Pet De Fence Hidden Dog and Pet Fence in KC - Fence Help . . . . . . . . . . . .Electronic Fence

This page offers troubleshooting help with most hidden fence questions sold by
Pet DeFence.

"Dog Running Through the Fence" Solutions

We have very few problems of this nature. Over the years we find that most of the time when someone says their fence is not working or the dog thinks there is a "hole" in the fence, we find it is a user problem. This is a very difficult thing to have to say to a customer, so please, check out the following sections on "properly fitted collars" and "How to change the shock level" before you call for service.

What is a properly fitted collar?

Each time you put the receiver collar on your pet, check that it fits properly and the contact posts make firm contact with your pet’s skin. If necessary, shave an area under your dog's neck about the size of a deck of playing cards, and use longer contact posts.

Stand your dog up on all four feet.
Pull the receiver collar so it is as high on his neck as it will go, almost like you are going to pull it up over his ears, but stop behind his ears.
Orient the receiver under the chin of your dog.
While keeping him standing on all four feet, press the head and neck down so that the top of the head and neck are level with the shoulders of your standing dog (imagine him looking like a pointer, or even with his nose to the ground). It is absolutely critical that you position your pet as described above. Do NOT test the fit while your pet is setting on his rear. Remember, your pet is leaving the yard on all four feet with his head pointed out, or his nose to the ground, not scooting out on his bottom!
Slip your fingertip between the skin of your dog's neck and the tip of the point. You should only be able to almost slip a fingertip between a contact post and your pet’s skin for a proper fit.
If your collar is looser than described above, remove the collar, shorten the length of the collar so it is tighter on your pet, then repeat this process starting at step 1 above until the collar is properly fit.
Once the collar is properly fitted, if your dog was running through the fence, put your dog on a leash and walk him into the fence to reintroduce him to the shock. You will do this to show your dog that the fence is working again. This allows your dog to get shocked under a controlled situation, eliminating the chance that he will think the fence is still not working causing him to bolt through the shock. This should prevent future and additional "run throughs".

Note: Shorter hair on your dog's neck is preferable to a tighter collar. Take your dog to your groomer, or cut it yourself with electric shears. The hair should be 1/8 of an inch or shorter. Cut the neck from the bottom of the chin to the top of the chest, from ear to ear. This area is about the size of a deck of cards on most dogs.

Note: As instructed during your training session, it is essential that you regularly check your pet’s neck, as a properly fit collar can cause neck sores if it is not removed every night. Also, do NOT attach a leash to your containment collar to walk the dog. Pressure from pulling on the leash could injure the skin on your pet, or bruise his esophagus. Neck sores can also develop if the receiver is too tight for too long, and/or if your pet 's neck gets wet from swimming, wading, sprinklers, sloppy drinking, bathing, etc. Check your dog regularly for a rash or sores. Other symptoms might include:

A "wet" feeling under his neck or on his collar when you take it off.
A foul smell about your dog and or on his collar that may make you pause to wonder "what could my pet have rolled in?"
An ongoing foul smell that does not go away after bathing your dog.
A gunky smelly buildup on his receiver collar usually paired with the foul smell and wetness of the dog and collar.

Should a rash or sore develop, call your vet immediately for treatment advice.

Testing the collar (To answer the question: "Is the shock working?")

There are several ways to test the collar. Please try all methods.

Method 1:
Touch the magnet to the small (5 mm) raised magnetic bump spot on the BACK of the receiver. The red LED above the bump will illuminate, and then flash. This action tells you two or three things.

1. The fact that the LED illuminated shows that the batteries are good or the light would not have activated.

2. The number of flashes that follow the illumination tells you the current shock level of collar.
3. The magnet is good.

Note: If this test fails to illuminate the LED on your collar, try another strong magnet and change the batteries then try the method again. If after changing batteries (and inserting them properly) there is no red LED illumination, then your collar may be bad. See the top of this page for a video on how to change the batteries.

