6 Best Wireless Fences for Small Dog Breeds [2024 Updated]

Last Updated on December, 2024

Small dogs tend to be more energetic, which increases their risk of running away. The problem is, what will you be able to do if they run into danger?

No dog deserves to be tied up in modern times (and even back in the time) to ensure their safety. You’re on the right path by considering a wireless dog fence as a solution.

They’re easy to set up, highly effective, and last for a long time with no maintenance. 

But the real challenge is choosing the best wireless dog fence for smaller dog breeds.

We did our research, filtered the best wireless dog fences, and tested them, so you won’t have to.

Below are our top 6 picks for the job. Read through and find the best wireless fence that suits the best for your needs.

Let’s begin!

6 of the Best Wireless Dog Fences for Small Dogs 

1. HALO 3 Dog Collar (Editor’s Choice)

Versatility is another aspect Halo excels in; those 6.2 miles of range you get is completely customizable. With that, you can set up those 20 fences wherever you want.

It does not end there; each of the fences can be of any shape you like. Most wireless fences only allow to create circular fences; compared to that, Halo 3 is miles better. 

Setting up the fences is a breeze. Since Halo 3 is a smart wireless fence, all you need to do is download the Halo app on the App Store or Google Play Store, sign up, and set up the fences right from where you are. No other wireless fence on the market allows you to set up fences as easy as this. Like I said, no competition. 

Halo, when it comes to security, is top-notch. With its pinpoint algorithm and variety of correction features, your dog’s got zero chance to escape the boundary you’ve created. 

Tone, Vibration, and Static Stimulation are all three of the corrections present; that’s typical, but how they’re taken advantage of is what makes the difference here. It’s progressive feedback here; the feedback will change every time your dog gets close to the boundary. 

When your dog is 10 feet away from the boundary, tone comes into play, and vibration takes control if it continues to move forward. Even then, if your dog does not retreat and continues towards the boundary, static stimulation will start. 

That should give you a picture of how Halo works. Along with that, all of the feedback is highly customizable, allowing you to adjust everything based on your dog’s breed and temperament. 

Corrections-wise, this is just the tip of the iceberg; Halo brings a lot more features to keep your dog safe and secure. And one more thing regarding the wireless fence: every time your dog gets the first set of corrections, you will receive an alert on your phone, allowing you to take quick action. 

As mentioned earlier, Halo is a smart collar, so along with the wireless fences, you also get real-time GPS tracking, allowing you to keep an eye on the dog no matter where you are. 

Halo has the most advanced GPS system on a collar of this type, so accurate and instant location updates are a given.

Now for the Durability and Build Quality. There is not much to say; Halo 3 is top-notch and comes in four colors: Sunburst, Orchid, Ivory, and Graphite. The collar is IP67 water resistant too, so no worries if your dog loves water.

Finally, for the battery life, Halo, with a full charge, can go for up to 24 hours. Not the best, but considering it can fully juice up in 2 hours, I’d say it’s not a big deal. 

All in all, Halo 3 is everything you need to keep your dog safe and sound. The highly customizable wireless fences, GPS location tracking, and all-day battery make it the best you can get. 

KEY SPECS:

Check out the Halo 3 dog collar review if you’re wondering to learn more about this device.

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2. Petsafe Stay & Play Compact Wireless Dog Fence (¾ Acre)

You can’t draw custom-shaped fences like the Halo fence; instead, you get circular fences. This is because the fence’s center is the transmitter.

But the entire wireless dog fence system is portable. So, you can take it on vacations, camping, and anywhere you travel with the fence with you, just as much as you use it while at home.

The collar has six correctional levels. The lowest is the tone-only mode, and the rest are static corrections with the static-free re-entry feature. Even the tone-only mode might be enough to retain a small dog after training.

You should press the mode button and release when the receiver (the collar) indicates a flash. One red flash means the lowest level, and the level of static correction increases with the number of times the light flashes.

The same light acts as a battery level indicator.

To ensure your pet doesn’t undergo a harmful level of static correction, the collar also has over-correction protection. After 15 seconds of static shock, the system will lock until the pet returns. For small dogs, this feature is a safe haven.

With rechargeable Li-ion batteries, you can charge the battery in just 2-3 hours. How long do you think the battery stays? Up to 3 whole weeks at max. 

This is a waterproof collar with a fantastic build quality, so the durability aspect is well covered.

The device has no location-tracking features.

You can also add separately bought unlimited additional collars to the system. That’s how to make pet owners with multiple pets happy.

All things considered, the PetSafe Stay & Play has become the second-best wireless dog fence.

KEY SPECS:

Here’s the Petsafe Stay & Play Compact Wireless Dog Fence Review.

