Dogtek EF-4000
Pros
- Adjustable warning and boundary
- Small collar size
- 8 correction levels
Cons
- 1 acre capacity
- No collar low battery warning
Rating
Retail Price
199.95
Our Price
149.95
Availability: In Stock
Orders before 1pm ship same day
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Summary: Great Value But Limitations
The EF-4000 is the base model in the Dogtra lineup. It has a particularly impressive feature set for it’s price, with independent correction & boundary zones, a small collar, and 8 correction levels.
But, there are limitations. The system can only contain 2.5 acres (1,500 feet) area and the collar has no low battery alert.
Adjustable Boundary Warning & Correction
Dogtek gives you control over both the boundary warning distance, and the boundary correction distance. You can independently set these boundary distances which lets you tailor setting to your dog’s temperament and your yard’s configuration.
Independent Correction
Dogtek also lets you set the correction levels on each collar independently, allowing you to accommodate dogs of very different sizes and temperaments. The range of correction lets you
Collar Transmitter Wire & Accessories Warranty Conclusion Video Review Manual Specifications Questions and Answers
Small & Light Collar
The EF-4000 has one of the smaller and lighter collars for regular sized dogs. Despite the small size it has eight correction levels. But, it lacks a basic low battery indicator.
8 Correction Levels
The EF-4000 has eight correction levels ranging from very-low to medium-high. The correction levels give enough range to suit most dog, although very large or very stubborn dogs will need a high powered collar such as the PetSafe Stubborn.
The correction levels are changed by pressing a tiny button in the battery compartment. The button placement is inconvenient, and the size of the button is so small it requires you to use a pen to press. However, you will likely only use the correction level adjustment a few times when you are first training your dogs and will thereafter leave the correction level unchanged.
No Low Battery Warning
The EF-4000 lacks any low battery warning on the collar. This means the battery can die on the collar and because it has no status light or other indicator, you will have no idea that the battery has gone flat. The only solution is to either change the battery early (say every three months), or test the collar with the supplied tester tool regularly as it approaches the end of it’s life. Either way it is an inconvenience, and we are surprised the collar lacks this basic function.
Long and Short Prongs
The system comes with both long and short collar prong attachments, so can be used out of the box with both long and short hair dogs. Providing both types of prongs on this entry level system is a generous extra usually only seen on the higher priced systems.
Disposable CR2 Battery
The collar is powered by a disposable CR2 battery, requiring you to keep buying new batteries to keep the collar in working order. But, the battery is a non-proprietary battery that is available at most big-box drug-stores and is moderately priced at around $5, which makes it a lot more economical than the proprietary batteries used in the Petsafe, Perimeter Technologies, and Invisible Fence dog fence systems.
Changing the battery is a minor chore, requiring four screws to be undone. However, with a battery life of around 4 months, changing the battery is a relatively infrequent occurrence.
Lightweight & Small
The EF-4000 collar is one of the lighter and smaller full-powered collars. The collar will comfortably fit any dogs over 12lbs. For dogs, under 12 lbs a dedicated small dog system with a micro-collar such as the PetSafe Little Dog system is necessary.
Cloth Strap
The collar fastens using our preferred cloth strap with a quick-snap buckle. Additionally, the strap slides around the outside of the collar so can be easily removed for washing or replacement.
Transmitter with Adjustable Boundary
The new Dogtek EF-4000 transmitter allows you to adjust both the boundary correction distance and the boundary warning distance. This allows you to have a completely custom boundary that suits the needs of your dog and your layout.
Adjustable Boundary Warning & Correction
The Dogtek EF-4000 (and it’s big brother the EF-6000) let you adjust both the boundary warning distance and the boundary correction distance. This gives you a lot more control in your boundary set up and allows you to find a setup that will suit your dog.
You can for example set a wide boundary tone to trigger 10 feet from the boundary wire, while having the static shock correction start only 3 feet from the wire, giving a timid dog plenty of warning zone buffer. Conversely, for a more hard-headed dog you could have a small warning zone preceding the correction zone.
2.5 Acre Capacity
The EF-4000 transmitter can only power 1,500 feet (2.5 acres) of boundary, making it one of the weakest containment system.
For a higher capacity system, consider the Dogtek EF-6000 (up to 5 acres), the Petsafe Ultrasmart (up to 25 acres), and then SportDog SDF-100A (up to 100 acres).
Boundary Wire & Accessories
The basic system includes 500 feet of 20 gauge boundary wire, 50 training flags, and 3 wire splices. It also includes a collar tester.
