Invisible Fence Malfunction
|
|
| Eww - I'm sorry for your frustrations. I don't have experience with invisible fencing but I would expect the company to come out and thoroughly analyze the problem!!! |
| I would keep calling them until they fix it properly. We have an I.F. and have never had that kind of problem. We've actually cut the wire a few times too & repaired it ourselves. Definitely sounds like it might be the water issue but the wire projects a signal a certain amount of feet away from it so I don't understand why the water placement would matter unless the rods don't work that way. Maybe they need to move them. Where is your system box located? Is the collar going off anywhere near that? If so, maybe they didn't set up the lead/dead wire connecting to your house right. |
| I would call the company until it is fixed too. It could be
any number of things. Sometimes if there is a large electrical impulse anywhere near the line itself it will set off the beep. I would hold it if you can while it is malfunctioning inside to see if there is any correction or if it is only the beep. I know that will not correct it, but at lease you will know. Sometimes ours beeps when the line is broken. Do you have an indicator light that tells you if the line is continuous? I think the water bars may still be the culprit, but who knows. Call the company and demand (gently) that they make it right. Shellie |
We had an invisible fence way back in the day. It had a similar malfunction due to wire placement. It somehow found a way to complete the circuit through the house. Therefor there was a line near the door that would make the collar beep and shock when our dog would come inside. I can't remember all of the details because like I said it was so long ago  but they ended having to do some insulation on the wiring so that the circuit would route the right way.
Hope you get your problem solved and if all else fails, it might be construction time for a physical fence. Good luck! |
| My personal experience with IF is it totally depends on the local franchise. We had a terrible service problem with ours in the ALbany NY area. If I were you I would demand they tell you how to connect witht he parent company and make your complaint. It is a process but may result in your problem being fixed in a more timely manner. |
| The problems could be in the grounding of the system,
I own a Dog Guard dealership and used to be in the Albany area and there still is a good dealer there i would call them, they could possibly help. Dog Guard Out of Sight Fencing 518-235-0502 There are 2 Invisible Fence dealers in that area but the service is terrible and they would not have the know how to fix your system any way |
| I'd keep the collar off the dog until the problem has been corrected and then thoroughly test. I can see a potential problem with the dog being repeatedly shocked when it isn't doing anything wrong. The anxiety this is causing her is a concern.
I don't know much about these containment systems but could there be a disturbance caused by some type of equipment that might be causing it to malfunction? |
| Jaclin, I was thinking the same. Was there a particular appliance, maybe a microwave or something in use in the house? Did it happen in the same area or throughout the house? These are things you might want to check and mention when the repairman comes. I agree though, do not put it back on the dog until it's repaired. If the rods are in the water at the end of the pier, I assume it's a distance from the house, could that even be the problem? |
| I just did a little reading online when searching for "invisible fence malfunctions". I have to repeat that I don't know much about these containment systems. This is what was mentioned in one article...
"...You bring your dog inside and his electric collar is still on. Your dog walks past the microwave or other such appliance. There have been cases where appliances have set the collars to shock the dogs. The dog feels intense pain as the shock rips through his neck..." Author- Pamela Dennison Article Location: http://www.positivedogs.com/electronic_fencing.html It's definitely something to ask both the company and your vet about. You don't want to inadvertantly create a neurotic dog. Also, carefully check her neck to see if there are any irritations or burns from the repeated shocks. Jaci |
The signal inside of your house could be several different things. The oddest thing is that it was not always present there. The ground rods that "complete" the loop at the water are a possibility depending upon how close the house is to them and the moisture content of the ground between the two (as well as man-made gas, water or other utility lines beneath the surface). It could be that the signal field (adjusted at the transmitter) has been increased by an individual or as a result of a damaged/faulty transmitter. The company should be more thorough in investigating the source of the issue and pursuing its resolution. If the service individual does not seem to be making this effort, be sure that you find the ear of the owner or someone at the corporate level or both. Invisible Fence® often advertises with the phrase "Peace of Mind" and this should apply to your dog's safety from