Havahart Radial Wireless Fence Review
Pros
- Most Consistent Wireless Fence Boundary
- Boundary Challenge Warning
- Two Rechargeable Collar Batteries
Cons
- Not as Consistent as Wired Systems
- No Battery Backup
Rating
Retail Price
$409.95
Our Price
$359.95
Availability: In Stock
Havahart ships within 48 hours
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The Havahart Wireless Radial Dog Fence (version 2) is the best of breed among wireless fences. Introduced in 2010, the Havahart was a major improvement on the incumbent PetSafe Wireless and Perimeter WiFi Fence. In 2012, with new competition from it’s big brother the $800 Havahart Custom, and the PetSafe Stay + Play the Havahart Radial is still king of the wireless hill.
Like standard wireless fences, the Havahart Radial wirelessly projects an adjustable circular boundary around itself. But, what sets the Havahart apart, is that it creates a more consistent boundary, and has faster response times, putting the system closer in performance to wired fences than it’s competition.
The Havahart uses similar WiFi technology to the Perimeter WiFi system, allowing two way communication between the collar and the base station. This enables neat features like an alarm that alerts you if the dogs are challenging the boundary, so you can keep tabs on their escape attempts.
The Havahart Radial is also more powerful, claiming larger containment areas up to 400 feet in radius. Our real life testing found 250 feet is a more realistic upper limit – beyond this distance the fence performance deteriorates. However, this is a major improvement relative to other wireless systems and still allows coverage of up to 4 acres.
Like the Perimeter Wifi & PetSafe Stay + Play, the Havahart has a rechargeable collar. The collar itself is the biggest of the three wireless systems. The regular collar contains a nylon band with a handy quick release buckle. The collar can be adjusted from 14 to 26 inches.
Havahart also has a new Small Dog collar, which confusingly is the same as the regular collar receiver box – just with a smaller rubber collar band. The new band goes from 10 inches to 17 inches. We find the collar receiver is too big for any dog under 20 pounds, and doesn’t confer any benefits over the regular collar except that the band can be adjusted to a slightly smaller size.
The Havahart Radial system received an upgrade, to Version 2.0 in March 2012. Hardware and software have been improved . And notably problems with the battery closure, that led to the battery accidentally spilling out in early versions have been further addressed.
What really sets the Havahart Radial apart from the wireless dog fence competition is that it does the basics better. Based on our internal testing, the boundaries on the Havahart Radial Wireless fence were 50% more stable than the PetSafe and 80% more stable than the Perimeter WiFi. Impressively, the Havahart even upstages the $800 four base station Havahart Custom - although the margin of victory is smaller. The static correction is also much more timely in that there is less lag between when the correction starts and stops (vs. when then correction should start and stop). Stopping times were less than half the PetSafe Wireless and less than a quarter of the Perimeter WiFi.
Like all wireless fences, the Havahart has some limitations. First, you can only have a circular boundary. Second, performance is not quite as good as wired system. The boundary is less consistent and has more wobble than a wired fence, and the collars reaction is slower. The performance gaps is smaller than with other wireless fences, but it is still there. Third, the fence is sensitive to obstacles, in particular it is blocked by sheet metal and wooded areas. But, to compensate for these limitations you get the convenience of a wireless system - with minimal setup time, no wire to bury, and never needing to worry about wire breaks.
Summary: The Havahart is by far the best wireless dog fence on the market and a significant improvement over the Perimeter WiFi and PetSafe Wireless. The range is bigger, the boundary is more accurate, and the correction more timely. Performance is still not at the level of the wired systems, but the Havahart has closed the gap and is a viable alternative to a wired fence. If you want the convenience of a wireless fence, this is by far the best choice.
NOTE: The Havahart Wireless system is only available for delivery within the United States.
Collar
The problem that has plagued wireless systems is the poor connection between the collar and the base station. Havahart tries to solve this problem by creating a large, external antenna. By embedding the antenna in the collar band, the antenna can be larger and better positioned for communicating information with the base station. The Havahart has two antennas inside the collar band on either side of the receiver box.
