Comments on: Step One: Introduce the Dog Fence Boundary

By: Mary

Mary — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 15:29:47 +0000

We have 2 large dogs. Boomer is an F1 labradoodle. Sadie is a Shepard Boxer mix. She looks like a Shepard but is brindle colored. She looks mean but is really a sweet dog. She barks at anyone walking by so my neighbors won’t walk our street anymore. Although we have very light traffic on our road, Boomer will wait for the car to get in front of our house then dart out in front of it barking. My fault for not training them from the start not to go into the road so now they think it is part of our property.

There is a large bluff directly in front of the other side of the road. The rest of our surrounding property is wooded and we live on lake. We do however have one neighbor with dogs and Boomer loves to go over there and play with them everyday. Sadie recently charged their lab and bit him. Right in front of my husband and neighbor. (I think she’s jealous). Needless to say, our neighbors were very upset (as I would have been too).

We are now considering an invisible fence and have spoken with a rep already. They love playing in the woods and we are on just under an acre of land. I let them out this morning and watched as they romped around in the woods which would be off limits with the fence.It made me sad about taking that away from them. I don’t think Sadie will have a problem learning the boundaries and right now she pretty much stays away from the neighbors house. Boomer is a very loving care free dog with an incredible personality. He makes us laugh constantly in the house. I guess my question is, do you think keeping him confined to our yard will break his wonderful spirit or change his personality? I’m wondering if we should invest in this fence now.

ADMIN – Hi Mary,

Dog don’t seem to mind the reduced territory, they seem to quickly adjust and you will notice they don’t care as much about things beyond their territory. I imagine having a fixed area to roam is a natural part of the lives of territorial animals like dogs and their ancestors.

Two associated disadvantages of an Invisible Fence we hear are that if the dogs are used to roaming all day and you reduce their area you may need to start taking them on a regular walk (if you didn’t before). And now that they have a reduced area, dogs that previously pottied in the woods will now potty in your yard and you will need to start cleaning up after them.

By: Nathan

Nathan — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 03:44:13 +0000

Where should I place the flags? At the point of the first beep? Or directly over the buried wire? The beep occurs some distance before the wire, so should the flag be a visual of the beginning of the correction zone or a visual on the middle most intense correction area? Or does it matter? Will the dog recognize that he cannot get within so many feet of the flags no matter where I place them?

ADMIN – Hi Nathan,

Place the flags where the collar first starts beeping. This lets the dogs know that anything beyond the flags is off limits and anywhere before the flags is safe.

By: Jeff

Jeff — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 22:07:49 +0000

I am contemplating a purchase of an invisible fence for our lake home. We visit there several times throughout the year, mostly in the summer months for a week of so and then return to our permanent residence, where we have a cedar fenced in yard. I am wondering if, after the proper training, our two dogs (both Chihuahuas) will remember the boundaries at the lake, since they have a physical fence to contain them most of the time? Will they get confused about where they are and have a hard time staying in the containment area when they visit the lake property?

ADMIN – Hi Jeff,

I’d recommend that each summer you go to the home, replace the flags and perform several review training sessions and I believe they’ll remember the boundary rules well.

By: Joslynn

Joslynn — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 01:13:25 +0000

We are going to be getting a German Shorthair puppy and I would really like to get an electric fence, since a 6′ aluminum fence cannot hold my girlfriends GSP. Could you tell me what electric fence would hold an adult male GSP. We have a busy road behind us and I do not want anything to happen to our dog. Thanks!

ADMIN – Hi Joslynn,

With a German Shorthair Pointer and a fence already in place, getting the dog contained should be very straightforward – so you have a lot of options, you could essentially use anything. Let me suggest two. The Innotek 4100 would be a good choice, it is rechargeable and has a smaller less obtrusive collar. The PetSafe Stubborn would also work well, it is bigger and uses a consumable battery, but it is also a little cheaper.

