Innotek/PetSafe UltraSmart IUC 4100 Review

We have a 12 pound toy size Australian Shepherd. He will probably get to be a pound or two heavier but not much more. I would like to purchase the Innotec-4100 because of several advantages it has over other systems for our 2.5 acre property, especially the rechargeable collar. Will the collar included with the 4100 fit him? Can we purchase a smaller collar that will work with this system once it is installed? I was hoping to install the 4100 system in case we get a slightly larger dog sometime in the future such as a border collie. Any other recommendations would be appreciated. Thanks

ADMIN – Hi JD,

The 4100 only has the one size of collar. At 12 lbs you should be fine. What I would do as soon as you get the package is put the collar on him without switching it on. If after a couple of days the dog is uncomfortable, we can switch it out for a PetSafe Little Dog. But, in all likelihood with a dog of that breed I would not be concerned.

We have a year old Lab/Border Collie mix that weighs about 90 lbs. We also have an 8 year old Border Collie. Even though we have 50 acres, we have a couple close neighbors where the two dogs play. Just got our first complaint this morning from a neighbor regarding the Lab. I think it’s pretty clear as to which product to purchase and how to install it. However, the wire would have to across a creek and then eventually back across at a 60′ wide dam. Is there a problem with this? Also, the older Border Collie never leaves the property and stays pretty close so we are not planning on fitting her with a collar. Is that O.K. as long as the covered area incorporates their normal, daily play area? We also take both dogs with us on the rest of the property so do we just shut off the system so that the Lab isn’t corrected when we cross the boundary? Does crossing the boundary many times a week defeat the training? Thank-you for your response

ADMIN – Hi Rick,

(1) The wire is fine going across the creek and a dam. Just space the splice in the wire so that they not in the water. A splice in the water is not the end of the world, but it is better to avoid.

(2) If the older dog does not stray, you don’t need to fit her with the collar. Often with multiple dogs, just fitting the lead dog with the collar does the trick.

(3) For the first few weeks I would avoid walking the dogs over the boundary, it just confuses them. If you are going off property, I would put them in the car and drive them over the boundary (or carry them over if they were smaller). After the first month when the dogs know the new rules, we can teach them that it is ok to cross when you give them permission. You can see more details on how that is done in the training section of the site. We generally take the collar off the dog for walks, it is easier than switching off the system and avoids the risk that the collar gets triggered on the walk by a neighbor’s fence. (That is probably not a big issue where you live, but happens a lot in the suburbs)

Hello, does this system work if about 90-95% of the wire is underground and then the remaining portion is above ground? We have some walkways that we would need to run wire across rather than bury it. Thanks for the answer in advance.

ADMIN – Hi Mike,

Yes, one installation can have sections that are buried, laid above ground, or even attached a natural fence or structure.

Hello, I have a German Shepherd, male, 6 months old. I am wondering if the collar on the IUC 4100 is sufficient for larger dogs with higher pain tolerances. If you have another model to recommend, having a rechargable battery is a must. Thanks.

ADMIN – Hi Jay,

We have lots of customers go with the 4100 for German Shepherds. If a rechargeable collar is a must, it’s the best option. Look to the Innotek SD 2100 for a budget buy with a rechargeable collar.

I have a 5-year old Lab. Can he still be trained using the invisible fence method?

ADMIN – Hi Tim,

Yes. We really haven’t seen any issues with training older dogs.

Can you bury part of the fence, for example under a gate, and attach the rest above ground to the fence? Will it work just as well in both places? – Mom

ADMIN – Hi Mom!

Yes, you can have areas that are buried and areas that are above ground and it’ll all work perfectly.

Hi,
Whats the best way to run the wire across a driveway so that I can complete the loop around my entire property? Thanks!

ADMIN – Hi Chris,

The easiest way to cross your driveway is to lay the wire into an expansion joint and caulk over the seam with outdoor caulking. If the seam is not deep enough or if you don’t have a seam, you can use a masonry saw blade with a circular saw and cut into the seam a bit before laying the wire.

I purchased the 4100 system from you a few weeks ago. I will be have a 4 acre coverage. Is it ok to use #12 wire for this installation? Thanks

Hi Clay,

You can indeed use 12 gauge wire. It will work perfectly. One small issue, it may not fit in the little terminals blocks in the base station – so you may need to either skinny it out at the end or join on a small section of thinner wire.

Hello. I have 2 Siberian Huskies, and i want to know if they will be contained by this system. They have escaped from almost every yard we have ever put them in.

ADMIN – Hi Lootbungus,

These system work great with Huskies, while they love their adventures, they really dislike the correction. One thing you need to watch for with a Husky is that you want to make sure you have good contact between the collar probes and the dog’s skin. This can be a bit tricky with their undercoat, so you may need to thin it a little with some scissors. The Innotek 4100 is a particularly good choice because it lets you test whether the collar is fitted correctly.

