GPS works in any weather conditions, anywhere in the world, 24 hours a day.

Any tracking device including your phone comes with GPS. You may or may not have noticed a rise in location detection and monitoring technology from GPS location, but it is there 24hrs a day. Dog tracker dog collars are just an extension of the rise in the use of this technology. As I mentioned earlier on in this article dog trackers are nothing new but as the years have gone on they have become more accurate and sophisticated.

Simple answer is if you are reading this article and worried about your dog then yes, a dog tracker is for you. A dog tracker is a one-track pony, it has just the single purpose and that is to locate your dog and any given time.

The choice is vast and there is a lot of dog trackers on the market, however it does not mean they are all suitable for you and your dog. Having such a vast choice it can become confusing and the last thing you want to do is waste your money. So, what is have done is listed the six best tracker collars below and linked them with to the related sites for to research.

Strong GPS signal or range, it makes sense really, but you should have a decent enough signal or range to enable you to track your dogs at a greater distance if needed. A weak signal means you simply won’t know where your dog is and that really defeats the object.

As with everything in life we cannot predict the weather, so a good tracker needs to be water proof. This will ensure you can still track your dog and the collar will continue to work in wet weather or if you dog (God forbid) is lost in a river.

Makes sense again as a good battery life means the GPS device will continue to be on. Always check to make sure the device you are going to buy has a decent amount of time on a charge and if needed change the battery.

Some of the top trackers act like invisible fences, which means you can set certain areas where you can allow your dog to be free without trigging an alert on your phone. However once out of that zone it will alert you.

So here are the top six rated trackers of 2018 available on the market;

• Pod 3 Tracker; This is quite expensive at around £120 with a £49 annual fee (subscription).

• ReachFar GPS Pet Tracker; This is good value at £25-£30 online and has a free app to download.

• Tractive GPS Tracker; This is better value at around £30-£40 for the device but the annual fee (subscription) is £54.

• DogTrace X20 GPS Tracker; This is the most expensive on the list but would say the best by a long way. This device comes in at around £399.99 Inc VAT but this has a 40 hour battery and can track up to 20km.

• Weenect GPs Collar; Nice little use your own collar Tracker, this device retails at £79.99 and has a subscription fee.

• Kippy GPS Monitor; Again, another effective use your own collar Tracker; this device retails at around £50.

So, there you go just six out the hundreds of GPS tracking devices available on the market, at the end of the day though what you must be aware of is if your dog is stolen 9 times out of 10 the collar will be removed.

All the above are worth the money but are only effective if your dog retains the collar.
The only way to be sure your dog is not stolen is keep them safe, keep your dog in sight all the time and be sensible.

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Photo by Sarandy Westfall