stop dogs escaping from garden

Dogs and Fences – Do They Go Together?

A good fence will keep your dog inside your garden and other dogs (and other dangers) out of your garden. Unfortunately, many dogs look at a fence as a challenge to surmount. They want to dig under it, go through it, or climb over it.

Since the point of a fence is not to create a puzzle for your dog to solve! Let’s look at some ways to keep your dog inside your fence:

Remove Aids to Escape

It is amazing what dogs can use to their benefit when trying to escape from the garden.

  • A bin can stored next to the fence becomes a climbing aid; a step stool.
  • Firewood piled next to a fence does the same thing; it’s easy to climb up on firewood then hop or climb the fence.
  • A tree with a low limb hanging over the fence is also an avenue to escape.

Walk around your garden and look at everything from your dog’s point of view.  Then remove all of those climbing aids.

Stop Fence Tunnellers

Dogs who dig under a fence to escape can be persistent. Filling in each hole, won’t stop a dog from digging and can be frustrating as a never ending chore. Therefore a more permanent solution works better.

The best solution is to create a L-footer along the base of the fence. Take a roll of heavy garden fence or hardware cloth (wire fencing with wire squares) and unroll it alongside your fence. Bend the fencing so a foot of it can be attached to your fence and the remainder will lie flat on the ground at the base of the fence extending into your garden.

The name, L-fence, describes the L shape of the fencing once it’s shaped. The base of the L can be staked to the ground, covered with dirt, gravel, rocks, or just let the grass grow up through it. If you let the grass grow, remember it and don’t mow over it; cut it using other, safer means.

Stop Fence Jumpers

If your dog likes to jump the fence, create a L-footer but turn it upside down so it’s at the top of your fence. Create that L-shape and fasten the short side to the top of your fence with the rest of the garden or hardware fencing angled into your garden at the top of the fence so when your dog looks up, fencing is above.

You’ll need to use some ingenuity to anchor this fencing though. You can use some wood to create supports anchored to the top of your fence.  These will support the folded over garden fence or large angle irons or even metal shelf supports. Take a look at your fence and use your imagination.

Of course, we have to give our pooches credit for the clever ways they can escape and once they find a way out they will use it again and again if not blocked.

There is one surefire way to effectively contain your dog, which is also aesthetically pleasing with or without a static boundary fence and that is through the use of a wireless dog fence system, read more about the Dog Fence system or get in touch with us to discuss your needs.

electronic dog fence installation info graphic

Electronic dog fence – FAQ’s for new customers

So you found our electronic dog fence online and made an enquiry. We don’t need to visit your property to give you an estimate. Using our online mapping tool, similar to google earth, we can locate your property and measure out your boundary. Our office team will usually try to contact you as well to chat through your questions and discuss any areas of the property that might need extra attention.

Booking a dog fence installation

Booking your dog fence installation is simple. Our team will have sent over an estimate with the proposed boundary image. They will have also discussed the different systems with you, Pro Fence 1200, Performance Series and Smart Fence. Once you have agreed on a date and the system they will take some further information about your dog. A deposit is paid to secure the dog fence installation date and a confirmation of the booking will be sent over. Our office team and Dog Fence Installers are here for every step of the journey to answer your questions regarding our electronic dog fences and support you as you transition to giving your pet a happier, safer life.

Dog fence day

As a general rule, we commence the dog fence Installation will commence circa 07.30am! Interestingly this is to avoid rush-hour traffic and maximize daylight during the winter months. Our Installer will walk the boundary with your to fine-tune the electronic dog fence route. Once this has been agreed we should not need your attention again until we commence the dog fence training.

Our unique trenching equipment will bury the cable directly into the ground. We endeavour to bury boundary cables but if the terrain or an area is not suitable we can install cable above ground. Of course, the installation duration will vary depending on the size and the terrain but as a general rule, we will be ready to train your dog in the afternoon.

Electronic dog fence training

Now for the magic! We will not hook your dog up to the mains, we will not hurt your dog, we will train your dog using a recognised protocol. Actually, the training is very subtle and for some dogs, the scariest part is the temporary training flags. These little “flag” aliens can be quite scary to some dogs and others will play or stalk them. As with people, all dogs are different as we will treat them as individuals.  The flags are a vital part of the training and will give the dog a visual for the electronic dog fence boundary.

Don’t worry! Your Installer will look after your pet, he will involve you in the training and you will be amazed at how quick and simple the training is. All our Installers are trained to offer the full Dog Fence Installation & Training program. They will find the level suitable for your pet and work to ensure that he or she understands the fence.

Hopefully, he will answer all your questions but if you forget anything or you have a query you can call the office after the installation. The notes from the day will be electronically uploaded so we can access the training info and answer your questions.

Does the electronic dog fence come with a guarantee?

Absolutely! DogFence offers the most comprehensive guarantee worldwide. Our lifetime hardware warranty covers the transmitter & computer collar for life and even extends to dog chews. But more importantly, we offer a Containment Promise on professionally installed, outdoor systems.

Should your system break down for any reason you can also schedule a service appointment and one of our engineers will test or repair your entire fence or train any new pets that you may have acquired.

Is there any ongoing maintenance for the fence?

Naturally, it is important to check the fence from time to time. At DogFence we recommend testing the electronic fence monthly. This would include checking the battery and collar fit and takes less than 5 minutes. The electronic dog fence collars will alert you when you require a battery. After the dog fence installation, you will be invited to sign up to our battery program. If you decide to purchase batteries on an ad-hoc basis that’s fine.  But it is important to remember that when the battery runs out the pet can run out! Other than the battery and checking the collar fit there is no ongoing maintenance required.