I think I might have a very unique problem. We installed this system at two homes now and have loved it. However this summer at our new home the fence started being contrary. It would work one day and not the next. I started digging up conections and replacing everything but the actual wire. Then the fence stopped working altogether. After just giving up and leashing the dogs for weeks now I began to wonder if I did something wrong in my replacements. I decided to at least look at the wire and see if anything looked worn or broken. I dug up the yard to find the wire and found that something has been chewing on the insulation. After the copper was exposed under the ground it corroded and in some cases it dissappeared in tiny places, but this was happening all over the whole system. What is eating my wiring insulation and how do I prevent this from happening in the future? What is the best way to protect the wire and still get signal?

ADMIN – Hi Amy,

Sounds like the wire insulation was deteriorating in your soil. This can happen for a few reasons, but the typical causes are having an acidic soil, or using a wire that is not rated for direct burial. You can combat this problem by relaying the wire, but placing it in a conduit. I like to use the black tubing used for sprinkler systems. It is flexible and easy to work with and is also cheap. You can also use old hose pipe.

How does the control panel work? Does it plug in to a regular wall socket? If so, does the fence still work if the power goes out in your home?

ADMIN – Hi Melissa,

The control panel just plugs into a regular wall socket. It does stops working when there is a blackout, although some systems like the Innotek IUC-4100 have a battery backup so keep going for a couple of days. As a practical matter, once trained dogs tend to stay in the yard out of habit and certainly will not know the power is out.

Now that the Innotek 4100 & 5100s are PetSafe branded, does that mean the PetSafe Stubborn Dog Collar will work with the 4100 & 5100 packages? (as the collar would with other PetSafe systems).

The other question is more of a design issue. Our side yard(s) are very narrow, so we would most likely need two “loops”, one around the front yard and another around the back yard. Can both “loops” be controlled via just one transmitter? Thank you!

ADMIN – Hi Dave,

Unfortunately, the Innotek systems including the IUC-4100 and the IUC-5100 are not compatible with the PetSafe Stubborn collar or any other PetSafe collar.

You can have two separate loop running off the same transmitter. You would just link one loop to the transmitter with twisted wire. Then you would link the second loop to the first loop with twisted wire. You may also consider doing just one big loop around the entire yard. Since the dogs cannot go down the narrow side yards you will effectively have two separate loops.

hi we have a 6month old wolf malamute and are wondering which way is best to install 4100 we have a 5ft chain link fence surroundings property but she jumps it is it best to install on top of chain link fence and turn up sensitivity or install 3 ft from the fence in case she digs or will it work on top of fence top or could we mount it 1ft up from bottom of fence thanx

ADMIN – Hi Margaret,

All three of those locations would work fine, just turn up the boundary width enough so that the fence starts correcting at least three feet before the dog gets to the fence. Of the three locations, the best one would be along the chainlink fence, one foot above the ground level. But, again all three locations work fine.

Hi;
You guys have been great! The dog fence arrived in just a few days, and we installed it through our woods fairly easily, mostly zip-tying it onto a chain-link fence or stapling it to the ground (wish I would have thought of the garden hose mentioned above … if we ever get a break, I think we will do that). It has been running fine for a couple of months now, but while we were out yesterday, my standard poodle discovered that she can drag our larger dog around by grabbing her collar, and she managed to chew-through the band on the Innotek shock collar. I took the poodle’s collar off and put it on the large mutt, and our poodle immediately went for the collar again. I need 2 replacement bands, preferably out of nylon mesh like a standard dog collar so Shasta can’t chew it off Willow. She leaves Willows regular collar alone, must not be as satisfying to chew.

ADMIN – Hi Monique,

Glad to hear everything is on track. You can get replacement bands through the manufacturer Innotek (1-800-DOG-FENCE). With collar chewers we usually spray the collar with something like bitter apple for a few days until Shasta the Collar Chewing Bandit dog is broken of the habit.

I have been seeing a lot of bad reviews on innoteks collars – sounds like the batteries don’t last very long and have to be replaced in the factory and also the collars themselves are poor quality and fall off the dog easily. Please let me know if this is actually the case. Sounds like great features, but if the collars themselves are poor, kinda defeats the purpose.

ADMIN – Hi Randy,

We have received these reviews as well, but only 2 to 3% of our customers with the 4100 seem to experience these issues. This is pretty isolated and it’s difficult to make a decision on these bad reviews alone, because most people who have a great experience with the 4100 are not going online to post their experiences. Also, the 4100 is by far our most popular fence and we sell an exponential amount more of the 4100 than any other fence. This contributes to the lack of bad reviews from other brands.

