In this dog gear buyer’s guide, we’ve rounded up the best reflective dog collars, lights and other reflective dog gear from top brands.
Having a reflective collar for your dog can be important to help keep your dog safe, especially when you want to improve your dog’s visibility by reflecting light from vehicle and street lights while on nighttime walks, early morning walks, or taking them on trails or near roads where you want other road and pavement users to see them from a distance.
They’re very popular with owners of black and dark-colored dogs, who are particularly difficult to see in the dark, fog, or low light conditions in the early morning or evening.
In addition to reflective collars, collars with lights, or lights you can attach to a leash, harness or collar, provide an additional safety option that’s worth considering as well as reflective gear for your pet.
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In fact, having a light on your dog’s collar and leash could be a better option than a reflective collar.
We’ve also included the best reflective dog jackets, which could be more suitable for your dog, depending on when and where you take them on walks because a highly reflective vest or jacket provides closer to 360-degree reflectivity than just a collar on your dog’s neck.
If you’re in a hurry and want a simple collar, then get your dog one of these reflective collars from Orvis (that can be personalized for free), or for full body visibility and reflectivity, get your dog one of these reflective Ruffwear Lumenglow jackets.
At the end of this post we’ve also included a reflective dog gear buyer’s guide, which provides additional information to help you choose the right reflective and lighting accessories for nighttime walks (and runs) with your dog.
1. Orvis Personalized reflective dog collars | Overall Best Reflective Dog Collar
If you’re looking for a collar that is highly reflective and can also be personalized, then one of these Orvis reflective collars is probably what you’re after.
It has a wide band of reflective material all around the collar and is designed so that you can see this reflective collar from up to half a mile away, when light is shone on it.
You can also have these reflective collars personalized for free, which people normally do with their dog’s name and phone number, so you may not even need them to wear separate ID tags when they’re wearing one.
The personalized numbers and letters are stitched onto the reflective material so they won’t rub or wear off like printed text on cheaper collars can.
It’s not the most exciting reflective dog collar design we’ve seen but is the most reflective collar that is also made with sturdy construction.
2. Ruffwear Crag Reflective dog collars and leashes
For a more stylish, yet still reflective dog collar that your dog can wear every day, our top pick is Ruffwear’s range of Crag collars.
The range includes several vibrant as well as more plain designs, all with reflective stitching detail and a silicone tag silencer. The collar pictured is one of our adventure dog Kepler’s favorites, and is his everyday dog collar.
Having a reflective leash will help you (and your attachment to your dog) be seen at night, and so it’s worth knowing that Ruffwear also offers these Crag leashes, to match the reflective collars, all with reflective stitching, the option to wear them around your waist, and (in our opinion) the best leash clip on the market.
As an added bonus, the Crag one-inch wide dog collars are the ideal size for attaching dog GPS trackers like Kepler’s Fi GPS.
The Fi collar stays permanently attached to his collar, which he wears every day so we can track his location, steps, and nap patterns. It also has a small light that can help with night-time visibility.
To learn more about the Fi GPS dog collar device that Kepler wears, including its key features and pros and cons, head over to our Fi dog collar review.
3. West Paw Strolls Dog Collar With Reflective Detail
West Paw, one of our favorite US dog gear and toy companies, sells this Strolls Dog Collar, which is another sturdy webbing collar that features reflective stitching all-round.
The Strolls collar comes in a variety of colors, including bright yellow, pink and blue, or you can go for a more understated blue or black if you prefer.
Like other West Paw products, the Strolls reflective collars are eco-friendly, made with 100% recycled polyester webbing, and designed and manufactured in the USA.
West Paw also sells a matching leash with reflective stitching.
Both are available directly from West Paw. While you’re there, also check out their excellent range of durable dog chew toys, Montana-inspired plush toys, and soft beds made from recycled materials, which make great dog gifts.
4. Ruffwear Confluence Reflective Waterproof Collar | Best Waterproof Reflective Dog Collar
If you are looking for a waterproof reflective dog collar for your adventurous, water-loving dog (or perhaps you just walk your dog a lot in the rain), then a waterproof biothane dog collar like this Confluence collar from Ruffwear is a good choice.
The reflective details on the Ruffwear Confluence reflective dog collar are printed on, and come in a range of nature-inspired patterns.
Biothane is not only waterproof (so it won’t get soaked), but it’s also stink-proof so won’t smell from being wet or covered in whatever dirt your dog decides to roll in 🙂
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If you haven’t felt a biothane collar or leash, it’s a type of PVC-coated webbing that makes items waterproof, stink-free, strong, and still grippy even when wet or dirty.
The material is made in the USA and you can learn more about it on Biothane’s website.
5. NiteIze NiteHowl LED Safety Necklace | Best Light Up Collars For Dogs
This is a very popular light-up dog collar that you can put on your dog for walking at night and in the dark or low light conditions such as those early morning walks.
At less than $20 it is, in our opinion, better than a reflective collar, for a lot of situations, as it will help your dog be seen without having to reflect light.
It’s also a good option for people who have a large back yard and may to see where their dog is, when they go out there in the dark.
You may have seen people walking their dogs at night and wondered where they got what looks like the doggy version of a glow stick around their neck.
This particular version of the collar is battery-operated and uses a rechargeable micro-USB. With a 5.5-hour runtime (and 1.5 hours to charge), this is a great option for most people.
You can also choose from pretty much any color by selecting the color on the collar, as well as a fun disco multi-color option.
It comes in a universal size which you can cut to fit your dog.
6. Ruffwear Beacon USB Dog Safety Light | Best Dog Collar Light
For another dog night light option, the Ruffwear Beacon USB-rechargeable dog light is a compact option that you can clip onto your dog’s collar, leash, or harness.
