Best Electric Dog Fences (Complete Buyer’s Guide)

If your property lacks a physical fence that would allow you to let your dog out without a leash on, you may be considering an electric fence, also known as an invisible fence.

While controversial because they involve administering an electrical shock to you dog if they cross the “fence” barrier, many feel the increased freedom and safety from getting loose to be an acceptable tradeoff. We’ll let you decide which side of that fence you find yourself ethically.

Regardless, here’s a rundown of the the best electric dog fences as well as a buying guide to help you make your decision.

What is the Best Electric Dog Fence?

From our extensive research, we’ve determined that the SportDog In-Ground Fence And Training Kit is the best electric dog fence out there. This complete kit comes with 1000ft of wire and gives you 30 days of use from a single charge.

Wandering Dog Syndrome

Some dogs are notorious wanderers, some are dedicated escape artists and some just like to do their own thing whenever they can, so the chances are that your dog if you let him out by himself and your home isn’t surrounded by a ten-foot-high white picket fence, won’t hear you when do you do call him.

Or he might just choose to ignore you, and only decide to come back when he’s ready. And what about other dogs and people?

If your home isn’t fenced in, what’s going to stop him from acquiescing to his basic canine instincts and blindly following every other dog he sees or chasing after other humans for a belly scratch if you’re not around?

Let’s not even start to think about the omnipresent danger that the road and traffic present to any dog who doesn’t know to look right, then left, and only cross when there’s nothing coming.

The world can be a scary, dangerous and incredibly enticing, and inviting place for a dog, so how can you stop yours from wandering further than he should, and teach him where the boundary to his, and your territory is without turning your home into a suburban prison?

Creating A Boundary For Your Dog

It’s actually easier than you might think, or might have been led to believe it is to teach your dog about where the safe boundary to his territory lies and the line that he should not cross, no matter what happens beyond it.

The solution isn’t reliant on the arcane arts of magic and it doesn’t rely on some wise old trainers trick that turns your dog’s mind inside out and upside down, it uses technology and a little time and patience to create a border that your dog will not only respect but one that he’ll learn to stay within.

The answer to all of your dog training and boundary prayers is, of course, an electronic dog fence.

The Simple And Straightforward Guide To Electric Dog Fences

Also, known as a radio and invisible (a name that became synonymous with the electric dog fence, as the brand that patented and first manufactured them in 1973 is called Invisible Fence) fences, an electronic dog fence is a canine containment system that uses a hidden, or buried wire to transmit a radio signal to a dogs collar as he crosses it which in turn causes the collar to send a mild electric shock to the dog, that acts as a deterrent and ensures that the dog doesn’t attempt to the cross the wire again.

It works on the same principle that Pavlov’s famous experiments did. A single jolt won’t be enough to discourage a dog from trying to cross the boundary that the electric fence has created but the repeated, mild jolts that he’ll receive every time he does attempt to cross it, will eventually teach him where the boundary is.

He won’t be able to see it, as the wires for electric dog fences are buried underground, but he’ll learn where the boundary is and won’t attempt to cross it when he has learned what it’s there for.

Because the wire that controls the signal is buried, it’s easy to forget where it actually is, which is why a lot of fences are supplied with warning markers or flags that you can stick in the ground to remind you where the wire is. And those flags?

They’ll not only help you and your dog to remember where the boundary is while he’s getting used to the new containment system, they’ll also alert other dog owners and let them know to keep their pets under control when they’re passing by your home so that they won’t distract or tempt your dog to cross the fenceline.

Choosing An Electric Dog Fence

Now that we’ve covered the basic principle that governs every electric dog fence, you’re probably eager to dive straight into trying to find the right fence for your dog and your home, and while we’ve put together an indispensable list of what we think are the best all-round electric fences, as far as functionality, ease of usage and set-up and affordability are concerned, there are a few electric fences related things that you’ll need to think about, and consider before you make your final decision. And the first, and foremost of those factors, is the type of electric fence that you’ll want to outfit your home with.

Wireless And In-Ground Electric Dog Fences – Everything You Need To Know

The funny thing about humanity is that we’re always looking for a myriad of different ways to improve and refine the things that are already part of our everyday lives.