Hi, I have 2 stubborn dogs (Husky & Amer. Bulldog) that love to dig under our existing fence. We were thinking of going with a wireless system, since we have such a large area to wire. I have heard good and bad reviews on both wired and wireless fences and am not sure what is the best idea for my situation. Do you have any suggestions?

PS… I just spent the last 45mins searching the neighbor looking for them, since they got out again:(

ADMIN – Hi Tracy,

Wireless fences, in particular the new Havahart Radial Fence, have gotten better, but wired dog fences remain the gold standard due to their consistency and accuracy. The only disadvantage of the wired systems is the inconvenience of laying boundary wire.

Particularly if you already have a fence in place, I would use a wired fence, and simply attach the wire to the physical fence. That will make installation painless, and have you ready to start training the dogs in a few hours.

FYI – while both Huskies and Bulldogs are stubborn, they typically require very different correction levels. Huskies tend to be sensitive to the correction, Bulldogs much less so. So, I would make sure you get a containment system that lets you have independent correction and start with the Bulldog’s correction level higher than the Husky’s. The PetSafe Stubborn would be a good choice, particularly since you have an American Bulldog.

Many thanks for your informative website. Many of my neighbors have Invisible Fences however I cannot see spending that much money on something I can see my doing myself, especially after reading your website. I’m 95% sold on this particular model for my 8 year old 45lb lab mix in our yard which is about 3/4 of an acre. I have a few questions.

1. Can I produce something like a figure 8 so my dog has access to the front and back yard but not at the same time?
2. Alex (my dog) has neighborhood friend’s that would like to come over and play. They use Invisible Fence collars. Is it possible to set them up on the same frequency and teach them the boundaries of my yard and I can teach Alex the boundaries of theirs?

Thanks!
Jen (and Alex!)

ADMIN – Hi Jen and Alex,

How close does your neighbor’s fences to your boundary? If the boundary you plan to create comes closer than 15 feet from your neighbor’s fences, you’ll need to look at the Perimeter Technologies Deluxe Ultra for a solution. You can change the frequency of the system so that your fence will not get any interference from your neighbor’s fences.

1. Yes, actually you can create that desired layout by hugging the boundary wire close to the home alongside the side yard areas. You can extend and run your boundary wire normally in the front and back yard. It will look more like an hour glass than a figure 8.

2. Unfortunately no. There are no DIY systems on the market you can buy that will have cross compatibility with the Invisible Fence brand collars.

Just thought i would put my two cents in here. We purchased the IUC-4100 two months ago for our three dogs who were very happy to wander the neighborhood whenever they got the chance. This system has been a GODSEND. It’s very liberating to see the dogs enjoy each other and our yard without the worry of them running away or the depression that is accompanied with seeing your beloved pets tied to a line everyday of the week. They still bark and act tough at passing cars and pedestrians but after learning their boundaries, they’re more than happy to stay within the yard.

Thanks for the informative site and the great product!

i have one dog that is 50 lb and another that is 20 will the iuc-4100 work

ADMIN – Hi Josh,

With that kind of weight difference you are probably going to need different correction levels for each dog (I would want to know the breeds and personality before giving you a definitive answer). You can set up an Innotek IUC-4100 to have different correction levels by using the “resistor hack” that you will see mentioned in the review (you basically wrap one leg of a resistor around each collar prong to take 50% or 75% off the correction intensity).
If you want something that will provide different correction levels right out of the box, the Dogtra EF-3000 is a good choice if you want something rechargeable. A PetSafe Deluxe would work well and has a smaller collar if you don’t mind a disposable battery.

Can I splice together a 20 gauge wire with a 14 gauge wire on the boundary? If I can not, can I run the boundary wire with 14 gauge and splice the 14 to a 20 gauge twisted section that runs to the transmitter? I am short maybe 20 feet and trying to avoid buying a new 500 ft roll of 14g! Thanks, Erin

ADMIN – Hi Erin,

I would avoid splicing wires of very different gauge together. The thicker gauge wires will produce a wider field than thinner gauge when the two are used together. That is not a big deal if you mix say 18 gauge and 20 gauge, but it is significant when you mix 14 gauge and 20 gauge. You can get small amounts of wire by the foot at most big-box hardware stores like Home Depot, Lowes and Ace Hardware.

I have a part lab, part rat terrier who can dig her way out of anything. She’s determined: if a rabbit is in her sight, she will not hesitate to run full charge, and stop at nothing. My concern is that the shock won’t hold her back. And if it works for a little while, she’ll build up a tolerance to it. Would this be a good investment for me and my dog?

ADMIN – Hi Leah,

If the dog is trained, it will not realize that running through is a possibility and will just assume that the fence extends out infinitely. You should have no problems training a terrier/lab mix. Just do the training exercises for the first 2 weeks. Spend a few days testing and training the dog with extreme temptations, so she learns that she can’t go through even when in an excitable prey-drive state. I think you will be very happy with the results.

