Best Invisible Dog Fence, 2022 Comprehensive Review & Buyer’s Guide

You can rely on the PetSafe Wireless Pet Fence Pet Containment System to keep your dog safe and for your peace of mind. There’s a pretty good reason why it’s our Editor’s Choice!

The wire-free setup is a big bonus and makes setting up incredibly easy. 

Yeah – you read that right. 

You can set it up without the hassle of burying wires. This system has a collar, training instructions, and a “box” that emits the signal creating the perimeter. There are a few steps that can get a bit confusing as they may need to be repeated, but otherwise, it’s a breeze.

You see…

The transmitter and collar are worth the money as it’s incredibly easy to set up. The system will be up and running in less than an hour.

Another feature you’d also love is portability. It’s nice not having to tie our dogs or walk them around on a leash. They’d spend more time roaming outside with you, not being worried about them running away.

Even if you live on a corner lot and have no reasonable way to fence your yard, this beauty will do the work. It might not be a physical barrier, but your lovely dog will stay safe in the yard.

There are just a few things to keep in mind…

…PetSafe wireless fence uses a proprietary battery. So, it’ll be a problem if your area doesn’t have a major pet store nearby. But you can always buy a reserve battery – just in case. And thankfully, the battery lasts for 2-3 months.

Aside from that…

It broadcasts in a dome/circle. So depending on the area, you need to set – this may or may not work for you.

You MUST determine boundaries with the flags (included) since it’s not a perfect circle – trees can and do interfere a bit (but not entirely).

WiFi signals, microwave ovens, or cordless phones aren’t negatively impacted, but there’s some radio interference sometimes.

Especially…

Wet/humid weather also seems to have an impact on boundaries. The point is, unlike a buried fence, the boundaries are “zoned” and not exact markers.

Depending on the weather, you might also encounter significant fluctuations (over 10 feet). Sometimes the collar goes off 15 feet into the yard, and sometimes it goes all the way to the road.

Despite the few cons, this system is one of the best options out there for dog containment. Plus, it’s a great solution for stubborn dogs. You just need patience in training your dogs because the tone is slightly difficult to hear (which is a good thing for dogs because they are sensitive to loud sounds).

Overall, a great bang for your buck will give you and your dog security and peace of mind.

The PetSafe Basic In-Ground Pet Fence surprised us because you can buy it for half the price of other wireless dog fences.

Our Best Value right there!

They offer several options for installation: in-ground, above ground, with a fence, around gardens and trees, etc. The instructions are thorough and easy to follow.

I suggest you map out where you want to have your fence set up before installation.

If you’re wondering…

…about the severity of the electric shock delivered by the collars, here’s what you need to know. 

At maximum strength (5)… 

It feels very much like sticking my thumb into a 110v light socket. You won’t feel anything at minimum strength (2) until you switch to the other hand. You could just “barely” detect a slight tickle. Our rat-terrier responded to level 3, but our large dog needed a level 4.

Keep in mind that…

The collar has a separate adjustment for the level of shock (1 being the lowest and 5 being the highest). The wall controller adjusts the width of the zone (2′ wide to 10′ wide). 

If your collar is level 1 (low) and the width is at 10 (maximum)… 

…your dog will not get a shock – only a low-level beep. 

You must adjust the collar to 5 (high) to train the dog the first time. One or two zaps and the dog will learn to associate the warning beep with a zap. Then you adjust the shock level down to 2 or 3 for most dogs; higher for stubborn dogs with thick fur.

Aside from that…

There are longer (included) contact points for dogs with thick fur (shepherds, collies, etc.). The short contacts will not work on dogs with thick fur. If in doubt, try both sets and see if the longer contacts work better. 

Dogs need a visual barrier…

…they won’t remember the wire is buried. Once they associate the visual barrier with the electric fence – your problems are solved.

Overall, this is a very cost-effective and non-invasive system that works. One of the best choices and investments to ensure pet safety and freedom in the yard.

Don’t hesitate to buy the PetSafe Stay & Play Compact Wireless Pet Fence for Dogs if you have a few more bucks to spare! It’s not our Top Pick just for nothing.

Right off the bat…

This wireless dog fence will give your pup the freedom to enjoy roaming without tethering and has reduced significant barking.

