I purchased a Tractive Dog XL last week and currently testing on my German Shepard that loves to hop the fence. I have 12 acres of fenced in yard space and I was able to create a VIRTUAL fence with the app using the octagon shape and dragging each of the 6 corners in different positions to form the shape of my yard. It will alert you whenever your dog breaches that virtual boundery. Also, the circled area that you showed on your video is the home wifi area that you can cut off if you like. You were also looking at the location of your phone on the app, and not the dog. ( It tracts both to show where you are in relation to your dog) Once you go into LIVE mode, then you will see the dog movement in GPS network. If your dog crosses the virtual fence, It will also continue to track in the cellular network from anywhere. It's actually a pretty good device and it's WAAAAAAAy cheaper than the other ones. PS just be aware of that cheap rubber band strap to hold it on. I used some zip ties.
Yeah, it took me a little longer than I thought to figure out the finer details on the Tractive. I’ve been pleasantly surprised with it. I don’t use it much unless I’m charging the Halo or SpotOn but when I do, I use it in the front yard because the tree cover isn’t so bad. In the back, it has a lot of trouble through the trees. I highly recommend it to those who have no tree cover. The only thing I would be concerned about is if a dog escapes and heads right into the woods.
Thank you these videos are very helpful with our discussion on how to keep our farm dog on our land and which collar to get our farm dog, who in the last year has decided the farm is no longer "big enough for him" (a little over 1k acres). Thank you you have answered many questions we had about the Halo and Spot on
@@E.P.7131 It’s hard to say without knowing your specific situation (cell signal in your area, how much tree cover you have, etc.), but I generally recommend the SpotOn. Yeah, it’s pricey, but it’s been the more reliable collar for me, especially since they have Forest Mode (for heavy tree cover) and off-grid mode in areas where signal is bad. Plus, I hate paying a subscription. There’s little chance that one of my dogs might escape one day, so that may be different than your situation.
Yes, you can buy the SpotOn GPS Fence without a cellular subscription. It works with GPS anywhere you can see the sky. You don't need a cellular subscription to create, manage, or activate fences, and many customers successfully use SpotOn in off-grid mode in remote areas with no cellular service.
If you decide to purchase the SpotOn collar, here's the link: spotonvirtualfence.sjv.io/Or26An. Your purchase through this link will support our channel and help us create more great content.
Just returned the Halo collar 3. Was way too inconsistent. I had a great signal and still the inconsistent behavior with the same spot over the course of three days was so horrible that my dog completely disregarded the static even set to 15. Ran straight through the boundary. While I’m receiving alerts non stop as she goes after the neighbors dog. Halo is not ready for prime time in my opinion.
I know another person who had a similar experience with the halo as you. Turns out he shortcut the training then blamed the collar and the dog. If many people have great success with it but you don’t , what does that tell you? What is the variable?
I personally checked my Halo collars daily for about a week because I thought there was an issue and I wanted to figure out if it was the collars or the dogs. Turns out, the GPS/cellular WAS inconsistent. I cold approach the fence/boundary and it would beep/function correctly. A little while later, or on a different day, I would approach the same spot and nothing. - but 6 foot over, it would work fine. At one point, I had two collars, and checked both. One would work, one would not in the same spot at the same time. However, I live in a very rural area, but I have Verizon cell service and never have an issue using my phone anywhere on the property.
Great video. I have a small yard. 50’ wide and 100’ deep. Thinking the Halo would be better. Any experience with setting up small fences with halo? Thanks again
The Halo allows you to draw a fence as small as 30’ x 30’. It’s a little harder to draw accurately if you have a lot of tree cover, so a little trial and error is necessary if you do. The SpotOn has a minimum fence size of half an acre. The SpotOn requires a minimum of 80’ at its narrowest point. The Halo isn’t quite as precise as the SpotOn but it’s been close for me and I have a heavy tree canopy. Also, you can’t draw keep out zones within your virtual fence with the Halo, but it does come with a beacon that you can place in areas where you don’t want your dogs to go, like a shed.
SpotOn Omni. It has a forest mode for your tree coverage and an off-grid mode for the lack of cell coverage. The only drawback is tracking. You need that cell coverage for adequate tracking but that’s something you would deal with no matter what collar you go with. The off-grid mode allows you to create a single, invisible fence but that single fence will cover your 5 acres easily (SpotOn covers up to 1,000 acres or so). I have a heavy tree canopy and I’ve tested the SpotOn under heavier tree coverage as well (in my SpotOn vs Invisible Fence Review). It’s accurate to within 4 feet, which is within the fence drift window. Hope that helps! If you decide to purchase the SpotOn collar, here's the link: spotonvirtualfence.sjv.io/WqjmkM. Your purchase through this link will support our channel and help us create more great content.
