Electric Dog Fences
Electric Dog
Fences, also known as pet containment systems, are a safe and effective
way of keeping your dog in the yard without having to spend well over
1,000 and countless hours building a physical fence. They majority of
these systems operate by a radio signal being sent from a buried wire
to a collar the dog wears. In the absence of the radio signal the dog
receives no correction or shock. If the dog comes too close to the
boundary the collar receives the radio signal which will cause the
collar to give a warning (either tone or vibration), a correction
(static shock) or both at the same time. There are a wide range of
electric dog fences with varying features.
Recommended Products
Portable Wireless Electric Dog Fence
No wire to bury
Safe, effective and comfortable for pets over 8 lbs
Provides coverage up to 90 foot radius
Waterproof collar has 5 correction levels
Warning beep before correction
Add additional transmitters to increase coverage
Add additional collars for as many dogs as you have
$289.95 at Dr's Foster & Smith 
Safe, effective & comfortable for dogs over 8 lbs
For stubborn hard to train dogs
Waterproof collar
4 progressive levels of static correction
Beep and vibration only
Can cover an area up to 10 acres
Add additional collars for as many dogs as you have
Operating and training guide/Installation DVD included
$185.99 at Dr's Foster & Smith
Safe, effective & comfortable for dogs over 8 lbs
Designed for docile to mild mannered dogs
Waterproof ultralite collar weighs 2.5 oz
One level of mild correction
Warning beep before correction
Can cover an area up to 10 acres
Add additional collars for as many dogs as you have
Operating and training guide/Installation VCD included
$149.99 at Dr's Foster & Smith
Basic Containment Systems
A Basic
Containment System is designed to keep your dog within the boundary
that you determine. The transmitter is plugged into a standard DC
outlet. The transmitter has two terminals that the boundary wire
connects to. The wire is run out one terminal, around the boundary
and then connected into the other terminal. Most systems have a
boundary width setting on the transmitter that can be set anywhere
from one to 10 feet from each side of the wire. The dog wears the
containment collar. There is a pair of prongs, or probes, that
must come into contact with the dog's neck. When the dog comes to
near to the edge of the boundary around the wire, with most systems
they will first receive a warning tone. Some systems, namely the
Dogtra EF-3000, use vibration rather than tone. If the dog
continues into the boundary, they will receive a shock through the
probes. This shock, or correction, is progressive in most systems.
This means that the longer the dog stays within the boundary, the
stronger successive shocks become. On some systems, the level of
correction is set by the user. Its important to note that the wire
must make a circuit or continuous loop. If there is a break in the
wire, the system will not function.
Contain and Train Systems
A Contain and Train System is
the same as a basic containment system, with one big advantage. It
has a hand held remote that you can use to remotely correct your
dog. You can use this for basic obedience training like teaching
your dog to come, sit and stay. It can also be used to correct
unwanted behaviors like digging, chewing and jumping up on people.
The remote trainer range on contain and train systems is generally
limited to less than 300 yards. Also containment collars are not
as rugged and durable as high end training collars used for
hunting. For these reasons, a contain and train collar is not
generally used for training hunting dogs. The remote transmitter
on most contain and train systems is independent of the containment
transmitter and will work either inside or outside of the
containment area. There are some contain and train systems where
the remote will only work inside of the containment area, so if
it's not clearly stated, it's always a good idea to ask.
Wireless Containment Systems
The Wireless Containment
System is the exception to the continuous loop system. It is also
the only system that is activated by the absence of a radio signal.
With the wireless containment system a transmitter is plugged into
a standard DC outlet. It emits a radio signal within a radius that
is set on the transmitter, generally from 10 to 90 feet. The dog
wears a collar that receives the radio signal. As long as the
collar is receiving the radio signal no correction is received. If
the dog ventures outside of the radius of the transmitter signal it
loses the radio signal and a correction is given. The big
advantages to the wireless systems are no need to bury wire and
their portability. The biggest disadvantage is the circular
containment area. Most people don't have circular yards, so this
can be a problem. Additional transmitters can be added to increase
the range of the system. The dog is able to cross where the
signals overlap.