Here is what I got, Two cairn terriers (diggers) one 12 lbs and her litter mate is 21lbs, 6 foot privacy fence around the back yard (city lot size) I am understanding I cam install the wire on the fence instead of under ground and I can go under ground like at gates and the like, and use the fencing system to keep them out of other areas if desired. Can you branch off in more than one direction or is it a loop if a loop can you have several loops? which system would you recommend.

Thanks Dan R

ADMIN – Hi Dan,

Yes, you can install the wire exactly as you said. I couldn’t have said it any better.

The system can only work when the wire is in a continuous loop. However, you can have as many secondary loops as you like. The way you accomplish this is splice in a length of twisted wire and run it to where you want your second loop. Then, connecting to the twisted wire, run your secondary boundary loop around what you’d like to protect.

I’d recommend the Innotek IUC 4100 for your two terriers. The 12 lb dog is borderline small for the system, but most 12 lb dogs can wear the 4100 collar with no problem. Lets try the IUC-4100 first, because we want to avoid the proprietary disposable batteries on the PetSafe. If collar size turns out to be an issue for the smaller dog, we’ll need to swap out your system and go with a PetSafe Deluxe fence and add in a PetSafe Little Dog collar for the little guy.

Hi, I currently have the basic Innotek containment system that I had for a large dog. I now have 4 very small dogs (ranging from 3-15 pds). If I buy the Petsafe little dog collars would they be compatible with the Innotek system?

ADMIN – Hi Roxanne,

Unfortunately the PetSafe Little Dog system will not be compatible with any Innotek system. You will need to switch out your bases station to a PetSafe base station. But, you will be able to keep using the wire you currently have buried underground.

I am moving to a new property which is about 2 1/2 acres, including a pond. The back part of the property is already fenced but the area near the road is not. I have a Jack Russell who is very tough and determined and can run like the wind. She is between 14 and 15 pounds. Will the IUC 4100 collar be too large for her? is the run through feature of the Innotek an advantage to keep her from running across the road compared to one of the PetSafe systems? Thank you.

ADMIN – Hi Joe,

The Innotek 4100 collar will fit fine on dogs 12 lbs and heavier. The run through feature is a nice benefit if needed, but we find there’s no substitute to proper training. A dog that isn’t trained properly has a higher risk of accidentally running through the boundary. They are responding only to instinct and aren’t aware of the boundary exist and how to react when they do get the correction. With a properly trained dog, they will understand that the way to react to the warning beep or the correction is to turn and retreat into the safety of the yard.

I have 1000 feet of 14 gauge wire. Can I use this as my extra wire around the yard?

ADMIN – Hi Mary,

You can use the wire you already have, just check that it is a direct burial wire. You can use regular housing type wire, but it tends to rot out after about five years – the direct burial wire lasts a lot longer. Also, we are happy to take the wire out of the dog fence system for you and discount your purchase $10 if you have your own wire.

You may have already answered similar questions- too many comments to sort through! I apologize in advance for any redundancy.
We have 4 pets: 2 small dogs (13lbs & 20lbs) and 2 cats (12lbs & 15lbs). I have read that the Invisible Fence brand is safe for cats- is this system appropriate for cats as well?

Also, I have a pacemaker. Do you know of any interference issues/problems with this system and artificial pacemaker implants? Is it safe for me to install by myself or would you recommend getting assistance from someone without a pacemaker?

ADMIN – Hi Brooke,

(1) The PetSafe Little Dog would be a good choice for your pups. There are special PetSafe Cat Fence collars made just for cats that are compatible with this system.

(2) The system emits a weak radio signal, like the signals used for AM radio. I would not expect it to interfere a pacemaker, I also talked to the manufacturers and they also think interference will not be caused by the fence, but that is definitely something you should talk to your physician about. It is well outside my expertise!

We have two acres on a lake with all but the lake side enclosed with a wooden fence for two 70 lb dogs. Can we wire three sides, leaving the lake side “open” ?

ADMIN – Hi Tom,

You need to have a complete loop of wire, but there are a few ways you can work with this constraint and still do a lakefront installtion. Take a look at the Installation –> Planning section of the website for lakefront layouts.

We have a Golden Retriever that likes to take dips in a pond on our property. Can the system be installed is such a way as to allow him access to the pond or should water be off-limits?

Thank you for your assistance.

ADMIN – Hi Jeff,

The collar is waterproof – you can give the dog access to the pond. Besides, keeping a golden out of the water is doggy abuse! I do try and avoid having the boundary run through the pond – you can do it but it is a hard boundary for a dog to learn because it is difficult for a dog to turn in deep water.

