Underground dog fence

[stuckmotor]

I need to confine three large dogs and was thinking about a Pet Safe brand underground fence from Tractor Supply. Has anyone who has used this system had any problems with it?

 

[bh3zfc]

Yes I have had at least 5 of the basic pet safe units. All have been hit by lightning or stopped working. Each time the company replaced for free even when they were out of warranty. That was over several years time, I purchased the sport dog model about 4 years ago and I have only replaced it once. I do have a surge protection device that pet safe sells also. I purchased the stubborn dog collar from them as we'll. they are easy to install but they are not bullet proof. If the dogs want out they are going to run right thru the fence. ( other dogs in heat or strange animals around your property) I do like the product and it is much cheaper than fence it is also easy to install. I only buried the fence that is in the yard the other 3 sides I put on t posts. It is easier to fix the wire if you don't bury it, if this would work in your situation.

 

[stuckmotor]

Thank you very much. I really like the t post idea but, do you think lightning would have been a problem if the whole line was burried? It occurred to me that having the wire above ground might have attracted the strikes.

 

[Burtonbr]

We use it for our 80 lbs lab mix, he is a jumper, and can clear a 4' fence without touching it. He is a pretty passive dog but can be aggressive when he wants to.
At first we bought the standard power but that didn't even get his attention, the stubborn dog is a bit stronger, I would have to recommend getting that one at least, it has settings and can be set to a lower level but the regular version doesn't go any higher if needed. I buried the wire around about a 1/4 acre area 3 years ago, only had to repair it once, it's worked pretty good so far.
I don't think it would keep a very aggressive dog or stubborn dog inside always, it doesn't give a shock that they always remember. Ive let it shock me to see how it was it isn't a lot but it is uncomfortable.
I say it is not 100% fool proof because my dog has jumped through it when he really wanted to and I have called him back in right away and he will come back through it since he knows he's in trouble,typically he won't be within 3 ft of the wire.
I think it works good, simple enough to install, but does take some training on the owners part for it to work well.

Hope this helps a little.

 

[stuckmotor]

Thank you, that helped a lot. These are my son's dogs and he's keeping them in the house right now, because the neighbor calls the law when they run through his yard. I saw in another thread that some posters had good success with a transmitter that doesn't use a burried wire. Maybe I should check those out.

 

[stuckmotor]

Burtonbr,
You saying that your lab is a jumper reminded me that I once had a lab mix. I didn't know what breed she was until someone mentioned that labs jump like they have springs on their feet. Thanks again.
Stuck

 

[bh3zfc]

Every lightening strike has hit trees and went down in the ground and then jumped on the fence wire and ran it to the box. The Lightening / surge protecter seems to help with this. i connected it to a 1 inch 8 foot ground drove all the way in the ground. Can't do anything about it. It only happens in summer when we have bad thunder storms. Moles and squirrels will also dig down to it and chew on it. Be sure to get solid wire not stranded wire or you will be digging it up and fixing allot.

 

[J F]

We've used a "radio tranmitter" invisible fence for a few years, with good success. Our dogs are little heal-nippers though, but it works like a charm if you keep the collars on the dogs.

One of our dogs is constantly going nuts over the squirrels and a big bunny (who would definitely beat his arse, if he got a hold of it :laughing

I think we spent $250-300 a few years ago, and would do it again.

Like everything else with a dog, it will come down to training. Ours are "fixed", which I think probably helps, but they know right where the "line" is and will not cross it...at least with their collars on. They have gone "wild" when they haven't had 'em on.

 

[brin]

For what it's worth ...we got our Brittany and he would run away so I bought a shock collar off of ebay for about $35...I only had to shock him 3 or 4 times then I just had to hit vibrate when he started to run and did not obey the command...Come ! He got to know his boundaries ...it took about a month and then a week follow up a month later ...that has been 2 yrs . ago and he never runs away..he stays on the property and comes when called...We had looked at the invisible fence but tired this first...glad we did...Good Luck

 

[stuckmotor]

Every lightening strike has hit trees and went down in the ground and then jumped on the fence wire and ran it to the box. The Lightening / surge protecter seems to help with this. i connected it to a 1 inch 8 foot ground drove all the way in the ground. Can't do anything about it. It only happens in summer when we have bad thunder storms. Moles and squirrels will also dig down to it and chew on it. Be sure to get solid wire not stranded wire or you will be digging it up and fixing allot.

How much hassel was getting your zapped units replaced. Did your local Tractor Supply replace them over the counter or, did you have to mail them back somewhere?