That’s why a number of different brands tinkered with the design of the electric dog fence and found a way to bring it into the twenty-first century while minimizing the disruption and chaos that digging up your yard, if you’re not a natural horticulturist, to install a fence can create.

And as we’ve always been great believers in the idea that age should always take precedence over beauty, we’ll take a brief look at the original radio or electric fence first.

In-Ground Electric Fence

We briefly explained how this works already. The fence (wire) is buried in the ground surrounding your home, and if your dog crosses the wire it sends a signal to your dog’s collar (which is supplied with the fence) that generates a mild electric shock.

Something that we think that we need to make clear from the beginning is that the shock that’s created by an electric fence isn’t really a shock. It’s more of a mild jolt that’s designed to act as a deterrent and a warning and won’t hurt your dog.

An electric fence isn’t meant to punish your dog, it’s a training aid that was created to help you to teach him where the physical boundary to his territory is and the area that he needs to remain within.

Wireless

The usage of the word wireless makes it sound like the collar and transmitter combination are closer in pedigree to the internet than the age of radio, and that isn’t really true.

Wireless electric fences work thanks to a simple concept. The transmitter is plugged into the main in your home and set for a specific distance and sends a constant radio signal to a receiver that is in your dog’s collar.

If the receiver in your dog’s collar travels further than the distance that you’ve set from the transmitter, then it sends a small electrical charge through the collar, which is designed to warn your dog not to go any further.

If he keeps traveling further than the designated range that you’ve set, his collar will keep jolting him until he retreats within the established boundary.

As soon as he does, the receiver in his collar will stop shocking him. It works on the same principle as a standard electric fence, it just doesn’t need the wire to create a preset border.

As we’ve already mentioned, wireless fences will save you the added expense of having a traditional fence installed by a contractor or the time and labor that you’ll be forced to expend if you chose to install it yourself.

And they’re not limited to your home, because as long as you have somewhere to plug the transmitter in, you can take your wireless system with you, which can help to teach your dog to stay close to you, regardless of where you are or how interesting his new surroundings may be to him.

Are there any disadvantages to using a wireless system? Well, that depends entirely on how you feel about shock collars, as essentially they’re a range-dependent version of the collar.

Some owners think that they’re barbaric, while others swear by them, but the fact that you’re looking for a way to effectively discipline and teach your dog to respect his, and your boundary with the rest of the world, is demonstrative of the respect that you have for him.

You want him to learn, be safe and enjoy life, and an electric fence is the simplest and most straightforward way to achieve those goals, whether it’s wireless or you’ve had to dig up half of your yard to install it.

The Other Fence-tastic Factors You’ll Need To Consider

Before we go any further, we need to emphasize one thing. You shouldn’t, under any circumstances, use an electric fence if you’re not going to actually be there with your dog.

Why? Well, because while it’ll keep your dog within the boundary that you’ve set, it won’t prevent other dogs from crossing that boundary, and if your dog thinks other canine interlopers can cross into his territory, but he can’t leave it he might see that as a clear indication that he has to defend his home from their unwanted attention.

And that’s a recipe for disaster that could end in a trip to the veterinarian’s surgery and will leave an incredibly large hole in your bank balance and your best pal with a set of scars that were entirely preventable.

Only fit, and use an electric fence if you’re going to be there with your dog, and when you’re not there leave him indoors and take his receiver collar off.

Garden Size

Before you choose which type of fence to use, think about the size and shape of your garden carefully. Is it going to be easier to dig and install an in-ground fence or will it make more practical sense to rely on a wireless system?

It’s A Financial Thing

While an electric dog fence isn’t exactly an extravagance, you probably haven’t budgeted for one or even thought about what it might cost you. Our best advice? Set your fence-based budget and stick to it like glue. You’ll be pleasantly surprised how far a couple of hundred bucks can, and will stretch.

Your Dog

Last, but by no means least, you’ll need to think about which type of fence is best suited to curb your dog’s worst wandering instincts. Is he the sort of dog who is easily distracted and likely to take off like a rocket in pursuit of the smallest thing that catches his eye?

Is he more of a homebody who likes to hang around the porch or does he like to explore every nook and cranny of his territory that he can get his nose into? Is he a fast learner or does it take him a while to adjust to new circumstances? You’ll need to think about what makes your dog tick, and makes him who he is before you decide which fence is the most suitable option to create his new border with.

