Comments on: Electronic Dog Fence Recommendations

By: Sherry Herrington

Sherry Herrington — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 03:36:12 +0000

I have a female blonde lab 5yrs, male red heeler 2 yrs, female blue heeler 10 yrs, female 6 yrs jack russell, and female 3 yrs jack russel, live on five acres but only want to keep them in side three acres. I want the best equipment possible.

ADMIN – Hi Sherry,

For that menagerie, you want a system that can work well with dogs of different sizes. I would suggest a PetSafe Deluxe system. Use the PetSafe Deluxe collars for the Labrador, and the two Heelers. For the two Jack Russell’s I would get PetSafe Little Dog collars – they will work with your PetSafe Deluxe system, but are smaller than the regular collars and will be much more comfortable on the dogs.

By: Rich

Rich — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 14:48:40 +0000

I’d like to get a system for an 18lb Jack Russell and an 8lb Yorkshire Terrier. I really don’t want to use the non-rechargeable batteries. Is there any chance the Innotek’s would work with the 8lb dog? What other choices do I have?

ADMIN – Hi Rich,

For a dog at 8lbs, the rechargeable systems, the PetSafe IUC-4100, the IUC-5100, and the EF-3000 collars are all going to be too big. The only good choice would be the PetSafe Little Dog. I would add a PetSafe Deluxe collar for the Jack Russell. The only other option would be to start a round of steroids on the Yorkie.

By: Denise

Denise — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 14:50:49 +0000

I am planning on installing a system around my 3 acre field. It already has existing field fencing that does not contain our dogs. Can I just attach the wire to the existing fence to avoid digging? Most of it is 4X4 wire, but I do have about 300 ft of wooden corral type fence. I would like to have it off the ground about 12 inches if possible. We have wild pigs that might tear it up if the wire was simply laid on the ground.

ADMIN – Hi Denise,

You can indeed mount the dog fence wire on the existing fence to avoid digging. The wire does not have to be at ground level. Elevating the wire a bit to avoid lawn mowers, weed whackers, or wild hogs is a good idea.

By: Kimberly

Kimberly — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 20:24:49 +0000

Hi. I have a lab/hound mix. She LOVES squirrels and went she get a scent, she’s GONE. I need a fence she will not run through even with the excitement of a squirrel. Any suggestions?

ADMIN – Hi Kimberly,

With a lab/hound mix the IUC-4100 is always a good choice. The trick with dogs that have that strong tracking or chasing drive, is to try and get a bit of the squirrel temptations to test the dog toward the end of the training period. With squirrels one good way to get this is to lay out food just before doing the training in the early morning or later afternoon when they are active. (with hounds, laying down a scent trail through the fence boundary also works well) Then test the dog while they are still on leash to see if they go through. If they don’t go through – reward them. If they do go through, let them get the correction and pull them back with the leash – they will quickly learn that they need to obey the boundary rules even when tempted.

By: jamie

jamie — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 18:12:09 +0000

i have twn 65lb boxers and a ‘C’ shaped yard, what would be the best the best system?

ADMIN – Hi Jamie,

With boxers, the IUC-4100 is a good choice. But, boxers are generally pretty easy to train so you have a lot of other options too. With twin dogs, one thing to remember is to train the dogs separately. If you try training them together they often focus too much on one-another and don’t focus on the task at hand.

By: Rebekah

Rebekah — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 02:28:23 +0000

Hello! We are looking to get an in-ground fence for our two dogs – 35lb beagle mix (2 yrs old) and a 35+lb english bulldog pup (6mos), who we expect to be about 50lbs. They are good overall about staying in the yard and have trained them based on natural yard boundaries, but the bulldog is a little more ‘confident’ and when she sees someone walking by she immediately wants to leave the yard to check things out. The beagle is not nearly as bold, but is always happy to follow. I have read through most of your above responses, and still am not sure if I have figured out what would be the best choice for us. They are neither people or dog aggressive (so far) but the bulldog is definitely ‘large and in charge’ and wants to check everything and everyone out, along with signs of typical bulldog protective behavior. Your suggestion would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

ADMIN – Hi Rebekah,

Bulldogs tend to have a much lower pain sensitivity to Beagles, than plus the size difference make me think they will probably need pretty different correction levels. I would go with a PetSafe Stubborn system for the Bulldog and get one extra PetSafe deluxe collar for the Beagle. The stubborn collar has more power (only if you need it) for the Bulldog, and the Deluxe collar is going to be a bit smaller and a more comfortable fit on the Beagle.

