From a longer battery life to a dual-frequency GPS to a better fit for dogs of almost all sizes (yep, even little guys), the brand-new Halo Collar 4 adds a myriad of fabulous features to their already-stellar collar technology. Keep reading to see what’s changed, what’s stayed the same, and everything else you know to decide if it’s right for you.
Before we get started, though, let’s all get on the same page. This is what we’re talking about today:
Marketed as the most accurate dog fence ever created, the Halo Collar 4 GPS Dog Fence allows users to create, edit and store unlimited-sized fences, starting at 30 x 30 feet, and is now compatible with smaller dogs (neck sizes ranging from 8-30.5". While the invisible fence features help prevent dogs from leaving the yard in the first place, the almost-pin-point accurate GPS tracking features help owners find lost dogs quickly. Last, but far from least, the Halo Collar also has amazing dog training features AND acts as an activity monitor.
Top Features:
- 30-hour battery life
- Dual-frequency GPS
- Active GPS Antenna
- Real-time tracking
- All-carrier cellular coverage worldwide.
*The Halo Collar 4 debuted at $100 cheaper than the 3 ($599 vs $699). If you use our exclusive discount link, you’ll save another $25, bringing it down to $574.
FYI, this post includes affiliate links. If you decide to buy anything through these links, TechnoBark earns a commission at no extra cost to you.
Halo Collar 4 Review
First, thank you to Halo Collar for sending me their new model in advance to test out so that I could have this review ready for you so quickly. I’ve had it for about a month now but couldn’t say anything until the company announced it.
Let me tell you, it’s harder than you might think to keep a secret like this, especially when I found out that the Halo Collar 4 actually fits small dogs (which is a total game-changer since VERY few wireless fences are designed for little guys). Let’s start with a quick overview of my dog and how we tested it, then we’ll get into the features, pros, cons, and more.
Meet My Tester…Again
If you read my Halo Collar 3 review, you’ve already met my dog and learned a bit about how we tested out the collar. I’ll just give you a quick overview here. Feel free to skip ahead. I won’t be offended. 😀
Freya is a Pharaoh Hound, which is a type of sighthound. She has a massively high prey drive that basically overrides all logical thought when she’s on the hunt. She would run endlessly in rain, sleet, snow, or hail (she runs more reliably than the post office, honestly) without regard to where she is, where I am, and what she’s running into.
Although her reactivity level has gotten A LOT better over the years on-leash, there have been close calls. Lately, she’s been in a mood because she can’t catch Mr. Chippy Chipper in our backyard, so she’s taking it out on every chipmunk she sees on our walks. I’m usually braced and ready to give her the “stop” command, but she’s caught me off guard when something darts out in front of her. Just the other day she almost yanked my arm out of socket (and actually did manage to yank just about every muscle on my left side) when she caught sight of a chippy. She swears that they’re taunting her. I think she’s right!
What does this have to do with the Halo Collar 4? Basically, even though she does listen 99.9% of the time now, and despite the fact that I use TWO leashes AND I’d literally let myself get dragged off the side of a mountain before letting go of her, I still want to be ultra-prepared just in case the worst happens and she manages to get away from me.
That’s where a good GPS tracking collar comes in. More specifically, that’s where the Halo Collar 4 comes in. Yes, it’s MUCH more than a tracker (and we’ll get into that below), but the GPS features are what I care about the most, so we’ll spend a bit more time on those.
Halo Collar 4: Top Features and Pros
First, let’s take a quick peek at the top features. Some may sound familiar (why fix what isn’t broken?) while others (the first 7) are brand-new and specific to the Halo Collar 4.
- Dual-frequency GPS- Combines data from L1 and L5 GPS bands for the most accurate location, unaffected by obstacles in urban or low-signal areas.
- Improved battery life – 25% more battery life, offering 30+ hours between charges.
- Smaller and lighter- 33% smaller and 18% lighter for a more comfortable all-day fit.
- Perfect fit- Single size Halo Collar 4 custom fits dogs with neck sizes from 8 inches to 30.5 inches.
- New colors- Available in Midnight (blue), updated Graphite, Orchid, and Sunburst colors.
- Feedback improvements- Enhanced speaker with sound amplifier, stronger vibration, and improved static feedback.
- Dogproof design – Features a solid enclosure, ultrasonic welding, better waterproofing, metal hinge, and strong magnetic charging system.
- Smart Connectivity: Automatically switches between Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and LTE to optimize performance, battery life, and responsiveness.
- Global Coverage: Supports all-carrier cellular coverage worldwide. No need to pre-select a cellular carrier. Halo will auto-connect to the carrier with the best service no matter where you go.
- Virtual Fences: Instantly create and edit and store fences in the Halo Collar app, or take advantage of Halo Collar’s latest technology, Auto Fence.
- In-App Training: Positive method-based training available within the app, avoiding fear-based techniques.
- Activity Tracking: Daily tracking of your dog’s activity levels.
- Charging Port: Magnetic charging port for easy and secure charging.
- Satisfaction Guarantee: 100% satisfaction guarantee for peace of mind.