Finding The Right Fence For Your Dog

Once you’ve figured all of those things out and have the answers in place, you’ll be ready to start your search for an electric fence. Take a moment, we’re not in any rush, it’s important to make sure that you get these things right before you start looking for an electric fence for your dog. Are you ready? Good. Then let’s begin…

SportDog In-Ground Fence And Training Kit

An all-in-one kit that includes an in-ground electric fence and a remote that acts as both an electric boundary and a training collar. The basic setup includes a thousand feet of wire, which provided that you’ve measured the boundary that you want to establish for your dog correctly, should be more than enough.

Remember when we mentioned the flags and warning posts earlier? SportDog has included them with their in-ground fence so that you and your dog will know where his territory ends, and if a thousand feet of wire isn’t enough, the range of the containment system can be expanded (if you purchase more wire and flags from SportDog) to anything up to one hundred acres. 

The collar is fully waterproof and a single charge (it doesn’t rely on batteries as some collars do) can last for up to a month. How can you tell when the charge runs out? 

Well, that’s when your dog might start to try to cross the boundary that you set up, which means that it’ll be time to recharge his collar. 

Before you start reaching for your credit card, remember it’s an in-ground system and if you do choose it, you’ll need to bury one thousand feet of wire around your property and unless you’re some sort of superhuman gardening and digging machine, that’s going to take more than an afternoon.

It’ll take you a weekend to set it up, but after you’ve finished, you’ll be ready to start training your boy to stay within the borders of his own home. 

Pros:

• Two For One – It’s a training collar and an in-ground fence in one package, and you can switch between the two with the remote. Push one button and the receiver switches over to fence mode, push it again and it’ll become a training collar. 
• One Thousand Feet Of Wire, One Hundred Flags – The kit includes one thousand feet of wire and one hundred flags, which should be more than enough to establish a dog-friendly perimeter around your home. 
• Thirty Days From A Single Charge – One charge should be enough to power the collar and the receiver for up to a month. 

Cons:

• Time To Train – It’ll take your dog a while to learn what the collar and the flags are for, and what he’s supposed to do when he does get a warning jolt for straying too far. You’ll need to be willing to take the time to help him to understand what you expect from him, so you’ll have to set aside a relatively large chunk of your downtime to train your dog to respect the fence.

PetSafe Wireless Pet Containment System

So, do you recall that we briefly talked about the brand that invented the radio fence in the seventies? You do?

We thought you would, well PetSafe owns Invisible Fence the company that originally pioneered and invented the containment system that was created to keep every dog out of harm’s way, so if you’re going to entrust your four-legged friends well being to anyone, it should probably be the people who invented the system in the first place. 

As you’d imagine, PetSafe has upped its electric fence game and made their wireless system safer, more efficient, and more secure than it’s ever been.

Effective at anything up to half an acre from the location of the transmitter, the receiver has five different levels of static, so you can adjust the jolt that your dog receives when he crosses the line, which makes it more comfortable for him, and you.

And you’ll only need to turn it up if he’s digging his paws in and being particularly stubborn, but even if you do it won’t hurt him, it’ll just make him think twice about throwing a puppy fit. 

One of the reasons we love this system, as that it isn’t solely reliant on static to keep your dog in line, as it also has a sound only mode, so if the idea of using an electrical jolt to keep him inside the lines makes you a little uncomfortable, you can use a little sonic magic instead. 

Pros:

• Wireless And Flags? That’s More Like It – It might be a wireless system, but PetSafe has made it easier to teach your dog to run and play inside the lines by including all of the flags that you’ll need to show your dog the boundary that you’ve set for him.
• Five Static And One Sonic – With levels of static shock, and one sound only you can choose which deterrent works best for your dog. 
• Two Months And Counting – A single charge can power the battery on the receiver for up to two months, and when it does start to run low on juice, the LED indicator on the collar will let you know when it’s time to charge it up again. 

Cons 

• There’s A Price To Pay For Everything – It’s a wireless system so it doesn’t have the same range as in-ground systems do, and it’s also a little more costly. We know it’s a great system, but if your budget doesn’t cover it, don’t try and stretch it in an attempt to go wireless.

