Week 5 (#1): Invisible-Invisible Fence

 

All of us have heard of invisible fences, right? They're those things that you bury into your yard to keep your dog from going where he shouldn't. My roommate, who is a crazy dog-person, was telling me last night that a new kind of invisible fence is on the market now...what I think should be called an "invisible-invisible fence"... a wireless dog fence. Unlike current invisible dog fences, these new fences don't use burried wires and are easier and more convenient to install. Instead of digging trenches and burying wires, you simply position a transmitter unit, plug it in and turn it on. The transmitter emits a signal that the dog's receiver collar can detect. The transmitter unit can be adjusted to create a smaller or larger circular area in which the signal is detectable. The receiver collar is constantly searching for the transmitter signal, which it is able to find as long as your dog stays within the designated area. If your dog moves too far away from the signal, he will hear an audible warning signal. If your dog continues moving forward, the collar will eventually lose the signal. Once this happens, the dog will receive a harmless 'static correction sensation.' You can create a larger and more customized area for your dog by combining multiple transmitters.

Perhaps the wireless fence's greatest advantage over traditional invisible fences is that a wireless dog fence is portable, allowing you to take it with you when you move or travel.