Pet Safety

Summertime and early fall bring an increase in thunderstorms and are home to the heart of hurricane season. This may cause Hidden Fence owners concern regarding their systems, how they’ll do during inclement weather, and what might happen if their fence loses connection. The design of DogWatch® Hidden Fences has just this concern in mind.

Here’s how DogWatch® keeps your pets safe, how you can confirm your fence is working, and how you can help ease their anxiety during extreme weather.
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July 5th is usually the busiest day of the year for animal shelters in the United States due to the holiday that precedes it. Fireworks, large gatherings, flashing lights, and general noise causes many pets to panic and run away. While pets are at an increased risk of getting lost during holidays and celebrations, the fact is that pets are at risk of getting lost every day.

One in three pets get lost in their lifetime, and less than 23% of lost pets in the United States make it home. The number of dogs and cats that end up in animal shelters each year exceeds 4 million. Pet owners know how important it is to keep their four-legged family members safe and at home, and that’s why PetHub started Lost Pet Prevention Month in 2014. Celebrated every July, Lost Pet Prevention Month aims to spread awareness of lost pets, the pressure shelters feel during overpopulation, and what steps owners can take to keep their pets safe.

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Terriers are known to be energetic, fearless, and independent. They seem to be on high alert at all times and can be reactive to even the slightest disturbance. Terriers are also known to be diggers and escape artists with a penchant for exploring their surroundings and occasionally resulting in a run-away dog. Terriers do not hesitate to stand up to larger dogs, and that can cause owners a great deal of anxiety when their four-legged family members get out.

Because of their high energy levels, escape skills, and desire to investigate yards of neighbors, terrier owners often assume that a hidden fence is not an option for them. Penny, a long-time DogWatch® customer from DogWatch® of Mid-Canada, thought just the same. Read post »

DogWatch® is proud to introduce our new Indoor Boundary system designed just for cats!

The new indoor system is designed to keep your cats safe and out of trouble – and out of the places cats should not be. The system includes an indoor transmitter, the CAT200, and a receiver collar specifically for cats, the CR7. Both the transmitter and the receiver use the same Digital FM technology found in our outdoor Hidden Fences and Mobile Boundaries for dogs.

The CAT200 transmitter is a dual-function Indoor Boundary. It can be used either with an attached boundary wire to keep cats in specific areas where you want them or away from larger areas, such as the dining room, kitchen countertops, living room furniture, etc. Or you can use it without a wire to protect a smaller “off-limits” area two to 10 feet in diameter (one to five feet from the center of the transmitter.) Read post »

Announcing the newest feature of the DogWatch SmartFence®: Boundary Challenge Alerts!

SmartFence users will now receive an alert whenever their dog challenges the boundary of their hidden fence. A boundary challenge means that the pet has entered the “Avoidance Zone” leading up to the hidden fence boundary, and has received an audible (or vibration) warning and/or a correction. Any time a warning or correction is triggered, the SmartFence will generate an alert notification.

Boundary Challenge Alerts can be received via text and/or email. This new feature was developed in response to requests from SmartFence customers and our DogWatch Dealers. Read post »

September is National Preparedness Month, which encourages people to take steps to prepare for emergencies. For pet owners, emergency preparedness also means making plans to protect your dogs, cats and other pets. Pet safety is an important part of DogWatch’s mission, and we are always looking for new ways to educate and assist our customers and readers.

This year, in honor of National Preparedness Month, we have a special offer for pet parents! DogWatch has created a limited supply of Rescue Alert Window Stickers. These stickers can be placed on your window to alert rescue workers to the animals in the house and the contact information for you, your family or your pet’s veterinarian. Read post »

Are you considering a wireless GPS electronic pet fence (frequently referred to generically as an “invisible fence”*) to keep your dog in your yard? How do wireless GPS systems compare to a traditional wired (underground) electronic dog fence? Do they provide the same level of safety for your pet? Read post »

Announcing the newest feature of our exclusive SmartFence™ – the TattleTale™ Graph!

The TattleTale lets users know when and how many times their pet has entered the Avoidance Zone. By tracking the frequency and timing of these ‘boundary challenges,’ pet parents can spot potential distractions – like a neighbor’s dog or a school bus – and address them right away. Read post »

Our name may be DogWatch, but thousands of cats worldwide also use our hidden fences to explore the outdoors safely. Giving their cat the freedom to roam outdoors is important for many cat owners, but it brings with it many challenges, including keeping cats away from roads and other hazards and preventing their natural prey drive from impacting local wildlife populations. Outdoor cats are particularly common in the United Kingdom (UK), where animal behaviorists recently announced the findings of a new study on the impact of hidden fences on cat behavior and welfare.

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Seeing a happy, healthy dog playing in his own yard without a tether and without constant supervision is a joy to a dog lover, and frequently leads to a friendly chat with that well-behaved dog’s owner. More often than not, the impressed observer learns that there is an underground pet fence installed around the yard’s perimeter and the dog has been trained to respect that boundary.

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