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3. Tractive GPS Tracker For Dogs

That means it’ll either be a circular or rectangular fence. The minimum radius of the circle is 160 feet, the minimum dimensions are 330 x 330 feet, and the maximum range is unlimited.

The virtual fence is activated and operated from the Free Tracive mobile app compatible with iOS and Android. When the fence mode is inactive, it will appear grey on the screen.

But what about the corrective feedback? The Tractive collar is designed mainly to track your dog’s location; a wireless fence is secondary. But when your dog crosses a boundary, you will receive a mobile notification. 

However, the collar has no corrective feedback, such as tones, vibrations, or shocks.

The Tractive tracker also has location tracking like the Halo tracker. Its location updating rate is 2-3 seconds which is borderline real-time. The coverage range is worldwide.

This is in addition to the LED and a sound emitter integrated into the tracker that lets you find it without tracking.

The Tractive tracker has activity tracking. It enables dog owners to know details such as the number of steps walked during the day, the calories burned, and how long a pet spends at a particular location. In addition, you can track the dog’s sleeping time too. 

This is an IPX7 waterproof collar, and its build quality greatly extends its lifespan. The cherry on top is how the tracker is shockproof as well. 

You get seven days of maximum battery life, and that’s a relief for all pet owners.

All things considered, the Tractive tracker is one of the best trackers in the market. But it comes to third place as the best wireless dog fence for small dogs.

KEY SPECS:

Learn more about this device with this Tractive GPS Tracker For Dogs Review.

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4. My Pet Command Wireless Underground Dog Fence System

It works perfectly above ground, and you can lay it around your existing fence (if you have any).

But burying the wire will increase its longevity.

The fence comprises a 1.8mm 13 AWG robust polyolefin solid copper core cable. It allows you to expand the area up to 10 acres.

There’s one unique trick — you can twist some parts of the wire and make fences within fences. The reason is the absence of signals in twisted wires. This lets you create custom-shaped fences.

This means you can have a fence along the border of your land to contain your small dog.

Here are the three auto levels for fence operations.

The handheld has an + and – button to increase and decrease the intensity. There are also separate buttons to enable tone, vibration, and shock with ten intensity levels. It’s more than enough to contain small dogs.

Let me remind you again; your dog won’t know how to return to the safe area unless they’re trained to do so. So, be sure to read the “how to train your dog” section at the end. It’ll be much easier since you get 50 boundary flags in the package.

The durability is certified with a unique design quality for both the handheld and the collar. My Pet Command containment system is a waterproof collar with an IPX7 rating that only increases its durability.

The system lets you sync up to three collars, and you’re in luck if you own multiple small dogs.

The fully rechargeable battery will last for 8-12 hours by design. 

However, there is no location tracking — My Pet Command is nothing but an electric fence made to contain small dogs easily.

That’s why the My Pet Command made it to this list.

KEY SPECS:

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5. Petsafe Invisible Dog Fence (½ Acre)

The transmitter creates one wireless small-dog fence circular in shape, making the transmitter the center of the fence. This is similar to the previous Petsafe system.

The fixed range is ½ range.

But you don’t need to bury or lay any wires for the fence since it’s transmitter-based. Petsafe Invisible Dog Fence is a portable fence that helps you take your dog on hikes and vacations with peace of mind. 

The product is one of the best electric dog fences with six correctional levels. The lowest one is tone-only, and the other is static correction.

Training a small dog to obey the tone-only mode is always better. If you’re switching to the static correction, be sure to start from the lowest intensity level.

The light starts to flash when you press the mode button and release it. One red flash signals the lowest tone-only mode, and the number of levels above it corresponds to the number of times the light flashes; it’s the third level if it flashes thrice.

Similar to the Stay & Play containment system, this one also has a static-free reentry feature. 

The expected battery life is two months, and there’s a battery level indicator too.

Durability is assured as the collar is waterproof, and you can replace it depending on your need. But not to worry, the tracker comes with a collar.

Like the previous PetSafe containment system we talked about, this wireless pet fence lacks location tracking. But the product performs excellently as a wireless fence.

With 50 training flags in the package, you’ll be able to give proper training.

All these features make this wireless fence in 5th place on this list.

KEY SPECS:

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6. Pet Control HQ Wireless Pet Containment System

This is a dual training/containment system. This means the fence is made from a wired boundary system and the wireless remote control, together or separately.

This wire drum is 492ft long with 20-gauge solid core wires, which is enough for a ¾ acre range. With wires laid down, you can use custom-shaped fences. The fence range is expandable up to 10 acres.

For that, you will need an additional wire bundle or more.

But that’s not all.

