Last Updated on October, 2024
When I first heard about electric dog fences, I was skeptical about whether this was just a scam. I was distraught because the safety of my malamute mattered to me a lot.
I started hunting the internet to find the truth behind these invisible fence mysteries. The internet dropped bomb shells when it just explained the reality of the fences.
I literally had no idea how wireless, and wired dog fences would work. So I got in by checking both of the fences myself cause it’s a no-brainer; I need the best for my canine pal!!
Eager to know what’s the truth behind these invisible fences? Let me spill the beans! Sit tight; let’s get down the line.
Quick Summary
Wired dog fences allow you to keep your dog contained within the defined boundaries just by burying wires underground around your parameters.
Wireless dog fences are based on smartphones which gives dog owners the complete privilege to keep an eye on their canine partner 24/7.
While both have their own benefits and downsides, the overall winner is the wireless dog fence due to its ease of installation, portability, and reliability.
Table of Contents
A Glimpse of Wired Dog Fence
Richard M.peck was the mastermind behind all these mysteries. He brought the invisible fences for pets into view in 1971.
The electric dog fence system is completely invisible to your naked eye.
A wired dog fence allows you to keep your dog contained within the defined boundaries just by burying wires underground around your parameters.
All you need to do is, follow the instructions on how to install it (more on this in a while!) and gain optimal peace of mind.
How Does This Work?
When separating from the pack, you will find the three main components on top, The Transmitter box, Insulated Copper Wire (fence wire), and the Receiver collar.
Initially, you need to bury the wire underground along the edge of your property. Then both ends of the buried wire will be connected to the transmitter.
Next, the transmitter will send a mild-coded radio signal through the wire. Your dog will wear the receiver collar, programmed to detect radio signals.
Once your dog gets close to the underground wire, the signals will trigger, and the collar will emit a beep sound.
The feedback the collar gives is the wake-up call for your dog to retreat his way back. When he enters the undesignated perimeter, he will be given a slight static shock to be on red alert.
Wind down, pals, a bit of training could help you through the way.
A Glimpse of Wireless Dog Fence
Similarly, a wireless electric fence system is too invisible to the naked eye. The exciting part of this wireless fence is you don’t have to dig your yard and bury wires to install the system.
Let me knock you with the wow factor; the system is entirely contained within the collar and the smartphone (wow!! Was my reaction).
Unlike the traditional fence, the wireless system works ideally using a wireless range from a base unit.
How Does This Work?
The transmitter is placed in the center and uses radio signals to create the invisible fence. By the way, the transmitter emits the signals in a spherical shape from where it’s installed.
On the other hand, mapping the fence boundary is done using satellite technology. The coordinates of the base unit are programmed in the collar, and the radius distance is saved in the collar.
Once your dog reaches the set boundary, the collar will emit its form of feedback and prevent the dog from running to places he is not supposed to.
And you need to know, when the collar is out of reach from the radio signals, the collar will not show its current position. But that’s not the crux of the matter. This just rarely happens when indoors only.
Comparison and Contradiction
Installation of Wireless Pet Fence
It’s just that easy to install the wireless fence system. You don’t need to go the extra mile to install the whole system.
No planning or physical labor is needed; just a bit of training for your dog could hit the target.
Initially, place the transmitter near a power outlet.
Avoid the interference of concrete and brick walls. Place it on or close to an outdoor wall for maximum transmission.
Make sure you place the transmitter on the down floor of your house, nearly three feet off the floor.
By the way, keep it out of reach of children. Keep the transmitter away from metal appliances so that they don’t cause any interference. At least five feet would be better.
Once you place the transmitter in the right place, here comes the big cheese, the receiver collar.
The radio waves emitted by the transmitter will be received by the collar and, thereby, ultimately get hold of your dog within the containment area.
Insert the battery or charge the collar (depending on the brand of the wireless system you buy) and turn it on. Then sync the transmitter and the collar as mentioned in the instructions of the model you bought.
Next, your boundary radius can vary depending on the model you purchase, but generally, the idea of setting the boundary would be the same.
Walk around the boundary that you’ve defined with the collar being carried.
If you’re at the desired radius, adjust the transmitter until the receiver collar gives the warning prompts.
When it does, you’re done! A job well done!
Consider planting the flags around the edge of the boundaries.
These flags will serve as a visual representation for you and your dog to know and see the containment area.
Installation of Wired fences
When I got my hands on the wired system, I felt that the course would be rather grueling when I
saw the set of gadgets that came along with the system.
It took me an entire day to install the wired fence system.
Laying out your wire can be done in many different ways, but you have to ensure it is a complete circuit. This means the wire should end from where it began.
Ensure you bury your wire no less than 3-6 inches deep.
It’s better to lay the wires first before burying them so you can make changes in placing wires if necessary.
On the other hand, the transmitter should be screwed to the wall.
At any cost, confirm that your transmitter box is in an out-of-the-way area, like a garage or outdoor shed, preventing any moisture or elements.
Now that you have laid your wire, you will have to connect the wire to the transmitter. This is where the twisted wire comes in.
Simply splice the twisted wire to the two ends of the boundary loop, carry it to the transmitter and hook up the wire to the transmitter.
As soon as you’ve completed fitting everything, take the dog collar and test it on the boundary. Once you know that your collar is working, bury the wires.
Mission completed! I know it sounds complex, But take it with a pinch of salt; you can ask for a free hand from the pet security and containment professionals who have the necessary experience to install the system without any goof.
WINNER: Wireless Dog Fence
Adjustability
Speaking of adjustability, if you want to adjust the size of your perimeter or move to another landscape, it’s nigh on impossible with wired electric fences.