unwarranted correction just as much as it does to your dog's containment. In the event that the problem is confirmed to be concentrated in a specific area of your home and that it cannot be effectively eradicated from that area via line placement or transmitter/collar adjustments, Invisible Fence® manufactures a few versions of a unit called an "Invisible Mask®," some for indoor use and some for outdoor. The most common indoor "Mask" is one that plugs into the wall outlet and can be adjusted to disrupt(?) the signal field that activates your dog's receiver. If your dealer has not found another solution, this should be an item that is volunteered by them, but it sounds as you may have to lead them a bit to get things in order again. If they are not familiar with this item, they should become familiar with it on your behalf. Once they have given the "all clear" and told you that everything is fixed and all is well, do not put the collar back on your dog. Go to the area in question (and even others nearby) at least a few times a day as you move about the house and, holding just the receiver or strap (not the posts), move the unit all around in the air, high and low -- even holding it right against your walls or other items in the area. I would go through that for about a week and only then, if there was no trace of signal, begin the wearing of the collar again. Hope this is of some use to you. If you have questions or other comments, feel free to contact me via my website: www.FenceByLance.com Good luck with the situation, Lance Sinkowski http://www.fencebylance.com/littleones.html |
Thanks Lance. For that very informative post, your ad stays!  |
| I'd like to make a suggestion. I've been installing invisible fences for a long time and that does happen every once in a while. The problem is the signal is jumping on a wire or pipe and is travelling into the house, which is why your dog is getting the correction in the house. Your dealer can do two things. One, he/she can reduce the field which will possibly prevent the signal from jumping on the wire or pipe. This usually works and the problem will be solved. Or two, you can reduce the field almost entirely and use a receiver with a much higher sensitivity, this will allow the receiver to give a correction even though the field has been reduced. Try these two things and I know your problem will be fixed.
Good luck!! |
|
We too have had problems. About two weeks after having our IF installed we figured out that the dog was being shocked inside the house when she layed on the floor in our living room. Our ground wire for the house is setting it off as well as our gas line. Our neighbors is doing it as well. The IF company has suggested a mask that "might" work but at an additional cost to us of 217.00 on top of the 1,100.00 we have already paid them. I feel they need to fix the problem at their cost not ours. It seems it is a glitch in their system that they should make right. Toledo, Ohio |
| We have this problem. It seems like our wireless router has something to do w/it.
We had a big problem with random beeps awhile back and the dogs and we moved it and it got better. I think we also switched the frequency that it was transmitting on. We also had the dogs on different types of collars, and put them on the same system and that helped, because the collars seemed to be setting each other off! The poor guys were being set off all over the house! Definitely something to address quickly. Fast forward 3+ years. We just got a new pup, and we are having the problem again, so I'm having to go back into trouble shooting mode. The location, however, is just below the router, which is in a different place than 3 years ago. I had not noticed any malfunctions until we got the new pup, which is odd. So I'm curious about that. The new pup is getting into some places that our older dog doesn't typically go, but then last night our old dog got beeped right at the front door. I'm sorry other people are having these problems but it's good to have ideas. I'll keep this posted. |
| Ok, I have a wireless fence, so I don't know much about the interferrance with the wire..I do know that some large metal objects and appliances will set the reciever off. (blocks signal)
I had this problem and simply took her collar off EVERY time she came in the house . It hangs behind the door. I have a metal door, and it causes the beeps. This way she does not get house beeps. Your battery being low can cause this as well. One time I did not turn the battery all the way in and it caused this. I hope you call the company and they replace the whole thing!!!  When I had problems, they did.
Good luck, I know how heart wrenching it is. If all else fails, try to take her collar off at the door. It works for us. |
| I have been an Invisible Fence Brand dealer for 15 years. My dealership is in a coastal area. You have an older model 700 series system. The model you have has a "three-sided" mode and a "normal loop" mode. This system was designed for folks that have townhouses...they only have half a yard, so a complete loop is not possible. It is a great system for that application, so you don't have to "double back" and create a "c-loop" which can really cut down the size of an already small yard.