You can cover complicated areas, including ponds and pools. All you need to do is twist the wires together to cancel the signal. That lets you create no shock zones easily, resulting in fully customized fence shapes.

The correctional features consist of sound, vibration, and shock, with ten correction levels. As always, be sure to move from sound to vibration and then to shock, starting from the lowest intensity levels. Since your dog is small, it doesn’t hurt to be extra careful.

The Pet Control HQ system has no location tracking.

The product’s durability is assured by its high build quality and IPX7 waterproof rating. 

The maximum expected battery life is around seven days, and it takes less than 3 hours to charge fully.

You can also add as many collars as you wish to the system. That’s great news for dog owners with multiple small dogs.

The package is comprehensive, and you get 50 training flags, amongst other important things, including a training guide.

The Pet Control HQ containment system is the sixth-best wireless fence and meets your expectations.

KEY SPECS:

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Factors to Consider in Buying a Wireless Dog Fence for Small Dogs

Type and Range of the Dog Fence

By now, you know that there can be circular or rectangular geofences. But a custom-shaped invisible fence is also a great idea.

In addition, you need to consider the range and whether the performance is the same as the range increases.

The Method of Creating the Fence

All you need to do is draw the map of a phone screen with collar-based wireless fences. Transmitter-based wireless fences require no drawing as the range is fixed.

Fences made by buried or on-ground wires require you to lay them down physically. So, it’s up to you to decide what works best for you.

Nature of Corrective Feedback for Boundary-Crossing Attempts

There NEEDS to be corrective feedback; what else is the invisible dog fence for? The problem is how it works. Maybe the fence turns into an electric dog fence emitting shock through the collar.

If not, there can be vibrations or anything from the sound. Having some warning when the dog approaches the fence boundary is the cherry on top.

Battery Life

The longer you can go without a full charge, the easier it will be. Some trackers enable dog fences to drain batteries depending on the intensity of use. These are better, giving you more control of the battery power.

The Fit

The best wireless dog fences are connected to dog collars. So, you should ensure the collar fits your dog. It’s better to go with the manufacturer’s recommendation since it usually comes in terms of the dog’s neck size and weight.

Incase If you have a large dog, too, checkout the best wireless dog fences for big dogs.

Durability

The durability factor is decided based on resistance capacity and build quality. Because of this, it’s better to choose waterproof collars with an IP waterproof rating.

You might not receive an impact resistance, but it’s better to have shock resistance.

Presence and the Nature of Location Tracking

As you noticed, the best invisible fences in the list come with location tracking. Having these features, along with invisible fencing features, is never a waste.

If you find them, check for the location updating rate, the range, and the aspects of activity tracking that are covered.

Benefits of a Wireless Fence for Small Dogs

• Get rid of the distress inflicted on the dog by an actual fence
• Make more space in your yard 
• You no longer have to tie your dog up
• Train your dog better
• Ensure your dog walker is not lying to you
• Make sure your dog stays in and stays away from specific areas
• Fix your paranoia about your dog’s safety 
• Know where your dog is all the time (with location tracking)
• Save a little fortune for physical fences

Your Guide to Training Your Small Dog to an Invisible Dog Fence

Your dogs must know what to do when they hear or feel corrective feedback when they either come close or walk past the boundary.

So first, check the collar yourself — it’ll beep when you’re getting closer to the boundary and will trigger a shock if you cross it (don’t worry, the level 1 shock is negligible when absorbed into the human body in almost all the trackers).

Then, make the dog wear the collar and let them familiarize themselves with the collar. An hour or two should be enough. From here onwards, we work with a leashed dog.

Next, let them step outside the boundary and pull them inside until the beep is heard, and then finally, the beep disappears. Remember to start from the lowest level and let them understand the pattern.

Every time they return, reward and praise them.

Finally, unleash the dog, let them wander freely, and see what they do when they hear the beep. 9 out of 10 times, they will return. For that remaining one time, the static shock should do the trick. 

Nonetheless, keep a close eye on the dog and be ready to catch it if it runs away. Afterward, you can try repeating the training or increasing the intensity of the static shock.

Here’s our complete guide to training a dog to stay inside the fence.

Related articles:

• Best Shock Collar for Smaller Dogs
• Best Bark Collars for Smaller Dogs
• Best GPS Trackers for Smaller Dogs

In Conclusion

Having one reliable wireless dog fence is all you need to keep your small dogs safe. After all, why cage them when you have better options?

The Halo 3 dog collar is the most suitable wireless dog fence for small dogs. After all, it’s designed to have the capacity to control a stubborn dog.

Taking care of our beloved small dogs is not challenging in the modern world. All we need to do is use the right opportunities. Because they might be small dogs, but their hearts are sure to be big; that’s why they deserve the best.

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