Method 2:
Gently but firmly press the points of the receiver collar into two slots of the the test station on the top right side of the PROTX1 transmitter (usually found on the wall of the garage by an electrical outlet.) The red “Test” Light on the transmitter should flicker and if your hearing is good, you will hear a corresponding “Tick, Tick, Tick” sound from your receiver with every flash. This result tells you:

1. The batteries are good or the light would not have illuminated

2. The receiver collar works

3. The transmitter works

Note: A result that indicates the collar works is definitive about the collar. However, in some instances, the test fails and the collar can still be good. A failed test with this method may simply mean there is signal interference from the sprinkler control box, or other electrical components very near the test station.

Method 3:
Take the collar into the yard. Close the strap so it is as though your dog is wearing it. Hold the back of the strap, with the receiver hanging at the bottom of the collar loop, at 6 o’clock, and the points pointing up to 12 o’clock. Now walk into the yard holding the collar in this position, stooping over so you are holding the collar at the same level above the ground as it is when your dog is walking in the yard. Please do NOT hold the collar up as high as your own ears and try to hear it beep. It will not work since the signal is not adjusted to activate the collar much above your dog’s neck level (Caution, you might shock your ear if you are holding it too close. We have heard some amusing anecdotes about this. While we find the stories amusing, we hope it does not happen to you.) As you approach the edge of the yard, you should hear the collar begin to “beep” or “tick”. This result will tell you:

The receiver is working.
The batteries are good.
The transmitter is working.
The dog should be getting shocked if it goes too far.

Note: If you do not hear the collar beeping, and you have touched both points on the collar and do not feel a shock, then there may be a problem with the receiver collar. Test the collar using methods 1 and 2. If the collar works with one or two, re-test Method 3 again. Make sure you touch both points on the receiver at the same time when you hear the collar beeping. It will tell you definitively that the fence is or is not working. However, just because the collar is beeping, it does not mean that the shock is turned up high enough to get the attention of your dog. Therefore, you may need to change the shock level.

How to Change the Shock Level?

THERE ARE TWO STYLES OF COLLARS. MOST PEOPLE HAVE STYLE 1.PLEASE CHECK BOTH STYLES BELOW BEFORE YOU BEGIN.

You will need the receiver and the magnet to change the shock level. A small magnet is built into the left side of the copper colored transmitter. It is positioned behind the small white dot.
You were also left an extra magnet on a black key fob. It may be in a plastic bag next to your transmitter in the garage.
Your STYLE 1 receiver has a small raised bump about the same size as the white dot on the transmitter (or about the size of a pencil eraser).
Your STYLE 2 receiver does NOT have a small raised bump. It had a black INK dot on the back where the magnet is to be touched.
Click on this link Programming VIDEO to see a video on how to change the shock level of a PetSafe ProLite receiver.

STYLE 1

(Translucent dark grey (almost black) case with a small round bump (about the diameter of a pencil eraser) on the backside of the receiver.

Note: This receiver has ten shock levels. The lowest shock is level two (2); the highest is level ten (10). Level one (1) only beeps without a shock.

Orient the metal points of the receiver toward you and the dime sized bump facing down and the small bump facing up on the left topside of the receiver.
Touch your magnet to the small bump on the back of the receiver. Note that a small red light will come on from inside the case, next to the bump where you touched the magnet.
Take the magnet away and note that the red light will go out, and then flash from 1 to 10 times. Count the flashes. However, do not count the first flash that occurs as you touch the magnet to the bump or spot. That flash is meant to show you that the receiver battery is not dead. The following number of flashes indicates the shock level. Ex: 5 flashes means the collar is set to shock level 5 out of 10.
Touch the magnet to the dot again, then remove it again.
The light will flash again. Note the light flashed once more than before.
Continue this process until your collar is at the desired shock level.

Note: If you go too high, you must continue the process all the way to level ten (10), then the collar will return to level one (1).
Watch the video: Programming VIDEO

STYLE 2

Beige-grey OR solid opaque black (non-transparent) case with a little LED light on the front.