This will solve your problem if your neighbors get mad that your dog barks. Been there, done that. Plus, you’ll be able to let your pet out in the morning and will have peace of mind that they’re safe and happy.

But, here’s the thing…

It can be difficult if you and your neighbor use the same system. From our experience, our signals cancel each other out. Our dogs have a big play area and working collars.

So, we both tried to move our transmitters and dialing distance back. However, if the transmitter puts out a circular pattern, it’s almost impossible to stop the overlapping without drastically reducing their play area.

How will you solve this?

Have a good talk with your neighbor and share your dilemma. Think of a better way to maximize the space in your yard where your pup can roam freely. Ask customer service for advice, if needed.

Now…

The collar’s rechargeable batteries last very long. The training manual is fairly simple and easy to read. It works better for simple yards better than more complicated ones.

In the simple yard, the flags stand out, and the training is easier. With other distractions, your pet ignores the flags and figures them out as they go.

When it comes to the price…

It’s relatively pricey but considerably cheaper than a regular fence. Metal messes with the signal – even away from the emitter, which isn’t a deal-breaker.

Overall, you’ll be happy to train your pet with PetSafe Stay & Play Compact Wireless Dog Fence. Plus, if you want to expand the area – it’s super easy too!

Let your pup run, exercise, and lounge in the grass safely inside your property. Thanks to the SportDog Brand In-Ground Fence Systems, your pup can burn his excess energy and reduce a great deal of barking.

As if that’s not enough…

You can enclose this system to plant garden beds or water garden ponds inside a perimeter to keep your dog from playing around the soil and destroying your newly planted herbs.

Well, ours love to climb and pull some of our aquatic plants. Just imagine what I felt when I walked out on the back porch with a coffee and saw the patio covered in dead plants and debris.

But, thanks to SportDog wireless dog fence system – our problem is solved!

We buried the wire and then used the twisting feature to keep our pup out of the planted area in our backyard. We encountered some errors with one area but fixed it.

We can’t figure out why the twisted wire under our deck makes the collar beep but not shock our pup when it shouldn’t do anything.

So…

We had a few tries with the collar on “beep only,” and it shocked our pup one time when it shouldn’t have. I was walking around the yard with her and she went to sniff a flag. It beeped, then shocked her. I had some doubts, but it was an effective training, if unintentional.

I read the directions again and it says to have about 10 to 12 twists per foot to cancel the signal out successfully. Also, right angles in the line can cancel the signal, so you must put in turns.

Plus, the more we interact with our girl in the yard, the better she is at exploring her limits. We have a second lot that I’m looking forward to setting up into the system so she can run and play.

If you have a quick dog…

…they can run through fences in rumble and tone mode. In other words, they can run through the fence on the widest boundary-setting without getting shocked. Tried and tested.

Why so?

The tone and vibrate feature is longer than the shock. But, you can customize it so your dog can immediately feel the shock. I suggest this be your last resort in training your pup.

That said…

Full tank your patience and prepare to spend extra time training your dog. This system definitely works for stubborn and large breeds but takes extra work, love, and patience. Plus, this system scores high for customizable features and layout.

Just be extra careful when poking a shovel to plant another species and forget there’s an installed line.

Here’s another electric dog fence that is highly recommended. If you don’t mind the price, you can treat yourself and your dog to Extreme Dog Fence.

What’s special about it?

It comes with waterproof collars, as promised. It can be submerged up to 10′ deep. Your pup can swim with the collar, which won’t affect its functionality. Plus, the battery of the collar is replaceable.

As for our experience, we live on a lake and our dogs love to swim. Fortunately, the wire can be doubled back on itself – to run a U shape with one wire inside the other. It will just take an extra wire, though.

Guess what?

Our dogs quickly learned the property boundaries – simply by seeing the wire, the flags and the gentle beep of the collar. Only a few times did they get the actual shock.

This is a perfect way to keep your dog safely contained on your property while giving them freedom off the leash while enjoying nature at its best.

However…

Our dogs are great swimmers and will occasionally swim around the end when the water is lowest (winter), but being cold water at that time, they are losing interest in winter swimming. But that’s not a problem.

So, here’s how it works…

The dog fence wire that encircles your property creates an invisible boundary. When your dog approaches the wire, a special receiver collar activates. Your dog will learn to respect your established boundaries after several training days.

