Author: dogwatchma

As a dog owner, you want your pet to live an active and happy life, but keeping it safe is also a top priority. With a DogWatch outdoor hidden fence, you can give your pet the freedom to run, play, and explore while keeping it away from temptation and out of harm’s way.

How a Hidden Fence Can Protect Your Dog

We’ll install an underground boundary wire in your yard. It will emit a signal, and your dog will wear a specialized collar that can detect it. The collar will give your pet a correction if it gets too close to the boundary. With a little training, your dog will learn where it is and is not allowed to go and will avoid venturing too close to the boundary.

Why You Should Use a Hidden Fence 

An outdoor hidden fence can keep your dog in your yard and away from cars and other dangers. You won’t have to worry about your pet wandering off and getting lost or venturing into woods or a body of water that’s near your house. Your dog will have the freedom to run and enjoy itself while staying confined to an area that’s safe.  

A hidden fence can be customized to suit your needs. For example, you might want to keep your dog away from your pool, driveway, or garden or out of your children’s play area. The boundary wire can be installed in a way that will give your dog as much room as possible to play while keeping it away from places where you don’t want it to go.

With a hidden fence, you won’t need a visible barrier to keep your dog in your yard. You won’t have to worry about a fence blocking your view of the street and your neighbors’ homes. You’ll be able to keep an eye on what’s going on around you and see what your kids are doing, even if they’re across the street or down the road playing in a friend’s yard.

Not having a physical barrier means you won’t have to worry about maintenance. Painting a wooden fence can be time-consuming, and the cost can add up over time. With an invisible fence, you won’t need to worry about any of that. 

Get an Estimate for a Hidden Fence

DogWatch of Massachusetts has a team of professional installers who can work with you to keep your pet safe. We can inspect your yard to understand its layout and figure out how to create a safe space for your dog. We can also use proven methods to teach your dog to respect the boundary. Contact us today to learn more and to get a quote.

While pet containment in the yard is an important consideration for dog owners, many pet parents find themselves requiring pet containment indoors. It may be about keeping a dog out of the dining room or away from kitchen food preparation areas, for example. It might be about keeping a dog out of the bedroom of a family member with dog allergies, or a baby’s room. Whatever the reason, it’s about training a young dog in how to behave in the house. Indoor pet containment solutions are a good way to build a program your dog can understand and respect alongside traditional training solutions. 

Indoor pet containment works a lot like outdoor pet containment. The dog wears a lightweight receiver on his or her collar and experiences a warning beep if they approaches the invisible fence’s warning zone. (On the first approach, it’s merely a sound.) If the dog ignores the warning tone and continues to approach the boundary of the containment zone, the collar will deliver a mild and safe static stimulation to deter him or her from the set boundaries.

Also as with outdoor containment systems, it’s the homeowner who determines the boundaries, and the system is custom-designed to match these boundaries. In fact, indoor containment systems are easier to install because there is no burying of wires involved. In addition, the same transmitter for the dog’s collar can be used with both indoor and outdoor containment systems. 

Types of Indoor Pet Containment Solutions

DogWatch of Western Massachusetts offers the perfect solution for indoor dog containment, Pet Boundaries. Pet Boundaries keeps your dog contained in a safe area using wireless technology. DogWatch offers two types of safe and effective Pet Boundaries indoor pet containment solutions. These include:

The IB-100. The IB-100 is a wireless-operated boundary (BOB) or indoor dog containment system that you can use anywhere to create a pet-free zone. The IB-100 has a rechargeable battery and will protect an area up to 8 feet in diameter. This is a perfect choice if you need a portable boundary that can be used without plugging it in.

The IB-200. The IB-200 is our most flexible indoor dog containment solution to keep your pet safe inside. This transmitter can be used either with or without a boundary wire. You can install the IB-200 with a wire to protect a large defined indoor area or you can use it without a wire for greater flexibility to protect smaller areas up to 10 feet in diameter.

In addition to installing the indoor containment solution, trainers at DogWatch of Western Massachusetts will work with you and your dog to ensure that both pet and human understand how the system works.

Contact DogWatch of Western Mass for More Information

DogWatch of Western Mass has proudly served the Pioneer Valley and surrounding areas since 1990 and belongs to the international DogWatch Dealer Network. We are committed, trained professionals offering years of experience in installation, training, and customer service. Being locally owned, we have a vested interest in keeping our customers – and their dogs — happy!

