You have observed the white boundary flags in the yard of a neighbor. They have a dog, which is not on a leash, no fence, or open lawn. And still the dog does not run off the premises.
You see that is an invisible pet fence.
As a Michigan homeowner and you are wondering about the first time about having one, this guide will tell you all you need to know, what a hidden fence is, how it works, what comes with professional installation, and whether it is the right solution to your yard, your dog, and your budget.
What Is a Hidden Pet Fence?
An underground pet fence, often referred to as a hidden pet fence, invisible fence or electric pet fence, is a type of pet containment system that ensures that your pet dog remains safely in your backyard without any physical structure visible.
It has no wood panels, no chain link, no vinyl posts. Your yard seems so open to the street. But your dog understands just where the border is – and he keeps within it.
It operates by use of a buried wire, a transmitter and a lightweight receiver collar on your dog. As your dog comes to the boundary the collar emits an audible warning sound. When they proceed they get an instant, small shock of electricity, like that you get when you reach a doorknob after trudging on a carpet, to make them turn back into the yard.
We want to be clear about one point: “Invisible Fence” is a brand name – a registered trademark of Invisible Fence, Inc. The generic name of the product is known as an underground dog fence, hidden fence or electric pet fence. We are Pet Containment Services that install and service pet containment systems of all major brands such as Invisible Fence, PetSafe, Pet Stop, Innotek, DogWatch, and Dog Guard.
The 3 Main Components of a Hidden Pet Fence
All underground pet fences have three components that work. Knowing each of them will allow you to get to know what exactly you are getting and why every piece is important.
1. The Boundary Wire
It is a thin insulated wire that is buried between 2 to 6 inches in the ground, and encircles the edge of your yard. It is an endless closed circuit – beginning and ending at the transmitter. This wire works as a radio antenna that conducts a low-level signal of the transmitter by the ground.
You can have the wire run around pools, gardens, driveways, or any other place you wish to add or avoid. It is able to cut under sidewalks and driveways through conduit. This is one of the greatest benefits of a wired underground system over wireless systems, it is because you can determine the exact shape of the boundary, not a predetermined circle.
2. The Transmitter
The transmitter is a small device that is installed in your garage or utility space and is connected to a regular outlet. It transmits low power, constant-rate, radio signals along the buried boundary wire. It can be considered the brain of the system.
The transmitter allows you to change the signal width, or the distance between the buried wire and the collar of a dog, at which the collar starts responding. The signal width is larger and therefore your dog would be further warned about the actual wire boundary. This is modified according to your dog breed, the length of stride and the size of the yard.
The wire loop is also monitored by the transmitter. Should the loop become disconnected, be it an aerator of your lawn, a shovel of a landscaper, or ground movement of freeze-thaw, the transmitter notifies you with repeated beep so that you can know the system is no longer holding your dog.
3. The Receiver Collar
Your dog is equipped with a waterproof receiver collar that is lightweight and picks up the radio signal of the boundary wire. The collar reacts to the approach of your dog to the boundary in 2 steps:
Stage 1 – Warning sound: Your dog is warned by a beep or vibration that it is going near the boundary. Training makes this tone the key signal that your dog responds to.
Stage 2 – Static correction: When your dog does not respond to the alarming tone and proceeds towards the boundary the collar discharges a small amount of static. The correction is also adjustable – the correct level of correction is specific to the size, breed, and coat-thickness of your dog, and his temperament.
With the warning tone, most dogs respond on their own once they are well trained. They hardly undergo the static correction once the initial training has been done.
How the System Works Step by Step
The entire process of your dog coming up to the boundary and returning safely is as follows:
- While your dog is wearing the receiver collar, it approaches the buried boundary wire.
- When they approach the signal field (usually 3 to 8 feet above the wire), the collar beeps a warning.
- A well trained dog picks up the beep and turns back and goes back to the safe zone of the yard.
- When the dog does not heed the beep and proceeds, the collar sends a short shock of electric current.
- The dog retreats. Training, over time, helps to strengthen the association between the beep and the boundary until the dog will consistently correct itself.
