How does SpotOn GPS dog fence compare to other wireless, invisible fences?

The world’s first GPS dog fence, SpotOn connects to up to 30 satellites, across four global constellations 一 for greater reliability. Our patented technology pairs GPS data with inertial sensors in your dog’s collar that track the trajectory, speed and acceleration of your dog. Intelligent algorithms take all of this data to predict your dog’s True Location™. So while your dog is roaming free, SpotOn’s tech keeps him on a tight leash to keep him safe.

Benefits of a GPS Fence

• Easy & quick setup. All you need is the SpotOn dog collar, the app & your smartphone.
• Make and use multiple fences for different days, times and seasons.
• No digging, installation or costly maintenance required with this outdoor dog fence.
• You can fence through water so your dog can swim while contained.
• You can fence through tricky terrain like marsh, forest & boulders.
• The cost stays the same no matter how big your yard is.
• Fully portable. You can take it with you when you move, travel, and visit friends & family. No power source required.
• Provides containment and tracking, with escape notifications if the dog breaches the boundary. The SpotOn tech knows the direction your dog is going and never corrects him for coming home.
• There is no hardware to install or maintain
• Train your dog to the system in 3 easy steps, with the help of professional training videos
• There is no boundary too big! The SpotOn GPS Fence works from ½ acre to 1000’s of acres.

Now that you know how the SpotOn GPS Fence system works, here’s how more traditional electric fences work.

How do traditional electric fences work?

There are two types of traditional electric fences. The first is buried wire fences like Invisible Fence®, which has been around since the early 1970s and requires you to bury a wire around the containment perimeter. You can either pay to have the wires professionally installed (buried), or dedicate some serious time to doing it yourself (digging a trench to bury the wire). There are also other DIY buried wire systems to choose from. There are some challenges with the buried wire systems; it can be hard to install if your yard has a lot of solid rock or swampy areas. While these systems can be configured in any size or shape, once the wire is laid, making a change to your fence requires a costly re-installation from a professional. Or you spending another weekend digging up the wire to relay it. Unlike a GPS fence, these systems are not portable, so you can’t take it with you for a weekend or if you move. There are also property size limitations, which could be an issue if you have a very large property.

The second type of electric fence uses a base station that is placed near a power source - in your house, garage, or other sheltered area. They emit a radio frequency in a circle around the base station. Your dog wears a collar that communicates with the base station and keeps your dog inside the boundaries using audible warning tones and optional static corrections. These are easy to set up and inexpensive, but you cannot change the size or shape of the containment area—it’s always a perfect circle around the base station, which may or may work for your yard. You need to make sure that the circle does not extend out to a dangerous area. These systems are also somewhat portable, provided that wherever you take them has somewhere you can plug in the base station. So moving to a new home works, but taking it to a campground or park without a power source does not.

These systems usually have a maximum area of .75 acres. Plus, there are some brands that seem to be more durable than others, so make sure you read the reviews and do some research before choosing the right system for you. Customers report that some systems stop working after a few months.

Electric dog fence installation

When deciding on the best electric dog fence solution for your setup, be sure to consider the installation required for the buried wire systems. Installation can be done professionally for some systems, but will add to the cost. And pet training to the system is included with some products. A less costly but more labor intensive option is the DIY approach - digging the trench and burying the wires yourself. Whatever installation route you choose, you’ll need to do it in warm enough weather to dig! With SpotOn, long gone are the days of buried wires and base stations. You can create custom boundaries of any shape or size using the True Location™ GPS technology from the best wireless electric dog fence.

Electric dog fence cost

The cost of an electric fence varies widely, depending on the type and brand, the size of your yard, the number of pets, and professional versus DIY installation. Cost includes a transmitter, receiver and wires that conduct power, and some products include pet training to the system. When budgeting, be sure to include yearly maintenance, as customers report that wires often break and need to be repaired. Wires can get too close to the surface and be damaged by lawn mowers, animals, or weather. For the SpotOn GPS Fence, the cost stays the same, no matter the size of your yard or the number of fences. One system, one cost, unlimited fences — at home or on the go. Simple. Reliable. Flexible. That’s SpotOn.