It will not be a cinch; digging the whole yard and replacing the wires is time-consuming and labor-intensive. It isn’t a walk in the park.
But wireless fences owe you the complete liberty to adjust the perimeter whenever and wherever you relocate just by adjusting it on the transmitter.
The wireless systems are completely portable and can be reset and moved within a few minutes.
WINNER: Wireless Electric Dog Fences
Durability
Durability next. The wired electric dog fence base unit is a rugged piece. The transmitter can be placed anywhere indoors or outdoors and can withstand certain amounts of wear and tear.
On the other hand, wireless dog fences are delicate and should be kept indoors.
One thing you should overlook is if the buried wire breaks or is damaged, it’s a tough row to hoe. You cannot quickly locate the problem area.
You don’t have to be cheesed off in the wireless invisible dog fence with such problems.
WINNER: Draw
Range
Range-wise, wireless dog fences can cover upto a few hundred feet in a circular perimeter.
At the same time some brands really are providing the best products with the ultimate range.
The wireless invisible fences can also run through ½ an acre which is something really excellent.
But the only snag to speak about it is the spherical boundary shape.
Sadly I couldn’t get hold of every nook and corner of the yard.
But the range of the wired dog fences is excellent. It can cover upto 30 acres in any shape getting hold of every edge of your property. The range depends entirely on the length of the physical wire you use.
WINNER: Wired Invisible Fence
Reliability
At present, wireless dog fences are mostly reliable with their top-notch tech specs.
They’ve included GPS technology, pet activity tracking with wireless units, and superior benefits.
It uses GPS signals to find the accurate position of your dog, extended battery life, and static correction to alleviate your dog’s behaviors which in itself is excellent.
And not to forget, wireless dog fences are totally based on smartphones which gives dog owners the complete privilege to keep an eye on their canine partner 24/7.
Wired invisible containment systems, too, offer you similar benefits of shock collars but with less reliability.
WINNER: Wireless Dog Fence
Related article: GPS Dog Collar vs Invisible Fence
Benefits of Wired Dog Fence
Benefits, benefits, benefits are what come first. The significant benefit of the wired dog fences is that you can customize the boundaries and create loops with any shapes you want.
Your dog can run around the property with little or no distance restrictions, which means your dog can have access to the entire yard.
And back again to durability, the base unit of the wired dog fences is built to withstand harsh weather conditions with no harm and can be placed virtually anywhere.
This wired invisible fence can be a great alternative to traditional physical fences.
This system is active in the competition because it can cover every edge of your property.
Altogether you can cover upto 30 acres which are more than enough to keep your dog contained.
Downsides of Wired Dog Fence
Moving on to the downsides, the major problem with the wired containment system is the exact reasons they are perfect for some properties.
Burying the boundary wire becomes much more difficult when the land you owe for your puppy to roam is quite large. You’ve got your work cut out for you.
And at the same time, when there are driveways, ponds, pools, flower beds, or trees in your yard, you’ll need to cut and bend down the wire, which is quite a big job.
Reconfiguring the boundary, in any case, would be time-consuming and labor-intensive, which would break the bank.
Benefits of Wireless Dog Fence
Speaking of the benefits of wireless pet containment systems, it has a lot to offer on its table. The installation process is where the wireless dog fence is on the top of the table.
Digging? No! Break the bank? No! Cause it entirely works on wireless signals.
On the other hand, portability is another aspect where it shines. Because of the fact that the wireless invisible fence is wireless, it can be adjusted in every way you want.
Speaking about maintenance, it’s not rocket science to replace the system with a new one in case of malfunctions.
No matter if there’s any barrier in the ground, wireless invisible fences have no terrain restrictions, which in itself is excellent.
Downsides of Wireless Dog Fence
From my experience, there’s nothing much to talk about the downsides.
But there’s a potential concern about the collar malfunctioning.
Sometimes the collar accidentally shocks your dog when it malfunctions, which causes a shake in the reliability. But as far as I’m concerned, it hardly ever happens.
And one more is the range. It is cast in a circular shape, so it won’t be able to catch up to every edge of your property.
OVERALL WINNER!
I got my hands on both the wired and wireless fences, but wireless dog fences are what kept me hooked. It works excellently well and does its job perfectly, and there’s nothing wireless fences cannot do.
I’ve had zero problems with it!
I’ve used the wired electric dog fence, which is no less than the wireless fence, but the benefit is picking the winner.
Be it the installation, or portability, everything about the system is excellent.
And not to forget the convenience; it just does everything to keep your dog safe.
Purchasing the wireless fences is wholly risk-free and trust me, with everything the wireless fence offers, I’d say it’s worth every penny.
Conclusion
The wireless dog fence is my go-to for everything related to the safety of my malamute. Unlike the wired fence systems, the present wireless dog fences live upto the hype with their top-of-the-line performances.
Not only does it track your dog, but it gives zero chances for your escape artist to leave anymore. And the new versions of wireless fences are on the upgrade with exceptional features.
You need to try one of the systems and experience how helpful they can be. If you’re a new dog owner and pushing on to be, this piece of tech can come in useful.
If you’ve got no idea on how to pick wireless fences, I highly recommend you check out our list of some of the best wireless dog fences in the market.
It can be wired or wireless dog fence, but if you’re ready to spend, I’d say you should hurry up on purchasing one!
I couldn’t be happier with whatever the wireless fence offered me. It worked perfectly in every way and, without a doubt, is the best, if not the best, in a class by itself.
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