This approach seems to work. The Havahart collar, while using the same WiFi technology as the Perimeter Wifi, has much improved reception. In our testing, the Havahart collar suffered from much fewer signal dropouts. The collar picked up the boundary more accurately and more quickly than either the competing Petsafe and Perimeter systems.
The Havahart collar is the largest and clunkiest of the wireless collars, but has a similar weight of around 5 ounces. It is powered by a rechargeable lithium ion battery that you insert into the collar. The battery is removed from the collar and placed in an included recharger for overnight charging. The system comes with two batteries allowing you to charge one while the other is in use.
The collar comes with long and short collar tips which can be unscrewed and interchanged. A single LED light on the collar lets you know when the collar is functional, and when it need the battery changed.
Controller Base Station
The base station is a small modern unit. The system uses an LCD screen and has well thought out menus. All testers were able to get the system up and running without resorting to the instructions (shudder).
The base station can power up to two collars and has all the controls for the system. The base station lets you set the correction level for the collars giving you five levels including a non-correction beep only setting. The system also lets you select the boundary radius up to a maximum of 400 feet (11.5 acres), although in our two suburban test locations, with walls, trees and hills, we found that performance was spotty after 300 feet, and optimal below 200 feet.
The system is wall mountable using either the supplied mounting screw or Velcro strips.
Warranty
The Havahart comes with a twelve month warranty. The Havahart wireless systems are new to the market, so we don’t know much about the long-term durability or reliability of the unit.
The Havahart Wireless Dog Fences units are a cut above the existing wireless dog fences. While still not as good as a wired dog fence, they go a long way toward fixing the deficiencies of wired systems. Among the wireless fence, this is our clear favorite.
| Model | Havahart Wireless Radial Dog Fence |
| Type | Wireless |
| Collar Battery | Rechargeable – Lithium Ion |
| Correction Levels | 5 Levels |
| Beep Only Training Mode | Yes |
| Collar Warning beep | Yes |
| Collar Vibration | No |
| Independent Correction Levels | Yes |
| Collar Dimensions | 3.25” (L) x 1.25” (W) x 1.25” (D) |
| Collar Neck Size | 14” – 26” |
| Collar Water Resistance | Water Resistant |
| Collar Fit Test | No |
| Maximum Number of Dogs | Two |
| Minimum Dog Size | 20 lbs |
| Minimum Age | 6 months |
| Maximum Containment Area | 11.5 acres |
| Boundary Radius | 0-400 feet (adjustable) |
| Control Box Dimensions | 12” (L) x 6.5” (W) x 1.2“ (D) |
| Control Box Power Source | Wall Outlet (110V) |
| Control Box Battery Backup | No |
| Indoor Pod Compatibility | No |
| Outdoor Pod Compatibility | No |
| Included Boundary Wire | n/a |
| Included Boundary Flags | 75 |
| Training Materials | Manual and Quickstart Guide |
| Other | n/a |
| Package Dimensions | 12” (L) x 10” (W) x 6″ (D) |
| Package Weight | 4 lbs |
| Warranty | 12 months |
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I rent, thus cannot install in ground unit. I have a Westie weight 18lbs, so what system should I buy? Thanks,
ADMIN – Hi Don,
For a wireless system for a 18 lb Westie, the Havahart Radial would be your best bet. Although the collar is going to be on the big side for your dog, this is going to be true of all the wireless systems.
I am moving to my Dad’s house after the loss of my Mom…but only until the house sells and we move again out of state. I have a backyard now that my 2 dogs are used to having, and living in a very strict “leash law” city, they are not accustomed to having free roaming capabilities…except that we have spent so much time there in the past 6 months due to my Mom’s passing. I have an almost 10 year old Boston Terrier and an almost 10 month old Golden Retriever, who is also my Service Dog (in training still at this point of course!)