Note: Your receiver has either five (5) or ten (10) shock levels. The lowest shock is level two (2); the highest is level five (5) or ten (10). Level one (1) only beeps without a shock.

Orient the metal points of the receiver facing toward you and the LED facing up, positioned on the left topside of the receiver.
Touch your magnet to the back right side of the receiver (A small black or white dot was painted on the backside. It may be worn off.) The red LED on the top front side will illuminate briefly while the magnet is in contact with the dot (or where it used to be).
Take the magnet away and note that the red light will go out, and then flash from 1 to 5 or 1 to 10 times. Count the flashes. However, do not count the first flash that occurs as you touch the magnet to the spot. That flash is meant to show you that the battery is good in the receiver. The number of flashes indicates the shock level. Ex: 5 flashes means the collar is set to shock level 5.
Touch the magnet to the dot again, then remove it again.
The light will flash again, once more than before.
Continue this process until your collar is at the desired shock level.

Note: If you go too high, you must continue the process all the way to the highest level (5 or 10), then the collar will return to level one.
Watch the video: Programming VIDEO

RED Lights on the Transmitter (Note: The transmitter is the box on the wall, not the one on the collar)

Should there be more than 2 red lights lit on my transmitter? NO.
Loop 2 is not lit! What's wrong? Nothing is wrong.

Probably nothing is wrong. The unlit light, labeled “LOOP 2”, in most cases should NOT be lit unless we installed a separate loop to wire inside your home, pond, pool or garden. Even then, when we wire a garden, we often still did not use Loop 2. 99% of our customers do not use LOOP 2. Therefore, only a very small number of our customers employ Loop 2. The bottom line: Your transmitter is operating normally if you have two lights lit AND your transmitter is NOT beeping.

However, if your transmitter is emitting an incessant beeping sound (regardless if you have one or two lights lit), then there is a problem and you should call us immediately, as a wire is cut.

The transmitter is beeping. What could be wrong? Your Wire is cut.

Incessant beeping: Your fence is not working. Your wire is cut, or a splice in your line has gone bad. The bad splice could have occurred over a year ago. It could also be the result of a damaged line that has finally failed. You should unplug the transmitter to stop the beeping and call us immediately so we can schedule a time in the near future to find and fix the bad spot. Note: No part of the fence works if the fence is beeping. Note: a solution you can attempt is to increase the range of the fence by turning the range adjustment knob on your transmitter. If increasing the range fixes the problem, then you need not call us for service. However, decreasing the range knob will also make the beeping stop. This does not fix the fence. Your dog will leave the yard if you turn down the range and the beeping stops. Call us for this situation.

Intermittent beeping: Your fence is not working. Try turning the range control knob just a little higher. It sometimes makes the beeping stop. Note: Sometimes this is a sign that you have a bad splice in the yard. (Remember when the cable TV or phone or landscapers cut your wire and told you not to worry because they fix these things all the time?) We cannot find a bad splice until the beeping on your transmitter becomes incessant. Call us when it is incessant, then we can help. However, we can find it when it is intermittent, it just takes longer and costs you more. You have to decide when it is appropriate to call us for service.

Why are there NO Lights lit on the transmitter? You have no power.

Your fence is not working. There is no electricity getting to the transmitter. Please do the following before you call:

Plug it back in.
Check the black power line that goes from the outlet to the transmitter. Press it firmly back into the receptacle of the transmitter.
Reset the breaker.
Turn the power strip back on.
Reset the GFI (Note: A GFI is an electrical plug that stops the flow of electricity when it detects a possible "short" or dangerous current condition. Most garage outlets are attached to one. The GFI that controls your outlet may be in the garage, basement, laundry room, kitchen, guest bathroom, front porch, deck, etc. To reset a GFI, you must press in the "Reset" button. Check all of your GFI outlets before you call.)
Plug an extension cord into a known working outlet, then plug the fence power supply into the extension cord. If your fence works then your outlet is not working. If it does not work, try another extension cord, and then call us with the results.
Plug a blow dryer or other portable appliance into the same outlet that the transmitter is plugged into. If the appliance works then your outlet is good and you should call us.

