Original Article: https://www.dogster.com/gear-products/best-wireless-dog-fences
Pet parents who have yards want their dogs to be able to roam their yards freely without fear of them running away, never to be seen again. While privacy fences are an option, they aren’t affordable for all pet parents and many pet parents might prefer an invisible fence.
Wireless fences come in many varieties leaving pet parents searching through reviews and product information to ensure that they get the best option for their families. Here are PetKeen’s favorite wireless fence systems complete with our reviews of each one!
A Quick Comparison of Our Favorites in 2024
The 4 Best Wireless Dog Fences
1. PetSafe Wireless Containment System – Best Overall
| In-Ground or Wireless: | Wireless |
| Correction Type: | Noise, Static |
| Waterproof: | Yes |
Our choice for the best overall wireless dog fence is PetSafe’s Wireless Containment System. The Wireless Containment System has a home base that covers 3/4 of an acre (approx. 32,000 sq ft). The collar receiver has 5 options for correction including noise-only and static electricity options.
This wireless fence is also great if you have a large property; you can buy multiple home bases and connect them to create a larger zone for your pet to enjoy. If you have multiple dogs, you can buy multiple colors and connect multiple collars to a single receiver as well. So, this is perfect for multi-dog homes.
Both the home base and receiver are waterproof, so you can use this outdoors no matter rain or shine. You can plug this in indoors or outdoors, and you don’t have to worry about the elements destroying it.
Pet parents who have ethical concerns surrounding the use of static shock collars will be able to use tone-only correction. This corrective method emits only an unpleasant noise when the dog leaves the safe zone.
- 5 levels of correction methods
- Good for multi-dog homes
- Can link together multiple home base unit
- Shock collar option may leave some pet parents feeling nervous
2. PetSafe Basic In-Ground Dog Fence System – Best Value
| In-Ground or Wireless: | In-Ground |
| Correction Type: | Static or Beep |
| Waterproof: | Yes |
The best wireless dog fence for the money is PetSafe’s Basic In-Ground Fence System. This wireless fence will require you to lay the in-ground wires to mark off the boundary line of your property. The kit also comes with flags that you can use to mark off your boundary to help your dog learn where the boundary line is. The system covers up to 1/3 of an acre (14,000 sq ft), more wire can be purchased separately.
The kit includes a waterproof receiver collar that has 4 levels of behavior correction. If your dog gets too close to the boundary line, it will remind them with a loud beep and gentle static correction if they cross the boundary line. Pet parents with ethical concerns surrounding static collars can use the tone-only mode.
- Cost-efficient
- Tone-only mode
- Requires wire laying
3. PetSafe Stay & Play Wireless Dog Fence – Premium Choice
| In-Ground or Wireless: | Wireless |
| Correction Type: | Static, noise |
| Waterproof: | Yes |
Pet parents looking to spend a little extra for the best of the best will want to check out PetSafe’s Stay & Play Wireless Fence. The Stay & Play Wireless Fence is portable, waterproof, and allows for an unlimited number of pets to be added to the unit, making it perfect for multi-pet households.
The Stay & Play Wireless Fence covers a 3/4 of an acre area out of the box that does not require any buried wires or a physical fence. You can expand the area by adding more home base stations.
The receiver collar has five levels of correction that increase as the dog gets further away from the boundary. Pet parents who don’t want to use a shock option will be able to use the collar’s tone-only option.
- Completely wireless, no need for buried wires
- An unlimited number of pets can be added to the unit
4. PetSafe Stay & Play Compact Wireless Dog Fence
| In-Ground or Wireless: | Wireless |
| Correction Type: | Static, noise |
| Waterproof: | Yes |
The PetSafe Stay & Play Compact is a smaller version of the PetSafe Stay & Play Wireless Fence. The receiver is smaller and more portable than its larger predecessor. The Compact delivers the same wireless range as the PetSafe Stay & Play.
Like the PetSafe Stay & Play, the Compact covers a 3/4-acre space and has five levels of correction, including a tone-only mode. This wireless fence doesn’t require any buried wires and has a smaller home base unit than other PetSafe wireless fences.
