How To Adjust An Invisible Fence Collar Strength

Ryan Womeldorf
by Ryan Womeldorf

Fences provide a boundary for the home and are especially great for homeowners that have pets. But fences are also quite expensive. For that reason, more and more homeowners with pets are turning to invisible fences to create that boundary.

But what happens when you want to adjust the strength of those invisible fence collars? Using this guide, you will be able to apply a few different measures that should help you get the strength that is comfortable for both you and your pet.

Why Your Collar May Not Be Working Properly

The purpose of the invisible fence collar is to provide a reasonable shock to the collar of your pet. This is to alert them that they are at their allowable perimeter. But from time to time, the collar may not provide the proper level of shock.

When this happens, there are quite a few things that can be the culprit. It can be that the signal field is a bit too narrow. It could be a weak battery, a lack of transmitter power, a break in the perimeter wire, a poor collar fit, and the aforementioned low shock setting. Making the proper adjustments are relatively simple, so if it is the latter, you should be able to do so without assistance.

Whenever you are making changes to the collar, its settings, or the perimeter wire, make sure to remove the collar first. It is always best to play things safer than sorry, especially when it comes to the safety of your pets.

Step 1: Check the Collar Settings

The first thing that you should do if you believe that a low power setting is the culprit is to find the push button on the collar. Depending on the model of the collar, the buttons could be inverted. If this is the case, you’ll need to use a pen-push. Most of the time, they should be clearly visible.

Generally speaking, most shock collars should have 5 settings with varying strengths. They should use either a series of beeps or maybe a light that blinks in a specific set of indicators. You can actually find out which setting the collar is on by pressing the push button.

After pushing the button, the collar will either blink or beep to tell you that it is working properly. It will then do so again, up to 5 times, to show you what the shock setting is. If you get just one blink or beep after the initial blink or beep, that tells you it is at the lowest possible setting. The number of corresponding beeps and blinks after the first one will tell you the setting level.

Step 2: Adjust the Level

After you’ve done your due diligence to find out the current shock level, press the button again inside of the 5-second window in order to raise the level of correction. When you’re done, the collar will either blink or beep in a series to let you know what the new shock level is.

If you’re still not satisfied, you can press the button again within 5 seconds to raise the level even further. Keep going until you’re at the level of correction that you desire. To make the correction level lower, keep pressing the button as the level will cycle back down to 1 after it hits 5.

Step 3: Check the Level of Shock Before Putting it on Your Pet

This is an important step. Don’t just assume that the level you’ve chosen is fine. Make sure that you test it out on your hand first before returning the collar back to your dog. The last thing that you want to do is put the collar on them with a shock level that is much too high.

When you’re comfortable with the correction level, put the collar back on and you should be good to go. If the shock level doesn’t change after you’ve made the corrections, it could be one of the other aforementioned issues. Getting those issues fixed may require returning the unit to the manufacturer.

How Tight Should the Invisible Fence Collar Be?

The tightness of the invisible fence collar should be about as tight as you would put on a normal collar. It has to be tight enough that the points of contact on the collar are lightly applying pressure to the dog’s neck.

Make sure that the collar isn’t too loose or too tight; it shouldn’t be able to re-position itself or to slide on its own. It could take a couple of minutes to get the proper adjustment. You definitely don’t want the collar to be too tight, either, as it could rub your dog’s neck raw.

How Do You Reset an Invisible Fence Transmitter?

There may come a time where the transmitter isn’t working quite the way that it should. When this is the case, resetting the transmitter could be a great way to get it working once again. Resetting the transmitter may be as simple as popping the batteries out and then back in once again.

Whenever you are turning off the power to the fence, bring your dog inside. With your dog safely inside, unplug the transmitter and then take a look for any metal objects that might be on top of or around the fence that could be causing interference. Plug the system back in and check to make sure that the transmitter is working properly once again.

Why Does the Collar Flash Green?

When you first put the battery into the invisible fence receiver, you should notice that the status light is flashing green. This is meant to indicate that the receiver has started up in the proper manner. If you happen to notice that the lights have not started blinking, it could mean that the battery hasn’t been put incorrectly.

Pop the battery out and reinsert it, starting up the transmitter once again. In most cases, the green light should start flashing. If it doesn’t, it could be indicative of another issue.

How Long Do Invisible Fence Collars Last?

Generally speaking, most of the invisible fence collars that you will find will run on batteries. On one set of batteries, you can expect to get somewhere in the neighborhood of 3-4 months depending on the quality of the battery.

As far as the invisible collar itself, you should be able to get several years out of them. Most invisible fence collars are constructed to be moisture resistant if not completely waterproof. That alone should help to extend the life of the invisible fence collar.

Do Invisible Fence Collars Wear Out?

While the batteries will run out at some point in time, the question is more about the two prongs that actually deliver the shock to the dog. It has to be in close contact with their skin in order to work properly and those can wear down with consistent use.

Keep an eye on the prongs after the first six months or so. If you notice that the dog is not so apprehensive towards the perimeter of the fence, it could be a good indication that the prongs are beginning to wear down.

Ryan Womeldorf
Ryan Womeldorf

Ryan Womeldorf has more than a decade of experience writing. He loves to blog about construction, plumbing, and other home topics. Ryan also loves hockey and a lifelong Buffalo sports fan.

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