The answer is: It depends!
On a very high level, the cost for keeping your dog safe with an electronic or invisible type of a fence is significantly less than any physical fence you could buy. There is much less material, and the labor is usually far less also. An electric fence may even be 10% of the cost of the fancier aluminum fencing that is now required by many homeowner associations. And, the good news is, an underground fence is far more effective at safety containing dogs!
The specific cost will depend on several factors. Of course, if you install it yourself you will save a considerable amount of money. Naturally, there is a trade-off to this cost saving. You will be limited to the hardware that you can find at your local hardware store or what is available on the internet. Professional dog fencing companies often use hardware that is not available to the public. Most importantly, you will miss out on the experience that the professionals bring to the table. Their experience will often help them decide what hardware is best for your dog or property. In the end, the mistakes that could be avoided could easily make any cost savings a moot issue. In addition, this effort to save money could even put your dog’s life in jeopardy. Also, when you install a system yourself, you will not get the benefit of the training advice or assistance that is usually included with professionally installed dog fence systems. If, after considering these trade-offs, if you want to do it yourself, complete systems are available for purchase in the range of $200 to $400 for one dog system with enough wire to cover about 1/3 of an acre. Thanks to YouTube there will be plenty of on-line help if you were to get stuck on anything.
When the professional companies set their pricing, they consider many different factors.
Number of dogs
Unlike a physical fence, which will cost the same no matter how many dogs you have, the cost of an electronic fence will go up based on how many dogs will use the system. The reason is that each dog must wear a collar equipped with sophisticated electronics that will react to the signal from the buried wire. Each additional dog will typically cost an additional $300 to $500 depending on the company. This covers the extra hardware and the additional training necessary for each extra dog.
Size of Property
Naturally a 5-acre property will cost more than a simple 1/3 of an acre sub-division lot. But many customers are surprised that doing 5 acres does not cost 5 times as much as doing one acre. The price will go up, but not by as much as you might think. The only extra material cost in this case is the extra wire. The cost of the additional wire is relatively low compared to the additional cost associated with a wooden or metal fence. The bigger the property, the more substantial your savings will be versus a physical fence.
Difficulty of Installation
Other factors that will be considered is the difficulty of the installation. The professionals use a custom-built machine that cuts a slit in the ground and buries the wire about as fast as an average person walks. So, if everything is clear and level and they can use their machine for all or most of the property, that will keep the cost down. But many properties require at least some manual work to go around obstacles, through flower beds, to cross creeks or ditches etc. These factors will all be considered when factoring in the quote.
Maintenance
The maintenance associated with an invisible type of fence is very little compared to a physical fence. There is no painting, staining, or replacing falling or rotted sections. Copper wire that is properly installed will last indefinitely if it remains undisturbed. Depending on the system you use, you may have to buy batteries or occasionally replace a chewed-up collar. If you get a system with rechargeable collars, your maintenance cost drops to almost zero. There will be the cost of wire repair if the wire every cuts cut by a shovel, stump grinder, or other landscaping events. But, the occasional wire repair, if needed, is far less than the cost of painting or staining a fence. Another “cost” that many don’t consider is the cost of weed eating around a physical fence for the next twenty years. The extra 10 to 20 minutes per week during the growing season must be considered as a cost as well.
Unfortunately, due to all these factors it’s impossible to give a simple answer to the question of how much does an invisible type of fence cost. The professional companies usually give free quotes for your situation. Many will require a personal on-site visit. Other companies will be willing to give a general quote over the phone, but won’t give a firm quote until they see the property. After doing this for many years, I can tell you the companies that require an on-site visit first are primarily doing that so they can send a professional salesperson to the house. Sometimes they may try to upsell you on some additional services or products that you may or may not need.
If you are in Louisville, Lexington, Southern Indiana, or any of the surrounding areas, Derby’s Pet Fence will be happy to help you with your electronic pet fencing. We give firm quotes over the phone. We are a local and independent company. We have a real live person answer our phone 7 days a week! All of our technicians must pass a rigorous training program before they are certified to install our product. 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.