The collar included with this kit is smaller and intended for dogs as small as 5 pounds while the full-sized Stay & Play Fence starts at 8 pounds.
- Suitable for small dogs
- Fully wireless
- Does not work in yards with a steep change in elevation
Buyer’s Guide: How to Choose the Best Wireless Dog Fence
Pet parents who are looking to keep their dog in their yard without putting up a 6-foot-tall fence will usually start looking into wireless fences and e-collars. These fences have multiple setup options that pet parents can browse. What’s best for you will be determined by what your family’s exact needs are. Here are some things to consider when purchasing a wireless dog fence.
Setup Options
The first thing you want to consider is the setup style. There are two main wireless dog fence setups: in-ground and homebase. Which one you choose will largely be determined by how much work you want to do and how much space you need to give your dog or dogs.
In-Ground
In-ground dog fences run a wire that responds to the dog’s movement from a home base station around the property. These fences are generally considered a permanent fixture as setting them up usually requires that you dig up part of the yard to place the fence boundary.
In-ground fences are best for yards that are very large or oddly shaped. They allow your dog to get full use out of the whole yard and allow pet parents to feel safe knowing that the fence will trigger when their dog goes near it.
Once the fence has been set, it runs on its own and requires no further intervention by the owner.
Wireless Home Base
A wireless home base setup uses a transmitter that sends signals to a receiver on your dog’s collar. When your dog gets too far away from the home base the receiver will emit a noise administer shock or noise to let the dog know that it needs to move closer to the home base.
These setups are entirely wireless and have very few setup requirements. Unlike in-ground setups, the wireless home base does not require you to dig up your yard and plug directly into an outlet but the home base covers a smaller ground area.
The area covered by a wireless home base setup is an exact circle centered on the home base unit. Pet parents with very larger or atypically shaped yards may find that a home base unit does not cover their entire yard and does not allow their dog to access the whole yard. Pet parents with very small yards may find that their dog is allowed to roam into their neighbor’s yards which are covered by the circular radius.
How to Decide Which Fence Is Right for You
When deciding what fence to buy there are many factors that a pet parent will want to consider. The biggest factor is the size and shape of your yard. If your yard is unusually shaped or very small a wireless home base station may include areas of your neighbor’s yards as part of the Safe Zone. If your yard is very large you may need multiple wireless home bases to cover the entire area of your yard.
Another factor that you’ll want to consider when buying a fence is the correction method of the receiver. There are three types of corrective methods: tone, vibration, and shock. A tone correction collar will emit a loud noise when the dog comes near the barrier zone. A vibration collar will vibrate when the dog leaves the zone and won’t stop until the dog returns to the safe zone. A shock collar will administer a harmless electrical shock to the dog when they near the barrier line.
Not all dogs respond the same to each type of correction. Some professional trainers will usually recommend that you buy a fence that has all three options in case your dog doesn’t react appropriately to the first chosen correction method.
Ethical Concerns When Using a Shock Collar
Any pet parents rightfully have concerns about the use of shock collars with their dogs. Proponents of shock collars state that no harm will come to the dog so long as they’re used appropriately, and dogs have been harmed by improper use of shock collars leaving pet parents feeling nervous about employing the corrective method.
The ASPCA recommends that you never use a shock collar, considering them inhumane. Pet Keen does not endorse the use of shock collars with dogs. There is no evidence that shock collars are more effective than any other humane training method and many research observations show them to be less effective.
Conclusion
There are so many wireless fences out there and it can be intimidating to try and find the best one! Our choice for the best overall wireless dog fence was PetSafe’s Wireless Containment System. Pet parents willing to put in a little elbow grease to save money will love the PetSafe Basic In-Ground Fence System. Lastly, pet parents looking for the best of the best need not look further than the PetSafe Stay & Play Wireless Fence to keep their dog contained!
Featured Image Credit: sophiecat, Shutterstock
Source: Dogster