It is based on behavioral conditioning not fear or pain. It is not the harm of the static correction but a startling feeling. It is set to the lowest effective level with a professional installer, who properly calibrates it to fit the particular dog.
What Is Included in a Professional Hidden Fence Installation in Michigan?
In selecting a professional installation with Pet Containment Services, this is precisely what will be provided, start to finish:
Free in-home consultation: We come to your house, walk the lawn, evaluate the breed and temperament of your pet and create a unique boundary plan. None of them were phone quotes, all Michigan yards are varying.
Boundary wire burial: We bury the wire along the perimeter of your property, including conduit crossings of any driveways or sidewalks.
Transmitter installation: We fit and program the transmitter in your garage/utility space, adjust the signal width and test the entire system.
Receiver collar fitting: We fit and program the collar according to the size and temperament of your dog and adjust it to the right level of correction.
Boundary flagging: Every 8 to 10 feet the wire is stipulated with white boundary flags. These provide your dog with a visual reference in training.
3-step professional training: Every training session involves. We give your dog training through our three steps program boundary introduction, static correction introduction and off-leash freedom testing.
→ See exactly how our installation works: New Pet Fence Installation
→ See our full 3-step training process: Pet Fence Training in Michigan
Hidden Fence vs Traditional Fence: Key Differences
The question that Michigan homeowners ask themselves is whether a hidden fence is superior to a conventional wood or vinyl fence. A direct comparison of the factors that are most important is as follows:
Cost: Traditional fencing costs an average of 10-30 USD/linear foot based on the material. The installation of an underground fence, by a professional, usually costs a fraction of that, particularly on larger lots that are common in Southeast Michigan.
Appearance: A hidden fence leaves your yard completely open. No panels, no posts, no eye-distracting to your landscape or lake view. Conventional fencing actually alters the outlook of your house.
HOA compatibility: Physical fencing is prohibited or limited in many subdivisions and communities within Michigan. Underground fences are acceptable by HOA in practically all situations since they do not have any above ground structure.
Escape prevention: Dogs that jump over, dig under, or chew through conventional fences are frequently effectively contained by underground systems – since the system conditions behavior instead of a physical barrier.
Limitation: Your dog is kept by a hidden fence. It does not keep other animals or people out. This is a consideration to consider in case you reside in a coyote, stray dog or any other wildlife problem.
Multi-area control: With underground fences, interior loops would allow your dog to remain out of certain areas, such as pools, gardens and driveways without having to install separate physical controls.
Hidden Fence vs Wireless Fence: What’s the Difference?
Both are occasionally referred to as “invisible fences” – however, they operate in entirely different ways.
A wired underground fence is a type of fence that utilizes a buried wire defined by you and your installer. The boundary is sharp, hand-chiseled and immutable. It operates on any size, shape of the yard, any terrain.
A wireless (GPS or radio) fence involves the use of a transmitter, which emits a circle signal. The frontier of your dog is a circle round the transmitter–you can form it not round a pool, nor round a garden, nor round a lot of irregular shapes. GPS also wanders with weather, trees, and satellite interference, an enormous problem in the woodland suburban yards in Michigan.
A wired underground system is more reliable, more precise, and more customizable in most South East Michigan homeowners with regular or irregular lots, wooded properties, pools and landscape features.
Is a Hidden Pet Fence Right for Michigan’s Climate?
Freeze-thaw cycles, heavy snowfall, spring ground saturation, and summer lawn care activity all play a role in underground fence systems in Michigan that are not seen in warmer-climate states.
Here is what Michigan homeowners need to know:
Of more importance here is the depth of wire burial. In order to consider frost heave and ground movement during the Michigan winters, we bury wire at the depth. Shallow DIY installation is far more susceptible to wire breakages in seasons.
Breakage of wires is most dangerous during spring. The most common cause of wire breaks in Michigan is lawn aeration, landscaping, and ground thaw post-winter. It is prudent to perform a check of the springs once a year, especially in the spring.
Winter installation can be done but it might require more time because of the condition of the ground. The best time to install is late spring and early fall.