My Golden LOVES being outside…but I can’t allow him to wander. He spends a good portion of the day outside now – and whines at the door when we are at my Dad’s house to just go outside! Not because he has to “go”, but just wants to be out!! Their neighbors don’t “love” dogs (putting it mildly, I don’t THINK they would ever try to hurt them!?!)…and I can’t take the chance of losing them (wandering/stolen). They are my WORLD! But I am also disabled, and having to take them out on a leash everytime they “need to go” is somewhat of an issue (when I hurt, taking them out isa major obstacle!!)…and not allowing them to enjoy the outdoors until we move again and have a true backyard seems cruel!
So I am looking into an invisible fence. There is a driveway that wouldn’t allow for a buried wire – haven’t done all that much research, there might be an option for this – but know that Dad would be MUCH happier with a wireless. ESPECIALLY since we are in the process of selling the house – makes much more sense of course. With the housing market like it is, who knows how long we might be there until we move again. At the same time, we may sell the house next month – so really, a wired system is just not a good option.
However, it’s also a very “tree’d” lot. It used to be solid trees…but they cleared the property to build the house. There is a large front and back lawn…they live on .6 acres. It has trees still dotted throughout, but I can clearly see the dogs wherever they are. Same with the back area, until it gets further back into the woods, and that’s one of the main areas I want to prevent because they could end up in another neighborhood – that would then take me 2 miles to drive around to get back there!! It would be a major obstacle for a person to walk back there…but a dog following another creature (deer, squirrel, armadillo, etc, etc, etc!) would be much too easy, so if they ended up back there I would then have to drive around to go get them – and in that amount of time, WAY too much can happen!!
One other issue that is one that I am just going to have to accept and deal with is that their little Cheweenie is a wanderer…and is allowed to do so until he comes back! I can’t live like that…not knowing where my dogs are at all times! But he does get to, and it will take some time to train my dogs that they can’t go wherever he goes! And training him to stay within boundaries is not an option – due to his age and size, and the fact that my Aunt, Uncle and Grandma live next door, and he often goes to visit them.
I have some challenges as you can see, but trying to come up with the best option to deal with all of them. Can you tell me if you think this would be a good choice for me?
ADMIN – Hi Moving,
The challenge you will have with the Boston is that the wireless collars may be too big and heavy. They are bulky, and don’t fit well on dogs under 20 pounds.
As far as the system working in your area, these wireless systems are not very predictable. If you are getting a line of site to the dogs, and the trees aren’t blocking that, you have a fair shot of it working. With these wireless systems, the best way to tell if it will work is to give one a try … plug it in and go out with the collar and tester and see if you are getting nice consistent signals all around the yard. If it doesn’t work, you can send it back (within 30 days) and get a refund or a wired system.
OK my boss is looking to get one of the wireless dog fences he has a 150 pound Rottweiler what would be the best way to go on collar and wireless system has a wide open yard and have read some bad reviews of these setups not working with big dogs. She has been on a dog fence almost her whole life but still she can break through a fence. What is the most convenient dog fence that is wireless he can get for her that will correct her enough to not let her go into the road or chase tires? thanks
ADMIN – Hi Dennis,
If the dog is breaking through their existing fence, it is likely an issue with either the collar not being fitted correctly (the probes need to touch the skin for it to work), the dog not being properly trained, or the correction strength being too low. Switching to a wireless system will not solve any of these problems.
If it is the collar being improperly fitted, then the dog will exhibit no reaction when crossing. To fix this you just need to get the collar on correctly and tight enough, then do a bit of remedial training.
If you do see the dog visibly react when they cross the boundary, then you want to turn up the collar correction level, make the boundary wider (using the dial on the control box), and do some remedial training. If the collar is already at max strength, you can switch to something stronger like a PetSafe Stubborn, or use a second collar.
If you want to switch to wireless, the Havahart Wireless Radial is the best choice.