By: Brian

Brian — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 16:36:04 +0000

I recently installed a Innotek 4100 system and was pleasently suprised with the relative ease of installation. I did a back yard only area about 4000 Sq ft and used a rented trencher which I HIGHLY recommend. So I started training after reading the manual and on the first day I let my 6 month old golden retriever walk up to explore the flags and as soon as I heard the beep I said NO, NO but before I got this out he got the correction. I realized later that I failed to use the rubber tops on the collar for the first week and that I made a mistake. I have spend the last three days trying to get him to walk near the flags and train him to retreat but he will only go if dragged. He has too quickly learned the consequence and I am afraid I have messed up. What do you suggest to get him on the right track?

ADMIN – Hi Brian,

Correcting the dog too early is not ideal, because as you noticed – the dog can become overly fearful of the flags. The good news is that your dog seemed to make the connection to the flags, so is on the right track. You will just have to be patient with him and keep taking him out for training. We want to focus our attention on creating rewards for being in the safe zone so he can regain his confidence. Treats, games, feeding, etc in the safe zone will all help. Keep exuding confidence when you take him out to the safe zone – coddling is counterproductive. It can take a week or two, but he will get right back on track.

By: Renee Dawson

Renee Dawson — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 14:15:00 +0000

I contacted you earlier this spring but have been hesitant to start this project. After 2 visits to the vet (foxtails from the stateland behind me!) I am ready now! To review….I have about 2 acres to fence with a creek running through it. I would like to access the stateland thru a gate WHEN I WANT, is that possible? My dog is a 30# english cocker, 2 yrs. old. I’ll be ordering later today if I here from you. Am I remembering right that I need the 4100? Thanks, Renee Dawson

Admin- Hi Renee,

An Innotek IUC-4100 would be a good choice for a Cocker Spaniel. You will not be able to create a dead spot in the middle of the loop to cross a gate. The only real solution at the gate would be to remove the Innotek collar from the Cocker. You will want to place a leash on the cocker and lead him over the boundary wire. He will associate crossing the boundary only when you lead him across the boundary on a leash. For 2 acres you will need to bundle in an additional 1000 feet of boundary wire to complete your install.

By: Kathy

Kathy — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 22:21:50 +0000

I have installed the Petsafe Stubborn Dog fence and am about ready to start the training — my Doberman pups are just now 6 months old. Does the Petsafe collar go above or below the regular collar to which the leash is attached (I assume below)? Is there ever any problem with the regular collar getting in the way or interfering with the Petsafe collar? I use a 16′ retractable leash when I walk them. Is this okay?

Admin- Hi Kathy,

The Stubborn dog collar will go below the leash collar. There will not be any interferes issue with the two collars unless the lease or lease collar slips in between the collars probs and dogs neck.

By: Joanne

Joanne — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 13:58:03 +0000

Ahh… I found the information for setting up the flags on the installation / connecting and testing section. So much great information on this site. I love it!

By: Vivian

Vivian — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 20:28:37 +0000

I have three dogs. 75lb, 45lb and 6lbs. Will the deluxe collar work for all three dogs? I’m afraid the little guy may need a smaller collar than the bigger dogs. I am about to install the fence and have three med/large dog collars. What’s best for the little guy?

ADMIN – Hi Vivian,

The PetSafe Deluxe collar is designed for dogs 12-pounds and larger. The Deluxe collar will be too big and the correction too strong for the little dog. The best collar for the smallest dog is going to be the PetSafe Little Dog Collar. The Little Dog Collar is compatible with the PetSafe Deluxe system, so you can have the two bigger dogs on the Deluxe collar and the smaller dog on the PetSafe Little Dog Colllar.

By: Sandi kositzke

Sandi kositzke — Sun, 13 Mar 2011 23:55:02 +0000

I have two dogs, one that weigh 10 lbs and the other 22 lbs. Would I need two separate system types or how will it work with the obvious weight difference?

Admin-Hi Sandi,

Great news is, you will not need two different systems. The PetSafe Little Dog PIG00-10773 with a PetSafe Deluxe collar would work perfectly for your two dogs.