Extreme Dog Fence

Extreme by name and extreme by nature, this in-ground fence is the second generation Extreme model, which means that they’ve taken their old system (which is still being sold and still does what it says it will on the tin) and made it even better.

They’ve tweaked all of the component parts to improve the overall performance, and the final product is actually pretty astounding. 

The fence provides up to three acres of coverage, and even though it’ll take a lot of back-breaking work to install it (and honestly, we’d recommend you use a contractor as it will be a lot easier and a lot less painful if you do) thanks to its fully insulated, high tensile wire and the collar that comes with the kit is waterproof to a depth of up to ten feet.

So even if your hound does decide to take a swim, the collar will keep on working. 

And then there’s the one-year warranty that this in-ground system comes with. A warranty is always a good sign, as it reinforces the manufacturer’s faith in their product and those twelve months are all that you’ll need to teach your dog to respect the boundaries that the fence, and you have set for him. 

Pros:

• Three Acres – With enough wire and flags to generate a signal that can cover up to three acres, if you install an Extreme fence, your dog will have all the room that he needs to stretch his legs and make the “world” his own. 
• Waterproof Collar – A quick swim won’t stop the collar, and neither will a torrential downpour. It’ll keep on working regardless of how wet it gets. 
• Twelve Month Warranty – The twelve-month warranty that this fence comes with should be more than enough time to train your dog to stay inside the boundary that you’ve set for him. 

Cons:

• American Made? Not Quite… – Extreme makes a point of highlighting the fact that its fence is American made and if that was one hundred percent true, they’d be our in-ground fence of choice. But it isn’t. The wire that the fence system uses? It was actually made in China. We don’t actually care where it was made, we just wish that they didn’t try to fudge the truth…
• It Isn’t Exactly Cheap – And it isn’t exactly the cheapest system on our list either. Sure, it covers a lot of ground, but you’ll pay for that extra coverage, and whether the additional cost is worth it or not is a question that only you’ll be able to answer. 

Dogtra E-Fence 3500

Designed to let dogs explore the big old wide world to their heart’s content, Dogtra’s E-Fence can set the boundary limit for your faithful hound at anything up to forty acres from the site of the transmitter.

That doesn’t mean that it comes with forty acres worth of wire or that you’ll have to spend a week burying it, it just means that the field strength that the radio signal creates can stretch that far. Which, we have to admit, is more than a little impressive. 

Dogtra is one of those brands that we love to get behind and support, and thirty years after they started out in a small Californian office, they’re now a global concern. The business. just like their fences cover more distance than their competitors do.

There are a couple of other things that have pushed this fence almost all the way to the top of our must-have list, and the first of those is that if the wire does break and there’s a gap in the fence, the transmitter will light up like a Christmas tree and let you know. 

But our favorite thing about this collar is that it can also be set to vibrate instead of shock. You don’t have to use static to let your dog know he’s crossed the line, you can use a little vibration instead.

We know that in the grand scheme of things that it doesn’t make a whole difference, but it does provide an alternative to the electric norm, and sometimes it’s those little things that can, and do make all the difference. 

Pros:

• Forty Acres – The field strength can stretch up to forty acres, which makes it perfect for the great outdoors or those more rural locations where you can let your dog explore, providing he’s supervised at all times, to his heart’s content. 
• Filtering System – It also uses a filtering system that prevents any external or radio source from accidentally activating the fence and the collar. The only thing that can, and will activate the Dogtra is its transmitter. It makes life safer, and more comfortable for your dog. 
• Affordability – That imaginary budget level that we mentioned before? Well, the Dogtra falls neatly inside it. It’s a lot of fence for surprisingly little outlay. 

Cons:

• Battery Life – The battery life on the receiver isn’t exactly great, and it’ll only last about seventy-two hours before you need to charge it up again. Something had to give with this fence system, and we guess it was the battery.

JUSTPET Wireless Dog Fence

Sometimes you need to think about the bottom line, especially given the way the world has gone slightly sideways in the last couple of years,  and that’s when you often make the most surprising discoveries. It’s when you find brands like JustPet, which we never would have discovered if we hadn’t been looking for a budget-friendly electric fence. 

