An electric dog fence can save you money and time when you're trying to keep your dog from roaming the neighborhood. However, if you're having issues with your electric dog fence, it can be expensive to have the installation company come out and troubleshoot problems. Many fence problems can be fixed with a small adjustment for free. So before you call your installation company, try to troubleshoot problems with your electric dog fence.
Instructions
Check the batteries in your pet's collar. They may be dead and the reason why your electric dog fence isn't working. The collar may also be too big and needs to be adjusted for the dog to feel the electric shock. Some dogs have lots of hair on their neck, and the hair needs to be trimmed to feel the effect of the shock collar.
Locate the radio transmitter. Most brands of electric dog fences show an error if the circuit is not complete. If yours is showing an error, check the two fence wires that are connected to the transmitter jacks. Are they securely in the transmitter jacks? Try removing the two fence wires and replacing them with the ends of a short piece of wire. If the error indicator continues, it may be a problem with the radio transmitter. If it stops, you probably have a break in the fence wiring.
Buy an RF choke, an inexpensive electronic device that will allow the transmitter to emit a radio frequency even though the circuit isn't complete. Place the RF choke leads into the transmitter jacks and wrap the fence wires around the other ends of the RF choke leads. Tune a portable radio to the frequency your electric dog fence is using. 600 AM is a popular radio frequency but it may be different, depending on your brand of electric dog fence. You can search the radio stations until you hear a fast clicking, beeping or tapping noise from the radio. This will mean its on the correct station. Walk along the perimeter of the electric dog fence with the portable radio. The place where the signal drops off is where there are likely breaks in the fence wiring.
If none of the above steps helps you troubleshoot your problems, there may be a defect in the system. In this case, you should contact the installation company for further help.