ADMIN – Hi Amandah,

If you want a small collar two good choices for 18 lb dogs would be the PetSafe Little Dog and the Innotek IUC-4100. The PetSafe is the smaller collar, about the size of a box of matches turned on it’s side, and weighing about 2 ounces. The disadvantage of that collar is that it uses a proprietary battery. The Innotek IUC-4100 is about double that size, but is a rechargeable battery. Both collars would work well with dogs in that size range.

FYI – You don’t need to shave their hair (and shouldn’t – the hair helps cushion the collar and keep it from chafing the skin). You can just thin out the hair a little with scissors.

ADMIN – Hi Rob,
Unless you wanted to fence over 25 acres, the size of your yard wouldn’t be a good determining factor. We usually look at weight and temperament of your dog first when making a recommendation. Most fences come with 500 feet of wire which is enough to cover up to 1/3 of an acre. If you want to create the U shape so you’re dog can roam out the back of your yard, the only way you can accomplish this is with a double loop. Lakefront option two is the layout you’ll want to use. This layout is illustrated on our Planning/Layouts Page located under the Dog Fence Installation heading on the menu bar. The downside is that you’ll need double the wire and you’ll need the space to separate the long narrow loop by at least 4 to 6 feet.

ADMIN – Hi Denice,

If you think the collar is going to take a bit a beating, the SportDog SDF-100A would be a good choice. The collar is big, but would not be a cause for concern on even a small Golden Retriever. For the Toy Poodle, add a PetSafe Little Dog collar – it is compatible with the SportDog and is much smaller and lighter collar.

ADMIN – Hi Rick,

For two small dog of that size, I would get the PetSafe Little Dog system. The collars on the PetSafe Little Dog are about half the size or regular collars, and particularly for the smaller of the two dogs, the only collar that is likely to be comfortable on the dog’s neck.

ADMIN – Hi Ryan,

For a Boxer the Innotek IUC-4100 would be a good choice (smaller collar, rechargeable) as would the PetSafe Stubborn Dog Fence (bigger collar & non-rechargeable, but cheaper)

With a fence in place, I would just zip tie the dog fence wire to the rails or weave it through the mesh – that way you can get straight into training. With a boxer, I would not anticipate any problems.

I have a bit of a unique situation. I have two miniature dachshunds. The older one is very well behaved, almost never leaves the yard and if he does he immediately comes when called. The younger one (6 yrs) not so much. He must be on a leash or will charge out after every cat, squirrel, deer, cow etc. I have recently purchased a new home on about 2 acres and was thrilled to finally have room for my dogs to roam, George however still takes off into the woods after,..everything. I have an ornamental fence up both sides of our deep lot, but it is really more suitable for containing horses, not small dogs.

Now,.the real issue. Someone has dumped a lab/Shepherd/chow ?? mix in our neighbor hood. I think he’s probably 8-12 mo old and has been abused. I have fallen in love with this dog and want to keep him. He likes to roam and collect things from the neighbors,.like shoes, new papers, kids toys. Every morning there are new gifts waiting for me on my front lawn. I need a fence, as my neighbors will only be kind about this for so long

SO,.I need a fence that will work with both the 10lb dogs and this 50lb (?) dog. I think I need 1200-1500 ft of wire. I would love a rechargeable collar, however, how do you keep an outside dog in the yard while the collar is charging? Having several collars to switch out appears a bit pricey. I am also concerned about training this new dog. He obviously has had no training and is still afraid of my husband. It took me 2 weeks to even get a collar on him and he is afraid of the leash and just rolls over on his back and pee’s on himself when I try to put it on him. He has never offered to be aggressive, just very scared. I’m just a little concerned about how to go about training him. I hate to send this dog to the pound to be put down. He really is a sweet dog, just needs some love, and patience.

So which system? Different collars for different dogs? Thanks again for all the info! Jeani

ADMIN – Hi Jeani,

With that much different in size, the PetSafe systems are preferable because they allow you to use a mix of collars so each dog gets a collar appropriate for them. I would use a PetSafe Stubborn system and use the bundled PetSafe Stubborn collar with the mix. For the dachshund, use a smaller PetSafe Little Dog collar if they are under 12lbs, and the PetSafe Deluxe collar if they are over 12lbs.

The PetSafe Stubborn uses a disposable 9V battery, you can effectively make this rechargeable if you get a regular rechargeable 9V battery from your local Radio Shack or Wal-Mart. The PetSafe Little Dog and Deluxe do not take a rechargeable battery, they use a PetSafe proprietary battery.

The rechargeable systems aren’t a good fit for situations where the smaller dog is under 12lbs because the collar is a little bigger. In answer to you question about recharging – the better rechargeable systems like the Innotek IUC-4100 only take around 2 hours to recharge the collars and you only need to do it about once a month so you can usually recharge the collars at night when the dogs come in at the end of the day.

ADMIN – Hi Kathy,

Start with the Innotek because it is a little better and has a rechargeable battery so will end up being a lot cheaper. Place the collar on the dog for a day or two and see if they are comfortable. If there are any problems, we can exchange it for the PetSafe.

Admin- Hi Caroline,

A great system for your Schnauzer will be the PetSafe Stubborn Dog. You will be able to adjust the correction levels to fit your Schnauzer needs. The Stubborn Dog collar is fully waterproof and will not pose an issue with the dog swimming. Just note, that with good training your dog should not be receiving a lot of correction because he should not be testing the boundaries.

ADMIN – Hi Mark,

With that much difference in size between the two dogs, I would want a system that allows you to set the correction level of each dog independently. A good choice would be the PetSafe Deluxe. For something a little cheaper but with a bigger collar, the PetSafe Stubborn would work well (just keep it on the lower correction levels. For something a little more expensive but rechargeable, the Dogtra EF-3000 would be a good choice.

Thanks!

Admin- Hi Mike,

In order to lay the wire next to your neighbors, either you or your neighbor will need a fence system that can give you multiple frequency options. The reason is when two in-ground systems are too close together, the signals each system sends out interfere with each other, creating dead spots where there is no signal. If there is interference, you will notice that the correction collar works on most of your property, but not on the parts where interference exists. You can have Interference with your neighbor’s system if there is not at least 15 feet of separation between your respective boundaries. Before recommending a fence to you, do you know what brand of dog fence your neighbor has?

You should not have a problem. The key with your PitBull Terrier is going to be in the training. A dog that runs through a boundary either isn’t trained properly, has an incorrectly fitted collar, or inappropriate correction level.