I have a friend who wants to purchase an invisible fence for her 2 acre lot. She asked me which is better, in ground (buried wire) or wireless and I don't know the answer. Was hoping someone here might have experience with them. If buried wire, is there a solution to running across a paved driveway without ripping up the asphalt?

DZ

I have a 2 acre lot with a buried I.F. wire. The installer used a diamond blade saw to make a nice straight cut into the driveway and patched it up. I have asphalt and since installed 3 years ago has gotten settlement cracks anyway and I've had it resealed.

I like the buried lines and have a panel in my garage that indicates with blinking/beeping if one gets cut. I like knowing that the wire is "permanent" and the wireless one had a range that adjusted on the side like a radio dial-I marked the spot that I wanted to keep it at with a sharpie, but realized quickly I needed to keep my two year old away from it!

I used a wireless one in the house to keep the dogs out of the laundry room where the cat boxes are. The only problem is that I have a multi level house and the dogs would get shocked in other place that they weren't meant to stay out of. Outside, I imagine that would not be an issue.

That's my experience. I know that my company installed fence works consistently and have had great customer service when I've had issues. My neighbor who installed it himself has had his dogs get lose more times than I could count.

Lisa

Eric,
I should add that the cut in the driveway is no more than a 1/2- 1 inch deep, just enough for the wire to be installed and covered with driveway patch. No "ripping of asphalt" required
Lisa

Those wireless fences do not work well on a hilly lot. Also, many people complain that they shock their dogs everytime there is an electrical storm.

On the upside, the dog can't just bolt through the fence and endure a single shock. He will continue to get a shock as long as he is out of range. But, this also means that if your power goes out, doggy gets shocked continuously.

I would go with the in-ground solution and hope the dogs don't figure out that they can bolt through it. At least it won't shock them for no reason.

I spoke with the president of a company that makes invisible fence and dog tracking solutions. And there's a possibility that we will see a GPS based solution on the market in the next couple of years. Don't hold your breath though, there are some patent issues that need to be dealt with, among other things.

i have looked at them two but do not know much about them

The main problem I have with the wireless IFs is that they are not fair to the dog. The field they create is always circular and the person can adjust the distance. Where people get into trouble is that they don't take the time to actually accurately mark the barrier for the dog. Or they stupidly adjust the field and never bother to retrain fluffy. Each time the barrier is moved your dog must be retrained to that new area.

IMO wired systems are better, fairer to the dog, and easier to mark. Do not use those stupid flags that come with the fence. Instead run the whitest piece of twine you can find around the perimeter instead.

The wireless IF's also fluctuate with their range. The barrier is never in the exact same spot, it will move 10 feet either way. I've also seen people complain that the unit will randomly shock inside the "barrier" when they hit a dead spot. I wouldn't do one of those.

You might as well just make a maze with the underground stuff and put your dog into it. It's just as fair to him.