The Halo is generally a decent smart collar for me, but it has issues that stand out more in a heavy tree canopy or thick clouds. The SpotOn is much more reliable in these conditions because its active antenna reduces signal reflection. In fact, I just finished a video comparing the SpotOn with the Invisible Fence GPS Collar, which will be published today. I ran some tests in the woods and the SpotOn performed very well. SpotOn also has an off-grid mode, allowing you to set up an invisible fence without a cell signal. It can handle only one fence when off-grid, but you can make that fence large enough to cover hundreds of acres."
If you decide to purchase the SpotOn collar, here's the link: spotonvirtualfence.sjv.io/NkdvdV Your purchase through this link will support our channel and help us create more great content.
For SpotOn, each dog requires their own collar and their own (optional) cellular subscription. For Halo, all collars will be managed under the same subscription plan and within the same app account. For Tractive, you need a separate tracker and separate subscription plan in order to view their locations simultaneously in the Tractive GPS App.
Does the invisible fence stay on even if you are not at your house? For instance, if we were to leave the country and have someone dog sit at our home, would the fence remain in operation, or would the person dog sitting have to download the app as well and set the perimeter within their own phone?
If you are going out of town, I would suggest letting a dog sitter download the app. The app is shareable so long as they have your login info. I know both the Halo and the SpotOn allow this but I think the SpotOn even has a specific setup for sharing with a dog sitter.
Looks like they changed the monthly subscription plan to coincide with the reduced price of the Halo 3 Collar, which happened after the video was made.
Great video. Thanks for taking the time to explain the products.
I purchased a Tractive Dog XL last week and currently testing on my German Shepard that loves to hop the fence. I have 12 acres of fenced in yard space and I was able to create a VIRTUAL fence with the app using the octagon shape and dragging each of the 6 corners in different positions to form the shape of my yard. It will alert you whenever your dog breaches that virtual boundery. Also, the circled area that you showed on your video is the home wifi area that you can cut off if you like. You were also looking at the location of your phone on the app, and not the dog. ( It tracts both to show where you are in relation to your dog) Once you go into LIVE mode, then you will see the dog movement in GPS network. If your dog crosses the virtual fence, It will also continue to track in the cellular network from anywhere. It's actually a pretty good device and it's WAAAAAAAy cheaper than the other ones. PS just be aware of that cheap rubber band strap to hold it on. I used some zip ties.
Yeah, it took me a little longer than I thought to figure out the finer details on the Tractive. I’ve been pleasantly surprised with it. I don’t use it much unless I’m charging the Halo or SpotOn but when I do, I use it in the front yard because the tree cover isn’t so bad. In the back, it has a lot of trouble through the trees. I highly recommend it to those who have no tree cover. The only thing I would be concerned about is if a dog escapes and heads right into the woods.
The battery life is around 72hrs too!
Thank you these videos are very helpful with our discussion on how to keep our farm dog on our land and which collar to get our farm dog, who in the last year has decided the farm is no longer "big enough for him" (a little over 1k acres). Thank you you have answered many questions we had about the Halo and Spot on
Glad it was helpful!
Which did you decide to go with? I'm having the same issue with my two belgian Malinois on 9 acres because much of my fencing needs repairing.
@@E.P.7131 It’s hard to say without knowing your specific situation (cell signal in your area, how much tree cover you have, etc.), but I generally recommend the SpotOn. Yeah, it’s pricey, but it’s been the more reliable collar for me, especially since they have Forest Mode (for heavy tree cover) and off-grid mode in areas where signal is bad. Plus, I hate paying a subscription. There’s little chance that one of my dogs might escape one day, so that may be different than your situation.
Can you buy the spoton without the cellular subscription? There is no cell phone coverage where I am.
Yes, you can buy the SpotOn GPS Fence without a cellular subscription. It works with GPS anywhere you can see the sky. You don't need a cellular subscription to create, manage, or activate fences, and many customers successfully use SpotOn in off-grid mode in remote areas with no cellular service.
If you decide to purchase the SpotOn collar, here's the link: spotonvirtualfence.sjv.io/Or26An. Your purchase through this link will support our channel and help us create more great content.
Just returned the Halo collar 3. Was way too inconsistent. I had a great signal and still the inconsistent behavior with the same spot over the course of three days was so horrible that my dog completely disregarded the static even set to 15. Ran straight through the boundary. While I’m receiving alerts non stop as she goes after the neighbors dog. Halo is not ready for prime time in my opinion.