I live in a townhome. I have an end unit. But there is a nice common area behind and on the side of my home. Would this be a good option for me? I would love to let my dogs out when it’s cold and not have to walk them all the time. Or if I’m sick, it’s really hard. Can you help answer my question?
ADMIN – Hi Sandy,
Doing the sideyard of a town house is are really tough. Running the wire is difficult when there is no spacing between homes. The only good way to run the wire is to go up and over the house.
Wireless systems are also a challenge, because most townhouses have small yards and with the large buffer zone you need with a wireless system, they are impractical. Wireless systems really thrive in large open areas.
I live in Australia will it work over here with our 240 volts AC? Are the plugs the same?
ADMIN – Hi Leonie,
The Havahart systems are all US voltage (110V) and also use different plugs to Australia. Additionally, for the moment the Havahart systems are not available outside the United States.
I have a 75 lb chocolate lab. My house is a contemporary post and beam and all of the exterior walls have metal studs. The siding is wood and the interior walls are sheetrock, but the studs are metal. Will that effect the functioning of the system?
ADMIN – Hi Joan,
Metal studs don’t tend to be a problem. It is long sheets of metal that seem to cause the problems.
I want to get a wireless system (I live in the Granite State of NH & don’t want to dig in my rocky yard). I have a small pug, about 12 pounds with a 12-inch neck size. Could I somehow shorten the Havaheart collar to fit her?
ADMIN – Hi Jennifer,
Afraid all the wireless collars are going to be too big. They don’t work well with dogs under 20lbs because they are just too big and heavy. If you want to use an electronic fence, I am afraid that you either need to use a wireless fence of put your pug on growth hormone.
My husband and I are about to move into our first house (vinyl siding and shingled roof) next month. The backyard is fenced, but the back part (furthest from the house) is not in good condition and I am concerned our dogs could easily jump over. We are considering the Havahart wireless fence to reinforce the existing fence (specifically the far end of our property- lot is .4 acres) until we are able to put in a new fence. My preference is that the system be set up before our dogs ever step into the yard. I know the wired fence would be ideal, but I don’t know if we’ll have time to instal it before we move. Do you think the wireless fence would work for our needs?
ADMIN – Hi Laura,
With an open back yard, and no sheet metal you sound like good candidates for the wireless.
You could also consider wired, and just attach the wire to the existing fence instead of burying it – that would reduce your installation time to a couple of hours.
Can you use a regular battery to get a longer lasting life on the collar?
ADMIN – Hi Bud,
Afraid you cannot use a regular, by which I presume you mean disposable, battery in the Havahart wireless. You can only use the included rechargeable batteries.
This system does not work well. I only have an acre with a few trees and slight slant in the yard and the fence cannot read the fence right due to the slant so I have to shorten the distance my dog has. Unless you have very flat land with few trees this system sucks. At times it has shocked my dog when we were outside and my dog was in boundaries for no reason. My dog has been inside and it has beeped. This system sucks
Love your website, best on the web. I have a beagle (16-18lbs) that stays outside (currently on a runner). I’ve read that the wireless systems are not recommended for dogs under 20lbs, but I’m not worried about the bulkyness of the collar. However I do need a system with a battery that will last a long time since she will be wearing it 24/7. What do you recommend?
ADMIN – Hi Janee,
The PetSafe Wireless has the best battery life, they last around a month. But, note the batteries are disposable not rechargeable.
The other good wireless option is the Havahart Radial. With that system the battery lasts only 2-3 days. But, it includes two rechargeable batteries, so you can charge one while the other is in use.
I have a 90lb German Shepherd and a 8lb Papillion. I live in the Portland, OR area on a extreme slope. I also have a 4 car garage driveway I would like to include. Recommendations?
ADMIN – Hi Cassie,
With that Papillion, a small size collar is a must, and that means we need to use a wired. I would use one of the PetSafe Stubborn systems and use the included collar for the German Shepherd. For the Papillion, we can use the compatible PetSafe Little Dog collar.
Using a wired system, the slope will be a non-issue – it is only wireless systems that react poorly to slopes.
