Before you start the training process you will need a  dog training collar. You can choose either a flat, slip or chain collar. As a general rule, use a flat collar on a mild mannered dog and a slip collar for dogs that might be a little harder to handle. You will also need a 6 foot lead or a 15 foot retractable lead works well too. 


First, let’s talk about the training schedule:

Completely trusting your dog with the boundaries of the electric dog fence will take place over the course of about 4 weeks. Don’t worry, the actual training is a small part of this time. The rest is spent closely monitoring your dog to see that he does not cross the perimeter of the electric dog fence and go out of the pet conatainment area.

You will want to set time aside for two practice sessions per day to train your dog on the electric fence, that are 10-15 minutes each, because both you and your dog will appreciate short, fun lessons that makes the training for the electric fence more effective. Use a calendar so you can keep track of the training process. Your dog’s behavior will tell you when it is time to proceed to the next level. Dog’s learn at different rates, so don’t be surprised if your dog catches on faster or takes a little longer.

*   In lesson one, there are six sessions to teach the retreat pattern.

*   In lesson two, there is one session about correction

*   In lesson number three is how to deal with distractions.

*   In lesson four your dog is ready to be taken off the lead, with some supervision 

*   In lesson five will move on to being off lead unsupervised.

And then wrapping up the training you will remove the flags from the electric fence perimeter  gradually until they are gone.
    

That’s the schedule and most importantly, everyday, review the previous day’s activities to see if your dog is learning on schedule. Boundary work should take place only in your yard or pet containment area. Take your dog around to the boundaries of your entire pet containment area, talking and pointing out the area you want to be observed and showing them the boundary flags.

Do not let your dog go beyond the fencing wire boundary. 
    
 When you have completed a session, always end it on a high note with more play and praise.

Teaching your dog the boundaries of the electric  dog fence is the first step. After your dog knows where the boundaries  of the pet containment area are, then you will have to teach the dog not to cross them for any reason. Your dog needs to learn that distractions on the wrong side of the boundary wire need to be completely ignored all the time.

The first lesson is to introduce your dog to the boundary and to help your dog upon hearing the tone to understand to retreat to the safe part of the yard or pet containment area when the warning tone is heard. Your system came packaged with Innotek plastic training contacts. Please install these training contacts before beginning your training session. 

With your dog on a lead, casually walk to the boundary of the electric fence where the flags are. When the dog reaches the signal field, immediately spin around and briskly jog back into the yard. The dog will feel the tug and run after you. Praise enthusiastically. If your dog does not indicate hearing the tone walk your dog to the boundary of the electric fence again and follow the same procedure. 

On days two and three repeat the same lesson. As the training sessions of the next three days progress, you’ll see that your dog will start to anticipate the signal tone  and retreat from the electric fence boundary wire without your prompting. 

Now it’s time for the real test. Day three is successful only if your dog retreats from the electric dog fence boundary wire without your prompting and refuses to approach the boundary as you approach. For each successful attempt be sure to praise your dog, praise and praise again. If you are not successful keep the training going as you have been the past two days until your dog retreats without prompting.

It’s time for your dog to move to the next phase. 

LESSON 2 Learning Correction
     
For this lesson, you will need to replace the Innotek plastic training contacts with the Innotek supplied metal correction contacts. You will also need a helper for this phase of the training with your dog still on a lead, causally walk to the boundary the electric dog fence with your dog and helper. The helper should continue to walk through the boundary of the electric dog fence, should the dog try to follow he will receive a correction from the collar. Immediately retreat to the safe part of the yard or pet containment area and lavish your dog with praise. Please note, it is very important that your helper not stop, look back or acknowledge the dog in any way. Continue this lesson at a number of different areas around the boundary of the electric fence .

LESSON 3  Distractions

We are now ready to start with Lesson number three
If your dog is avoiding the boundary of the electric fence, with the helper moving freely in and out of the pet containment area, you are ready to add more tempting distractions. Remember, never pull or coax your dog into the boundary area. This lesson teaches that your dog must resist all temptations to leave the yard or pet containment area. Dogs have trouble connecting the lessons learned with one distraction to another. So, you can’t assume that if your dog won’t chase a ball out of the yard,
Your dog won’t chase a bicycle… Or favorite neighbor.
You have to go through a list of distractions that will tempt your dog to leave the pet containment area and prove each one before proceeding to the next. Before long your dog will connect the dots.
Don’t leave the yard for bikes, neighbors, bouncing balls, moving cars means, don’t leave the yard for any reason. 
            
LESSON 4   Off the lead with supervision.                                    
    
Off lead supervised. A very important next step for your dog.
This is the first time during your training sessions that your dog will be off lead and you must make certain that you and your dog stay in the pet containment area or yard at all times during this training.
Make sure the Innotek device is correctly placed on the dog collar and on your dogs neck and the electronic collar is turned on. 

It’s wise to spend a lot of quality time in the yard with your dog. The more your dog stays on the property for the first month, the less chance of your dog attempting to leave the area. Continue to supervise and play with your dog outside for a period of one week. 

LESSON 5  Off lead unsupervised  

You are now ready for lesson five, “off lead unsupervised”.
You will know when your dog is ready to be unsupervised inside the pet containment area because your dog will resist all manner of distractions, both on and off the lead.
It’s a big step when your dog can be left unattended in the yard with only the electric fence to keep him in the pet containment area.
Keep a close eye on your dog for two weeks from inside the house. This freedom should be brief at first and the amount of time increased gradually. 

Before and after each unsupervised session in the pet containment area, you must continue to the play and praise routine to continue to reinforce that the yard is a happy, fun and safe place to be.

Most dogs over 6 months, that know the obedience commands, will be able to be trained to stay within the electric fence boundaries.
After two weeks of successful containment, you can begin removing the flags fro the electric fence boundaries.

Start by removing every other flag, every other day until all of the flags are gone.

The leads, trainers, flags and the electronic training collar are all clues for your dog to learn the boundariesof his new electric dog fence and pet containment area. They are all removed gradually except the dog training reciever collar. 

You will then have no evidence of the underground electric fence system.

It’s essential that you observe whether you’re off lead, unsupervised dog still avoids and retreats from the unmarked boundary.

If your dog’s response is anything but immediate, retrace your steps through the training process.

Thanks to you, with help from your new Innotek In-ground Pet Fencing system, your dog now will have the freedom to run without the worry of running away.