Barking is a normal behavior for dogs. Sometimes it’s helpful, such as when your dog lets you know that someone is approaching the house. Excessive barking, on the other hand, can cause stress and anxiety for your family and can lead to arguments with your neighbors. If your dog’s barking is out of control, a BarkCollar™ from DogWatch of Massachusetts can help solve the problem.

How a BarkCollar™ Works

A BarkCollar™ gives a dog a vibration or stimulation to distract it when it barks. Your pet will quickly learn to associate stimulation with barking. When the dog stops barking, the stimulation will cease. A BarkCollar™ can be used to train a dog that weighs as little as 4 pounds and a puppy that’s as young as 4 to 6 months old.

When attempting to modify your dog’s behavior, it’s important to minimize stress and discomfort to the animal. Our BarkCollar™ delivers a mild correction that’s designed to eliminate unwanted behavior without causing distress. 

It has seven settings that allow you to adjust the intensity of stimulation to suit your dog. You can start with a low setting and see how your pet responds. If the first setting you try isn’t enough to get your dog’s attention and modify its behavior, you can raise the setting until you find a level that’s effective.

How to Use a BarkCollar™ with Other Training Methods

Changing your pet’s behavior can take time. Dogs have different personalities. Some bark more than others, and some respond faster than others to interventions. If your dog is skittish and tends to bark at everything it sees or hears, changing that behavior might be challenging, but it can be done.

Using a combination of methods can be more effective than relying on one strategy alone. A BarkCollar™ can help reduce unwanted barking, but using it alongside positive reinforcement techniques can speed up the process. For instance, if your dog tends to bark whenever you come home, but it stops doing that while wearing the collar, you can use praise, petting, treats, and playtime to encourage your dog to repeat the desired behavior. 

Learn More and Get a Quote

One of our trainers can explain how the BarkCollar™ works, help you select an initial setting that’s appropriate for your dog, and give you advice on how to utilize the BarkCollar™ along with positive reinforcement to modify your dog’s behavior without causing it undue stress. Contact DogWatch of Massachusetts today to learn more and to get a quote.

If you’re like most Americans, your pets are part of the family. There is little we wouldn’t do to keep them safe and secure, just as with the human members of the family. That said, safety and security need to be balanced with quality-of-life issues…sure, you can keep your dog safe by keeping him penned up in a small space, but do you want to? Animals are naturally curious about outdoor spaces, and they like nothing more than a good roam and a sniff, or an outdoor nap in a puddle of sunshine. 

While some owners resort to chaining dogs in the yard, there are significant downsides to this approach. One, it’s limiting for the dog, who may act out and misbehave in frustration. It’s also terrible for your yard: a restricted dog will leave a mess in the area to which it’s confined. Fences are generally a better option for containing dogs, but they too come with downsides. They can be difficult or expensive to install, and they may violate homeowners’ association (HOA) rules. They’re also, simply put, not very attractive, and can close in your yard and prevent you from enjoying it. 

The Advantages of Hidden Fences

Hidden fences, which are installed by professionals, are unparalleled in their ability to keep pets safe and contained within your property, while still maintaining curb value for your home and freedom to roam for the dog.  

Today’s innovative pet containment solutions can transform the lives of both pets and their owners. Here’s how hidden fences work: A boundary wire is buried around your yard, or the particular areas where the dog is allowed to roam. Your dog is then provided with a lightweight, waterproof collar that picks up a coded FM radio signal generated by the buried wire. If the dog approaches the boundary wire, he or she receives an audible warning reminder not to cross. If the audio warning is ignored (which is a rare situation after the dog is trained), the dog will receive mild stimulation from the collar. Depending on the size of your property and the needs of your dog, the signal range may vary from the hidden dog fence boundary wire. 

As a certified dealer of DogWatch products, DogWatch Hidden Fences of Western Massachusetts will provide the electric fence installation and will adjust the range that is most suitable for your dog and your property. Once the infrastructure is installed – a quick and easy process, unlike physical fencing — the dog trainers at DogWatch of Western Massachusetts will tailor a dog training program to meet your pet’s needs. Your dog will learn the boundaries of your property through voice commands and visual flags. After just a few minutes of training a day for a week to 10 days, your dog will have the freedom to roam in safety, and you’ll have the peace of mind that comes with knowing your four-legged family member is secure. 