This may have been answered, but reading all the Q&A’s is overwhelming! After the training and the dog has learned to respect the boundary, do I need to leave the collar on during all her yard time? Could I leave it on 24/7, or is it better to only put the collar on when she goes out in the yard? I will only be “fencing” the back yard. We have a backyard approx. 3/4 acre and it is fenced with a 4-board fence which is lined with a wire fence. She has begun digging under the wire, enough so she can worm her way under. My dog is a pound dog, part Chow and part who-knows-what, very agressive to other dogs outside of the fence, but will become playful once we take 10 minutes to “introduce” her to other dogs. When she does dig out she tends to go vist my neighbor. She’s very social and hates being left alone, so she goes seeking company.

Thanks, Val (Ocala, Fl.)

ADMIN -Hi Val,

We recommend putting the collar on the dog in the morning, then take it off at night when she comes back in the house.

Once the dog is trained, the dog will tend to respect the boundary out of habit irrespective of whether they are wearing the collar. Some people will take the collar off the dog at this stage. The problem with this approach is that eventually the dog will learn they can go through the boundary and will be put at risk. I think it is fine if you occasionally forget to put the collar on, but I would avoid making a habit of it.

I am in the process of adopting a Pointer/Lab mix. Most of the yard already has 6 foot wooden fence, thanks to my neighbors. I am have two open areas, one 16 feet, and one 21 feet. However, they are on opposite ends of the house. Also, one of the sections will be about 12 feet from the back door, and will need to be mounted vertically. I have three questions. (1) What is the most economical (yet effective), electric fence method for this small application? (2) Is it possible to run this system with two (small) sections at the opposite ends of the house? (3) Can the wire be mounted vertically, and it is OK 12 feet from the back door the dog will be using?

ADMIN – Hi Bob,

Not sure I understand what you mean by vertical mounting?

(1) Unfortunately – even if you are just doing two small areas of that size, you still need a full system. A good choice for Lab/Pointer would be the Innotek IUC-4100 or the PetSafe Stubborn.

(2) You need to have a complete loop. You could run the wire high up on the wooden fence in the sections where you don’t want the fence to be active, the vertical height above the ground would let the dog get right up close ot the fence without getting a correction.

(3) No sure what you mean by vertical mounting – but 12 feet is plenty of space between the door and a section of boundary.

Hi
I have two yard areas that I want to assign as play areas for the dog, so their perimeter with be made up by invisible Fence or IUC 4100. Between the two areas are flower beds. A 3′ wide paths goes through the flower beds and connects the two doggie play areas. Would I be able to place invisible Fence or IUC 4100 along the sides of the path to allow the dog to move from one area to the other? Or asked differently: What is the range of the signal from the wire?

ADMIN – Hi Great Dane,

Dog fences aren’t great for narrow corridors. I find that trained dogs generally will not want to go nearer than 3 foot of the fence boundary. So if you have a narrow corridor with a dog fence boundary on either side, you are going to want the corridor to be at least six feet wide. Any narrower and I don’t think the dogs will use it. You could make it work if you laid the wire further away from the path, so that the dogs have at least six feet between the dog fence boundaries on either side of the path.

The distance the signal goes out from the wire is completely adjustable by turning a dial on the control box, it can go out anywhere from a few inches to 10+ feet. Generally, you will want a boundary at least 3-5 feet wide on either side of the wire. Any less and it is hard to train the dogs.

Hi, Our Airedale Terrier/Whippet mix Maggie weighs about 30 lbs. She is extremely fast and agile and has no problem escaping from our 4 ft existing visible barrier fence. She also has a strong predatory instinct stemming from a chicken “incident”. Our yard is less than an acre and she also has a digging problem. This sounds like the best system for us. How much wire comes with the system? What happens if she digs up/chews the wire (if I mount it 3 feet high on the fence)? Should I consider a smaller system as we have a smaller yard? We are ready to purchase and your advice is greatly appreciated–great web site!

ADMIN – Hi Larry,

The 4100 would be a good choice for an Terrier/Whippet. The system comes with 500 feet of wire, you will likely need another 500 feet to do 1 acre. If we do our job right, Maggie will have absolutely no chance of chewing on that wire – she will not want to be anywhere near it! That said, you can mount the wire higher on the fence if you want to.

Have the 4100 installed and am training my 35# dog. It seems like the time between the alert sounds and the “zap” is almost instantaneous. I tried widening the boundary range but that didn’t make a difference. Am I missing something? Shouldn’t the dog have a step or so from the time he hears the beeps until he gets shocked?

ADMIN – Hi Karen,

The buffer distance where the dog is warned but not corrected is about 10-20% of the boundary width. Sometimes it can be a really small distance if the boundary range is relatively small. Also note, that when you are testing it – jiggle the collar about. The collar reacts differently when the collar is bouncing around on the dog than when a human holds it steady and walks it in.

i have to 2 rotts i wanted to get a fence. which one should i get

ADMIN – Hi Dane,

With two Rottweilers, I would go with a PetSafe Stubborn dog system. Some Rotts can be high pain threshold, and so need a little extra correction to get their attention. But of course – as always, start on the lower levels and only turn it up if you need to – many Rottweilers will do just fine on the lower levels and we never want to over correct the dog.

