Problem: You have a new dog that you want to keep outside, but your yard doesn't have a fence. Dog runs are easily tangled, chain-link fences are unattractive, and wooden fences are expensive and will restrict your view.
Solution: You can install a radio fence to keep your dog within the boundaries of your yard.
Equipment list:
lawn edger or ground saw
wire strippers
hammer
drill w/Phillips bits and masonry bits
wood screws with masonry anchors
Most radio fences work by transmitting a weak signal from a wire around the perimeter of your yard. When your dog gets close enough to the signal, a receiver on its collar begins to beep. If the dog continues to move toward the boundary, the receiver issues a "correction" in the form of a citronella spray or a mild electrical pulse.
Install the radio fence
- Determine a layout for your boundaries and the transmitter box. You can keep the transmitter box indoors or outdoors, but you will need a weatherproof electrical box if you keep the transmitter outside. When installing the weatherproof electrical box, be sure to include a power source coming into the box, a grounding wire and mounting screws on the back for your transmitter.
- Start near the transmitter and begin laying out your wire as straight as possible along the boundary you've chosen. When you come to a corner, lay the wire in a 6'-radius turn (tighter corners can disrupt the radio signal). When you get back to the start of the boundary, twist the wires leading to the transmitter to cancel the signal. Connect the wires to the transmitter, turn on the power, and then test the boundary wire by passing the receiver collar over it.
- Push the wire into the ground. You can use a lawn edger for small pieces of property or a ground saw for larger areas. A ground saw, which is similar to a circular saw, can be rented for approximately $30 per day from an equipment supply center. Set the blade for 1 to 3 inches, move the wire out of the way, and run a trench around the boundary you have established. Then push the wire into the trench and tamp the ground back over it.
- Take the receiver collar and several flags around the inside of the boundary, and place flags every 7 to 10 feet apart at the point where the receiver begins to beep. (The flags will be removed later, after you have thoroughly trained your pet.)
Train your pet
- Bring both your dog and the receiver collar near one of the flags. When the receiver begins to beep, shake the flag to get the dog's attention, and say "NO" very firmly. Repeat this procedure for every flag in the boundary.
- Place the receiver collar on the dog and attach a leash to the collar. Hold the leash loosely and walk with the dog around the interior of the boundary. As the dog goes near the boundary, gets a correction and goes back to the safe zone, reinforce the behavior by praising the dog and then shaking the flag and saying "no" firmly.
- Continue the training once every day for two weeks. If your dog appears to respect the boundaries after two weeks, you can remove the leash.
Resources radio pet fence kit - Radio Systems Corp.
Radio Systems Corporation
10427 Electric Ave.
Knoxville , TN 37932
Phone: 865-777-5404
Toll Free Phone: 800-732-2677
Fax: 865-777-5415
Email:
info@radiosys.com
URL:
www.petsafe.com
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