Contact DogWatch of Western Mass for More Information

DogWatch of Western Mass has proudly served the Pioneer Valley and surrounding areas since 1990 and belongs to the international DogWatch Dealer Network. We are committed, trained professionals offering years of experience in installation, training, and customer service. Being locally owned, we have a vested interest in keeping our customers – and their dogs — happy!

Dog owners are often entertained and puzzled by the things their pets do. Some behaviors are amusing, while others create stress for pet owners. Here are seven of the most common things dogs do that delight and confuse people and the reasons why they do them.

‘The Zoomies’

Sometimes dogs get a sudden burst of energy and run around the house or yard for no apparent reason. That behavior is known as “the zoomies.” Happy dogs do it to release pent-up energy. Be careful when your dog gets “the zoomies” so it doesn’t crash into people or furniture. 

Tail Chasing

Chasing their tails helps dogs get to know their bodies. It’s also fun. Dogs of all ages chase their tails, but it’s particularly common among puppies.

In some cases, tail chasing can be a sign of a problem, such as anxiety or another type of medical issue. Too much tail chasing can also lead to injuries. 

Walking in Circles

Dogs often walk in circles before they lie down to go to sleep. They do that to find a comfortable position. Dogs also walk around in circles before relieving themselves. 

All of that is normal – to a point. If your pet seems to be walking in circles more than usual, that might mean that it’s suffering from anxiety, a vision or hearing problem, or a neurological issue, especially if it’s an older dog.

Digging Holes in the Yard

There are several reasons why dogs dig holes. They might be hiding food or reacting to the movements of animals that they detect underground, such as moles. Some canine species instinctively dig holes to serve as dens.

Rolling in Grass

Dogs often roll in the grass when they’re playing because it’s fun and it feels good. Sometimes dogs want to cover themselves with the smell of something that’s in the grass or add their own scent to the grass to mark their territory. 

Moving Food to a Different Location

Sometimes dogs move a mouthful of food, or even the entire bowl, to another part of the house. They do that to protect their food from anyone who might try to steal it. 

Eating Things That Aren’t Food

Dogs often consume things that they shouldn’t, such as dirt, grass, and rocks. They typically do that to better understand the world around them, but there can also be a medical explanation. A dog that eats things that aren’t food might be trying to address a nutrient deficiency. 

Keep Your Dog Safe with a Hidden Fence

You want to protect your adorable pet from dangers in your neighborhood. A hidden fence can keep your dog in your yard so you won’t have to worry about it getting hit by a car or disappearing into the woods to go exploring. Contact DogWatch of Western Massachusetts today to learn more and to get an estimate.

Like humans, dogs rely on their senses to gather and interpret information about the world around them. Some of their senses are much more powerful than ours, though, and the way that they experience the world is profoundly different.

Extraordinary Sense of Smell

Most people know that dogs’ sense of smell is thousands of times better than that of humans. Canines have far more olfactory receptors than people do. That allows dogs to detect scents that humans can’t and makes them invaluable partners to law enforcement and search and rescue teams.

Powerful Sense of Hearing

Dogs can pick up more information through their ears than humans can. They can detect sounds that are farther away, as well as frequencies that are impossible for humans to detect. 

Dogs can rotate their ears to pick up sounds coming from different locations. They can even move each ear independently to take in sounds coming from multiple locations at the same time.

Superior Night Vision

Dogs have a reflective layer in their eyes that humans don’t have. That layer reflects light back to the receptor cells in their eyes and explains why dogs can see so well in the dark. 

Keep Your Dog Safe with a Hidden Fence

Even though dogs have powerful senses, they’re not invincible. If your dog ventures out of your yard unsupervised, it might get hit by a car or attacked by a wild animal or by someone else’s pet.

A hidden fence can keep your pet on your property and out of harm’s way without blocking your view of the landscape and your neighborhood. An underground boundary wire can send a signal to your pet’s collar and provide a correction if your dog gets too close to the line. 

You can design the boundary however you like. You can give your dog access to your entire property, or you can make certain areas, like your driveway and garden, off limits.

