Comments on: Innotek IUC-4100 Review

By: Rick

Rick — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 20:11:00 +0000

I would like to run the wire through a part of my woods in the back yard. If I lay it on top of the ground will the squirrels or other animals eat the wire. That wouldnt be a good thing and installing the wire underground in a woods will be quite difficult. If I ran it through something like garden hose would that work.Thanks
Rick

ADMIN – Hi Rick,

You can run the wire along the ground in wooded areas. It is much easier than trenching, because all the tree roots get in the way and it will bury itself after a couple of seasons of foliage being dropped on top of the wire. Animals eating through the wire is rare (it is not very tasty), but you will get the occasional break due to say a tree falling, an animal, etc.

You can run the wire through an old hose pipe. Running the wire through garden hose will definately protect it from almost anything.

By: Jeff

Jeff — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 02:36:18 +0000

I am going to install an Innotec system this spring. I have a spot in my driveway that I can run the wire in an expansion joint and cover with dirt.

My question is, When the system is on and I decide to take my dog in my truck, will I have to deactivate the system or will he be high enough over the wire so he doesn’t get corrected?

ADMIN – Hi Jeff,

Depending on high above the ground the truck and how wide you have the boundary set, you can often drive over it. But, I generally just take the collar off the dog when we leave home. It is better to be conservative in these things, and you also don’t want the collar being inadvertently set off by say a neighbor’s system as you drive along.

By: Calvin

Calvin — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 22:07:19 +0000

I am looking at renting a home with an ornamental fence around the 1 acre backyard. I’d like to know if the invisible fence can be installed by attaching to the existing fence as opposed to placed in ground. The soil is very rocky and would be a pain to do an inground install.

ADMIN – Hi Calvin,

You can abolutely attatch the electric fence wire to the fence. I usually use zip-ties or staples to hold it in place. Try and fix the wire a little above the ground level so it does not get hit by the weed whacker!

By: rod w

rod w — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 14:54:33 +0000

I have 6 acres I plan to set as the perimeter. Will it be possible for our dog to have 360° access around our home or will there always be a side of the house he can’t access because of wires run from the transmitter box outward to the perimeter?

ADMIN – Hi Rod,

You use a pair of wires twisted together (twisted wire) to connect the transmitter box to the boundary. The dogs can walk over the twisted without getting the correction. That way the dog can still have 360 degree access to the home.

By: charles smith

charles smith — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 22:22:10 +0000

i have an older dog. she 15 years old and does not have the best hearing. she is not totally deaf, but is certainly hard of hearing. she can hear us call her from at most 10 feet way. is the audible alert on the innotek going to be loud enough for her to receive an appropriate “warning” alert?

ADMIN – Hi Charles,

It is not very loud. Fine for a young dog, but could be tough for an older hard of hearing dog. Perhaps he would be happier with a vibrating collar like the Dogtra EF-3000.

By: Texasrose

Texasrose — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 18:11:43 +0000

I am very interested in this system, and I know many people have already asked you similar questions, however I have just adopted a 3 year old yellow lab (56#), and I already had a Corgie(30#), would this be safe for both dogs or too much for the Corgie…(he’s kind of a baby anyway)…yet I want to make sure I can control the Lab (who seems immune to anything)…I have done my research and already believe this to be the best system available, I just want to make sure it is safe and effective for both. Thanks So Much.

ADMIN – Hi Texas Rose,

The Innotek is not a great choice where you have dogs of very different sizes, because you cannot vary the correction level for each dog independently. So the Corgie and Lab would get the same correction level. I would get seomthing with independant correction. if you wanted something rechargeable, the Dogtra EF-3000 Gold is a good option. It is a little older and has a bigger collar, but should be find on a Corgie and a Lab. If you wanted something smaller (but not rechargeable), one of the PetSafe Inground systems (e.g. PetSafe Deluxe) would be a good choice but it is not rechargeable and has a proprietary battery.

I would probably opt for the Dogtra, but both are good choices.

By: Randy R

Randy R — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 23:38:57 +0000

Hi, we have a small dog, beagle, chihuahua, & daschaund mix and she weighs 12 pounds. Our neighbor just purchased the Innotek IUC 4100 for his miniature austrailian sheppard that weighs about 30 pounds. Will this system be to big for our little dog?

ADMIN – Hi Randy,

You are right on the border between the PetSafe Little Dog and the IUC-4100. You could go either way. I might go for the IUC-4100 (because it is rechargeable), and if it turns out to be uncomfortable for her, we can swap it out for the PetSafe Little Dog.

By: Beth

Beth — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 22:03:27 +0000

Hi – just wondering whether I could lay the wire on the snow or do I have to wait until all the snow is gone. We have recently adopted a terrier mix and he is great except when outside without a leash and his stubborness sets in and doesn’t come without us going to lure him back. Many thanks.

ADMIN – Hi Beth,

Laying the cable on snow is fine. Try and secure it in a few places by stapling to the snow or by placing a rock/brick on top of the wire. You can then do the permanent installation in the spring when it thaws.

By: Andrea W.

Andrea W. — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 14:01:44 +0000

Howdy,
I have a Lab/Spitz mix (I think Labrakita) that has been a jumper from day one. He can go over a 6′ wooden privacy fence with ease. He leaps at it from about a foot away, gets his paws on the top of the fence, and then uses his hind paws to help push himself up and over. He doesn’t hit the fence lower than 4.5-5′ or so. I suspect, also, that his prey drive is strong enough that adrenaline would keep him going through the fence, but that leaping back in would be an issue. Would an in-ground or above ground fence help in this case, and, if so, where should I install it — at the top of the fence, in the middle, or on the ground? Thank you!

ADMIN – Howdy Andrea,

Fence jumping is a pretty common problem. About half our customer already have a fence in place but have a dog jumping over, digging under or busting through. It is one of the easier situations because the fence creates a visual barrier that makes it easy for the dog to understand where the electronic fence barrier lies. And also because the dog will not want to hang around the fence long enough to hitch their top legs over the fence, then shimmy with their back legs to climb over.

I would install it around 3 feet from the base of the fence. Staple it or ziptie tie it in place. Then turn up the boundary width to about 3 feet so that the collar beeps both with the collar is held around the top of the fence and when the collar is held at the height of the dogs at 3 feet from the fence.

If we need to place the wire somewhere else for aesthetic reasons, let me know and we can figure out another configuration.

By: Kevin

Kevin — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 12:25:58 +0000

Hello,
was just wondering about this system. the battery for the collar, are they replaceable? or do you need to get a new collar eventually? Thanks

ADMIN – Hi Kevin,

The battery can only be replaced at the factory. We have had them going for 5 years with pretty minimal dropoff. When they do eventually expire – you can get them fixed under the limited lifetime warranty, the cost is around $30.