I currently have the innotek sd-2000 model but am looking at upgrading to the IUC 4100 model. Will my collars that I have now with the 2000 model work with the 4100 model too? I have 3 dogs and would like to not have to replace all of their collars right away. Thanks

ADMIN – Hi KM,

Afraid the SD-2000 collars are not compatible with the Innotek 4100 collars. In terms of compatibility only the SD-2100 collars and IUC-5100 collars work with the IUC-4100 system.

Hello-
This site is a great resource for beginners trying to gather information, thank you! I have 2 three year old Goldens and it seems like this system is ideal for them. I have a few questions. Phone/DSL lines are run underground from the road to my house. Should I contact Miss Utility prior to digging a trench and will there be interference with the signal/effectiveness of the system were I to cross overtop of these wires after install? Also, I am on an acre of land, pretty much flat, cleared & square, approximately how much wire should I anticipate needing? Lastly, I have a culvert that my driveway goes over. I’d prefer to bury the wire someway/somehow underneath the driveway (any suggestions?). However, it does not have its final “top coat” on it, so can I just run the wire overtop the driveway for now and let the builder “top coat” over top of it in a few months? Will the system still work if that small portion of the wire is sealed underneath asphalt?

Thanks a lot for your help!

ADMIN – Hi Nick,

You definitely want to call out the utility companies to mark the ground where the utilities lie. Most of the time they are buried too deep, but much better to be safe than sorry. (FYI – if you call 311, they will contact all your local utilities for you – the service is free).

Where possible cross the utilities at right angles. The concern is that if you go parallel (and close) to a utility line, then the dog fence signal can in very rare circumstance jump into the utility line and the utility line will act like the dog fence boundary producing unwanted signals)

For an acre of land, you usually need a total of 1,000 feet of wire.

For the driveway – if the culvert is within a foot of the surface, you can run the wire along the top of the culvert and the signal should get to the surface. You can also do as you suggested and lay the wire on top of the driveway and let the builder pour the surface on top of it. One thing to watch for is to use a protective sheath like an old hose pipe or sprinkler tubing if the top coat is hot. For example, pouring hot asphalt on top of the wire will often melt through the insulation which is not ideal!

Can you join one end of the wire to the double end of the twisted wire to make a free zone and then continue the guide wire at the other end of the twisted wire?

ADMIN – Hi David,

Unfortunately, you cannot use the twisted wire in that way. Each of the two wires in the twisted wire must be connected to a single wire. (we only ever do one-to-one connections) The twisted wire is mainly used to connect the base station to the loop – you can’t use it to create dead zones in the middle of a loop. But, there are clever ways you can change your layout to get a similar effect (without using the twisted wire). Check out the Installation–> Planning page for some sample layouts.

Dear Sir,
I begin with thanking you for sharing the info provided in this website. I am glad to give you my busnisess.
I was comparing chain link to electronic fence. I was decided to go with the electronic fence until I read the review saying that the control should be kept in above freezing environment. I want to mount it in an out building w/o heat. The outbuilding is near the boundary. That way I could have the house in the center of the area.
Thanks, Rich
Whiteford, MD

ADMIN – Hi Rich,

We previously advised people to wrap the control box in insullation so the self-heat of the unit would keep it above freezing. We went back to the manufacturers on the issue and they told us that temperature is not particularly important. What is really important is keeping the dog fence controller (electronics) away from moisture (rain, snow, etc). So keeping the control unit in an unheated out-house should be fine.

I do not understand how you attach the twisted wire to the main boundary? Is it one end of the main boundary wire to one side of the twisted wire and then the other end of the twisted wire to the other main boundary wire ( in series) or both ends of the twisted wire to both ends of the boundary wire in parallel? Please send a diagram if at all possible. Dave

ADMIN – Hi Dave,

The former. The twisted wire has two wire on each end. On one end both the two wire plug into the two terminals of the control unit. On the other ends, one wire joins the left side fo the boundary loop and the other side joins the right side of the boundary loop. (It is all in series, nothing is ever in parallel in a dog fence system)

We have some diagram and video which may be useful on the new twisted wire page.

What would you recommend for a Jack Russel type dog? Brand, etc.

The small collar with the 4100 seems the best. Can this collar be used with the 5100?
Since the cost of the lighting protector is $40 the the 5100 would be a better buy. Thanks!

