If you are in the market for an electric dog fence (often referred to as an invisible, electronic, or underground fence), then you probably have noticed there are some companies that require you to buy a periodic replacement battery and others that have a collar that is rechargeable. The following will explore the history and the factors to consider when evaluating the two options.
Some Historical Perspective
As with many things, it’s important to review some history. The entire industry was invented in Pennsylvania by a company called Invisible Fence. This occurred in the 1980’s when rechargeable batteries weren’t practical for something the size of a collar/receiver that could be carried around by the average dog. So, the new invention required that the battery be replaced every few months. The lithium-ion battery was invented in 1991 and slowly took hold for commercial use.
A Business Perspective
As battery technology improved significantly through the 90’s and beyond, the Invisible Fence company has never (as of the writing of this article) incorporated a rechargeable battery into their design. The reason for this is merely speculation – but I will take a shot at giving one possible, albeit probable, theory.
The electric fencing industry is one where, after the initial work is done, there is very little opportunity for repeat business or other ways to generate income from a customer. The wire doesn’t break very often, and the electronics are all solid state with no moving parts to wear out. Sure, the companies out there will try to sell you dog doors or other pet related products, but, for the most part, those efforts have limited success. But, if they can sell you a battery every 3 or 4 months for the rest of your dog’s life, that is extremely valuable to them. A constant source of cash flow, beyond the initial purchase is golden to any company. Simply put, improving the technology to rechargeable would cost them a huge source of revenue. The Invisible Fence Company sells replacement batteries for about $25 for just one battery. I think it’s fair to assume there is a healthy profit built into that price. Other companies seem to have more favorable pricing, but the concept is the same. They like selling batteries!
Rechargeable – Is there a trade-off?
Once the patent ran out for Invisible Fence, they got many competitors. Some of the new companies also liked the idea of selling batteries to a customer forever. But a few systems that were designed to be sold direct to the consumer incorporated the more modern and economical rechargeable batteries built into their collars. There is no difference in the performance of the collar – despite what some salespeople might tell you. But there is a huge difference in the economic equation. The economic difference is astounding. If you have a dog that lives the average life expectancy of 12 years, and you replace the battery every three months, you will spend an additional $1,200 per dog!
The company I started many years ago (Derby’s Pet Fence), has used rechargeable collars since day ONE (2005). We have had lots of success and almost exclusively use systems with rechargeable collars. Our customers absolutely love them.
Don’t Forget the Environment
In that average lifespan of one dog, 48 batteries will be added to the landfill. While that’s the worst-case scenario – even more reasonable battery replacement requirements are still adding unnecessarily to the landfill. I have seen that some people recommend replacing the battery every 4 months instead of every three. Some companies have a battery that will last up to two years. Regardless, if you are replacing batteries on a routine basis, there is a negative consequence to the environment.
An Intangible Consideration
There is another factor to consider that nobody (but me) thinks about. I would make the argument that this might be the most important factor to consider. Even more important than the extra $800 to $1,200 you will spend replacing batteries. More important because it could put your dog’s life at risk where other issues above will not. It is a human nature consideration.
If someone knows that the battery is supposed to last 3 or 4 months, and the cost of a replacement is $25, human nature is going to stretch that gap as far as possible. If the dog didn’t run away last time despite the battery being 4 and a half months old, then maybe it won’t hurt to stretch it to 5? Then, once something becomes vague and variable, they become easy to forget about. Maybe the spouse replaced the battery? Maybe my son thought to do it last week when he was watching the house while we were away? You can envision the scenarios!
On the other hand, if the customer merely has to plug the collar into the wall for a few hours, there is no reason to procrastinate or take any risk.
By the way, to this day, most collars that need to have the battery replaced also do NOT have a low battery warning light? What?! How can that be? Or, why would that be? Perhaps the company selling you batteries likes the idea that they will be replaced every 3 or 4 months whether they need it or not? Of course, that’s just a guess, as logical though it may be.
The companies that have a rechargeable collar all have a low battery light on them, so no guessing is involved.
This intangible reason is so significant, because a collar with a dead battery cannot keep a dog safe. To be clear, most dogs will not run away as soon as the battery dies. As a matter of fact, some will take several weeks, even months to figure out the collar is dead. BUT, some dogs will figure it out right away. The problem is, you don’t know which dog you have until it is too late. So, you should always have a collar that is charged, or have a functioning battery on your dog.
Are Rechargeable Collars Perfect?
Rechargeable makes sense for all the reasons pointed out in this article. But, nothing is perfect. The only negative is that the rechargeable battery inside the collar will eventually need to be replaced. Some rechargeable collars we had lasted for 8 to 10 years! Others may need the rechargeable battery within the collar to be replaced every 3 to 5 years depending on usage. In our case, the battery is easy to replace and we send them to the customer free of charge. We don’t even charge for shipping.
If you are in Louisville, Lexington, Southern Indiana, or any of the surrounding areas, Stephen Baralt is the owner of Derby’s Pet Fence and will be happy to help you with your electronic pet fencing. We are a local and independent company. We have a real live person answer our phone 7 days a week! We give free quotes right over the phone. In addition to installation of new fences, we are happy to service and repair any brand of fencing, regardless of who installed it. Call or text us at 502-314-7398 / 859-327-7760, or visit our site at www.DerbysFence.com. Prefer email? Steve@derbysfence.com