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My Brittany, like all sporting breeds, is high energy — even as a senior dog. We have a fenced yard, but that’s not enough to keep him contained. He’s a pro at finding any weak point in the fence or making his escape when a gate is left open. That’s why we often put his hunting GPS collar on him when he goes out. The issue is that those collars have large antennas, so they’re not ideal for leaving on, and they require a handheld that needs to be charged. It’s not a perfect system for letting Riley out in the backyard.
Enter the Halo 5 collar. It’s a GPS collar that stays on Riley all day and works as a wireless fence. So I know where my dog is at all times, and I have a backup system for when he tries to escape. Here’s what I think of the collar so far.
See It
Key Features
- Two-Day Battery Life
- Dual-frequency GPS
- 20 location updates per second
- 1-year Warranty
- 5 colors available
- Instantly create boundaries on the app
- Fits most dogs
- IP67 waterproof rating
- Plans start at $10 per month
- Available in a wide range of colors — including Realtree camo
- Price: $549
The App
The app is where you’ll create a fence, monitor your dog’s location, and get information on your dog’s activity. The app also tells you how much battery life the collar has and provides training information.
Plans
To use the Halo 5 collar, you’ll need a subscription. The cheapest option is $10 per month and allows you to create five fences. The more expensive plans add more features and fences.
Read Next: Best GPS Collar
Beacons
If you have an area of your yard or home you want to keep your pup out of, Halo sells Zone Beacons to make no-go areas. So you can keep your dog out of a garden bed, chicken coop, or off the couch.
Halo also has Remote Beacons that let you send instant feedback to the collar. That means your GPS collar can also be used as an e-collar for training and recall.
Testing
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Testing the Halo Collar 5 -
Getting the collar fitted.
The Halo 5 was very easy to get running. There are great instructions on how to fit the collar and replace the metal tab that prevents fraying after you cut the collar to size. The app walks you through the process of creating your first fence. It automatically recognized my location and created a wireless fence based on my property boundaries. I simply moved a few control points to customize the fence.
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Editing a fence in the Halo app. -
Adjusting collar settings. -
The setting options. -
Tracking a dog’s location in the app.
You can set three prevention feedback settings: warning, boundary, and emergency. The options include tones, vibration, and 15 levels of static shock. My dog lost his hearing a few years ago, so I use the vibration for a warning, a low-level static for the boundary, and a higher-level static for the emergency setting. I tested the collar settings on my hand, and the lowest setting is almost unnoticeable, the mid setting isn’t painful, yet will get your attention, and the highest setting will certainly make you jump. That wide range of options is ideal for getting the desired response from the most to the least sensitive dogs.
There are also three encouragement settings, which include tones for recall and two custom encouragements, such as “You did it.”
I tested the accuracy of the GPS collar using landmarks in my yard. The GPS was accurate within a few feet and very responsive. I also like how quickly the app loads and shows real-time collar location.
The collar battery lasts roughly 48 hours. I’ve made a habit of charging the collar every night, so I don’t get close to a dead battery.
Read Next: Best Dog Training Collars
Where It Can Improve
A minor, but nice to have, improvement of the Halo 5 would be a light. A lot of hunting collars have lights on them that you can remotely turn on, and it’s a helpful feature for keeping an eye on your dog at night.
Of course, we must discuss price. The Halo 5 is expensive, and the expense doesn’t end with buying the collar — you also must pay a subscription. However, the cost of installing a physical or wired fence is considerably higher up front. For example, I was quoted $2,000 to install a wired invisible fence on one acre.
What It Does Best
The Halo 5 is easy to use, and it flat out works as advertised. The app loads quickly, is intuitive, and puts the important information front and center. The GPS is accurate and helpful in daily life.
Final Thoughts
The Halo 5 is a great option for anyone who wants an invisible fence without the hassle of burying wires or the lack of customization that other wireless fences have. It’s a useful system outside of the backyard too. If we go on vacation, camping, or are just out for a hike the Halo’s GPS and boundary system make it easy to keep track of my dog.
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