Direct Burial Rated Wire
The Dogtek Wire is direct burial rated, and is PET coated. PET coated wire is more resilient when buried than the more common PVC coated wire that rots out in the ground and degrades with exposure to sunlight.
500 Feet of 20 Gauge Wire
The EF-4000 system includes 500 feet of 20 gauge boundary wire. It also includes 50 boundary flags for marking the fence boundary while the dog is in the training phase. The wire and flags are enough to cover one-third of an acre. Extra boundary kits can be added to expand the system up to 2.5 acres.
| Area (acres) | Wire Required (feet) |
| 1/3 | 500 |
| 1 | 1,000 |
| 2.5 | 1,500 |
Optional Professional Gauge Wire
Basic 20 gauge wire can be upgraded to thicker 18, 16, and 14 gauge wires. 14 gauge wire is considered professional grade and is what is typically used on a professional Invisible Fence installation. With the 14 gauge gauges of wire, both the wire and protective jacket are four times thicker than standard wire. This makes the wire stronger, more durable and less to break.
For small installations, upgrading the wire is an easy low cost way to massively reduce your risk of wire breaks. A small additional cost reduces the likelihood of you needing to hunt for wire breaks. For very large installations, the thicker gauges of wire are useful because of their superior transmission characteristics and because of the reduced probability of developing a wire break, but the cost of upgrading large amounts of wire are significant.
One Year Warranty
The Dogtek EF-4000 come with a full one year warranty, covering both parts and labor. We find Dogtek systems to be well made, and rarely needing service. But where needed, warranty claims are adequately and promptly addressed.
Conclusion
Dogtek’s EF-4000 is a curious blend of high-end features and glaring omission. The system outperforms systems double the price in some respects, with complete control over both the boundary and correction distances. The system collar is lightweight and has eight correction levels.
But, the system also has some significant limitations. The range of the system is a pitiful 2.5 acres so should only be used with suburban lots. And the collar has not low battery indicator so needs to be checked at least weekly.
If you can live with these limitations, this system is a steal at $150.
Specifications
| Model | Dogtek EF-4000 |
| Type | In Ground |
| Collar Battery | Disposable – CR2 |
| Correction Levels | 8 Levels |
| Beep Only Training Mode | Yes |
| Collar Warning beep | Yes |
| Collar Vibration | No |
| Independent Correction Levels | Yes |
| Collar Dimensions | 2.3” (L) x 1.3” (W) x 1.6″ (D) |
| Collar Weight (with band) | 3.4 ounces |
| Collar Weight (without band) | 2.4 ounces |
| Collar Neck Size | 7″ – 26″ |
| Collar Water Resistance | Waterproof |
| Collar Fit Test | No |
| Maximum Number of Dogs | Unlimited |
| Minimum Dog Size | 12 lbs |
| Minimum Age | 6 months |
| Maximum Containment Area | 2.5 acres (1,500 feet) |
| Boundary Width | 0-10 feet (adjustable) |
| Control Box Dimensions | 4.5″ (L) x 3.6″ (W) x 1.7″ (D) |
| Control Box Power Source | Wall Outlet (110V) |
| Control Box Battery Backup | No |
| Indoor Pod Compatibility | No |
| Outdoor Pod Compatibility | No |
| Included Boundary Wire | 500 feet + 3 wire Splices |
| Included Boundary Flags | 50 |
| Training Materials | Manual |
| Other | Wire Break Tester tool |
| Package Dimensions | 16″ (L) x 10″ (W) x 2.5″ (D) |
| Package Weight | 4.0 lbs |
| Warranty | One Year |
FREE Expert Advice
When you call us, you will talk to an experienced expert.
Containment Guarantee
Your dog will be completely contained to your satisfaction within 30 days, or we will give you a full refund. That is a better deal than you would get from a $2,000 invisible fence. You have nothing to lose.
FREE Dog Fence Guide
The PetSafe Ultrasmart come with a FREE copy of our Dog Fence Experts Book on installing a dog fence and training your dog (instantly downloadable in PDF form). The book has 90 pages of great information and tons of illustrations to make installation easy, and training effective. It will save you hours and get you complete containment faster.
You get the book immediately with your purchase. Your order confirmation email will include an instantly downloadable copy of our book. Value $24.95.
30 Day Easy Refunds
If you are unhappy with your purchase for any reason you can return your system within 30 days for a full refund of your purchase price. Getting a refund is easy, just email us at returns@dogfencediy.com or call on (888) 936 – 4349.