This wireless transmitter and collar/receiver won’t break your bank balance, but what it will do is provide our dog with a nine hundred foot boundary from the point of location, and if he does decide to venture past the limits (which you can set at ten-degree intervals) after you’ve trained him not too, the collar can be set to shock or vibrate depending on which works best for your dog. 

The collar is also waterproof, so your dog can play in the rain and bounce through all of the puddles that he wants to while he’s wearing the JustPet and it’ll take a licking and keep on ticking. Rain won’t stop play, and it won’t stop the JustPet from reminding your boy where he can, and can’t go. 

Pros:

• Nine Hundred-Foot Radius – It’ll give your dog nine hundred feet of freedom from the source of the transmitter. Which is a lot of space to rule over as the absolute guardian of his territory. 
• Vibrate Not Shock – The collar can be set to vibrate, so you don’t have to shock your dog to remind him where the boundaries are, and where he’ll always be safe. 
• Waterproof – It might be resilient enough to let your dog go for a swim, but the collar will stand up to the worst of the weather that Mother Nature can hurl at it and won’t miss a beat.
• Affordability –  Take a look at the price. That’s the sort of affordable that we all like. You’re paying for the product, not the brand name. 

Cons: 

• In Door No-No – Because of the frequency the transmitter uses, the collar might malfunction if your boy wears it indoors, which means it’ll vibrate all the time, he won’t know which way is up or down and all of your hard work will have been for nothing. It’s an outdoor-only collar/fence system. 

Covono Electric Dog Fence

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We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again, we don’t care where a company is based or where they come from as long as they’re dedicated to making sure that the products that they make are completely safe for dogs.

And this in-ground fence that Covono, a brand that is one hundred percent dedicated to the welfare of every single dog, produces gets our double thumbs up. 

Designed to provide enough coverage for three-quarters of an acre (or six hundred and fifty feet for those of us who don’t work in agriculture), the Covono is a simple, straight forward in-ground electric fence system that was designed to help you to teach your dog where the boundaries of his home are, and to play inside the lines at all times. 

It’s an infinitely expandable system, so if you want to add more wire, you can increase the range of the system and the transmitter works with multiple receivers (collars) so theoretically, as long as you purchase enough collars for them, a single Covono transmitter can be used to train as many dogs as you want at the same time. It’s a multi-dog system for the price of a single.

That’s our kind of bargain. 

Pros:

• Speed Trap – The faster a dog charges at the boundary that the Covono establishes, the greater the level of shock that he’ll receive. He won’t be given enough juice to hurt him, but he will think twice about his speed the next time. 
• Warranty – The in-ground fence and collar come with a standard ninety-day guarantee which can be turned into a lifetime warranty if you want to fully protect your fence from any harm that might befall it. 

Cons:

• Reliability – There are a growing number of customers who aren’t exactly happy with the quality of the collars and have gone on record to state that the receivers have indiscriminately shocked their dogs. Read as much about the system as you can before you decide to invest in it.

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WIEZ GPS Wireless Dog Fence

The relentless march of technology meant that it was only a matter of time until some clever scientist who specialized in canine behavior discovered a way to abandon the old radio transmitters and receivers and drag electric dog fences straight into the digital age.

And that’s exactly what Wiez has done with their GPS wireless dog fence. 

Designed to cover a maximum distance of seven hundred and seventy-six acres or three and a half thousand feet from the point that it’s set up at, the Wiez uses a satellite signal to accurately measure the distance that a dog can freely roam.

Once he reaches that point, the collar will either vibrate or trigger a low-level shock for sixteen seconds, before pausing for thirty and then repeating the sixteen-second shock and vibration phase again. 

By adopting a technological solution to an age-old problem, Weiz has eliminated the need for a separate transmitter and receiver and can be set up in seconds, and used anywhere in the world. 

As simple and straightforward as it is reliable and durable, it’s the next step up on the dog training ladder. 

Pros:

• Single Unit – It’s just a single unit collar that uses GPS to track and trace your dog’s position from the initial set up point and provides either a shock or vibrating deterrent when he travels further than the distance that you’ve set his GPS fence to. 
• Simple And Effective – All you need to do is charge it, put it around your dog’s neck, and set the distance, and then the satellite array that Weiz uses will do the rest. 