What’s New in the Halo Collar 4?
I’m going to do the breakdown of the pros a bit differently this time. I feel like you probably have a pretty good grasp on the general Halo Collar features now that we’re up to the 4th model. So, instead of just going down the line, we’ll just mainly look at what’s new. I’m going in the order of importance for me.
Dual-frequency GPS
The Halo Collar 4 is the first (and currently the only) that uses dual-frequency GPS combining L1 and L5 GPS bands for accurate tracking. Honestly, I don’t know a lot about GPS frequencies beyond “they use satellites and tell you where exactly you are in the world.” Or, in this case, where your dog is. So, I’ll quote Halo Collar here to explain why this is such a game-changer.
“Using two frequency bands provides extremely accurate locations that aren’t impacted by obstacles even in urban or bad signal areas.”
I live in the woods, more or less. Close to town, but still in the woods. I’ve yet to have an issue tracking my dog with either of the Halo Collars that I’ve tried. I’m considering keeping a collar with ME (not ON me, I’m not that weird) so that someone can track me if I get lost. I’m only half kidding. 😀 In my experience, the Halo Collar 4 works a lot better than the “find my friend” feature on my phone.
Even longer battery life
One of the big pros of the 3 was the longer battery life (24 hours versus 20ish). The Halo Collar 4 improves on this even more, giving you up to 30 hours between charges now.
Keep in mind that, as with all multipurpose dog collars, the actual battery life depends on how you’re using it. It drains faster when you’re actively tracking. Still, even with heavier use it lasts longer than ever before.
Smaller and lighter
It’s 33% smaller as well as 18% lighter, making it much more comfortable for your pooch.
My biggest complaint about most GPS tracking and invisible fence combo collars is that they’re so big and bulky, especially on my giraffe-neck dog. So, I was pretty surprised when I tried the Halo Collar 4 on her and it didn’t look like she was wearing a floatation device. It’s definitely very noticeably smaller. You can see in the picture below how big the Halo Collar 4 is compared to the 3.
Perfect fit (including for smaller dogs)
This was the feature that I was most excited to learn about, which is funny because I’ve always had big pups, so it’s not even a feature that I need. But I know SO many of you have been looking for a good invisible fence collar for small dogs for ages, and up until now there really just weren’t any.
The Halo Collar 4 now fits dogs with neck sizes from 8 inches up to 30.5 inches. That covers a HUGE range of breed sizes. For reference, Yorkies range from 6-12” and Newfies range from 26-32″. So basically, it comes just short of fitting the absolute largest Newfie and the smallest Yorkie. The only dogs that it really doesn’t work with are teacup breeds, and even there you have some wiggle room (they tend to range from 4-8”).
The coolest part? The collar comes in ONE fully adjustable size with a “perfect fit” tailoring system, so you don’t even have to guess which one to buy. Check out the graphic below for a quick overview on the new sizing.
Improved Feedback
The Halo Collar 4 has an improved speaker, stronger vibrations, and improved static with a new detection feature to ensure feedback is being given properly when using contact tips.
I don’t use the static, so I can’t really talk about that. One thing I do want to note here, though, is that Halo Collar is the ONLY one I’ve tried so far that ships with prong guards already in place, which is a massive “pro” for me. If you want to use static, you have to attach the contact tips. In other words, if you prefer not to use it, there’s absolutely NO way to accidentally activate it.
I can tell you that the speaker has definitely improved, though, and how I discovered it is kind of a funny story. So, going back to the Great Chippy Chipper Hunt of 2024, during our walks Freya listens for chipmunks that hide under the rocks in the drainage ditch. She walks a few steps, tilts her head, listens, then walks a few more.
When I was testing out the verbal feedback features (Whistle, Good Dog, etc), I hit the “whistle” button on one of the lowest settings. Freya thought it was Chippy. I spent the next 15 minutes trying to convince her that it was just her collar. The funny thing is, I couldn’t hear it from where I was standing, so I thought it wasn’t working. I always forget that dogs can hear things at a MUCH lower level than we can.
Dog Proof (or as close as it can get)
Nothing on this planet is 100% dog proof. I mean, Freya completely shredded a whole plastic baby pool when she was a puppy, so there was very little that she couldn’t destroy when she put her mind to it.
However, the Halo Collar 4 comes as close to it as a collar can get, thanks to the new solid enclosure, metal hinge, and “ultrasonic welding.” It also features improved waterproofing for rainy-day adventures.
New colors
Along with updated original colors (Orchid/Pink, Sunburst/Yellow, and Graphite/Gray), the Halo Collar 4 also comes in a new Midnight/Blue shade. So
As far as features go, cute colors are pretty low on the “must-have” list. Still, it’s always a nice extra. I thought the Orchid Halo Collar 3 was pretty, but the 4’s colors are even more vibrant and beautiful.
New(ish) Walk Feature in the App
This one isn’t specific to Halo Collar 4, but it’s new-ish (at least to me, it wasn’t there when I wrote about the 3), so I want to mention it.
