 "Good System" | |
| - Reviewed By An Amazon User from Dubuque, Iowa |
Overall I am very pleased with this product. It took about six hours to install on a 1/2 acre lot. I used a straight edge shovel. I did not splice the connecting wires to the loop as indicated in the directions, as I had to use additional wire, and needed to use one of the waterproof splices for that purpose. I simply made sure I had enough wire to reach the unit inside the house, and then I cut a slit into a wooden wedge and secured it in the ground approximately three inches at the point of the loop before twisting the wire with the drill as directed. This seemed to make more sense anyway, rather than cutting and splicing unnecessarily.
The training process went fairly quickly, as my Vizsla soon understood the boundaries. I did have an issue with the collar stretching a bit, which resulted in no shock being delivered when he ran after a robin in the next yard. Fortunately I saw this happen, and after tracking him down, I tightened the collar, widened the field, and set the level to medium. He does not venture near the boundary now. The collar has loosened again, so I would recommend checking the fit each time you put it on. The collar issue is why it doesn't get five stars. |
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 "Poor Quality Collars" | |
| - Reviewed By An Amazon User |
| I originally purchased this product in the spring of 2007 with two collars. Right out of the box one collar would not charge. I contacted Innotek and I had to return the collar to them and then they shipped a new collar. Eleven months later the other collar failed and was also replaced with a free replacement. A few months after the one year warranty the first replacement collar failed and I had to purchase a new one for $40 under their limited lifetime warranty. You cannot replace the battery in these collars so when they fail they keep selling you $40 replacements. After one year the visiting dog no longer stayed here so since the summer of 2008 I have only been using one collar and I have been through a total of seven collars. You get a 90 day warranty with these replacement collars and they last 6 months to a year. Enough is enough. I am replacing this system with something that I can replace the batteries. Innotek has seen the last dollar I will ever spend on their products. |
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| "Nice system" | |
| - Reviewed By An Amazon User from PA |
This is my first attempt at an invisible fence. It took me about 3 hours to run 1000 Ft of wire. I ordered an extra 500 feet. Kit comes with 1 collar, and a charger, 500 feet wire, transmitter box, splices, flags, dvd, book, and some caps for the collar.
I did not Barry my wire yet because the ground is still frozen in Philadelphia. Laying wire was easy and instructions clear. The kit seems to be of good quality. MAKE SURE you follow the training dvd. I am "hook up now, read book later" type of person. I brought my 1 dog out to the fence with the collar on just to get him use to the tone. I did not have the plastic contacts installed and i figured it warns you enough before delivering a "Correction". I was holding my dogs leash when he ran toward the fence. I grabbed him by the collar but it was too late. He got an early intro. I associated the stimuli with me, and was quite mad at me for the rest of the day. I backed up, watched the DVD and started following the steps. It takes time and repetition but it is fairly easy. Just one day after the incident my dog is now familiar with the boundary, but is limiting himself to a very small portion of the yard. I suspect it will take time to get him comfortable with the limit and playing. All in all a good sytem, good price, and works as advertised.
My only gripe is that the flags come on cheap plastic little poles that ben way too easy. In a rocky or northern style lawn with stiff crust they bend and are difficult to get in. Might want to punch some holes with a screw driver.
I recommend this system. |
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 "Works great!" | |
| - Reviewed By An Amazon User from Tomahawk WI |
| When you buy a system like this the most important thing is to get a rechargeable collar. This one works great and it holds a charge for a long time. |
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| "Should've done this with previous dogs." | |
| - Reviewed By An Amazon User from Reading, Pa. |
Wow, this unit really is smart. Or is it my dog that's smart? By following the training process advised by the innotek DVD and written instructions, everything went according to claims. Several of my neighbors installed this and it seemed to work very well for them, so I was convinced this would work for me. Sure enough, 2 weeks later, the dog will not cross the boundary for other dogs or people. Awesome! by the way, she's a 7 month old 50 lb Labradoodle.
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| "Easy to install - Great Product" | |
| - Reviewed By An Amazon User |
The use of these fencing systems can be an emotionally charged topic. If you're like me, you've already tried several options to contain your dog and resorted to this for his/her safety. I wanted to write a review and share my experience for those of you who are trying to decide (like I was for months). In short, I do recommend this system.
I have two miniature Dachshunds who weigh 11lbs. and 14lbs. They are young but the elder of the two began to run and the other followed. They were certain to be hit by a car.
I chose the ultrasmart system because it is the smallest collar on the market that is rechargeable. So far, it's been three months and they haven't needed a charge.
Installation; It was easy. The wire only needs to be burried between 1 and 3 inches. I needed to bury about 750 feet of wire. I had an electric edger but discovered the secret after about 75 feet. For $30 I rented a gas powered edger. I ran the edger in one direction to slice the ground and pull the edger back through the same cut cleaning it out. Using a wooden paint stick, I burried the remaning 675 feet in two hours. Also, I used a power drill to twist the wire for those areas where you want the signal to be cancelled so the dogs can run through. Don't get me wrong, this installation is an all day project but the gas edger made the hard part easy.
Training; This product has you install the flags for the dogs to visualize the boundary and you start off with plastic contacts in the collar so they will not get a correction, just an audible tone. The dogs both picked up on the tone and I was able to teach the retreat pattern pretty well. We did this for the recommended amount of time when we changed plastic contacts with the real ones. I put the collar on the sensitive inside of my arm and walked through the boundary so I could feel the correction myself before putting it on the dogs. Startling - Yes, Painful - No. I would describe it as an electric pulse that you may get during a physical therapy session.
Now for the hard and controversial part. Your dog will get a correction. It will frighten them and no matter how well they know the retreat pattern, it goes out the window. KEEP THE DOG ON THE LEAD so you can control the situation. Both my dogs yiped and jumped, I had to pull them back into the safe zone. This is where I began to question my decision to use this product (but not to worry, in the end this was the best decision since deciding to have the dogs). My dogs where not only aware of the boundary but afraid to even step 3 feet away from the house. What really hurt was I noticed a considerable change in their demeanor. Instead of being playful outside they were cautious. I spent the next week outside playing with them in the safe zone to restore their confidence. It worked.
My system has been installed for three months now. In total, each dog received three corrections each and we went through a short period of timidness. Now, my dogs run free throughout the yard and play. It's awesome. It's exactly what I needed. I do not need the collars on them anymore, they know the boundary. I will use the collars when they will be outside for a long period but I've replaced the metal contacts with the plastic so if they inadvertantly wander they get the audible tone only and they will stay in the yard.
This product has made a huge difference with our family. It has removed a lot of worry, frustration, and stress with our dogs.
Sorry for the long review. I want to get two points across 1) Installation is easy if you spend the $30 and rent a gas edger. 2) The training will tug at your heart strings when they first start getting corrections. Not only when they get corrected, but their demeanor afterwards. But persevere they do get comfortable with the boundaries are soon back to themselves playing, but not running away :) |
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