Choose between solid or flashing red, green, or blue lights. Being able to select different colors is very helpful in identifying multiple dogs if you have more than one, or walking with friends and their dogs.
The rechargeable battery provides up to 20 hours of runtime, which is superior to the NiteHowl above, and recharges at the same time (around 1.5 hours).
Plus, it’s waterproof to a depth of 1m of water for 30 minutes, making it ideal for walks in the rain and splashing in puddles.
If you have Ruffwear gear already or are looking at getting one of the reflective collars or jackets mentioned here, it’s good to know that it also has a clip on the back which is designed to fit on most of their collars.
There are also dedicated light clip areas on their range of harnesses and jackets, so it doesn’t jiggle around as your dog walks (or runs).
7. Proviz Reflect360 High-Viz Fleece Lined Dog Jacket
You may have visited this post in search of a reflective dog collar, or a light for your dog, but give some consideration to whether it would be even better for your dog to wear a reflective jacket that covers the length of their body.
This insulated fleece-lined, high-vis dog jacket from Proviz looks grey in daylight, but at night the whole jacket shines bright white when light is pointed at it.
This means your dog’s entire body (except its head, tail, and legs!) is going to be highly visible when walking at night.
8. Lumenglow Reflective Dog Vest / Jacket
A reflective jacket like this Lumenglow option from Ruffwear also has a significantly larger reflective area than just a collar and makes it clear to other road and path users that the moving glow they’re seeing lit up in their torch or headlights up ahead, is actually a dog.
It’s available in bright colors as well as a more understated black-grey, which lights up when light is shone on it.
The reflective area is the grey stripe on the sides and back of the dog’s neck.
Our trail dog Kepler always wears a reflective vest when we take him out at night. As he is a mostly black dog, it’s really important to us that we do everything we can to make him as visible to others as possible.
We pair this reflective dog vest with the Beacon light described above, which clips perfectly between his shoulders on the vest’s dedicated light clip. It can also be worn over a dog sweater, for extra warmth, such as the Kurgo K9 Core sweater.
The best lights for walking your dog at night (for humans)
As well as putting a light on your dog’s collar or leash, you may want a light for yourself that isn’t a handheld torch.
Wearing a bright, reliable headlamp is a great option, although it can make it difficult to engage with your dog if the light is bright because they won’t be able to see your face.
In this case, you should tilt the light and point it away from your dog when you look at him/her.
Also consider wearing a reflective vest yourself, like these in our lightweight high-viz vests buyer’s guide.
To mitigate this, you could look into getting a headlamp with a red light function (like the one linked to above), if that will be sufficient for you to see where you are going, as well as to be seen by others while on your dog walk.
Alternatively, the versatile Kogalla Ra light system is a great option.
You can clip Kogalla Ra lights on anywhere across your body, including on your waist or on the straps of a backpack, for example. This keeps your hands free, and gives you plenty of choice in how to wear the lights on your body or pack.
To see some examples of how it can be worn, visit the product page on Kogalla’s website to view photos and videos of it in use in various contexts.
Reflective dog collar and dog light buying guide
Reflective collars are a simple way to help keep your dog safe as wearing one means there’s more chance they can be more easily seen when outside in dark and low light conditions.
efore you select a reflective collar, decide how you’re going to use it. Do you want it to be your dog’s only collar or just a second one that you put on them to improve your dog’s visibility during nighttime walks?
How to choose the best reflective collar for your dog
If you want an everyday collar that is also reflective, definitely consider whether you should get one with reflective stitching, and enhance your dog’s nighttime visibility by using a light at night.
As well as having the reflective details, for an ‘only’ collar, make sure you choose a good quality one that is less likely to break or have the buckle or clip fail.
If you have an energetic dog or one who pulls when on the leash, it’s definitely worth investing in a quality collar to help keep them safe. Personally, I wouldn’t trust a cheap collar with our strong, energetic 40lb+ dog.
When choosing a collar, ideally the clip should be one you can undo while under tension, which you may need to do to take the collar off in an emergency.
It’s also good to know that you can get personalized reflective collars. Personalized reflective dog gear can be a great option where you want your phone number to be very easily seen if your dog gets lost and someone finds them wandering around – they don’t have to go looking for their small ID tags and trying to read your contact details with a torch!
Reflective vs. light-up dog gear
It’s worth noting that reflective gear only works if a light is shone on the reflective material – it looks bright when it can reflect light.
However, a light can be seen in the dark and is a great choice for helping your dog to be seen in low light conditions, as it will shine even when no light is shone in its direction.
If your concern is that your dog may wander off in the dark, then a light will be more beneficial (or an additional safeguard to help them be seen) as they will be more visible when wearing a light source of their own, even if a light isn’t being shone their way.
For this reason, LED dog lights such as the NiteHowl LED necklace and the Ruffwear Beacon clip-on light are gaining in popularity.
Choosing a waterproof reflective collar
While all collars can get wet, we all know that those wet webbing and leather collars can end up staying wet for quite some time, and can start to stink as a result of being wet and dirty.
If your dog has lots of walks in the rain, or perhaps just likes to dive into ponds and puddles, then a biothane dog collar such as the Ruffwear Confluence collar that is waterproof and anti-stink, as well as quick-drying, is a great choice.
Consider getting a reflective leash as well
While many people consider reflective dog collars to be desirable for walking your dog at night, a reflective leash can also be a good investment if you walk your dog mostly on-leash, including on streets with no pavement and in the city at night.
A reflective dog leash shows others that you and your dog are connected to one another, so people don’t attempt to walk, run or ride bikes between you while you walk.