Why is the collar beeping all around the house and yard?

Take the collar off your dog immediately and unplug your transmitter (the box on the wall in the garage or basement).

If unplugging the transmitter caused the beeping to stop, then there is a problem with your transmitter.

Try turning the "Field Range" knob counterclockwise to turn the signal down. Call us if this does not fix the problem.

If unplugging the transmitter did not make the receiver stop beeping, then a neighbor may have their transmitter turned up too high. Call your neighbors. We have no control over your neighbors.

The transmitter lights are both on but nothing happens with the collar.

Please see all the following sections before you call for help.

Battery help
Testing the collar
How to change the shock level Watch the video: Programming VIDEO
What is a properly fitted collar? Note: this is the most frequent solution. Always check this solution if your transmitter is working and your collar batteries are new and your collar passed the tests using the methods described above.
Someone pulled the wires out of the lightning protector and reinserted them incorrectly. The wires from the outside should be inserted into the "LOOP" side, the wires going to the box should be inserted into the "TRANSMITTER" side. Nothing else will work.

Why does the collar keep falling off my dog? Or, How did the clasp on my collar get broken and what do I do now?

The primary reason that a collar would come off of a dog is because the clasp that secures the collar on the dog is damaged or broken. Often the damage is not readily apparent. If you closely examine the clasp, you will see one or two things that will give this condition away. One, a hairline crack in the female part of the clasp and usually teeth marks. This kind of damage comes a dog chewing on the clasp. This also happens when you have two or more dogs. One dog will occasionally chew on the other dogs' collar. You may confirm this problem by slowly inserting the male end of the clasp into the receiving end of the clasp. As you insert, observe the female part. Does it slightly expand and expose a crack? A cracked receiving end will allow the buckle to open under the right amount of stress. You may also see obvious damage to the male part of the buckle. This damage is pretty unmistakable as dog chew problems. Do not delay. Call immediately so we can make arrangements for a new nylon collar. The longer you wait, the more likely your dog will get the collar off and lose it behind the bushes allowing him to escape and causing you to need to purchase not just a new nylon collar, but a new receiver as well.

Another reason for this problem would be that the collar is too loose. A properly fit collar cannot be tugged or pulled over the head of the dog, unless the dog's neck is fatter than his head.

We have a ready supply of replacement nylon collars. Call for more information. However, you can replace the nylon collar yourself if you wish by unscrewing the points and washers from the receiver. Once the points and washers are off of the old nylon collar, you will see two large holes. You may use these holes as a template for holes that you may make in your own collar. However, I do not recommend that you improvise by making smaller holes than the ones in the original nylon collar, as the smaller holes will eventually create other complications including broken points and "shorting" the shock through the collar instead of to your dog. This will render your receiver useless and your dog will learn to walk out of the yard without any shock. For these reasons, I suggest you contact us for a new nylon that is already made for this purpose.

Battery Help

How do I change the battery in my receiver?

If your battery holder or battery clip has a small screw in it, loosen it two (2) full turns by turning the screw counterclockwise with a small screwdriver (being careful not to loosen it so much that it falls out), then watch the following video: Battery Change Video
After locking the battery holder back into the receiver, if your battery holder has a screw, re-tighten it with two clockwise turns.
Dispose of your old batteries responsibly or save them for me. I will recycle them for you.

How to Replace the Batteries (Please watch the video link Battery Change Video or follow these directions)

If your battery holder or clip has a small screw in it, loosen it two (2) full turns by turning the screw counterclockwise with a small screwdriver (being careful not to loosen it so much that it falls out)
Using a coin, slide the lock bar on the battery holder to the unlocked position (toward the loosened screw)
Using the small tab on the battery holder, lift the battery holder from the receiver.
Observe closely how the old batteries are fit into the battery holder.
Take the old batteries out and re-insert two new "2032" batteries. (See battery notes elsewhere on this page.) Be certain to place the new batteries into the battery holder in the exact same fashion as you removed the old ones. I.e. Both positive sides of the new batteries are facing the same direction as the "+" mark on the battery holder.
Replace the battery holder back into the battery slot of the receiver.
Using a coin, slide the latch back into the locked position (away from the loosened screw)
If your battery holder has a screw, re-tighten it with two clockwise turns.
Dispose of your old batteries responsibly or save them for me. I will recycle them for you.

