Now that you have made the big decision to keep your dog safe and give him freedom by installing an underground dog fence, a little preparation may help save you money and give your dog more room for the rest of his life. Here are some things you can do to prepare.
- Is your dog comfortable on a leash? Many puppies and even adult dogs have never had any experience on a leash and turn into a floppy fish when they are first leashed up. Every training program associated with electric pet fencing involves the dog being on a leash exclusively for the first several days of training. If you have your fence professionally installed, a demonstration training session is usually included. You and your dog will get a much better experience if he cooperates while on leash.
- Is your garage a mess? If it’s anything like mine – of course it is! We don’t judge, but it is certainly helpful if we have a clear path to mount your wall unit. The vast majority of the time the unit needs to be mounted inside on the wall of the garage facing the street. Hopefully, there will be an outlet on that wall. If you have lots of stuff piled against this wall it will slow things down or force us to use a less than ideal location for the transmitter (wall unit).
- Is there a clear path for the machine that will bury the wire? Most of our installations are done by burying the wire within a couple feet of the property line around the entire perimeter of the property. If there are firewood piles, picnic tables etc. on this line, we will either have to move these items or go around them. We certainly don’t mind moving a few things out of the way, but if there are a substantial number of obstacles, you may want to consider clearing a path to ensure your dog gets maximum use of the property. You can always move the items back when the installation is complete.
- Are we going into the woods or a field that is not mowed? We love doing installations that give your dog lots of room to roam and allow him to chase critters and butterflies. Having a clear path in these areas is very helpful and will make for a more secure installation of your dog fence wire. Our machine is about 4 feet wide and has a spinning blade to cut the trench. The grass or brush must be 4” or less in height to prevent the brush from wrapping around the blade. In the woods, we can usually maneuver our equipment if fallen logs and rocks are cleared out of the way.
- Will you AND your dog be home? We definitely need you to be there in the beginning and again at the end of the installation. In the beginning, we need you to walk the property with us and show us your property boundaries and exactly where you would like the wire placed. This is the time to ask any questions and allow our technicians to make suggestions that may make your installation more effective. In our case, we will ask you to sign off on our paperwork authorizing the work, then you can go relax for an hour or two. Once the hardware is installed, we will need you AND your dog so we can fit the collar, show you how to use the equipment, and to do a training session with you and your dog. It’s a good idea to have other members of the family present that may be involved in the dog’s training for the next week or two.
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