By: JENNIFER WOOSLEY

JENNIFER WOOSLEY — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 23:03:56 +0000

hi, i have a shepherd mix 25-30 pounds, medium size dog. She is 11 months still in the puppy stage i was wondering what type of wireless fencing would be the best for her we have 1.6acres.
thank you
jennifer

ADMIN – Hi Jennifer,

With your shepherd mix, I’d recommend either the Innotek IUC 4100 or the PetSafe Stubborn Dog. Both are great systems. With the 4100 you get a rechargeable collar. With the Stubborn Dog, you get a fence that can deliver higher levels of correction if you need it. The Stubborn Dog takes a regular 9v battery. I think either of these will work well with your dog.

As for wire, 500 feet comes with either system and you’d need an additional 1,000 feet to cover your 1.6 acres.

By: Kerry

Kerry — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 20:02:21 +0000

We live on 10 acres in an orchard and would like to teach our dog not to roam around the neighborhood, yet have the freedom to roam in the orchard. I was reluctant about the wired fences, because since our orchard is a working farm, I did not want the wire to be damaged. Also, since it is a large area, my husband is not looking forward to burying the thousands of feet of wire. But, I understand that the wireless systems are not as reliable. Which system would you recommend for our 7 mo old Lab? Also, how much wire would we need?

ADMIN – Hi Kerry,

There are two great fences I’d recommend: the Innotek IUC 4100 and the SportDog SDF 100. The 4100 would work well and has a capacity of 25 acres, but we like this fence cause it has a rechargeable collar. The SportDog system, while not rechargeable, does take a regular 9v battery. We like the SportDog because the system and collar is extremely durable and is better suited for large installs and large breed dogs like your lab. The SportDog has a very strong transmitter and can cover up to 100 acres.

I think you can’t go wrong with either of these two systems. I do believe though that the SportDog is much more durable than the 4100 and may be a better fit for your dog and land.

By: Tambra Harrison

Tambra Harrison — Wed, 12 May 2010 05:03:21 +0000

We have a beagle mix (she weighs about 25 lbs, and we are guessing that she is about 1 1/2 yrs old), who was sent to an adoption agency from a family that did not treat her well. She spent almost all of her time crated, and now we are struggling to train her properly. She also has those natural hunting instincts that means she can be difficult to rein in when we’re walking sometimes. That being said, we are moving to a new house with no fence around the yard. We already have a PetSafe Stubborn system. Would a PetSafe Stubborn be too much for her? If so, is it possible to use this system and get one of the other collars for it?

Thanks!
Tambra

ADMIN – Hi Tambra,

The correction strength on a PetSafe Stubborn is going to be more than you want for a beagle, you will really only be able to use one, maybe two of the correction levels. This is particularly true for a timid dog. The collar is also a little on the big side for a 20lb dog. I would prefer to see you use a different PetSafe collar with your existing system, a PetSafe deluxe collar would be a much better choice for the beagle.

By: Troy

Troy — Fri, 07 May 2010 16:36:38 +0000

I’m on 2 acres and have a 15lb Terrier who likes to run into the road and a 80lb Cur who loves to hunt. As soon as he’s let off his chain he bolts for the woods and is gone for hours so I’m not even sure I can hold him with an electronic fence. Most importantly I’m looking for separate correction levels with separate remote training capabilities. Is that possible? What would you suggest? Thanks….

ADMIN – Hi Troy,

I’m afraid where there is that big a difference in size between the two dogs, you cannot use any of the dog fences with remote training (e.g. Innotek IUC-5100 or Innotek SD-3000) because these systems do not have independent correction in fence mode. You would need to get a separate training collar if you wanted to use it for remote correction.

Your best bet would be a PetSafe Stubborn system for the big dog, and an extra PetSafe Little Dog collar or a PetSafe Deluxe collar.