
- Locating the Break. The hardest part of repairing an underground dog fence is locating the break. Obviously you start in the areas where work has been done.
- Expose the Wire. Once the break has been located remove enough dirt around the area to be able to work comfortably. ...
- Prep the Wire for Soldering. There are a couple ways to repair an underground dog fence. Some manufacturers supply a couple silicone filled wire nuts.
- Seal Up the Splices. Slide the heat shrink over the splices and run the edge of the iron up and down the heat shrink. ...
- Test and Bury. The final step is to test the repair. ...
What is the best underground fencing for dogs?
- BEST OVERALL: PetSafe Stubborn Dog In-Ground Fence for Dogs/Cats
- RUNNER UP: Extreme Dog Fence – Second Generation
- BEST VALUE: PetSafe Basic In-Ground Dog and Cat Fence
- BEST WITH REMOTE: Pet Control HQ Dog Containment System
- BEST WIRELESS: PetSafe Stay & Play Wireless Fence for Stubborn Dogs
How to find a break in an underground dog fence?
How to Find a Break in an Underground Dog Fence?
- Physical and Visual Wire Break Checking;
- Short Circuit Returning Loop Testing;
- Bridging the Grounded Wire.
How to put in an underground dog fence?
Method 3 Method 3 of 3: Training Your Dog
- Attach the receiver to the shock collar and let your dog get used to it. ...
- Take your dog to the boundary every hour on a tight leash. ...
- Pull the leash sharply when the shock collar beeps on the first day. ...
- Allow your dog to figure out the boundary on the second day. ...
- Reward your dog each time it avoids the boundary. ...
How to choose an underground dog fence?
Underground Dog Fence
- You will have the ability to define and customize the shape of the fence
- It also allows you to limit your dog’s access to certain areas, such as pools and gardens
- It’s more reliable since the wire is in the ground, making it a better option for slope landscaping

Can you splice underground dog fence?
When splicing the dog fence wire, all you need to do is twist the two exposed ends together, insert them into the gel-filled capsule and close the splice lock. The cylinder of the underground wire splice contains a mixture of silicone and grease, which helps to secure the waterproof connection.
How do you fix a broken electric fence wire?
0:219:19How Do I Repair and Fix a Break in Dog Fence Wire? - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipBasically butterfly twist the wires together and twist. Them just a butterfly twist there. Now theMoreBasically butterfly twist the wires together and twist. Them just a butterfly twist there. Now the real secret. We run some of our wire across here. And we're just gonna hit it with that shovel.
How do I find a break in my Invisible Fence wire?
4:507:52How to find a wire break in a underground dog or pet fence using ...YouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipAnd the key is you keep on wanting until the signal stops. And then you know your break is right atMoreAnd the key is you keep on wanting until the signal stops. And then you know your break is right at that point okay.
How long do underground dog fences last?
How long will the underground fence equipment last? Every hidden dog fencing system we offer comes with a full lifetime warranty. The buried wire is designed to last over 20 years underground and will not break by itself.
What would cause an electric fence to stop working?
A lot of poor-performing fence systems can be blamed on inadequate ground systems. Every system should have at least three ground rods to perform properly. More ground rods should be installed if your electric fence is installed in sandy, dry or rocky soil. Frozen soil will also hinder the operation of your fence.
Can electric fence wire be spliced together?
Splices are usually needed as you come to the end of one spool of electric poly wire, but you still need to extend the fence. They allow you to link the polywire from one spool to the next. Secondly, polywire sometimes breaks and the de-energized section of fencing needs to be quickly re-established.
How do you find a broken underground wire?
2:168:41BEST Wire Locator Tool/Wire Break Locator in 2019 - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipGo to town with you little locator wand here. And what the wires gonna do is is whenever you'reMoreGo to town with you little locator wand here. And what the wires gonna do is is whenever you're walking across the wire like this anytime.
How long does invisible fence wire last?
27 yearsHow long does the Invisible Fence wire last? Invisible Fence boundary wire is a direct burial grade wire and has a life expectancy of 27 years left undisturbed in the ground.
How can you tell where a wire is broken?
Luckily, a tool called a standard multimeter can work as a broken wire locator by performing a continuity test on a circuit. Once you find where the break is, the wire can be fixed or replaced.
How do you test if Invisible Fence is working?
Some invisible pet fences include a battery tester with the fence system. Place this on the collar and walk past the boundary wire. If the tester lights up and you hear the audible warning given by the collar, the battery is functioning properly. If you hear the warning, but no light flashes, replace the battery.
Can a dog jump over an Invisible Fence?
Dogs can't escape by digging under or jumping over them. They are generally effective at keeping dogs on the property.
How do you reset an Invisible Fence after a power outage?
Replace the batteries of the main fence component, if possible. Some models have a battery-operated fence component that helps with the signal transmission. Plug in the transmitter. The system and transmitter should reset automatically upon being plugged back in.