When looking for dog fences…

…some people wonder if a wireless electric dog fence would be a better option than a wired electric dog fence. A wireless dog fence is less difficult to install, but its signal is not as reliable as a wired underground fence.

So…

This wired electric dog fence is your best bet for the most dependable solution to contain your dog(s). This allows you to place the border exactly where you want it.

And as if that’s enough…

We can’t say enough good things about the Extreme Dog Fence system. We once thought we had a controller failure (transmitter). The company answered the phone after three rings, connected me with a technician, diagnosed the indicators, and sent me a new controller. This was well after the warranty period had expired. There’s no charge – simply return the old one. As long as we have dogs, these guys have my business.

This wireless dog fence doesn’t have to be expensive and complicated to give your pup a fenced-in play area.

If you don’t want to spend time burying wires and building a physical fence that costs a lot – the PetSafe Stay & Play Wireless Dog Fence with Replaceable Battery Collar will do the job!

Here’s the catch…

You can set up the transmitter in minutes at a campsite, a vacation spot, or a friend’s house. Simply plug the transmitter into a standard outlet near the area where you want to contain your pup. 

The transmitter communicates with your pet’s waterproof receiver collar and helps keep him in the designated area. 

Based on our experience…

Because our house has a long ranch style and a basement, we had to try it three times. The yard slopes downhill on one end and uphill on the other. So there was a spot with a narrow path out of the area but no signal. But then it would shock you out there, and it was a long way back to safety.

We tried a few other locations before settling on one where the boundaries formed a nice sweeping circle around the house. When you live in a large house, the space is smaller on the ends and larger on the front and back. It took some time to train our puppy, but he is now comfortable with his boundaries and we can simply let him out to do his business.

If we want to do a long walk…

…he knows whether or not the collar is on him and enjoys a leash walk now and then.

Aside from that…

You can choose from 5 adjustable levels of static correction to find just the right level for your pup. Plus, “tone only” mode warns your pet with a beep.

Warning!

If the radio quits broadcasting during a power outage, your dog’s collar still has a battery. Since it’s not receiving a radio broadcast, it would shock your pup.

You may want to put an uninterrupted power supply on your wireless fence base station. This would also ensure your dog could not run off during a power outage. Most importantly, to keep from shocking your dog during a power outage.

Overall, with just your patience and love in training your pet. You’ll definitely create a secure safe zone for your pup to have fun. 

But…

It’s recommended that you follow the instructions and training procedure, and that you allow for at least a couple of weeks. Do your due diligence with the placement of the flags and check the signal, so you get it right.

We have used this dog containment system for 20 years with 6 dogs. The system allows the dogs so much freedom. 

Our dogs go outside for hours at a time without supervision. They are quite accustomed to it and I’m certain they’re very seldom shocked. The vibration is enough.

They have access to the garage and one and a half acres (food, water, shade and shelter).

Right out of the box…

The PetSafe Elite Little Dog In-Ground Pet Fence and Waterproof Receiver Collar works and performs as it should.

The five levels of collar correction are useful. However, the battery can be a little pricey but will last up to 1 month (depending on use). 

But, if you want it to last up to three months…

… you may turn the collar off or remove the battery when it is not in use.

Here’s the catch…

You can use it with the SportDog system since they’re related brands – compatibility is superb. Plus, if other collars are too big and strong for your dog, this is the perfect solution for you. It beeps to remind your pup, the stimulus increases, and then it gives him a good little reminder not to stray.

Aside from that…

This system is easy to train dogs. Installation was a bit more than we thought – but AMAZING! We put up the flags and collared our dogs. Within an hour – they understood the beeping and stopped short of getting zapped.

The collar might be bulky for smaller dogs. But works great for dogs with 5 pounds and up.

Another reminder…

Make sure you plan everything ahead of time, so you know how to secure your wire. I stapled it to the bottom of my privacy fence and buried it everywhere else. 

Use the surge protector for the wire. I thought it would be okay to just plug-in power to an outlet with a surge protector, but lightning struck the actual boundary wire and fried the transmitter. 

So… 

Ensure your boundary wire connects to the actual surge protector that goes with it, and then connect the boundary wire from the surge protector to the transmitter.

If you encounter a small issue with the signal strength – PetSafe will greatly assist you and offer a full return and ship out another unit.