How well does the havaheart collar standup to water? We have a lake that the dogs like to swim in do you think the collar can with stand being in the water?
ADMIN – Hi Angela,
The Havahart collars are water resistant, not waterproof. I would not let the dog swim with the collars. They will hold up fine in the rain, but not total immersion in the water.
I have two dogs; a bluetick boxer and an Anatolian shepherd. I would really like to purchase the wireless fence. Our property is somewhat wooded and has two small sheds. Will the wireless system work in a wooded area?
If I were to install a wired system, how far underground can it go, i.e., in a culvert under the driveway?
ADMIN – Hi Darlene,
The wireless fences will not work if the boundary is beyond the start of the wooded area. The occasional tree is fine, but once you can’t consistently get a line of site to the dog, then the fence is going to be very inconsistent. If the boundary is before the start of the woods, then it will be a non-issue. Also note if the sheds are metal, they are going to block the signal as well.
With a wired system, the you want the wire to be within 1 foot of the surface. Running the wire through a culvert under the driveway will work as long as the top of the culvert is within a foot of the top of the driveway. If there is more than a foot of ground between the top of the culvert and the surface, the signal will struggle to get through.
I have two Boxers, both over 60#’s. I see the collar size fits up to 17 inches. My dogs’ necks are larger than that, do the collars come with an extender? Thank you, Stephanie
ADMIN – Hi Stephanie,
The new collars can go up to 26 inches, so should fit your boxers comfortably.
I need to restate my questions. After further research, my husband and I decided to go with the wired system because I really want to customize the fence, but don’t want to spend 800 on the Custom Havahart fence. With that being said, it would greatly be appreciated if you would suggest a wired system based on some important facts. We live on 10 acres, but only are fencing in aprox. 4 acres. Our boxer/mastiff mix is a high energetic dog that doesn’t listen well to commands to stay in the yard & then our white boxer follows suite.
1. Our 2 dogs play in the stream quite frequently, so I need collars that can be submersed in water.
2. I hate replacing batteries, so I prefer to have rechargeable ones.
ADMIN – Hi Jackie,
For a tough collar with great waterproofing, the SportDog SDF-100A would be a good bet. The collars hold up well to full immersion and are the most durable dog fence collar. The batteries on the system are not rechargeable, but they do use a regular 9V battery, and you could purchase a rechargeable 9V battery from Radio Shack or Walmart to effectively make the collar rechargeable.
To do 4 acres, your will need 2,000 feet of wire. We offer wire from the standard 20 gauge up to 14 gauge if you need something thicker.
You can indeed run the wire through PVC that is going to run through (or under) the stream.
FYI – even with the SportDog you are going to want to break the dog of the habit of grabbing each other’s collar. Even the toughest collars will eventually give way. We find that spraying the collars with something like bitter apple (in the pet section of any large supermarket or any pet store), will get them to stop grabbing each other by the collar. After a week or two they will be broken of the habit and you can discontinue the spray.
3. Our 2 dogs (full blooded white boxer male 40lbs) & (part boxer, part mastiff female 50lbs) love to play very rough & sometime collars come off or get damaged. I need very durable collars!
4. Based on measurements from our county auditors website, we would need enough wire to cover roughly 4 acres.
5. We have a ton of moles & a few ground hogs that go through our yard regularly. I’m thinking we need a heavier gauge wire.
6. Can we run this wire in pvc pipe under our stream so that the dogs can play in the water?
I think that about covers everything. Thanks again for your thorough responses to all of the comments on here. The questions & answers have really helped me on deciding which fence to use. Thank you in advance for your suggestion on what wired system would best suit my families needs!
Thanks
I have a Bouvier, we live on two acres. 3/4 of the an acre is cleared and our house sits in the middle of the cleared portion. The rest is wooded. It is not dense woods. We live in Alaska and the trees are tall and skinny, we can see for the most part through the woods to neighboring lots and houses. Would your system work for me? Or is a wired system better?
