Any responsible pet owner with a backyard knows the importance of securing their dog safely on their property. However, it isn’t always practical or affordable to install a traditional fence around your home. An alternative solution that costs less than a full fence is an electric dog fence that keeps a dog safely within a certain perimeter without a physical barrier. They create an instant, invisible boundary, as the training collar alerts your dog when they have ventured too far. The wire is usually buried underground, but some models have the option of running above the surface. Electric dog fences can be configured to match the boundaries of almost any space, and can frequently be used for more than one dog at a time. The best electric dog fences help dog owners worry less about their dog’s location and safety.
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We considered features such as overall coverage, additional options, correction settings, and more to find the best electric dog fences.
Photo: amazon.com
The SportDOG electric dog fence is an impressive system that includes 1,000 feet of wire to enclose 1.3 acres, and the ability to effectively enclose up to 100 acres with additional wire if needed. Multiple collars can be used at the same time for dogs weighing at least 10 pounds, and each collar has seven levels of static correction as well as a tone and vibration warning system to train dogs to stay within the perimeter. Additionally, the collars are waterproof and can be submerged up to 25 feet. The collar receiver uses rechargeable lithium-ion batteries that can last for up to a month and have a low battery indicator for convenience.
Photo: amazon.com
The PetSafe Stubborn Dog In-Ground Fence system provides great boundary control for dogs that need extra training to stay within the underground fencing. This kit comes with 500 feet of 20 gauge wire to provide up to a third of an acre of coverage. The total area can be expanded up to 25 acres with the purchase of additional compatible accessories. The receiver collar is lightweight and waterproof. Pet owners can customize the settings with tone only, or tone and vibration depending on the hearing needs of the dog, and up to four levels of intensity for training. The tone and vibration act as a warning signal before they experience a static correction if they cross over the warning zone into the static zone which is past the fence barrier. The static correction shuts off after the dog is in the static zone for 30 seconds for safety purposes.
Photo: amazon.com
This heavy-duty electric fence can create an effective boundary for up to five dogs in any configuration that works best for the property. It includes 1,000 feet of high-tensile strength 20 gauge wire to cover 1 acre of property, as well as several boundary flags for training. Additional wire can be purchased to create a fence covering up to 6 acres of property. Each of the five dog collars is waterproof and can be submerged in up to 10 feet of water. The program has seven static correction settings that can be used to train the dog as needed—and one setting with tone only—all of which begin to alert the dog when they approach the underground electric fence barrier. If a neighbor also has an electric dog fence, the digital programmer has an option to change the frequency to avoid frequency interference. Packages for fewer dogs are also available.