How do you connect wire fence together?
0:085:37How to Join Field Fencing Wire - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipWe've got a new roll right here and it's joining out here in the middle. So what we've got to do isMoreWe've got a new roll right here and it's joining out here in the middle. So what we've got to do is put these two fences together so that when we pull them they will hold and not come apart.
How do you tie electric fence wires?
2:285:25Tying Off and Straining an Electric Fence - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipOnce I've twisted it in that direction. If I bring it back a bit spin my crank handle 90 degrees andMoreOnce I've twisted it in that direction. If I bring it back a bit spin my crank handle 90 degrees and spin it in this direction the wire will snap straight off leaving. Me with a nice clean.
Can you tie electric fence tape together?
1. Tie and join your polywire, braid or tape. Take both ends of the break in your electric fence wire or tape and tie them together as securely as you can, leaving just over an inch or about 4 centimetres of excess wire or tape on both sides.
How do you splice electric poly rope?
4:026:52Using Temporary Fencing / PolyWire Splicing Trick - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipSo what we're going to do is we're going to come back a couple wedges. Maybe about here come back aMoreSo what we're going to do is we're going to come back a couple wedges. Maybe about here come back a couple inches to about here we're just going to tie it into a knot.
How do you repair a broken invisible fence?
It depends on what part of the fence is broken. If the wire is broken, it's actually fairly easy to fix the problem. First, bring your pets inside...
Can invisible fence wire be repaired?
Invisible fence wire can be repaired. This is routinely done by invisible fence installers and the process is actually fairly easy for anyone who h...
Can you splice invisible fence wire?
Yes, you can fix an invisible fence by splicing in an unbroken wire. In fact, there are many invisible fence companies that sell invisible fence wi...
Why is my invisible fence unit beeping?
The most common reason why an invisible fence transmitter unit will be beeping is that there is a break somewhere in the wire. While there are some...
Locating the Break
The hardest part of repairing an underground dog fence is locating the break. Obviously you start in the areas where work has been done. Any digging, overweight vehicle traffic, or rodent activity.
Expose the Wire
Once the break has been located remove enough dirt around the area to be able to work comfortably. For me that was around 6 inches of wire out of the ground on each side. Also strip the ends of the wire at this time. A 1/2″ of wire is fine but I stripped about an inch so that it showed up better in the photos.
Prep the Wire for Soldering
There are a couple ways to repair an underground dog fence. Some manufacturers supply a couple silicone filled wire nuts. They tell you to mark any splices on a map so that the next time it breaks to check those spots first.
Seal Up the Splices
Slide the heat shrink over the splices and run the edge of the iron up and down the heat shrink. It shrinks equally on all sides so you have to heat it on all sides. When it’s all shrunk you should be good to go to the next step. I added a couple pieces of butyl tape that the utility company left me.
Test and Bury
The final step is to test the repair. Plug everything back in and bring Fido’s collar near the wire but be sure not to touch the contacts while your doing it. If all goes well then go ahead and bury the newly repaired area. Lay the loop of wire flat so that you don’t accidentally snag it with the lawnmower.
How to test a live boundary wire?
Approach the live boundary wire with the receiver collar. Test it at multiple parts along the wire. It should beep at the same distance along the wire. Set the transmitter to full power. Test the receiver collar again. It should beep at the same distance along the wire. However, this time the distance should be greater.
How to test a receiver collar?
Turn on the receiver collar and the transmitter. For all tests use the same correction level on the receiver collar. Set the collar to beep or vibrate. Set the transmitter to half power. You’ll test two different settings on the transmitter. Again, keep the collar correction level the same. For the tests, you may want to add ...
How long do dog collar batteries last?
Sportdog collars last for 168 hours or about 1 month of use 8 hours a day. In short, most collar batteries last at least a month and sometimes up to 4 months.
Why is my collar not turning on?
If the collar appears to turn on but not all the lights are working on the transmitter or its alarm is on you have a transmitter problem. Contact your manufacturer to fix it.
How to check if a transmitter is working?
To check if the transmitter is having issues you’ll need to disconnect the existing boundary wire and connect a short 15-foot section of boundary wire to run some tests. Make sure the 15-foot wire is spread out. The signal will cancel anywhere the wire is within 3 feet of itself.
Why do dog collars slide up?
The contact posts should consistently contact the skin but shouldn’t cause abrasions. If you attach the collar too low on the neck where the neck is wider the collar may slide up when your dog runs around. This could cause the contact posts or prongs to lose contact.
Why does a wire break when digging?
The wire gets cut accidentally from digging. The splice locations break due to poor slicing equipment or vehicle traffic above it pulling them apart. Vehicles or lawnmowers run over the buried invisible fence and break the wire, especially at splice locations.