What kind of battery does my ProLite use and where do I get them?

The ONLY battery that will work in your ProLite is a 2032. (Note: The battery number may have a prefix of DL, CR, ER, etc.) You will need 2 of them every time you change batteries (every 6 to 10 months). You can purchase these batteries at most any store that sells batteries such as: Grocery stores, Drug stores, Hardware stores, Convenience stores, Online stores, Variety stores, Electronics stores, Battery stores, etc.
In a ProLite, only 2032 batteries work. Other batteries may look similar to 2032 batteries, but they will NOT work. For instance: 2025 and 2016 won't work.
We also sell batteries for PetStop series 1 and 2 receivers. You may contact me for these batteries or purchase them at Radio Shack, Interstate Batteries and the photo or electronics departments of Target and Walmart and also at Ace, Westlake and True Value Hardware Stores and other stores. PetStop Collars require two 1/3N batteries.

The Interstate Batteries Store at 95th and Nall in Overland Park, will give my customers a 10% discount if you purchase your dog collar batteries from them. Just take your collar in to them and tell them you want the Pet DeFence 10% corporate discount. They will replace the batteries and recycle your old ones for you.

How Long is the Battery Life?

Your batteries will usually last 4 months to a year. This depends on your dog. Regularly check your receiver near the edge of your yard. Also, recall that your receiver has a low battery indicator light. It is designed to flash approximately every 5 seconds when the battery is almost dead. It will stop flashing when the battery is dead. Change it immediately after you first observe the flashing light on your receiver. Also, before you go on vacation and have a neighbor coming to your home to check on your dog, please make sure your battery is good. It is also a good idea to check the battery when you come home from a vacation or if you have not been using the collar on your dog for a while, as it might have tried flashed the low battery alert when you were out of town, or while it was lying in the drawer. The battery may be dead. Your dog will figure this out and leave the yard and you will be wondering if the low battery light really works. It works.

Why did the battery carrier fall out?

The battery carrier has a little slider bar in it to "lock" the door in place. If you do not slide the bar to the "locked" position, the battery carrier may fall out. Even a properly locked battery carrier may come open if another dog gnaws at the other dogs' collar. (We can't keep the dogs from chewing on each other.) A stop gap measure you can take to keep the carrier from becoming unlocked and falling out is to put a couple of wraps of electrical tape around the receiver over the battery door and then between the points.

We now have battery holders that have a "set-screw" in them. We have been using these doors since the beginning of 2007. The set-screw keeps the slider bar locked.

So, if you have an empty battery compartment, odds are the slider bar was either not locked or was unlocked by another dog gnawing on your dog's collaar. You need to contact me so we can make arrangements for an inexpensive replacement to the battery door.

Also, beginning in about January 2006, I began leaving a spare battery holder in a little zip lock bag stapled on the wall next to your transmitter. Check there for your one free replacement before you call.

How deep is the wire?

If we ran our installation machine (as opposed to hand installation) the wire will most likely be three to six inches in depth. However it is shallower where we encountered tree roots or rocks. In areas where we knew or suspected there phone lines, cable TV lines, outdoor lighting lines, drains, sprinkler control lines or sprinkler heads, your line is also shallower so that we could try to prevent damage to these facilities.

In mulched gardens or rock gardens or stone creek beds or stone drainage ways: the wire is usually stapled down under the mulch or laid under the stone, but on top of the soil. We do this so you can locate it easily before you commence future digging.

If you did not see your question answered here, then please call me. Let me know that I did not have an answer for you and I will create the solution for the next customer.

Thanks!