Innotek UltraSmart Contain and Train

April 2013 Update: After 2 years with this fence I couldn't be more pleased. I've had no issues other than a neighbor digging in my yard (I know, right?) and breaking the fence, which I repaired. The winter issue I detailed in my earlier review has disappeared, as my dog does not even think about leaving the yard without being in the car or on a leash,Batteries for the collar are amazing. Even after 2 years we charge them maybe once every 2 months. However, they will go quicker with use of the trainer. Since we rarely use this feature I cannot state how significant this reduction will be.In hindsight I may not have picked up the trainer version and would have bought a separate collar to do that, mostly because I don't use it, not because I've had issues with it.Original review:We bought this product last year after moving from a fenced-in yard to a completely unfenced yard. The install was not easy (what invisible fence is) - but using 3 people (as opposed to two) significantly shortened the time.The product itself is quality - everything is well produced and feels sturdy. Unlike one or two other reviews, after a year with the product we have not had any issues with the collars or remote wearing down. I have noticed that the remote trainer has seemed to lose some distance, but I have not replaced the battery (still the original one from a year ago...) so I assume that this is part of the problem. At the time when I was buying the fence I thought we'd make a lot more use of the training function than we actually do. Oh well, it's still nice to have when we want to.The product works fine, the dog learned to respect the fence quickly. However, in our first winter (we live in Michigan) we had some issues with the dog getting out. After reading up on this issue (and talking to friends who had another brand fence) we turned the field size from low to high and this seemed to resolve the issue somewhat. Unfortunately, by the time I did this the heavy snow was mostly gone, so I wasn't able to fully test it with the dog (but I tested it on my leg!). So for those of you in cold-weather climates, be sure to considering doing this if you have some issues during the winter. This isn't a problem unique to this product, it's just the nature of the beast (and science) if you live in a place where it snows like this for part of the year. Be sure to remember to turn down the field size once the snow melts.I've also decided to make sure the collar is tight on my dog's neck. I'm not the type of person that has a really tight normal collar, so I had always kept this collar somewhat tight as well, but my dog is very stubborn and began "testing" the fence to see if he could hear a signal to check for weaknesses. The fence performed without fail, and I made sure that the collar was on tight and he's stopped doing this.Also, the battery backup/alarm is great. It makes a loud enough noise in our garage that we can hear it. And if you remember to use the collar recharge warning this will help you as well.I haven't had any issues with battery charges on the actual collar - it seems to last a long time for us (I go weeks without charging it when not using the training device) after a year of full use. For those wondering, I've read that collars for other Innotek Systems (i.e., SD-2100, SD-4100, etc.) work with this fence, but have not actually tested this. I plan on doing so shortly (and will update). Note that collars from PetSafe and other brands DO NOT work on this fence (likewise your collar won't work on a PetSafe face).A few helpful hints:-Don't cut the rubber on the collar too short. I made the mistake of cutting it short when we first got him and now I'm running out of room. There is a "repair kit" if you do this - I still have enough room but am running out. Note that for the collar you probably want 4 extra holes past the one you actually click in to to make sure it reaches the little "belt loop" (or whatever you want to call it), so if you think you might need to make it a different size at some point be sure to leave about 6 extra holes.-The training system really does work well with full batteries. My dog is VERY stubborn, but he'd hear the chirp and know what to do.-Installation in a garage has been just fine for the wall-unit, haven't run in to any issues with that-The recharging station for the collar effectively will block both plugs, just be aware of this. If you place it on the bottom one it still leaves the top one open (unless you put a collar on), but it also is rounded so it creeps up close to it, making it really hard to plug anything else in to it. Just find a place where you never plug stuff in.-I haven't had any durability issues or anything like that after a year, battery still running strong in the collar. After reading the reviews I expected it to go sooner, so this is a good thing (I've also read there were defects in collars produced in '08 and '09 which might explain some of the "self test fail" and battery issues which appear in some of the other reviews. Take it for what it's worth). I'm sure I will eventually replace the collar, but it's still running strong.-We installed the fence at standard depth and ran it in a gap in the driveway (covered with outdoor sealant caulk to protect it). At this level the dog can get in the back seat of a car and wear his collar and not be shocked when on small field size. This can be seen as a benefit or a downfall I suppose.

After researching various containment products online, I decided to go with the Innotek UltraSmart Contain and Train system (with Remote)...and I'm glad I did! All the components are high-quality and the system is very easy to install. I installed the "fence" around the entire perimeter of our property. I ended up needing just over the 500 feet of the Boundary Wire that came with the system so I simply ordered another spool of the wire online that was an exact match. Besides, I figured it doesn't hurt to have some extra boundary wire in case the line gets cut or I just want to reroute the boundary a different way.Since we have 2 medium-to-large size dogs, I ended up ordering an additional collar. The collars are high-quality, fully adjustable and come with two sets of prongs for short-haired or long-haired dogs. We have one of each.I strongly recommend purchasing this product with the optional Remote Control. The remote works great for general training use inside or outside the home once the dogs are fully trained with the containment system as recommended on the Instructional DVD that comes with the product. The remote is able to control each of our two collars independently by simply pushing a button on the remote that switches it back and forth between each collar. So far I have only had to use the "tone" button on the remote to get our dogs to immediately respond. I have yet to actually use the "stimulation" button on the remote of which can be easily adjusted to 9 stimulation levels.The bottom line is that I would strongly recommend this product to anyone who is looking for a quality Do-It-Yourself containment system that is easy to use and will last a long time. I would not hesitate to purchase this quality product again. Great job Innotek!

We recently purchased this product from Amazon. The instructions and training DVD were well put together and make it easy for anyone to install this invisible fence. Your two real options are to trench and bury the wire or to use yard staples to stable the wire to the ground. There's no doubt that trenching is the best method.We installed and tested the product fairly quickly, and began training our German Shepherd puppy. Training is straight forward and you cannot underemphasize the importance of time and training. I found that the fence can be somewhat inconsistent at times, as our dog has learned the boundaries but occassionaly tests the boundaries and I do not hear an audible beep and there have been times where I question whether the dog gets a shock when she has gone over the fence line. I cannot yet trust her (after several months) with not going over the fence line, as she has done it on occassion without correction, and other times attempts to and does get the correction stimulation.I do like the correction remote on the system, as our dog likes to jump. When she jumps I use the remote to provide stimulation, but she has learned that if she hears the tone she needs to get her act together before the collar "bites her". The only complaint with the remote is that you must either put it in your pocket (which allows for accidental correction to the dog when the button is pushed) or use the lanyard which isn't all that effective. I would like to see a remote with a clip in which I can clip to a pocket.Overall a good system, but I need to get to the bottom of the inconsistent corrections from the fence.