Well they've finally gone and done it: concocted a dog GPS collar so that you can track Fido wherever he may roam. And roam he will! Now this is what I would call a fancy dog collar.

This article is a review comparison of all the most popular and best performing GPS tracking devices designed specifically for dogs.

Make no mistake about it: the Garmin Astro 220 is the superior dog GPS device here, but there are other good options as well.

GPS dog tracking collars are a great invention. You never expect your dog to wander, but dogs and especially puppies can get distracted and lost. But these great dog tracking systems could one day save the life of your wayward and curious pup. They'll at least save you countless winter nights spent going in circles looking for that rascal!

Garmin's Astro 220 is the most sought-after dog GPS collar on the market. Of course, Garmin is well respected when it comes to GPS systems.

Garmin has packaged the Astro 220 up in a few different ways. With the "Bundle" here is what you get:

• The Astro 220 Dog Tracking GPS Receiver
• The DC 30 Transmitter Collar
• A Carrying Case
• An AC Adapter
• A Vehicle Power Cable
• And a USB Cable

On this hand held device you'll not only be able to see where your dog is right now, but you can also track the trail he has taken to get there! What a great way to learn your dogs habits and patterns. If he has found a weak spot in the yard where he always escapes you'll be able to find it too with this dog GPS and fix it.

It updates every 5 seconds so only the fastest dogs will be able to outwit you anymore. And even then, not for long. When you deal with Garmin, you are really dealing with the best maker in the GPS field, even concerning our canine friends.

The Zoombak ZMBK100 is another popular GPS dog locator.  Many consider it a lower budget alternative to the Garmin 220 listed above.  The Zoombak dog tracking device fits on your dogs collar, but for it to work you will need to sign up for the service which costs about $10 a month . Then sign up with Zoombak's website in order to track your puppy as he romps through the neighborhood searching for squirrels.

You set up safety zones, then when your dog goes in or out of these zones you can be notified via email and/or text message -- your choice.  You can get your pet's location in three different ways:  via the internet, text message or you can call their 24 hour customer support line. 

The unit will update to the Internet in real-time. The continuous tracking feature gives you an update of your pet's location every 5 minutes, for up to an hour.  If needed you can extend tracking for an additional hour.

The SpotLight GPS Pet Locator System works like many other GPS dog collars. You set safety zones, then when your pet leaves the safety zone you receive a message via text, email or both, you get to decide. One nice thing about this GPS for dogs is that you can set a zone within a zone as it allows for multiple alerts. So if you set your yard as a zone when your dog leaves the yard you will get a notification and if you set the neighborhood as another zone you'll receive another notification if he leaves the neighborhood.

This dog GPS system allows you to find your pet using your cell phone or the internet. You can call or text the service and locate your pet 24 hours a day. They will even provide turn by turn directions.

The SpotLight GPS Pet Locator System costs around $250, but you will need to sign up for the monthly service for it to work. The monthly service costs between $8 and $20 depending on how often you use it.

In order for the service to work you need to be in a T-Mobile coverage area.

Yet another option for dog tracking collars includes the PetSafe GPS Pet Locator. You can find the device itself (with collar) for around $100. But you'll also need to sign up for the annual subscription to their service plan. This annual subscription costs around $200 a year.

With the PetSafe GPS Tracking Collar you define safe zones; when your dog goes outside of these designated safe zones the system will notify you via phone, text message or email. If you receive a notification you call and talk to a customer care specialist who will help reunite you with your pet.