Best GPS tracker for Norwegian Elkhound

GPS trackers are genuinely useful for dogs like yours — especially breeds with strong hunting instincts who'll follow a scent straight into thick cover and keep going. They work on a mobile network subscription, so coverage matters a lot, and in dense forest or remote rural areas that can be the weak point. Before I point you to the best option, a couple of quick questions: is this a Norwegian Elkhound, and is the main concern him disappearing mid-hunt in forested terrain? Also, is he already microchipped?

That's classic Elkhound behaviour — they were bred to hunt independently and hold prey at bay, so recall goes straight out the window once the nose is engaged. Microchipping is great for ID if he's found, but it won't help you locate him in real time. For dense woodland and rural terrain, you need a tracker that uses multiple network operators rather than locking to a single carrier, because coverage gaps are where these trackers fail. Can you tell me roughly where you're based — Scotland, Scandinavia, northern England? And do you take him hunting in multiple locations, or is it mainly one area of forest?

Northumberland forests can be rough on single-network trackers — you need something that roams across all available UK networks automatically. My recommendation is the Tractive GPS DOG 4. It switches between all available mobile networks rather than being tied to one, which makes a real difference in patchy rural coverage. It gives live tracking every 2–3 seconds when he's moving fast, has a dedicated LIVE tracking mode you can trigger when he goes off on a hunt, and the battery lasts 5–7 days on standard use — plenty for daily off-lead sessions without constant recharging. The subscription is around £4–5 a month. The device is lightweight enough that a working Elkhound won't be bothered by it. Pair it with a good harness attachment and you'll be able to watch Bjorn's route through the trees in real time on your phone. That's the one I'd go with for your situation.

The tracker itself relies on mobile signal to send his location to your phone — so if there's genuinely zero signal in a particular hollow or dense section, there will be a gap. What Tractive does well is that it logs his GPS coordinates continuously on the device itself, so the moment he moves into an area with even a weak signal it uploads his full track history. You can see exactly where he went even if there was a blackout period. For truly remote estates, some owners also look at Garmin's hunting trackers which use a dedicated radio frequency instead — the Garmin Alpha series is the professional option if you need guaranteed coverage regardless of mobile signal, though it's significantly more expensive. For most of Northumberland, the Tractive GPS DOG 4 will handle it well.

Good choice for your setup. One practical tip — turn on the LIVE tracking mode on your phone the moment Bjorn starts showing strong interest in a scent, before he actually bolts. That way you're already watching him move rather than scrambling to open the app after he's gone. The Tractive GPS DOG 4 is on Amazon UK, straightforward to set up, and the subscription activates in the app. Hope Bjorn gives you a bit less drama on your next forest walk.