PetSafe PIF-300 Wireless Pet Containment System
We'll see in this article what is the PIF 300 wireless dog fence. This is a wireless system in which is primary job is to keep your dog(s) inside a predefined circular area. It can keep dogs inside within a 90 feet circular area as long as they are over 8 pounds. The circular range is configurable and can have a minimum of 5 feet (good for indoors) and a maximum of 90 feet (without obstacles).
The range is considered in a radius perspective so the dog will be confined to a circular area.
The PIF 300 won't require you to bury wires or make any kind of construction in your backyard. Tipically this will only take you one hour to install. And after you install it once, it will be even easir to install it again wherever you go.
You can use this device in both indoors and outdoors. It's great if you pretend to create an invisible containment area.
Use some objects in your delimiting area so your dog can see better where are the boundaries. But don't overdo it, as soon as you feel he got the picture, remove those visual aids and let him run away freely (always with supervision in the first days).
Be carefull with busy roads next to your containment area. This device is good but not perfect and your dog might escape some day due to some reason. Don't take me wrong, this is a good device, but the fact is, it's not perfect, and you should always use common sense to evaluate if your dog will be safe in that specific area or not. Never forget that this device is not perfect. This device cannot prevent your dog from running away at high speed if he really wants to.
You can use almost anything for your dog's visual aids. Stones around your circular boundary, wooden sticks in the ground, anything can be useful in the beginning to help your dog.
One other thing you can do, and it's highly effective, is to use a light rope of about 32 feet (10 meters) and let the dog drag it around the containment area. If he decides to get to the boundary area and the shocks aren't enough to stop him, or even if he doesn't understand that the shocks mean that he must turn around, then you can simply step on the rope and he won't runaway. This will probably be unnecessary, because most dogs will understand very quickly, but just in case, you can always stop him immediately if he doesn't understand that he must turn around. This is a good technique to use in the first days if you live in a more busy area, with people and dogs passing by. To have full control if necessary is a lot better than fixing a bad situation if it happens.
You could be asking now, how does this device stops my dog from crossing the boudaries?
The central transmitter will be able to correct your dog because the collar he will use will provide the transmitter information on its distance from the central point. The collar your dog will use has two contact points responsible for the necessary corrections.
Just before he gets to the "forbidden" zone, he will get a beeping warning. Your dog won't get a correction without warning, he will first ear a beeping sound, and only then if he insists, he will get the stimulation.
Are these stimulations harmful for my dog?
After everything is configured correctly you won't have a problem with possible injuries.
The transmitter has a full range of configurable properties:
- Switch for high or low intensity
- On-off transmitter
- Adjustable range control
- Power state indicator
- Only the collar is waterproof, be careful when leaving the transmitter outside
The collar your dog will use:
- Is completely waterproof
- 6 volt battery allows for full wireless functioning
- Includes interchangeable long and short contact points ?It can be useful for different dog sizes
- A 25-second safety timeout in case dog stops at the boundary zone
- A screw-off cap covering the correction-level button
- Low battery indication through a small led in the collar
Every dog will be different, and every dog will have different levels of "shock" tolerance. Don't set the collar to its maximum level if you have a small dog, and don't set the minimum level to a big dog.
This wireless fence as showned that it can be very useful but also that it has some disadvantages that should be considered.
Look at the following topics and decide for yourself if this device is really useful or not:
Advantages:
- Maximum range of 90 feet and minimum range of 5 feet
- 5 adjustable levels of correction plus tone-only mode
- Can be used both outside or inside
- Easy to install
- Easily portable
- Good manual for setup and training tips
- Two types of contact points for dogs of different sizes
- Visual aids can be removed after the dog learns what to do.
- No more need for expensive and static fences, your dog runs freely around the containment zone
- If the power fails, your dog won't get corrected
- No wires required
Weak points:
- Can't be used on dogs under 6 months
- Transmitter will fail in extreme humidity or if left outside in the rain
- The transmitter must always be connected to a power outlet
- Should not be used in situations where crossing the boundaries involves risk of death or injuries
- In case of a power outage, this device will be turned off and your dog will be free to runaway
- Other dogs and people can cross the boundaries (risk of dog fighting or theft)
- Should be kept at least 3 feet away from the utility box or large appliances
- It should take 2 weeks before your dog really learns how the system works
Final thoughts on the PetSafe PIF 300:
Now you should have a clear idea whether to buy this device or not. Don't look at the comercial hype that exists around this device. Do an informed decision and you won't regret it. This is not a perfect device, but for me personally it fits my needs. Where I live this device is quite perfect for me, especially on my vacations. Although my dos are well trained, this device gives me a bit of peace of mind and a feeling of safety, knowing I don't have to keep an eye on them every time they are on the loose.
Hope this review of the PIF 300 helped you make a good decision and best of luck for you and your pets. For more info you can visit the http://www.obediencetraining-for-dogs.com/dogtraining/2010/09/23/pif-300/ post.