Our dealership does many fences at the beach and on rivers and creeks. We have found that if you run the wire down to the waters edge and back towards the house, running the wire parrallel to the wire at the property line, with about 4 feet of seperation, and drive the grounding rods in the ground closer to the house and away from the waters edge, and the wet ground, you will eliminate "signal bleeds". The "3-sided" system is a very powerful system. It has to be! Any system has to have a complete loop. The "3-sided" uses grounding rods to send the signal underground. Unfortunately, the wet ground is causing the issue. Keep in mind your IFB dealer was trying to meet your families needs...Letting the dogs have access to the water. Any dealer would rather make a complete loop. The technology it takes to "dead-end" a radio signal, and restart it elsewhere, costs more  . The complete loop system cost less, because it's pretty basic technology...that's why immitations are so much cheaper! They just repackage 1970's technology, add a few gimmicks like rubber coated contact post(which bacteria can live in , surgical steel is safer )
The easiest, and most cost effective, way to fix your problem is to disconnect the ground rods and complete the loop with wire. The wire Inv Fence dealers use is waterproof (other brands use cheaper wire...hence their cheaper price...as always- "you get what you pay for"). We can run the wire out into the water 20ft, 50ft, or even 100 ft out to give your dogs a swimming area. Be sure the wire is anchored with bricks or cynder blocks so the wire stays on the bottom and doesn't move with tidal changes and currents. There is no electricity in the wire, only a radio signal. Your dogs collar will activate in the water, but because it is only static electricity and NOT AC/DC...the correction will NOT intensify!!!! Or just block the water all together...I guarantee your dog won't complain and he'll still love you if you get him a baby pool instead. I would also recommend upgrading to the new 800 series. These systems have a built in "Mask" and are the only fully computerized systems available.
On a side note...training collars, bark control collars, fence collars CANNOT BURN YOUR DOGS NECK!!!  Physics doesn't allow static electricty to burn. If some bone head no-it-all tries to tell you a collar burn their dogs neck, they are WRONG. Sores on the neck are due to neglect  Dog owners that use said collars need to check the fit of the collar once a week to make sure the collar is not too tight. The condition is called "pressure necrosis" more commonly known as "bed sores". It is a constant foreign object making contact with the skin.
Please interact with your dog...they are very social animals. Please don't get a fence in order to leave your dog in the yard to be forgotten about! My family has been breeding and training Labradors for duck hunting for more than 40 years. |
| Great post.
Just because I am who I am, I'd like to point out that 1) The wire does indeed carry electricty, but at a radio frequency and an extremely low amperage. 2) The correction provided is NOT static electricity... |
| Please be aware that all hidden fence systems EXCEPT dogwatch use AM signal. This is why stray corrections happen. We had IF for 2 years before our timid wheaten was shocked 3 times in the house. We switched out to DogWatch and have been amazed at the use-ablility and safety of this product. |
| My sons teacher was having trouble with hers and it was the garage door opener that was the culprit. |
The problem I am experiencing is that one of my boat trailers is setting off the collar from anywhere on my property inside the fence loop when the dog gets close to the trailer. My other boat trailer does the same thing but only when it is near the actual discipline zone of my loop. Does anyone know how to correct?  |
| We are having a very similar problem. We started having obvious problems with the system late June - it was installed in May - and would call the dealer and the manufacturer and was reminded immediately that the dealer only offered a 30 day refund and the manufacturer would only replace equipment. We have had all the problems listed by the other replies. Collars going off in the house, collars going off if dogs walked near truck in the driveway, perimeter not responding unless collars were held directly over the wire, collars going off in the middle of the yard far from the boundary wire. We didn't realize what was happening at first and our poor dogs were getting zapped and responding fearfully to entering the house or leaving the house or when there was any kind of beeping sound. This week the collars were on the table far from the boundary and started beeping. I then wandered around the house and yard and realized the collars beeped at random spots and very intermittently. Now the dogs do not seem to trust the boundary and I guess we're back to square one. I feel this is a very good scam for the dealers and manufacturers as there is no way to get our money back and that 30 day warranty period was barely enough time to install and train. I'm also horrified to realize we've put our beloved 4 leggeds thru this torture with a system that has too many flaws and thus is very inhumane. Of course the dealers and manufacturers both tell us they've never had this problem before. We're trying to find a way to let others know the problems with these systems - I won't mention the name yet but that might be a direction we'll have to take - it is one of the newer and more expensive systems. Any advice on how to get our money back would be appreciated - it seems we just learned a valuable lesson but that doesn't make up for the damage this has possibly done to our dogs nervous systems and trust issues. |
Quote: I'm also horrified to realize we've put our beloved 4 leggeds thru this torture with a system that has too many flaws and thus is very inhumane.