Along with other tweaks, the Halo Collar app now has something called the Walk feature. You turn it on when you’re taking your pooch for a stroll and it pauses all feedback. You can still manually trigger feedback if necessary, though.
Same “Tried and True” Features from Halo Collar 3
While the technology, size, and colors all received a major overhaul, quite a few things still remain the same.
You can still…
- Instantly create and store fences in the app, by walking your property, or by using the Auto-Fence feature.
- Track your dog’s activity throughout the day and see it on the app.
- Choose from three types of feedback (tones, vibrations, and static), each with customizable levels.
- Access the in-app dog training videos (with a Pack Membership), all based on positive reinforcement methods.
The Halo Collar 4 also still connects to the best carrier near you, so you don’t have to choose a specific cellular service ahead of time.
Drawbacks
I feel like the Halo Collar 4 fulfilled a good portion of my “wish list” and addressed most of the issues I had with the three. For example, while it still uses a special proprietary charger, it now includes an adapter. So, if you don’t happen to have a USB-C brick you don’t have to worry about buying one.
Still, as with anything, there are drawbacks.
Still requires a subscription plan to activate
The biggest drawback is that you’ll still need to buy a subscription plan to even activate the collar. This isn’t unique to Halo Collar (there are very few brands that don’t require a subscription these days). Still, it can be a major issue for those who are already stretching their budget on the collar itself.
I think that if you need a subscription in order to use something that you’ve purchased, then it should at least come with a free month. To me, this whole “buy the product, then buy something else to be able to use it” system that seems so popular today is kind of like ordering takeout and then finding out you have to pay an additional fee to eat the food.
Again, though, Halo Collar is FAR from the only brand that requires a subscription. If they were, then yeah, this would be a deal-breaker. But as it stands, you have extremely limited options when it comes to no-monthly-fee dog collars (and most of those are either super pricey or let you avoid paying for the fencing features but charge you for tracking).
You have to cut off excess collar length
This is a fairly minor gripe, sure, but still a drawback in my opinion. Once you size the collar to your dog, you’re supposed to cut the rest of the length off. I don’t love this because what if you want to switch the collar over to a larger dog in the future, or make a mistake? Once you cut, that’s that. It’s gone.
I would prefer it if there was a way to tuck the excess in somewhere. Either a little buckle (like with belts) or a tiny clip…something other than an irreversible solution like cutting it off. I tried tucking it into the strap by making a loop, but it’s not ideal. I may try taping it down instead with a clear piece of tape.
App still needs a few improvements
While the app does have some nifty new features, I do feel like it still has some room for improvement. For example, you still can’t create overlapping fences. That’s unfortunate because it means you can’t really create one boundary for daytime and one for night.
I also felt that switching from Map View on the Walk feature back over to the regular view wasn’t as intuitive as it could be. Although going from regular to Map is super simple, as you can see below.
One last very minor thing on my app wish list- it would be nice if the walk either automatically ended when you returned to your boundaries OR if the app sent you a notification after a certain number of hours asking if you’re still walking. I accidentally left it in Walk mode for 20 hours.
Really, those are the only things that stood out to me as drawbacks. I mean, sure, the price could be a drawback…but it’s actually either cheaper or right on par with most of its direct competitors.
I could say that it’s still a bit bulky…but it’s now significantly LESS bulky than ALL of its direct competitors (plus it comes in cuter colors). Besides, everything is bulky on Freya because of her neck shape. Plus, there’s only so much “bulk” you can eliminate without sacrificing the technology that makes these collars so awesome.
I could say that I wish it came with more static levels, but I don’t use static to begin with so that doesn’t apply to me…plus it does have more levels than most of its competitors.
Is it perfect? No. Nothing is, though. But that’s why they keep updating it. Speaking of that, I asked what happens to the Halo Collar 3 now that the 4 is out. They’ll still continue to support it with firmware updates, just like the continue to support the 2 and even the 1.
I thought that was pretty awesome. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve bought something only to be told that a new version was coming out and mine wouldn’t be supported for much longer. SUPER frustrating, right?
Bottom line: is the Halo Collar 4 worth buying?
I’ll be honest, I don’t love answering this question because whether something is worth it or not depends on your needs, budget, and situation.
In my opinion, though, yes, I do think it’s worth it. Even though I mainly use it for GPS tracking (and there are cheaper options that do JUST that), I like that I have the option of using it for so much more than just that. Plus, its GPS features are among the best in the business. So even if you are JUST using it for that, it’s still worth it.
Marketed as the most accurate dog fence ever created, the Halo Collar 4 GPS Dog Fence allows users to create, edit and store unlimited-sized fences, starting at 30 x 30 feet, and is now compatible with smaller dogs (neck sizes ranging from 8-30.5". While the invisible fence features help prevent dogs from leaving the yard in the first place, the almost-pin-point accurate GPS tracking features help owners find lost dogs quickly. Last, but far from least, the Halo Collar also has amazing dog training features AND acts as an activity monitor.
Top Features:
- 30-hour battery life
- Dual-frequency GPS
- Active GPS Antenna
- Real-time tracking
- All-carrier cellular coverage worldwide.
Leave a Comment