ADMIN – Hi Mark,
If you keep the boundary a few feet before the start of the woods, a wireless fence would work. If you wanted the boundary to include part of th ewodded, area, the wired systems would be a better bet. Once you get any significant tree cover the signal tends to get spotty very quickly even if the woods are light.
FYI. If anyone is needing to extend ths length of the collar, if can be done with what is called a “conway buckle”. Google it. They can be picked up at any farm supply store. Use it to attach another section of collar of the same width.
If I make a circle through the corners of our property line, then part of the circle will be in our neighbor’s property. This is not a big problem — this is the neighbor that we “inherited” the dog from, and our thick hedge (too thick for the dog to get through) will keep the part of the circle that goes into the street from being an issue.
While it’s not a problem for the dog to wander into our neighbor’s property, I’m not sure how thrilled she would be about having the flags running through the middle of her yard.
How would you go about setting up the flags and doing the training in a situation like this?
ADMIN – Hi Mike,
If the neighbor is going to be unhappy with your temporarily posting the flags, then I would place the flags on your side of the boundary even if they don’t mark the true system boundary. When you are doing the training, just train the dog on sections of flag that do represent a true boundary.
The dog will quickly learn the pattern and learn to avoid anywhere with flags even if they have not been specifically trained on that section, so putting the flags on that ‘false boundary’ should teach them learn not to go near that area. If the dog does ever test that ‘false boundary’ they will simply learn that the boundary is a few feet further out than the flags would imply.
I have a husky who is a year old. He does great till he sees a deer. Will you fence help keep in the yard so he don’t run away?
ADMIN – Hi Tracey,
The fence when accompanied with the training will stop even high prey drive dogs like Huskies. It is rare, when we can’t get a dog contained. It is great if you can identify likely triggers, like deer. We want to incorporate these triggers them into the final step of the training. With the training, I would not expect any problems with the dog chasing deer (or any other critters) through the fence.
I have a bull terrier/staffordshire pit bull terrier who weighs about 45lbs. We need a wireless system for our 1 acre yard. She is strong and fast, so will your collar with training work in time before she bolts over the perimeter? She is just under a year old. We used to have an underground system for our old dogs that was not successful due to collar defects. I am just a little weary after a bad experience. Please let me know your thoughts. Thanks, Michelle
ADMIN – Hi Michelle,
The wireless systems are getting better, in particular the Havahart Radial is the best of breed, but still they only get 80% containment. (Meaning they don’t work for about 20% of folks) They don’t work perfectly in all situations and it is hard for us to predict if they will work in your home without actually trying it.
The good wired systems are much more predictable, and with training I would be comfortable telling you that you should be close to 100% containment rates.
If you want to try wired, we are happy to take it back within 30 days. It should be very obvious by that time if it is going to work for you or not.
I have a 5 acre tract of land. The entire tract is fenced except for the the four hundred feet of frontage. I have a metal roofed barn in the middle of the property. Can I spread the wireless signal out far enough to cover most of the open frontage even with the barn roof . Will the roof distort my signal also in the front of the property? Does the signal area have to be unbroken to work properly in all areas of the radius? I am wanting to purchase the Havahart Radial Wireless Fence in this application.
ADMIN – Hi Buck,
A wireless system is going to create a circular area (with the base station in the center of the circle) that the dogs must stay inside. So, it is not well suited to blocking a long thin strip along the front of the property. To get good coverage, you would need to place the base station in the middle of the frontage, but that would allow the dogs to go beyond front entrance.
A better option would be to use a wired containment system and make a long thin loop along the frontage.
We have a 6 month old puppy. He is right at 20 lbs, but his neck only measures about 11 inches around. He probably won’t get a whole lot bigger than he is now. Will this collar work for him? If not, do you have a suggestion on which wireless system we should go with?
ADMIN – Hi Stephanie,
20 lbs is right on the border line, for the larger wireless collars. The PetSafe wireless fence collars are going to be a little smaller, but we would still prefer to see you try the Havahart Radial first because it is so much better.
