Innotek Rechargeable In-Ground Pet Fencing System

I installed this around my house for my 2 small dogs. The installation was easy as I had an edger to cut a line in the grass and used a shovel to cut into the ground at an angle, then lifted the ground and shoved the wire in. Although I only used about 3/4 of the roll of wire, there were not enough flags so I had to buy extra flags at a local pet store. If you have any kind of sizable area (5000 sq. ft or more), the wire may be enough, but think about ordering EXTRA FLAGS.

Installation and hooking up to the control unit was relatively easy and took about 4 hours with edging, wire installation, and flag insertion. I installed the fence in a "square" area around my property, crossing my driveway at an expansion joint (concrete driveway). The control unit is mounted in my garage.

I'm currently training according to the included CD, which is a critical part of successfully using this type of fence. The collar unit is just the right size for my 15lb shihtzu, but is slightly big for my 9lb chihuahua...I wish they made more streamlined/smaller collar units that work with this system, but after reading reviews of other systems and how often batteries had to be replaced (proprietary, nonetheless), I thought having rechargable collars would be much more convenient.

I ordered this package and also an additional collar since I have 2 dogs. The collar that came with the package was DOA, but the extra collar I ordered worked right out of the box, even though it was low on charge. The instructions stated to charge the collar for at least 14hrs initially. I had the defective collar on the charger for almost 20 hours, and it would not take a charge (green light didn't blink on the defective collar, but working collar was blinking red indicating low charge). I reported this to Amazon, and they sent out another whole package with next day delivery at no charge, and I swapped out the collars. Thanks Amazon, although you could have just sent out an extra collar package and I could have swapped it with that instead, saving you on shipping costs!

What could be better?

1. More flags

2. Containment area setting (how close to the wire before collars "fire") isn't very precise...at minimum the collar will fire 2-3" from the wire, anything more than minimum setting it will fire 12" from the wire...not very precise.

3. More streamlined collars/smaller units

4. Only 2 settings for shock level...low is too low, high is too high (I tested it on myself, not my dogs since we're only training without shocks at this time).

5. Installation instructions could be more descriptive.

With that said, for the price, this system is a pretty complete package and installation should be easy for those do-it-yourself types.

Here's the deal with this product...I think it would work OK, but only under certain conditions. First, you have to have the time and patience to train your dog not to go near the boundary. Of course, if you can do that, you might not need this system at all. The second thing is, if you dog has a thick coat, this product may not work. Even after ordering the longer contacts specifically designed for long-haired dogs, it was still hit or miss. And...if your dog runs at the boundary, he or she can easily run right through the shock zone. No matter what the company says, the system simply cannot respond quick enough to beat a fast dog to the punch. Again, all of this could probably be eliminated if you have a very trainable breed. If you have a breed that is very independent minded, such as the dogs we have, I suggest putting up an old-fashioned fence...which I'll be doing this weekend.

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This system works great. My dog tried to out smart me by running past the boundary but I reworked the fence so she would have to pass the boundary wire 3 times to escape. She doesn't think being shocked 3 times is worth leaving our property anymore. The rechargeable collars are great. I had this system 4 years now and still love it.

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This version of a wire in the ground invisible fence system is easy to install. It could even be used, connected to the bottom of an existing fence, to train a dog not to dig out under a fence. The hardest part of installation is digging a very thin line in the ground about two inches deep to place the wire antenna around the property you wish to secure. The instructions are very clear as to how to connect all the parts.

It also has a nice number of adjustments to vary the strength and size of the boundary field and the strength of the correction.

The instructional DVD is excellent. It's clear, concise and to the point. As a retired veterinarian, I cannot emphasize strongly enough just how important it is to train your dog correctly from the beginning. If you follow the training instructions completely, you will succeed. If you don't, you will fail and will have wasted your money. 'Nuff said.

There is an advantage to having a rechargeable collar in that an owner can just recharge the unit overnight and does not have to chase all over looking for a specialized replacement battery. Unfortunately, this particular system has the collar recharger as an integral part of the central control unit. Since most of us install the system in an out-of-the-way corner of the garage, it becomes inconvenient to faithfully recharge the collar. However, it must be said a dog who is completely trained with this system might be permitted out in the yard without the collar or with a dead battery and may be trained well enough to stay within the limits of the system anyway. I've done that with my own dog, but, I do periodically send her out with a fully charged collar to "retrain" her.

One last comment, please remember this device will train your dog to stay within the boundary you choose. Unlike a real fence, IT CANNOT KEEP AN ANIMAL OR PERSON INTENT ON DOING YOUR DOG HARM OUT OF YOUR YARD.

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Putting the wire beneath the ground was A LOT of work, but now that it's done, we're glad. Changes I would make include:

(1)Stronger flags--ours were plastic and broke when we had to keep moving them (every time someone mowed the lawn, they got mown over or moved).

(2)When you are testing where you hear the signal so that you can put the flags down, you get a signal at different places each time you try. For example, I tested, found my spot, put a flag down; did the whole front yard this way. When I re-tested, or checked myself, the signal would sound at a different spot--even a foot forward or backward of the previous spot. And it's not just me; my son just said the same thing two days ago, when testing so he could fix the wire, and we've had this fence in for 5 months!

(3)Higher shock levels? Our German shepherd SO FAR is scared of the shock, but there is one corner of the yard--I don't know if it's the snow pile or what--but he runs through and gets out. Now we've put a snow fence there to stop him. SO FAR.

Price was OK; charging the battery goes well (although I wish it didn't take 14 hours, for the dog's sake, because we have to coop him up on the deck!); and otherwise--until our dog figures it out--the fence is working fine.

COMMENTS ADDED JULY 28, 2012: I am now getting the product ready to sell. Our tough German Shepherd got through it too many times, and finally it was no use. We had to put up a REAL fence. And he's getting through that, too--pushing through the bottom. So we have to try to correct that...!

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