How often do I replace the battery in my dog’s Computer Collar?

Of course, we all lead busy lives but once you see the red flashing light on your electronic dog fence collar you need to take action. The schedule for the battery changes is as follows:

  • R12m & R7m (mini) collars – every 6 months
  • R12 & R9 (standard collars – every 18 – 24 months

The green status light will change from a steady flash every forty seconds to a rapid flash every 10 seconds. At this point, you have approx 2 weeks to change the battery.

Where can I buy Batteries?

DogFence offers a few different options for customers to replace batteries.

  • You can call us
  • You can purchase online
  • Sign up for the battery programme

How often should I remove the electronic collar?

VVIP – the collar needs to be removed every day! Leaving the collar on the dog can cause a skin irritation. We strongly recommend that you remove the collar for a minimum of 6 hours every day but we recommend 8 hours. On the day of the dog fence installation, you will be given all this information again together with a continuation sheet to assist you in the early days’ post installation.

If you would like to know more about our electronic dog fence please call us. We can chat to you and pop together an estimate for the dog fence installation – 03450 623623 or info@dogfence.co.uk.

 

indoor dog fence excludes pets from areas

Indoor dog fence – banish those stair gates forever!

Have you heard about an indoor dog fence?

An Indoor dog fence? Sounds interesting but what is it and how does it work? Actually, it’s not really a fence but a simple electronic aid to create “no go” zones in your home. Using a similar concept to outdoor dog fence our internal units offer flexibility and freedom. Rather than containing your pet to an area, you can exclude pets from certain rooms or places in the home.

Whilst you may be quite happy to share most spaces with your pet there may be some areas that you prefer to exclude him from. Rather than keeping your pet shut in the kitchen or utility room you can give them more freedom internally. For example, you may not want your dog or cat in your baby’s room or even going upstairs. You may want to keep your white sofa free of pet hair or keep exclude your pet from food preparation areas.

All this can be easily achieved by using one of our indoor dog fences. If you are already a dog fence customer then the indoor dog fence is the perfect add on to your outdoor system.

What is an indoor dog fence?

An indoor fence is very similar to the outdoor dog fence. It consists of a radio transmitter, a computer collar but does not necessarily require a boundary wire. At DogFence we offer two types of indoor units:

Portable Indoor dog fence: BOB is our completely portable indoor fence. The BOB is a circular transmitter that is rechargeable and requires no boundary wire. The unit sends out a small zone from the transmitter of up to 8ft in diameter. You can use to exclude pets from sofas or stop them. The size of the zone is adjustable to accommodate different areas for exclusion. The indoor dog fence is fully portable and has 3 settings to give up to 1 month of battery life.

BOB the portable indoor unit

BOB, the portable indoor unit.

Permanent Indoor dog fence: If you have an area that requires permanent exclusion then the IB200 is the perfect tool. This is unit is closely related to our outdoor dog fences as it requires a mains supply to power the unit. The IB200 needs to be plugged into with 8ft of where you require the transmitter or area to be excluded. The transmitter can run in wireless mode. So, just like the BOB, it can create a zone around the transmitter of up to 8ft or you can wire the transmitter to create larger exclusion areas. If you have not put down the floor coverings or have a cellar you use the wire to exclude pets from entire rooms.

How does the indoor unit work?

As with our outdoor dog fences the indoor fence sends out a coded radio signal. The signal is either sent through a boundary wire or from the base station itself. The size of the exclusion zone can be tailored to the area that it is covering. For example under a chair, you may only require a 2ft zone but for a staircase, this will need to be 3 – 5ft. The pet wears a computer collar. If you already have a DogFence outdoor dog fence then this will be the same collar. If you do not already use our system you will need to purchase a computer collar.

The collar is programmed to pick up the radio signal that is being sent out from the indoor dog fence. As with the outdoor dog fence if the pet approaches the “no go zone” the collar jumps into action. Firstly the collar will give out a high pitched warning beep to alert the pet. If the pet continues further the collar then gives out a static impulse (correction). The correction is set to each individual pet’s breed, age, and personality.

To aid the pet you small portable flags are used a visual. Actually, these flags are very similar to the outdoor dog fence training flags but smaller and portable. Once the pet is trained the flags are no longer required. The pet will react to the indoor dog fence is the same way as they do externally, they hear the beep and stop. Internal dog fence training usually only takes a couple of days.

Where can I use an Indoor Fence?

The most popular uses for an indoor dog fence are:indoor dog fence stop Great Dane taking food off the table

  • Stop the pet going upstairs
  • Exclude pets from certain rooms
  • Keep pets off the worktops
  • Keep Fido off the sofa
  • Use in BBQ areas
  • Keep pets away from Christmas Trees!
  • Keep pets away from food storage areas.

Interestingly, the indoor dog fence is also used as part of our cat training protocol. Consequently, cats that are trained using the indoor fence adjust quickly and easily to the outdoor fence. By training internally is a safe and confined area we can be sure that the cat understands the concept of the warning beep and how to retreat.

Our indoor dog fences are a popular add-on to the outdoor fence. We have some owners that have several units. Both the BOB and the IB200 can be added on to your existing outdoor dog fence at any point in time. If you would like to know more about these units please call us on 01628 476475 or email info@dogfence.co.uk. For existing customers, you can order by phone or through our shop here.indoor dog fence flags