Is A Wireless, Electronic Fence Right For Your Dog? #Giveaway

Note: I partnered with Binatone Global to bring you this post.

This post is written to help you decide if a wireless, electronic fence system such as the Motorola WirelessFence25 is right for your dog.

I know some people get a little nervous when they hear about electronic collars, but the vibration from this collar literally feels like a vibrating cell phone.

My own Lab mix Ace was trained on an electronic fence system, which allowed him to experience off-leash freedom in my parents’ large yard. I have so many good memories of my dog hanging out with us in the yard during campfires, sitting by the lake, etc.

An added benefit of the Motorola system is its mobility. You can pack it up into a small case and take it camping, to a relative’s house, etc.

I wanted to cover some pros and cons of the Motorola wireless fence based on my experience. If you have any training or product questions, just leave them in the comments and I’ll get them answered.

Overview of the Motorola WirelessFence25

The Motorola WirelessFence25 is a wireless dog fence you can use at home or for traveling. It was created by Binatone Global, the licensing partner of Motorola home and pet monitoring systems.

The WirelessFence25 creates a circular containment area that is weatherproof and works indoors or outdoors. It is portable and can be used for camping, visiting the beach, etc.

It’s available on Amazon for $299 with free shipping. Click here.

Some primary features include:

• No wires to bury.
• The base and collar come with re-chargeable batteries.
• A tone-only mode and 15 levels of “correction.”
• The system is meant for traveling and can be packed into a small travel case.
• Comes with 50 flags to mark boundaries during training.
• Comes with a detailed, step-by-step training guide.
• Gives a warning tone a few feet before the actual boundary.

Consider a wireless fence for your pup if:

1. You can’t put up a physical fence due to cost, HOA rules, living on lakefront property, etc.

2. You need added protection to keep your dog away from a road.

3. You need to keep your dog out of a certain area such as a pool area, a driveway, or to prevent digging in a flower bed.

4. You need a safe way to confine your dog when you take her to a friend or relative’s home or to a park or the beach.

5. You want to use it to “fence in” a smaller area within a physical fence such as a garden or a larger area beyond a physical fence.

Let me know of some other good reasons I’ve missed in the comment section.

Here are some of my thoughts on the Motorola WirelessFence25

What I like about it

• It’s a well-made product at a good value ($279). You definitely don’t want to go with a cheaper product to “save money.” We bought a much cheaper system from another brand years ago, and it was worthless.
• I love how the user guide teaches dog owners how to safely teach their dogs the boundaries over a few weeks, keeping the dog on a leash at first and using praise and food as rewards. It’s all about the positive-reinforcement vs. the corrections.
• The warning tone starts a few feet from the boundary you set, to give adequate notice.

What I don’t like

• The actual electronic piece of the collar might be a little large for some smaller dogs, however it can be used on dogs 20 pounds and up. You can see, it works just fine for my 70-pounder.
• The collar requires re-charging, which can be inconvenient at times. If your dog wears the collar for much of the day, it will need to be re-charged every 48 hours or so. If you only use it here and there, the battery lasts longer.
• The maximum distance between the boundary zone and the system’s base is 150 feet, so keep that in mind.

Here’s what the base looks like. It also comes with a ground stake, which you’ll see in some of the other pics.

How easy is it to set up?

The Motorola WirelessFence25 is easy to use once you get the hang of it. Just make sure to carefully follow the user guide and give yourself some time for the first setup and to get used to the system. The high-pitched beeps during setup might bother some dogs, do it’s best to have your dog indoors during that time.

Setting the actual boundaries involves walking along the perimeter with the collar and marking the boundary with actual flags.

Do the corrections hurt?

Absolutely not. I tried the collar on myself first. That was a sight!

I set it on level 3 first and then on the highest level, 15. I held the prongs right to the skin on my wrist. The “pings” were just like holding a vibrating cell phone to my wrist. It does not hurt. Potentially a bit startling at first.

I trained Ace on an older system for keeping him in my parents’ yard, and the Motorola system is very comparable with the added option of taking it with you to the park, on vacation, to Grandma’s house, etc.

Some basic tips

Motorola’s guide goes over the training steps in detail, and the company’s suggestions are similar to what I did when training Ace.

A couple of tips:

• Play with your dog in the yard first, and then walk him towards the boundary on a leash while he wears the collar set to warning tone only. Once you hear the tone, happily say “Get back!” and reward your dog for following you. “Good boy! Yaaay!”
• Introduce a low level of correction on day 2 or 3. Do the same as above, but allow your dog to experience a slight correction so he understands something follows the warning beep.
• On day 5 or so, allow your dog more freedom on a long leash and start introducing some mild distractions. If he crosses the boundary, let him experience the correction and then immediately retreat inside the boundary and praise him.

Dogs catch on really quickly, but it’s important to take it slowly and go through all the training steps.

Win a FREE Motorola WirelessFence25 valued at $299.

*1/16/17 update: I’m giving away my Motorola WirelessFence25 to one reader of That Mutt. To enter, leave a comment on this new post.

Ordering information

The Motorola WirelessFence25 is available on Amazon for $279 with free shipping. You can order one using my affiliate link here.

If you have any questions about how the product works or how the training works, leave them in the comments and I’ll get them answered.

Where would you take the Motorola WirelessFence25?

Let me know in the comments!

*This post contains affiliate links.