The transmitter works indoors and is therefore not affected by cold weather. Both the receiver collar and the boundary wire are weather rated in Michigan.
→ We cover all of Southeast Michigan. Check if we serve your area.
Can Hidden Fences Be Used Indoors?
Yes. Your outdoor underground fence is not the same as indoor pet boundary units. They work with a small transmitter which forms a signal field around a particular locality within your home no burial of the wire.
Typical indoor applications are keeping your dog off a couch, out of the kitchen, out of the room of a baby, or out of any other space you would like to make pet free. Most systems can use the same receiver collar that your dog uses outdoors with indoor units.
When you are thinking of an indoor unit in addition to an outdoor installation, you can add it and mention it during your free in-home visit and we will prepare both of them in your system quote.
Which Brands Does Pet Containment Services Install and Service?
We install custom underground fences and service all major brands, including:
Invisible Fence®, PetSafe®, Pet Stop®, Innotek®, DogWatch®, and Dog Guard.
This is important to current fence owners and prospective customers. Have a system of any of these brands that has broken a wire, has a collar fault or a transmitter problem, we service it. You will not have to go back to the original national brand installer and pay their franchise markup rates.
→ Wire break on an existing system? See our Wire Break Repair service.
Ready to Get Started?
With a hidden pet fence, you can enjoy the benefits of having your dog roam safely in your Michigan yard, without changing the appearance of your property, breaking HOA regulations, or spending thousands of dollars on regular fencing.
Pet Containment Services is a local business owned by a family and has no franchise fees. It will be a sense-making price of professional-quality underground dog fence installation, training, and service.
Frequently Asked Questions About Hidden Pet Fence
What is the difference between a hidden fence and an invisible fence?
They are the same type of product. Invisible Fence, Inc. owns a brand name called Invisible Fence. Overall type of product is known as a hidden fence, underground dog fence or electric pet fence. All brands (not only the Invisible Fence ® brand) are installed and serviced by Pet Containment Services.
Is a hidden pet fence safe for my dog?
Yes, professionally fitted and adjusted. The shock correction is a small, transient sensation – not painful. It can be customized according to the size of a dog, breed, and temperament, and can be adjusted to the minimum effective level. After training, most dogs react to the warning signal without the use of the static correction and seldom get the warning tone.
How long does a hidden fence installation take in Michigan?
In southeast Michigan, the majority of residential installations require 2 to 4 hours. Training sessions are held in different sessions over a number of days. It takes your dog 3-4 weeks to be fully trained and flag-weaned.
Do I need a hidden fence if I already have a physical fence?
Sometimes, yes. Dogs that jump over, dig under or locate holes in standard fencing can often be accommodated with an underground fence that is installed as an addition or in place of the actual fence. Behavior is conditioned by the underground system; the physical fence is an obvious barrier. The two combine to provide the best containment.
Can a hidden fence work for cats?
Yes. We provide outdoor underground fences and indoor boundary units to both cats and dogs. Cats have different collar sizes and correction settings, which we tune to.
What happens if the boundary wire breaks?
Your transmitter will cue you with a beep that continues to take place in case the wire loop has been broken. Until the break is repaired, your dog must not be left outside unattended. We find and fix wire breaks of any brand.
How is a hidden fence different from a wireless GPS fence?
A wired underground fence involves a buried wire, which outlines a specific, custom-designed boundary. A wireless or GPS fence is a limit which is a circle, emitted by a transmitter or a satellite – and you cannot shape a circle. The underground systems installed in suburban and woody lawns in Michigan are much better and more accurate when wired.
What areas of Michigan do you serve?
Pet Containment Services serves the southeast of Michigan such as Ann Arbor, Bloomfield township, Brighton, Canton, Farmington hills, Fenton, Grand Blanc, Howell, Novi, Rochester, Shelby township, West Bloomfield, White Lake, and other communities in the surrounding Oakland and Genesee counties.
Do you offer a free quote?
Yes. We do not provide phone estimates, but free in-home consultations. We come to your house, stroll through the yard, and come up with a bespoke system and then quote a price. Book your free consultation.