It's disturbing to think that dogs can be repeatedly shocked for doing absolutely nothing "wrong". I have to wonder what these malfunctions teach a dog... that out of the blue pain can be inflicted on them? Just imagine how confusing, fear inducing it could be... wondering when the next shock is going to come and not knowing what the heck they did to deserve the negative act upon them. I'd be watching for any fearful, depressed or aggressive behaviors if this went on for very long. |
| Dear Jaci and the pack Thanks so much for your concern. Unfortunately we've already seen some of the signs you mention - depression, aggressive behavior(only at me his Mom - I think he feels I'm doing this to him), fearfulness. Any advice on how to undo the damage we've done to our beautiful guy would be appreciated. He was rescued from what must have been someone training dogs to fight or guard and was probably abused. So I think he's a mix of some very hyper prey driven breeds. Tried obedience training and he didn't do so good. I could not get him to come when called, he jumped through screens, was frantic when he saw any critters in our yard, etc. Otherwise he's a prince of a puppy (1 year old now) perfect house manners, he's a very friendly boy at the dog park. I love him dearly and we thought this fence system would keep him safe and give him a huge area to run in. What do I do now? Appreciate all advice. |
| I'm not a trainer nor a behaviorist... it might be a good idea to consult a professional in order to do this right.
I do believe that dogs are very forgiving. It's hard to know what he's perceiving... if you were nearby when the stray shocks happened, it seems he could associate it with you. But again, I'm not a professional, just someone who lives closely with a pack. No matter what, I think you'll need to rebuild the trust and it will take time. Spend one-on-one time with him daily and reward/praise him for good deeds... don't use any negative corrections. He'll look forward to this quality time together. If your boy is food motivated, you might consider clicker training to get him to come. You load the clicker first... click and immediately give the dog a treat... click, treat... click, treat... etc. about 10-15 times. One thing with the come command... you don't ever call him to you to make a correction or to tell him he's been naughty. You sometimes call him to you just so you can touch him, then immediately release him to go play again. You don't want to associate "come" with the perceived negative of having to end play and go in the house. You can also play the come game where two people are in the yard or in the house... you can use a long training lead in the yard. One person calls him in a happy voice and when he comes, he gets a super good treat. The other person then does the same thing... you get him going back and forth to the "come" command. It gets him to associate "come" with something good. Quote: So I think he's a mix of some very hyper prey driven breeds. I have one too... a Schipperke-mix. I had pet rabbits and I would allow her to sniff/lick them while I held them... she would begin to gently mouth their ears and that's when the rabbit would go back in the pen. If she was outside with them... on the outside of their fenced play area, she would circle it, all excited. I was unable to curb this behavior. My other dogs would walk around the yard with the bunnies (always under close supervision and one-on-one only) so it was frustrating to have this high prey drive dog. The bunnies passed on. Twice now this dog has killed wild rabbits in the yard  I did wild life rescue so it really bothers me. But it's what she was bred to do and I simply can't change who she is. The first time she killed a wild rabbit, she gleefully ran into the house and dropped the dead rabbit at my husband's feet  My husband didn't have the heart to scold her. She is what she is and she's doing what she is programed to do.Quote: Temperament
The Schipperke is curious, interested in everything around him, and is an excellent and faithful little watchdog. He is reserved with strangers and ready to protect his family and property if necessary. He displays a confident and independent personality, reflecting the breed's original purpose as watchdog and hunter of vermin. So I don't have any good ideas on curbing this behavior. Good luck to you and thanks for rescuing this boy  |
| Hey there. Just received a petsafe Deluxe in-ground fence. Can the system also use rods in the water as the invisible fence without having a closed loup? |
| I have no experience of these pieces of equipment but from an outsiders viewpoint, why don't the installers have equipment to check where the RF is ie what is setting off the collar? Firstly a replacement collar would rule out the collar itself. Turn the Fence off, is the collar being activated still in the areas where it was occuring? if so it is some external interference that is nothing to do with the fence, but this highlights how simple these deveices are, I would have thought that the RF should be coded between fence and collar in an ideal world, and other interference would not set them off by some of the posts above I don't think there is rigid coding. If it is the fence and something is bringing the RF into the house or ther unwanted area, may I suggest the installer wear the collar until the problem is dealt with  What litigation would take place if this were effecting humans? it would be a lot more controlled and regulated I bet. |