ADMIN – Hi Dan,

The answer depends on the size of the dog Jack Russell’s straddle the border between the Innotek IUC-4100 and the PetSafe Little Dog. If the dog is over 12 lbs, you can get the Innotek which is great because it is rechargeable. If you are under 12 pounds the PetSafe Little Dog is a better choice because it has a smaller collar (the drawback of this system is that it uses a pricey battery that you need to buy every 2-3 months).

The 5100 is a good buy, but the collar is about 50% bigger, and I would not use it on a dog under 20 lbs. So the 5100 would probably not be a good choice for a Jack Russell.

Is there a minimum size yard that you recommend for installation of this fence?
On one side of the house there is only a distance of about 2 metres (6.5 feet) between the property edge and the house. Is this enough room to work with or could this confuse the dog, if he has to navigate such a narrow “safe” zone?

ADMIN – Hi Carol,

If you ran the fence along the side with only six feet of spacing, the dog may not use that side passage and might find it too close for comfort.

A good rule of thumb is that you don’t want the fence to project out less that three feet on either side of the wire, preferably five feet. Then you need to give the dog the dog about three feet of buffer – because once they have learned the system they don’t want to go too near the boundary. So the least space you can have on a side passage is really six feet – being two metres you are really cutting it close. It is possible that the dog would use such a narrow passage, but I would not bank on it.

Hi – first, I want to thank you for putting so much useful and well-thought-out information about dog fences on this site – it has been invaluable in my research. I do have a couple questions – how many feet of wire come in the Innotek kits (specifically for IUC 4100); and how many flags are included?

ADMIN – Hi Robin,

The Innotek including the IUC-4100 all come with 500 feet of wire and 50 flags which covers about 1/3 of an acre. Extra boundary kits are available and contain an additional 500 feet of wire, 50 flags, and 2 splices and cost $30.

I have read that the rechargeable batteries in the collar are not user-replaceable and that once the rechargeable battery in the collar dies, within a year or so, that a new collar has to be bought. Is this correct? I realize they have a one year warranty but in your experience how long do the collars last in cold climates such as western Canada(can be as cold as -40 C) where battery life is shortened. Thanks, Gloria

ADMIN – Hi Gloria,

We have had very good experiences with the collars. Since you are only recharging them once a month – we have got really long lives out of most of the collars. (After about five years we are still getting half the original capacity)

Afraid I don’t know much about the cold whether effect you describe. I will reach out to the various manufacturers and some of our Northern Customers and see if we can get you a better answer about whether extreme cold is likely to diminish the battery life and the extent of the reduction.

1. What is the smallest diameter size adjustment for the IUC 4100 collar? 2. I notice your contents list for the IUC 4100 does not include twisted wire. Do I need to buy this separately? 3. Are the 2 splices provided in the kit waterproof? 4. I also need the indoor pod. If the IUC 4100 ends up not being the right thing for my situation, is there another system that has an indoor pod? 5. If I need more wire, do I have to buy 500′ of wire, or can I buy less? Peggy

ADMIN – Hi Peggy,

1. The collar goes down to 7 inches circumference, which is about 2.5 inches in diameter. Even though the collar can be reduced to that size, it should only be used with dogs over 12lbs, under 12lbs the collar receiver box is too big and is uncomfortable. For dogs under 12lbs, use the PetSafe Little Dog Fence instead.

2. The IUC-4100 kit does not include twisted wire. You can purchase twisted wire if you need it. If you only need a short length (less than say 20 feet), you can make it yourself using two strands of regular boundary wire and twisting them together using an electric drill.

3. The splices we sell and include in our kits are indeed waterproof.

4. There are indoor pods also available for the PetSafe Little Dog, PetSafe Deluxe and PetSafe Stubborn systems. These pods are a little bigger, the size of a dinner plate, and are plugged into a wall outlet.

5. We only sell the wire in 500 foot spools. For smaller lengths, large hardware stores like Home Depot have an electrical section where you can buy odd lengths of wire by the foot.

Would a zones instant pet barrier system (disc) work inside a car? We were thinking the disc would deter our dogs from scratching the car when parked and running in front of the car as we drive in. The driveway is approximately 48 feet long. We would use the discs in combination with a Innotek 4100 fence. Thanks. Linda

ADMIN – Hi Linda,

You can place the indoor zones inside a car to keep the dogs from getting near. I don’t know that we have ever had anyone use the zones to keep the dogs from getting near a moving car, but that seems like something that would work. I would first teach the dogs with the stationary car and they will quickly learn that going near the stationary car is bad. From there it should be an easy lesson to learn that they can’t go near the moving car either.