How Invisible Fences Work
Before you start to work on your invisible fence, it’s generally a good idea to stop and figure out how the fence works. Though there are definitely technical issues that you probably don’t need to get into, there are at least some factors that are going to be important for understanding how the fence works.
Identifying a Broken Wire
The first step in fixing a broken boundary wire is learning how to identify the break. Most of the better invisible fences on the market today will typically sound an alarm when there’s a broken line, which should tell you to bring your pet back inside and to get to work as soon as you can.
Fixing a Broken Wire in an Invisible Fence
There are two options for anyone that wants to fix a wire break in an invisible fence. The first is probably the easiest, but it’s also the most costly. You can absolutely call out a professional to come to fix any wire break that you have.
Preventing Wire Breaks in Invisible Fences
As you might imagine, the best-case scenario never involves wire repairs at all. Instead, you’ll want to take steps to make sure that you minimize the possibility of wire breaks occurring at all.
Why are dog fence wires broken?
Usually, dog fence wires are broken because of physical damage for activities that include gardening, edging, weed whacking, pesky rodents, etc. Remembering the place where you might have had any of those activities done will show you the site straightly.
What happens if a transmitter stops beeping?
If you find the transmitter has stopped beeping, there’s a break (s) in the grounded wire of that particular site. But if you still see the transmitter with beeping, there’s any other site where the break exists. Just check one by one, and you will find it at a stage.
What happens if a dog fence wire is broken?
Once a dog fence wire is broken, it will lead you (being the owner) to a series of inconveniences. The first and most critical among those is, of course, the possibility of a dog’s escape, which might be extremely dangerous for the dog. If you miss to notice the broken wire initially or ignore the beeps from the transmitter, ...
How to check broken wire under ground?
Bridging the Grounded Wire. It is another way of checking broken wire under the ground, especially at sites such as a driveway, around gardens, or gateways. Cut the wire from both sides of the site and then bridge from one side to the other side with new wires.
Why do fences get frustrated?
Fence owners become frustrated when most of the wires or entire wires of their invisible fence are buried under the ground, and all of a sudden they discover broken wire.
Why does my transmitter beep?
If it does beep only, then the problem is only with the wiring. But if you notice the transmitter has no lighting or surge protection, it means issues in the transmitter, e.g., damaged by a spike of energy.

What to Do If Your Invisible Fence Or Collar Isn’T Working
- Step 1 – Check the batteries on the receiver collar
Depending on the model you may be able to buy replacement batteries, if needed, from a local store. Others, like PetSafe require their specific replacement batteries whichyou can get here. - Step 2 – Connect a 15 Foot test wire to the transmitter
To check if the transmitter is having issues you’ll need to disconnect the existing boundary wire and connect a short 15-foot section of boundary wire to run some tests. Make sure the 15-foot wire is spread out. The signal will cancel anywhere the wire is within 3 feet of itself. We recomm…
FAQ – Receiver Collar Problems
- Why Is My Collar Not Beeping When I Approach The Wire?
If your collar isn’t beeping you have one of three problems: the batteries need to be changed, the transmitter isn’t working, or there’s a break in the underground wire. Run through the tests described above to figure out the exact problem. - How Long Will The Batteries Last In My Collar?
PetSafe collars last 1 – 3 months with a fully charged collar. Extreme dog fence collarslast 3 – 4 months. Sportdog collars last for 168 hours or about 1 month of use 8 hours a day. In short, most collar batteries last at least a month and sometimes up to 4 months.
FAQ – Transmitter Problems
- How Do I Check The Fuses In My Transmitter?
This will vary depending on the manufacturer. Here are the instructions for the top 3 brands: 1. PetSafe In-Ground Fence Manual – https://www.petsafe.net/media/manuals/prf-3004w-in-ground-fence-manual.pdf 2. Extreme Dog In-Ground Fence Manual – https://www.extremedogfence.co… - How To Reset The Transmitter On A Dog Fence
See the instructions above for your particular brand. If you can’t find your instructions simply turn the transmitter off, wait 30 seconds, then turn it back on. You can also try a hard reset by unplugging the transmitter, waiting 30 seconds, then plugging it back in and turning it on.
FAQ – Underground Boundary Wire Problems
- Why Does My Collar Beep In One Place On The Invisible Fence, But Not Another?
You may have an issue with the collar, transmitter, or a break in the underground wire, or broken splices. Follow the instructions above to test all three problems. If you have a wire break you’ll need to follow our article on how to find a break in an underground fence. - What Happens To Underground Dog Fence Wire and Invisible Fences Over Time?
Over time underground dog fencewires will degrade or you’ll have a wire break via one of the following causes: 1. The wire gets cut accidentally from digging 2. The splice locations break due to poor slicing equipment or vehicle traffic above it pulling them apart 3. Vehicles or lawnmower…