Installation: Planning

Marking Utilities and other Obstacles

The first thing we need to do is have your underground utility lines marked so you know where to be careful when digging. 811 is a free service that alerts water, sewer, electricity, cable and gas suppliers to mark your property with the route of any underground utility lines. Simply call 811 and the utility companies will mark their underground utility lines with either flags or spray paint. It can take up to a week so you will want to call now. If you have privately installed any utilities like a septic system or lines for gas cylinders you will want to mark these as well. Most utilities are deeply buried (over a foot deep) and you will only be burying the cables a few inches deep so usually underground utilities are not an issue, but it is better to be safe than sorry and dig carefully in areas where utilities are located.

If possible mark the location of any sprinkler system lines or low voltage power lines for any outdoor lighting system you have had installed. If you can’t determine the location of these lines, make your best guess. Damaging a sprinkler line or a low voltage power line is not a big deal, both are easy to fix. Just be sure to shut off the water and power before you start digging.

Sketch a Diagram
On grid paper, sketch a rough map of your property showing any buildings, paths, driveways, garden beds, underground utilities and other obstacles. Figure out which parts of the garden you want to give your dog access to and which parts you want to block access to.

Decide where you will locate the transmitter box. The transmitter should be located near a power outlet and protected from the elements. Inside a garage or electrified shed is ideal.

Now determine where you will run your fence. The fence needs to make a complete loop starting and ending at the transmitter box. You will use a pair of wires twisted together in places where you want the dog to be able to cross the wire safely. FOr more details on twisted wire, see here.

Some things to keep in mind when deciding on the placement of wires:

1. Cross utility lines at right angles – you want to avoid running wire close to a utility line for an extended stretch because, in some rare instances a boundary wires running close to a utility wire can induce a signal in the utility wire making part of your home wiring trigger the collar receivers.

2. Round corners - boundary wires should turn corners gradually, avoiding sharp 90 degree turns.

3. Separate parallel boundary wires – Boundary wires emit signals that will cancel each other out, so you want any boundary wires that are parallel to each other to be at least six feet apart. Similarly, if your neighbors have a dog fence, keep your wires about six feet from theirs.

4. Sample Layouts

5. Perimeter Layout

6. The most popular layout runs along your yard’s perimeter. This layout allows your dog access to the entire property.

7. The twisted wire joins the house transmitter box to the boundary wire. This enables the dog to safely walk over the twisted wire path.

8. Where possible lay the boundary wire two yards back from the road to give a good safety buffer for you dog and to allow a space for pedestrians. Also try to allow three yards between the boundary wire and the house on at least one side to allow the dog room to pass between the front and back yard

9. Hourglass Layout

10. The hourglass layout contains the dog in both the front and back yard, but does not allow the dog to cross between the front and back yard. This is great if you want the dog with you in the front or back yard but do not want them crossing between them.

11. Note that the two loops are connected to each other on the left hand side of this diagram and that they both connect to the transmitter box on the right hand side

12. Backyard Only Layout

13. To enclose only your back yard you need a double back to complete the loop. Note that the two wires are connected on the left hand side of the diagram.

14. The two loops must be separated by at least six feet to avoid the signals from one loop from interfering with the other. If they are too close you will not get a nice strong signal along the boundary

15. Exclusion Zones

16. You can also add small exclusion zones to keep your dog out of small areas within your property. For example you may want your dog to have full access to your yard except a small garden bed.

17. To do this you loop some boundary wire around the area you want to protect and join the loop to the main loop with some twisted wire.