Our returns are easy and hassle free:
- It is no problem if you used the system, that was the point! We will still take it back even if there is some wear-and-tear
- Did you bury the wire? No problem, we will still take it back. (If you can’t or don’t want to dig the wire back up, we will just charge you the regular price for the wire you kept)
- The 30 day period starts from the time you receive the package so you have plenty of time to do the installation and training. If you need a little extra time, let us know.
- The only time we don’t take returns is if it is well after the 30 days, or the unit is seriously damaged.
FREE Wire Break Kit
To fix the break, the kit includes extra wire, two wire nuts, RF choke, and two waterproof capsules to keep your splice watertight. Value $14.95.
Free Fast Shipping
Shipping within the continental US is free.
Orders placed before 1pm EST ship out the same day.
12,000 Happy Customers
We had more than 10,000 happy customers last year, and are hoping to have even more in 2012. We understand how important it is to keep your dog safely contained, and understand the trust you place in us when you make an order. We want to make containment as easy as possible. We value your business, and we want you to refer your friends.
Low Price Guarantee
We strive to have the lowest prices of any PetSafe authorized retailer. If you find any of our products at a lower price from an authorized retailer, please let us know and we will be happy to match the price. For a price match, call us on (888) 936 – 4349 or email pricematch@dogfencediy.com.
PetSafe Authorized
We are a PetSafe authorized retailer. This means you are guaranteed the full manufacturer’s warranty, and a brand new system. Beware of unauthorized retailers that sell grey-market systems. Systems coming from unauthorized retailers do not receive a warranty.
Family Owned
We are family owned and operated. We know the only way a small business like ours can prosper is by providing exceptional service at an exceptional price.
We know you can give your business to Wal-mart, Amazon, or anyone on the internet. So we will work harder to get your business. And we work harder after the sale to make sure you have a great experience and tell your friends.
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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
I recently purchased the DogTek EF 4000 from Ebay. I have 2 dogs, a border collie and small dog about 19 pounds. I paid a handyman to install the system, which cost me over $300.00. The border collie is so smart that after she got shocked once, she just jumped over. I can’t change the settings because my back yard width is only 12′ tapering to 8′. It is too narrow because the warning beep goes off 1″ on each side. The small dog cannot wear the collar because it slides & doesn’t make contact. I adjusted it as tight as possible. Uninstalled 48 hours later-cost $35.
I am able to return the EF4000 less cost of wire & flags all chewed up. I ordered the additional collar on Ebay from another company. They will not return item because it is over 14 days. Loss of $75.00. I had read reviews and no one ever mentioned the above problems. Out of pocket expense is over $400. If there is a guarantee on the product, I should be reimbursed for the installation & the additional unused collar.
ADMIN – Hi Penny,
Sorry to hear you had such a bad experience. However, I think the problem you describe is not a problem with the system, but rather due to the system being poorly suited to your property, and due to lack of training.
Electronic dog fences, generally need at the very minimum 3 feet of correction zone on either side of the boundary wire, particularly during the training phase to keep the dog contained. This makes them unsuitable to very small yard. In anything less than 15′ x 15′ (at the very minimum), the system will end up making too much of the yard out-of-bounds to be useful. With your yard being so narrow, it isn’t a good candidate for any kind of dog fence system.
The systems also requires you to train your dog for the system to work. From your description of what happened to the collie and this all happening over 48 hours, I presume you skipped that step.
While I am sympathetic to your plight, to be out the money and not have your dogs contained, I am not sure why you are reaching out to us. While our returns policy is very generous it doesn’t extend to folks who aren’t our customers. I would suggest you follow up with whomever you purchased your system and whomever gave you bad information on the system suitability and training.
I have a lab/husky mix and she is 58 lbs. I have a fence she keeps jumping that is only 49 ft long (4ft high). We have an older fence that came with the house that she does not jump and that is 4.5 ft high. I need advice on which dog fence to buy to stop her from jumping. Thanks.
ADMIN – Hi Megan,
I’d recommend the Dogtek EF-6000 fence for your Lab mix. You can run the wire along the fence, either on the ground or attach it to the fence. With 2 or 3 training sessions, your dog should not be able to jump the fence any longer.
Any new info on this product? I am considering purchasing this brand of fencing, but this review is the only one i can find and it is very old. Thanks for any help.
ADMIN – Hi Kristen,
We continuously update the reviews, so this review is the latest iteration of the fence and reflects everything we have learned about the fence. It is a reliable system with a lot of features, but also a lot of omissions. It’s a good fence if you can live with the limited range, and the water-resistant only collars.
I bought this fence 2 months ago, it works very good with my dog.
ADMIN – Hi Steve,
Great to hear. Thanks for the feedback.