I read in the manual for the Wireless Dog Fence that it operates in the 2.4 GHz band. What sort of modulation and bandwidth is used, and what power? In my area, the 2.4 GHz is heavily populated with WiFi transmitters, blue tooth, microwave ovens and I don’t know what else. How reliable is the Wireless Dog Fence in the presence of all the other transmitters in the band? Is the fence itself likely to cause interference to some of the other services in the band? Thanks.
Admin- Hi Darrel,
According to the manufacture and the experience our customer have had, will not receive interference from other wireless signals or vice versa.
We live on a lake. Are there waterproof collars available so the dogs can swim as well as roam the property?
ADMIN – Hi Bob,
The Havahart collars are water resistant, but won’t stand up to full immersion. Among wireless systems, the PetSafe Wireless collars, and the Perimeter Wifi collars are waterpoof, although we would avoid the later. Among wired systems, most are waterproof.
I was looking at this system but was questioning if it is portable? I would like something I can throw into my tractor, truck, wheeler etc and use the 12 volt system ( or a battery operated transmitter) so the dog can run while I am out but yet not go to far. Maybe a training collar would be of more use I was just wanting to give us both more freedom and its hard to fix fence and hold a remote…lol. Is this system set up for battery or 12 volt systems?
ADMIN – Hi Lewis,
The Havahart transmitter can operate on a power inverter that will convert the DC current of the battery to AC current for the transmitter plug. The converters are pretty common and range from $40 up.
We have 2-1/2 acres of property we would like to let our german shepard run, but we also have a few 10′x14′ metal sheds and a 32′x40′ pole barn with metal siding and metal roof in the area, are these going to cause problems with the unit not working correctly or causing blind spots where the dog can walk out of the containment area. We were thinking of mounting the unit in one of the metal sheds as it’s in the middle of the containment area, but now thinking that this idea won’t work.
ADMIN – Hi Mike,
Afraid those metal shed are going to cause problems. You will either need to modify the containment zone, so that it does not includes those metal structures. Or use a inground system that does not have the issues with metal.
Hi. I’m considering getting a system for my two dogs so that they can’t escape the office. Do the collars shock the dogs heavily or just a little bit? Can I adjust how much it shocks them so that it isn’t fatal? I want them to know to stop escaping out the front door but I’d rather them not get killed from being shocked too hard because they are just small chihuahuas.
ADMIN – Hi Ron,
With smaller dogs, you want to use a smaller collar like the PetSafe Little Dog. These collars have 5 toned down correction levels that are going to be more appropriate for smaller dogs. Generally, we start on the lowest correction level, then work our way up only if correction isn’t enough to refocus the dog’s attention.
If you are just trying to stop the dogs busting out the front door, one of the PetSafe Wireless pods would let you block the front door without needing to run any wire. It will work with the PetSafe Little Dog collar.
Will the wireless system work good for a mastiff and shepherd? they are quite large dogs I’m just worried about it not working on them!
ADMIN – Hi Rachel,
The correction levels on the wireless systems are sufficient for larger dogs. The only issue you are going to face is that the wireless systems don’t work with every property and every home. They work best where there are no metal structures and tree cover is light. The Havahart Radial wireless system is the best wireless system and if you were going to try a wireless system that would be the one that is the most likely to work.
I would generally pick a wired over a wireless. The boundaries are less stable and can move several feet minute to minute. This makes training of the dogs harder plus we have found with larger stronger breed of dogs like your Mastiff and shepherd, that the wireless systems will not be consistent or strong enough. If you can do wired, it is worth the extra effort.
I have an English Mastiff. I am definitely considering purchasing this system as I think it would work well at our home. I have .75 acre lawn with a brick home and no obstructions. Our side yards are smaller, the bulk of our yard is in the back. I’m imagining I can simply position the base towards the back of the house to extend the circle into the backyard.
