I Put a $599 Smart Collar on My Bird Dogs to See If It’s Worth It: Halo 5 Review

There are few things more stomach-dropping than watching your dog disappear over a ridge, through a fence, or toward a road. A recall whistle only works if they hear it, and fences are only helpful if you have one. GPS collars promise a fix, but many of them fail when it matters most.

I’ve spent enough time testing GPS collars on my bird dogs and hounds to know how frustrating dropped signals and short battery life can be. Earlier Halo models were great (and still are), but all great things can be better.

With the Halo Collar 5, I was ready to be skeptical. After weeks of testing, I can say this version delivers the kind of consistent performance I need to keep my dogs safe with nice upgrades from the earlier iterations.

In short: The Halo Collar 5 ($599) is a meaningful upgrade over previous versions, offering longer battery life, faster GPS updates, and better connectivity. It’s still expensive, but for anyone who wants dependable tracking and containment of their best pal, it’s worth the price.

Halo Collar 5 Review

What’s New With the Halo Collar 5

Compared to older Halo collars, the 5’s biggest improvements are signal reliability and battery life. The dual-chip design reduces those irritating “lost connection” alerts that would pop up at the worst time. The collar also feels faster in the way it responds, which makes sense with the 20 GPS updates per second.

The fit system also deserves credit. Being able to dial in a snug, custom size makes it easier to trust the collar will stay put, no matter how hard my dogs push through brush. We’ve had more than one occasion of my pups wiggling out of previous versions.

The best news for those of us who have previous versions is that they kept the same charger as the Halo Collar 4. That might not seem like a huge deal, but with each new version, it seemed like Halo was keen on changing up the charger. Now, at the very least, I have two collars with the same charger.

Testing in the Field

The biggest test for me is always reliability. A collar that works in the backyard but drops a signal in bird country is useless. With the Halo Collar 5, I saw steady connectivity even in dense cover. The GPS seemed locked on, where older versions might be just slightly laggy.

Battery life is another place where the Halo Collar 5 shows progress. I’ve had it last through multiple long days without recharging, which wasn’t the case with past models. The 1-hour fast charge to get over halfway topped off is a real win when I’m packing for a hunt and realize I forgot to plug it in.

Or, more likely, when I fall asleep with my pups and forget to take the thing off and slap it on the charger for the night.

Features That Matter to Dog Owners

The standout is AlwaysOn GPS. With 20 updates per second, I know exactly where my dogs are, not where they were 30 seconds ago. That difference matters when a dog is ripping toward a road or drifting toward private ground we shouldn’t be on in a hunt.

I also appreciate that the system sticks with positive cues. The collar guides my dogs back with sound and vibration rather than harsh correction. For dogs trained on encouragement rather than punishment, that’s a meaningful distinction.

Halo Health is new with this release, and while it’s still rolling out, the daily activity tracking is a nice addition. I can see how much ground my dogs cover, which doubles as both bragging rights and a tool to monitor their fitness.

Where It Can Improve

No GPS system is perfect, and the Halo Collar 5 still has a few kinks. In dense cover or spots where the signal struggles, I’ve seen the collar throw out the occasional incorrect correction. It’s rare, but worth noting.

Manual corrections are another weak spot. By the time you open the app, wait for it to load, choose the dog, and then select a correction, the moment has often passed. A quicker option in the app, or even better, an iPhone widget for immediate correction, would solve a lot of frustration.

That said, none of these issues are deal breakers. The collar’s strengths still outweigh these hiccups, but there’s room for improvement in future updates.

Final Thoughts

The Halo Collar 5 fixes enough of the minor pain points from earlier generations that I can recommend it without hesitation, and do … often.

For hunters, hikers, or anyone whose dog has the instinct to roam, it’s a meaningful upgrade. For those who need their pups to stay in the yard and not wander, it does the job and does it well. The price stings a bit, but peace of mind is rarely cheap.