DogWatch of Western Massachusetts can install a hidden fence to protect your beloved pet. We can also teach you and your pet how the system works. 

We have a team of professionals who understand the training techniques that work best with canines. We use a combination of hand signals, verbal commands, flags near boundary lines, and other strategies to teach dogs where they are and are not allowed to go. Contact us today to learn more about the advantages of using a hidden fence and to get a quote.

A wireless fence can give your dog freedom and give you peace of mind. With a hidden fence, you’ll be able to limit your pet’s movements, keep it safe, and save money.

Give Your Dog a Clearly Defined Area to Play

Dogs need plenty of room to run around, but without boundaries, they can get into trouble. A wireless fence can keep your pet in your yard. You can design your dog’s play area however you want. You can give your pet access to the entire property, or you can block off certain areas, such as your garden or your toddler’s play area, to keep your dog from causing damage or accidentally hurting someone.

Keep Your Pet Safe

Your neighborhood is filled with potential dangers. If your dog gets out of the yard, it might venture into the street and get hit by a car. If it encounters another person’s pet and they get into a fight, your dog might get seriously injured. If your dog ventures into a wooded area, it might come into contact with wild animals or poisonous plants. With a hidden fence, you’ll be able to let your dog out to play and be confident that it will only go in the area that you deem safe.

Save Money on Installation and Maintenance

Putting up a physical fence can be expensive, especially if you have a large yard or if you want to enclose an area with an irregular shape. Costs for materials and installation can vary widely.

Building a fence yourself can be challenging, especially if your property has uneven terrain. If you make a mistake, your dog might damage the fence, escape from the yard, and possibly get injured.

Maintaining a traditional fence can also be costly. Depending on the type of material you choose, a physical fence might need to be washed, painted, and repaired frequently. The financial cost, as well as the time commitment, can add up.

A wireless fence can be much more affordable than a physical barrier. The upfront installation cost can be significantly lower, and you won’t have to worry about routine maintenance and repairs.

Get a Quote for a Wireless Dog Fence

DogWatch of Massachusetts can install a hidden fence that will keep your dog safe in your yard, give you peace of mind, and save you money. A boundary wire can be buried underground to create a custom boundary for your pet, and a collar can give your dog a mild correction if it gets too close to the line. A member of our team can provide training to help your dog get used to the fence and the collar. Contact us today to learn more and to get an estimate.

If you want to keep your dog in your yard and out of harm’s way, you might be wondering if a hidden fence or a traditional fence would be a better option. Here are some advantages of a hidden fence.

Easier to Install

The process of installing a hidden fence is much simpler than putting up a physical barrier. That’s particularly true if you have a large yard or if your property has hills.

An invisible fence can be customized to suit your needs and preferences. For instance, maybe you want to give your dog a lot of room to run and play, but you also want to keep it out of your garden or away from your driveway or pool. With a hidden fence, you’ll be able to customize the boundary without the hassles that you would face if you wanted to put up a physical barrier.

Easier to Maintain

A hidden fence requires less maintenance than a traditional fence. A physical barrier can get damaged by weather, or your dog might jump on it or chew through a section. You might have to repair the fence or repaint it regularly to maintain its appearance.

With a hidden fence, you won’t have to worry about any of that. Since the boundary wire is underground, your dog and the weather won’t be able to damage it.

Won’t Block Your View

If you live in an area with beautiful scenery, a physical fence can block your view. An invisible fence won’t.

A hidden fence can also allow you to see what’s going on in your neighborhood. You’ll be able to keep an eye on your kids when they go to a neighbor’s house and see if someone is approaching your home.

No Need to Worry about a Gate

A fence with a gate can be a hassle, especially if you need to open it while you’re carrying things. If you or a member of your family forgets to lock the gate, your dog can escape from the yard, wander off, and possibly get injured. You won’t have any of those concerns with a hidden fence because there’s no gate to deal with.

Get a Quote for a Hidden Fence

DogWatch of Massachusetts can install a hidden fence that will keep your dog in your yard and give you peace of mind. We can create a custom boundary tailored to your specific needs.

With a hidden fence, you’ll be able to let your dog out to play knowing that it will be safe and that it won’t damage your flower beds or other features in your yard. Contact us today to learn more and to get an estimate.