My main question is, our Mastiff has the potential to reach 200 lbs. (His father was 224) Can this system handle his size? I worry the correction may not affect him enough to stop him…. Any input?
ADMIN – Hi Jessie,
I think you will be fine on the correction level even with an XXXL mastiff. The top correction level on the Havahart is strong, and generally I worry less about correction levels on wireless systems. The correction levels on these wireless systems don’t need to be as strong, because unlike the wired systems the dog cannot run through the boundary – it extends indefinitely beyond the boundary.
I have a yorkshire terrier that is give or take 20lbs. In your opinion, would he be able to handle the Havahart Wirelesss collar if he is a pound or two under that?
ADMIN – Hi Derrick,
My best guess is that the collar is going to be too big if he is under 20lbs. It is hit-and-miss around this 20 lb borderline The way to get a definitive answer is to put the collar on the dog without switchingit on, and letting them run around for a couple of days, and see if they get comfortable with it. If they don’t get comfortable, you can send it back within 30 days for a full refund.
Will this system work well with an all brick home?
Admin-Hi Sharon,
Brick walls will not effect the signal on the Havahart system.
I am considering the havaheart wireless radial fence for my 2 labs. I have a sloped backyard and have read your comments on line of sight. My question is can the unit be mounted on the second floor of my house? I do have a line of sight from the second floor but want to confirm that this will work. Thanks for your reply.
Admin- Hi Mike,
Installing the transmitter on the second floor will help improve the overall effectiveness of the system. However depending on the slope amount, you could still have connection issues at the bottom of the slope.
For you two labs, the most reliable and durable system will be the SportDog SDF100a system. The collars are very durable and will hold up to play fighting much better than most other collars. Plus, you will have a consistent signal at the boundary.
I have a very small 5 lb Maltese. Which is the best wireless system for him?
Admin- Hi Lynn,
We do not recommend the wireless option for dog less than 20 pounds. The collar will be too bulky. Plus the wire is in-ground system in much more reliable and effective. You are really going to be limited with a 5 pound dog for which collar will fit. We recommend the PetSafe Little dog system. The collar is designed for small dogs.
I have a viszla who loves to run (good) and chase game animals (bad). Does the perimeter of the wireless system represent where correction will start, meaning it will continue anywhere beyond the perimeter? I worry he will run through the correction zone of a wired fence and be discouraged from returning. But if he continues to be corrected outside of the wireless perimeter, I could train him to return to the safe zone. I’m on 5 acres of sloped, oak-studded land with a fair amount of concrete patio that blocks line of sight to some of the downhill portions. Thanks for whatever help you can offer.
ADMIN – Hi Chip, the dog will not be able to reach the wire. There is a radio signal that transmits in a 360 degree radius around the wire. You can increase and decrease this radius at the control box. The correction begins at the edge of the radius. So, your terrain will not affect the fence.
Can the Small Dog Collar be used with the Radial System? I have a 14 lb Bichon Frise and a 35 lb Aussie mix.
Admin- Hi Lindi,
Unfortunately the PetSafe little dog collar will not work with the wireless system. We do not recommend the wireless systems for dogs under 20-pounds because the collar can be really bulky for smaller dogs. The best option for a Bichon Frise will be the PetSafe Little dog in-ground system.
Have a few questions. I have a 14 LB Cairn terrier. Will the collar fit her properly? I saw in the reviews it does not fit on a dog’s neck that is less than 20 lbs.? My house is only on a 3/4 acre lot, but we have a walkout basement so my front and back yard are about 15 feet in height difference. Will the system handle that? And both of my neighbors across the street have wired dog fences. Will that interfere with the wireless system? Thanks for the help.
Admin- Hi Tom,
Afraid your Cairn Terrier will be too small. The Havahart collar will be really bulky around her neck. Since you have the small dog and only need 3/4 of an acre to enclose, the PetSafe wireless system will be a better option. Also, the neighboring wired systems would not cause any interference if you install a wireless.
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