Living in south Florida, many HOAs do not allow fences. Having an invisible fence installed around your property can bring you great peace of mind when letting your dog outside. It’s an effective way to keep your pup on your property while maintaining the aesthetic appearance of a fenceless yard – or stay within your HOA’s rules. You can install the fence yourself and have invisible boundaries within just a few hours.
Before buying your materials, do some research to determine whether an invisible fence is feasible for your yard and dog. Electronic boundaries work well for small to medium size lawns, but can get expensive and time consuming to install and maintain if you’ve got a large lot. Also, not all dogs are well suited for invisible fences. Aggressive or overprotective dogs should be kept under more reliable control with a physical fence. Stubborn or excitable dogs may simply ignore the buzz of their collar and cross the line anyway. Before choosing this option for containing your dog, spend time paying attention to your pup’s personality to determine whether this would be a feasible option for them.
Before beginning installation, you’ll need to figure out how much wiring you need. The majority of invisible fence systems are capable of enclosing about 0.33 acres of land (approximately 500 linear feet of wiring), even though their transmitters can reach a lot farther. If your lot is larger than this, you will likely need to purchase a bigger package or some additional wire to cover the entire border. Plot out your property to determine where you plan for the wire to be laid, and plan where you will keep your transmitter–it should be in a dry and protected place but away from other appliances that could interfere with its signal.
Once you’ve determined the placement of your wiring, lay it out (but don’t bury it yet). While the wires could theoretically sit on top of the ground, we recommend burying them 1 to 3 inches deep to eliminate trip hazards. However you decide to lay your fence wiring, make sure you avoid any other electrical or cable lines and that your dog will have sufficient room to roam and play within the confines of the invisible fence. Call 811 to make sure you won’t be interfering with any utility lines as you dig the trenches for your invisible fence lines. Hold the collar and test it by carrying it over the line at various points to make sure it works over the entirety of the boundary.
After you’ve planned, dig the trenches and run your wires. Both ends of the wire should connect to your transmitter. Avoid crossing or twisting the lines, as this can create interference with the signal. If you need more line, splice wires together to increase the scope of your fence.
The work is not done once you’ve installed the fence, however. You will need to train your dog to understand where the boundaries of the yard are, and that they are expected not to cross them. For most dogs though, this training can quickly be accomplished within just a couple of weeks. Walk them along the boundary, and allow them occasionally to come close to crossing it so that they can safely experience the buzz of the collar and understand that it means they are not to cross further across that space.
For more dog training tip, browse the Gulf Coast K9 Dog Training blog. for more information on available obedience classes, call us today.