| We have two one year old labs with an invisible fence. Our collars keep losing their shocks. We have had the guy back very often replacing batteries, replacing receivers, etc... The dogs always chew on each other including their collars. He says this shouldn't affect it. I don't know what else it could be. It stops working a couple of days after he has been here. His response time is very slow. I know the dogs miss running around. We walk them, but that is not the same. I can't trust them to stay in the yard for me. Do you have any ideas why the collars would continually stop working? |
| The gentleman from Invisible Fence is correct. A stray signal inside the house can be caused by (1) the field width is too wide and the signal from the transmitter is being picked up by a wire running under the house. The signal is usually picked up by your cable television line. Call your cable company and ask them to run a separate ground rod instead of grounding their cable service to the house ground rod. This will sometimes fix this problem. Also, this theory can be tested by temporarily removing the ground from the cable service although this may not be legal. (2) Simply go to the Invisible Fence transmitter, remove the cover, and turn the field width down. Your pet usually doesn't know how wide the field is so a slight adjustment should not matter. (3) a change in the frequency is also a possibility which would correct this problem but this would require a service call and has the least likely chance of succeeding. There are other things which could cause this problem but the reasons above are the most likely reasons. Other things could be the transmitter and wiring is too close to the cable television box. If the Invisible Fence system is several years old it may have less proteciton to shield it against signal bleed than the newer models. Anyway, try these and good luck! Chuck Dubis, Dog Guard Out of Sight Fencing, www.dogguardofsc.com |
| I also have a problem with my invisible fence where the collar will beep 6 inches from an outlet in my bedroom but not at any other outlet in the house. what could cause this all of a sudden? any suggestions before i call the fence dealer so they can scratch their head and charge me 99.00? |
| I'm having similar problems with an electronic collar for our Lab. He is an inside dog and we don't have an I.F. He acts like he is or has been shocked everytime he comes near the front rooms in our house. It happens more when the batteries need to be recharged or if I am cooking or using any appliance even a heater. The last 2 days he doesn't want to leave his kennel. Has anyone heard of this happening with a collar w/o the I.F? |
| I don't know if anyone has had this problem, but I take off my dogs IF collar when he comes in and it lays on the floor. It will beep, but it is not consistent. So every few months I have to pay for a service call and they test and find nothing wrong. Since it is intermittent it seems impossible to find. I've had this system for 15 years. The first dog collar did not beep, but since I have the new dog AND they gave me a new design collar it will beep randomly while just laying there on the floor. I told them I wasn't paying for the service calls over and over so they escalated to their national office and I haven't heard anything yet. They did replace the board, but they do not want to replace the collar, which seems the logical thing to do, especially since the collar has a lifetime warranty. I will re-post if I get a solution through Inv Fence, but I'm not holding my breath. They do tell me that it is working properly, which is good. I do not want to risk my dog getting out, but he senses the beeping when it's laying on the floor and that can't be good at all. Thanks to all. |
| Dog collars certainly CAN burn and I have seen it firsthand. A friend's dog Invisible Fence Collar malfunctioned and continuously shocked their dog burning a HOLE in the dog's neck. The collar was removed nightly and there was NO SORE on the dog before this incident. To the person who quoted the industry "company line" saying the electrical impulse cannot burn flesh is simply wrong. I tested a collar on a piece of raw meat and it definitely created a hole. Just because it doesn't smoke like an electric chair doesn't mean it isn't irritating flesh!! And people that gloss over this crap for the sake of reputation or money lost in sales should be made to put their money where their mouth is. Put on a damn collar and show us how it doesn't burn especially when it short-circuits and is shocking continuously!!!! |