I know another person who had a similar experience with the halo as you. Turns out he shortcut the training then blamed the collar and the dog. If many people have great success with it but you don’t , what does that tell you? What is the variable?
I personally checked my Halo collars daily for about a week because I thought there was an issue and I wanted to figure out if it was the collars or the dogs. Turns out, the GPS/cellular WAS inconsistent. I cold approach the fence/boundary and it would beep/function correctly. A little while later, or on a different day, I would approach the same spot and nothing. - but 6 foot over, it would work fine. At one point, I had two collars, and checked both. One would work, one would not in the same spot at the same time. However, I live in a very rural area, but I have Verizon cell service and never have an issue using my phone anywhere on the property.
Great video. I have a small yard. 50’ wide and 100’ deep. Thinking the Halo would be better. Any experience with setting up small fences with halo? Thanks again
The Halo allows you to draw a fence as small as 30’ x 30’. It’s a little harder to draw accurately if you have a lot of tree cover, so a little trial and error is necessary if you do. The SpotOn has a minimum fence size of half an acre. The SpotOn requires a minimum of 80’ at its narrowest point. The Halo isn’t quite as precise as the SpotOn but it’s been close for me and I have a heavy tree canopy.
Also, you can’t draw keep out zones within your virtual fence with the Halo, but it does come with a beacon that you can place in areas where you don’t want your dogs to go, like a shed.
First hand experience here. Halo is NOT ready for primetime.
What would you recommend for a 5 acre property with no cell coverage? We do have wifi. Tree canopy is 10-15 ft junipers. Thanks!
SpotOn Omni. It has a forest mode for your tree coverage and an off-grid mode for the lack of cell coverage. The only drawback is tracking. You need that cell coverage for adequate tracking but that’s something you would deal with no matter what collar you go with. The off-grid mode allows you to create a single, invisible fence but that single fence will cover your 5 acres easily (SpotOn covers up to 1,000 acres or so). I have a heavy tree canopy and I’ve tested the SpotOn under heavier tree coverage as well (in my SpotOn vs Invisible Fence Review). It’s accurate to within 4 feet, which is within the fence drift window. Hope that helps! If you decide to purchase the SpotOn collar, here's the link: spotonvirtualfence.sjv.io/WqjmkM. Your purchase through this link will support our channel and help us create more great content.
How does the halo and spot on work during the rainy and stormy times. We live in the country, and are surrounded by ranches and farms.
The Halo is generally a decent smart collar for me, but it has issues that stand out more in a heavy tree canopy or thick clouds. The SpotOn is much more reliable in these conditions because its active antenna reduces signal reflection. In fact, I just finished a video comparing the SpotOn with the Invisible Fence GPS Collar, which will be published today. I ran some tests in the woods and the SpotOn performed very well. SpotOn also has an off-grid mode, allowing you to set up an invisible fence without a cell signal. It can handle only one fence when off-grid, but you can make that fence large enough to cover hundreds of acres."
If you decide to purchase the SpotOn collar, here's the link: spotonvirtualfence.sjv.io/NkdvdV
Your purchase through this link will support our channel and help us create more great content.
Does one subscription cover 2 or 3 collars?
For SpotOn, each dog requires their own collar and their own (optional) cellular subscription.
For Halo, all collars will be managed under the same subscription plan and within the same app account.
For Tractive, you need a separate tracker and separate subscription plan in order to view their locations simultaneously in the Tractive GPS App.
@@WorldAnimalFdn thanks .this literally makes Halo twice as good as spoton
Does the invisible fence stay on even if you are not at your house? For instance, if we were to leave the country and have someone dog sit at our home, would the fence remain in operation, or would the person dog sitting have to download the app as well and set the perimeter within their own phone?
If you are going out of town, I would suggest letting a dog sitter download the app. The app is shareable so long as they have your login info. I know both the Halo and the SpotOn allow this but I think the SpotOn even has a specific setup for sharing with a dog sitter.
Rhode Island is 775,957 acres. So you could confine your dog to Rhode Island...if you hated him/her.
😂 I suppose you could! Glad you enjoyed the video and there are plenty more, including the new Halo 4!
Where did you find the Halo subscription for $5.95/mo? cheapest currently (2 weeks after you posted this) is $7.99/mo for 2 year plan.
Looks like they changed the monthly subscription plan to coincide with the reduced price of the Halo 3 Collar, which happened after the video was made.