Beat Fido to it
Dogs are sneaky. If there’s a break in their fence—invisible or not—there’s a good chance they’ll find it to try and escape and get into mischief. Finding a “hole” or break in an invisible fence takes more than a good eye—here’s how to locate and repair a damaged section of your invisible dog fence to keep Fido safely contained and prevent any unexpected adventures.
Invisible dog fences work using underground boundary wires that are buried two to six inches deep. This wire is connected to a transmitter, which you likely have mounted somewhere in your basement or garage. The transmitter sends out a radio signal through the boundary wire, which is received by a collar that your pet wears.
Wire breaks can happen from various yard activities. The underground wire could be broken by:
Yard work, such as edging
Lawn aeration
Tree or trunk removal
Snow plowing
Sprinkler system installation
Before scheduling any work that requires digging in your yard, draw a map of your invisible dog fence boundary and note the area for the contractors so they can avoid these locations. You could also mark the location of the wire using small marker flags.
Every invisible dog fence is different; some manufacturers have installed alarms into their fence transmitters to alert you when there is a break. If your fence does not have this technology, there are other ways to confirm you indeed have a wire break.
To check for a break, disconnect the wires from the transmitter and put the ends of a paperclip into the jacks where the wires had been. If the alarm stops beeping, the transmitter is working fine and there is a break in the fence.
You can also use an ohmmeter to check for a break. An ohmmeter measures the resistance in the wire. To use one, you should unplug the two wires connected to the transmitter. Next, attach the ohmmeter probes to the disconnected wires. If the ohmmeter shows no resistance (or shows infinite resistance), the wires are continuous and the issue might be with the transmitter. If there is resistance, you likely have a break in the invisible dog fence wire.
Once you have confirmed there is indeed a break in your invisible dog fence, it’s time to locate the break in order to make necessary repairs.
Disconnect the fence wires from the transmitter
Connect a radiofrequency (RF) choke to the fence wire
Insert the leads of the choke into the jacks where the fence wires were connected
Next, take a handheld AM radio and tune it to a lower AM range; most dog fences emit a signal around 600 kHz
Once you have found the right frequency, you should hear a signal as you pass the radio over the ground—the signal should sound like a rapid tapping or beeping
If you don’t hear a signal, try adjusting the intensity of the signal on the transmitter
With your radio in hand, walk the perimeter of the yard, following where you know the invisible dog fence to be
Hold the radio’s antenna close to the ground and listen for a clear signal
When you locate an area where the signal drops or becomes weak, this could be where the break is located
Make sure to walk the entire perimeter of the yard before you start digging to repair the break
Once you have located the break, you’ll need to dig up the wire to repair it. Using a hand tiller or pick axe, dig into the ground until you have exposed the wire. Make sure to move slowly and drag the tool perpendicular to the wire to avoid breaking it further.
After you have exposed the wire, use the radio to check for a signal on both sides of the break. If there are several breaks, you might need to dig more to locate them all. Once the breaks have all been found, connect the ends using waterproof connectors; these connectors are filled with silicone and will keep the connection waterproof and secure.
Once the break has been repaired, reconnect the wires to the transmitter and check if the alarm is silenced. If it is, you have successfully repaired the break in the dog fence.
If you have a handheld radio and RF choke, this project should cost very little to tackle on your own. If you need to purchase these items, you will spend roughly $50 to $80. To hire an animal fencing pro near you to repair a broken invisible dog fence, you should expect to spend $100 to $300. While slightly more expensive, a professional can assess the overall state of your invisible dog fence and ensure that everything is in working order to prevent further problems.
The cost to install an invisible fence is between $1,000 and $3,400, on average. Most homeowners pay around $1,325. The cost will jump if the enclosure is irregularly-shaped or if the installation team has to work with rough soil. If you have multiple dogs, you might need to spend extra to purchase collars for all of them.
With proper maintenance and care, invisible fences can last 25 years or more. Breaks in the wire can shorten the lifespan of an invisible fence, so it's always advised to be cautious when digging around your yard, whether for yard work or something else.
It is possible to DIY the installation of an invisible fence, provided you’re comfortable with a lot of digging—you’ll need to dig the entire perimeter of the fence if the system is a wired one. That said, there are now wireless systems that do not require digging. If time is valuable to you, however, consider hiring a local animal fencing pro to handle this job.