| I searched for malfunctions on Invisible Fence Collar, read prior posts and have to chime in.... In 2011 got Boundaries Plus system for my baby Alaskan Husky and it came with all the bragging rights; PROBLEMS GALORE. Skip to 2013...got another Husky - Siberian.. so another collar - Microlite this time, yes you guessed it, PROBLEMS GALORE. I've had coolars replaced/reprogrammed, wire tested, main box finally ( 2yrs later ) replaced with latest version. At 8:05pm CT my 3 yr old was squealing with terror in my entryway ( where they sleep ), I thought I was flying out the door to save my neighbor's puppy from its non-wired fence; not such luck. Both dogs are inside at least for the night, the malfunctioned (TORTURED) one is flat out and wont even eat her favorite treat. I've been threating Lawsuit and getting return visits ( he knows I'm not bluffing ), left message for him after this to call me in am. I'm bookmarking this feed, blog, whatever and will check back to see if anyone wants to get in a Class Action Suit against Invisible Fence Brand. My local guy has done what he can in the past with some firm nudging and even stated that a call to Corporate is welcome. That "call" to corporate may be a hand served summons. I'm certainly not out to hurt anyone, but as I've read, I'm not alone. My Dogs are my kids as yours are yours. P.S. my batteries never last anything close to 90 days - his answer - "i'm the only one of all his clients to have that problem. I've got over $3000 in this so far and would have to move to put in an ugly real fence. |
| I have done lots of searching on the Internet for issues like this and I'm so thankful I found other people with the same problems. We too have the same issues with the Invisible Fence Brand. We have boundaries plus and have had several collars replaced now (even an "upgrade to Microlite") and yes, problems galore! Our local dealers only response to us is with surprise every time we call... They have never heard of such a thing! We have had several collars replaced because of different reasons... Not working properly or shocking her when she was nowhere near the boundary. One time, a trainer from the company was out when our dog was getting shocked in the middle of the yard (we have a huge yard, so it's not like she was too close to the boundary). Yet our dealer documented all of our collar replacements as a "courtesy" making it sound as if we were being difficult customers. Our Wheaten Terrier continues to run from our yard and to be delivered intermittent shocks. I took her collar off for the last time today as she was shocked again in the middle of the yard. When this happens, she wants to go inside and not even come out. She LOVES being outside. I have contacted our dealer on many occasions and even gone as far as corporate. My request was that they honored their training guarantee... Their solution to the problem? Send out a "technician" (not even a trainer) to administer an "on leash correction" which consists of putting a leash on the dog and pulling her out of the yard forcing her to be shocked. Luckily, I was right there as he was about to pull her out of the yard and I did not allow this to happen. I told them that my dog needs to be retrained, not punished. I haven't heard from them since. We feel that because of the inconsistency with the collars, our dog continues to take the risk of getting out of the yard. I would be very interested in hearing from anyone else who has the same issues. I too will book mark this and check back. I would love to give contact information but I'm just a bit hesitant to do so here. Maybe we could find a way to exchange information without it being so public??? I'm so frustrated and don't know what else to do... Brenna |
| We also have an incomplete loop since we do not allow our three dogs on one side of the house due to the neighbors dog. I noticed the beeping when our youngest was sleeping in our bed at night which is on the end of the house that would complete the circuit. However it only happens when she is laying on the electric blanket and the blanket is on. Crazy. She doesn't seem to get shocked though. Just the beep |
| Thanks to all your posts, I believe I finally solved our problem of our dog collars being triggered randomly in the house and near the backdoor. It started when I turned up the signal strength on our Sport Dog invisible fence system to train a new dog. It's a very fast dog so I wanted a bit more of a boundary zone during training to preclude it from getting outside the invisible fence. However, my wife and daughter started hearing random beeps from the collars in the house. Luckily we never kept the collars on the dogs when they are in the house, but they heard the beeps though and became shy of the backdoor where the collars were kept. During my attempt to find the source of the problem, I discovered the house wiring system below the backdoor and kitchen was emitting a signal which would set off the collars. But I couldn't figure out why it was happening or how to solve the problem until I read these posts which indicated that the house electrical system could pick up the signal. So, I turned our system off and checked the house wiring with the collar--no beeps. I turned the system on again--I got collar beeps. Next I turned down the signal strength from 7 to 3 and checked the house wiring again--no collar beeps. It is apparently true that the house wiring system can pick up and carry the invisible fence signal. We have had a wet winter and spring which may have been a contributing factor. Thank you the posts. |
| We have invisible fence and this has happened twice to my dog. The second time was just now. It's terrifying and makes me not feel like he's safe with it on. Did you find and answer to your issue? I waiting a call back from the company. I'm sure they are aware this happens and have an answer. |
Didn't find exactly what you're looking for? Search again here:
Custom Search
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|