Cons:

• Signal Dependent – Like every other GPS tracker and navigation system, it’s reliant on being able to get a signal. If it can’t acquire a signal, it won’t work. And sometimes, the fence just won’t lock on to a satellite.

Wireless Dog Fence System

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Let’s come back down to Earth for a moment Aweec’s two-dog wireless electric fence system. That’s right, we said two dogs because as every canine devotee knows, the only thing that’s better than having one dog is owning two dogs, and Aweec’s fence system allows you to set the boundary level for two dogs at a time. 

With an effective range of nine hundred and ninety feet from the location of the transmitter, if one of your dogs crosses the point of no return (or, the distance that you’ve set the transmitter to work at) they’ll receive a three-volt static charge, which isn’t enough to hurt, but it is enough to make them think twice about how far they’re wandering.

The transmitter also doubles as a remote control, so the collars can be used to train your dogs as well if they need to be brought to heel and you need to curb their behavior. 

Both the transmitter and the collars are rechargeable and while the former can take up to five hours to fully charge, the latter only takes two hours and should be good to go for up to three weeks.

One charge for three weeks of fence training? That seems pretty good to us, sign us up we’ll take two. Oh wait, we don’t have to, as the box comes with two collars in it already. 

Pros:

• Nine Hundred And Ninety Feet – The Aweec will create a nine hundred and ninety-foot perimeter that’ll help to keep your dogs in check. 
• Two For One – Not only do you get two collars in the fence system, but it also doubles up as a training collar system too.  One price gets you everything that you’ll need to train your dogs to behave the way you want them to. 

Cons:

• Big Dogs Only – It’s a little too powerful for small dogs and should only be used to help to train dogs over fifteen pounds.

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My Pet Command Wireless Electric Fence

If you got the impression that we were more than a little impressed by the Weiz, you were right and that’s why the last choice on our list is another GPS-powered electric dog fence.

Unlike the Weiz though, the My Pet has been designed to fit snugly into the budget end of the pet training spectrum without sacrificing any functionality. 

It works almost exactly the same way that Weiz does, with the point that the distance parameters are set at controlling how far your dog can and can’t wander in any direction, and the distance that this fence to control can stretch from ninety-eight to three and a half thousand feet. 

But the thing that makes the My Pet different from the Weiz is that it isn’t just shock or vibration dependent, and it can be set to use either sound, vibration, or static shock to control how far your dog might wander.

The choice is yours, and it’s the choice and the more humane approach to fence training that My Pet offers that makes it stand out as the electric dog fence of choice for the twenty-first century. 

Pros:

• It’s All About Choice – The My Pet offers you the choice of sound, vibration, or static choice as a training aid, which makes it the most humane dog fence on our list. You don’t have to use electricity to train your dog in the twenty-first century, there are better ways of doing things. And that better way is the My Pet way. 
• Distance – With a range of up to three and a half thousand feet,  you can set the boundaries of your dog’s world for him and can encourage him to find every sniff and scent and enjoy his life to the absolute fullest while making sure that he absolutely understands what the boundaries that you have set for him are. 
• One Unit – The My Pet does away with the need for a transmitter. It’s just a single-unit GPS collar that’s simple to charge and set. What more could you ask, or want for an electric dog fence? 

Cons:

• Outdoor Only – With a minimum distance setting of ninety-eight feet, the My Pet was never designed, or meant to be used indoors. But then, why would anyone want to use an electric dog fence inside their house? It completely defeats the point of using one. 

Something To Remember… The Electric Dog Fence Conundrum

It’s worth noting before you make your final decision about an electric dog fence that the more traditional units, the in-ground and wireless systems use radio signals to work, which can make them susceptible to interference from other household appliances and signals and reduce their effectiveness.

GPS (Global Positioning System) fences don’t use radio signals, and as such aren’t prone to the same signal interference that other electric dog fences are.

They are, however, dependent on satellite signals which can sometimes be difficult for them to acquire. How do you choose between the two? Unfortunately, that’s a choice that only you can make.

Which Electric Dog Fence Is Right For Me?

If you really want to make sure that your electric fence will last the test of time and is completely future proof, you’ll need to choose and use a GPS system. That means either the Weiz or the My Pet.