Hi – couple of quick questions. Do you sell extra wire – I have 2 acres so would probably need more than standard? I’m in New Zealand, can you ship out here? If so how much would that be ($US price is fine). Finally, I guess the charger and main unit run with a US pin plug. Would the system run OK with a NZ adaptor (230V 50HZ). NZ is a great place but our online shopping sucks – hopefully you can help out. Thanks

ADMIN – Hi Paul,

We do sell extra wire and extra boundary kits. The boundary kits each come with 500 feet or wire, 50 flags, and two waterproof wire splices and cost $30. You can add them to your cart on the next screen after you click “add to cart.” You may want to see if you can get wire locally – it is very heavy and expensive to ship out to you.

The Innotek systems we sell are all based on US voltage and will not work in New Zealand, Australia, or Europe. You can get the Innotek systems through a local distributor (try an Australian online retailer), although the prices are more than double in the US. We do sell the Dogtra EF-3000 EU edition which will work with your voltage. The price is the same as the US voltage system, but shipping is around $100 USD.

PS – we like New Zealand too. You kiwis are a great bunch.

I bought the innotek 4100 last week. Installed it and tried testing it by touching the prongs in my hand … the jolt is pretty strong. We have a 20 lbs dog. Even with the lowest setting, the jolt is pretty strong.
Not sure if I want my dog to go through that. Before I decide to return, here are some concerns/questions:

1. The volume control does not seem to work.. I hear the same tone at the lowest and highest settings. No, It’s not me.. I have had others check it out too.

2. Even though, the Innotek website claims that it is a progressive stimulation unit, I do not see any difference between the first shock and the subsequent shocks. (BTW, calling it stimulation is misleading.. It is an electric shock.)

3. The stimulation level is high/medium/low. How do I set it up to just emit an audible signal and not a shock?

ADMIN – Hi EG,

If you bought the system through us (I tried to reach out to you and didn’t find your email address in our system) we are happy to take a return for a full refund or exchange the system for a lower powered system like the PetSafe Little Dog.

In our experience that lowest correction level is fine for dogs down to 12lbs. It is definitely unpleasant – and no dog owner we know wants to have their dog be corrected. The reason we emphasize training so much is that we find if a dog is correctly trained, they will be corrected only a handful of times in the second week of training, then they will rarely ever be corrected again. This seems like a good tradeoff for safety and freedom.

If you want to lower the correction level, we have some resistors that can take 50% or 75% off that we are happy to send out to our customers. But, I think the low level is fine – the risk when you make the correction too low is that it is not enough to recapture the dog’s attention when they are in an excited state and chasing that squirrel across your yard at full tilt. The aversion to the discomfort caused by the fence must be enough to take precedence over the pleasure of chasing whatever is on the other side.

It is important when your dog does get the correction to maintain composure and not make a big deal out of it. Dogs take their lead from their master. So while a good dog owner is right to question whether the correction level is right for their dog, once you decide to correct the dog – be confident.

1. Volume Control – the volume control knob on the base station adjusts the volume of the alarm on the base station. It does not alter the volume of the alarm on the containment collar. (that is stuck on a permanently low level)
2. Progressive Stimulation – what they mean is that the longer the correction goes on, the higher the correction level becomes. Once the correction stops, it resets back to the baseline level which you set at the base station. You are right that we in this business are guilty of using all kinds of weasel words like correction, stimulation, static shock, static correction, etc. The reason is that we all think that dog owners can’t deal with the idea of giving their dog an electric shock, so we use all kinds of other terms to avoid calling a spade a spade. (Curiously horse, goat, and cattle owners have no problem with the concept and call an electric fence exactly what it is … I think dog owners could deal with us being more straightforward and we don’t give them enough credit)
3. No Correction – on the Innotek IUC-4100 the no correction mode is activated by covering the prongs with the insulated yellow caps that come with the kit. (On older IUC-4100 systems, you replace the prongs with the included no-correction prongs) You can also cover over the prongs with masking tape.

I have a 7 week old basset hound puppy that will live indoors except tp eliminate. At what age can I start an electric fence and which do you recommend? Sounds as if 4100 is the best. I live on one acre but haven’t decided whether to fence entire yard or just backyard.

ADMIN – Hi John,

Yes, we recommend the 4100 to work well with a Basset Hound and we recommend beginning training at 6 months old. It’s not a safety issue. It’s that most puppies are more preoccupied with playing and tumbling before 6 months of age, which makes training them difficult.

I rent a house with a fenced in yeard and have recently adopted a year and a half old Chow mix puppy….yes, puppy. I saw mention in a post the option of stapling the wire to the fence rather than digging a trench. At what level would I need to do this and does this reduce effectiveness of the system?

ADMIN – Hi Rilah,

Attaching the wire directly to the fence will not reduce it’s effectiveness. You want to make sure the wire insulation is not damaged in any way by the staples or it could effect the boundary loop.

When you say rechargable.. does that mean the collar batteries?

ADMIN – Exactly, the battery that powers the collars is recharged by placing it on a charging cradle. A full charge takes 1-2 hours and lasts about a month.