How does an underground dog fence work?
An underground dog fence is also known as a wired or in-ground fence and it’s an excellent way to keep your dog safe and secure in your yard.
If you’re in the market for this type of electric dog fence, understanding how it functions is a good starting point so have a look at the diagram below while I give you a quick explanation:
You’ll either bury your wire or leave it above ground surrounding whatever area you want to contain your dog in. The transmitter you’ve mounted (usually inside your home or garage) sends out a signal that radiates off the wire and creates your hidden boundary.
Your dog wears a special receiver collar that reacts to the signal coming off the wire. As long as they stay within the Safe Zone they’re free to run around and play without receiving any kind of correction.
But if they wander into the Correction Zone their collar beeps, warning them it’s time to turn around.
If they ignore the beep and continue to move toward the wire the metal contact points on their collar deliver a startling but safe static correction which won’t hurt them but definitely reminds them that they’re somewhere they’re not supposed to be!
This electric stimulation is designed to encourage them to retreat back to the Safe Zone of the yard.
The twisted wire represents ‘dead zones’ and those are areas your dog can freely cross without getting any type of correction.
This diagram shows the most common layout for a wired dog fence: a single loop around your entire property. With this configuration not only can you keep your dog safely inside whatever perimeter you set up, you can also create exclusion zones by burying the wire around areas you want to keep your dog out of such as a pool or garden.
Although installing an in-ground dog fence takes some time and effort, there are a couple of things that people love about them:
- You can completely customize the size and shape of your containment area.
- You can install the wire in any type of terrain – beneath rocks, under water, through heavily wooded areas – you can literally go ‘under the river and through the woods’.
If it sounds like a wired dog fence is right for you and you’d like to know more about what’s available, head over to my comparison table where you’ll find more information and links to in-depth reviews I’ve written on a variety of underground electric dog fences.