FAQ, Contain-A-Pet of Northeast Ohio, Cleveland Ohio

Question: How come we have not heard about Contain-A-Pet
Answer: Contain-A-Pet prides it self on not being pushy. We do this for several reasons. Mainly though because, being pushy and advertising alot means you have to make more money. Where does the advertising money come from - THE CUSTOMER who gets charged more for a system.

Question: How can you charge less for your systems than the other major players.
Answer: Its simple actually, We charge less because we don't advertise as much, which means we don't have to pass the advertising costs onto you, the customer.

Question: How many training sessions will I get with you.
Answer: On an average, 3 to 7 depending on the dog, some dogs take less, some dogs take more.

Question: Sounds like alot of training. Why not just put the system in, put the receiver on the dog and let him get corrected. I know one company I received a bid from said they were going to do this.
Answer: If the dog is not properly trained, then you have a very good chance to the dog receiving the correction and then being afraid to go out into the yard again. THIS SHOULD NEVER BE DONE, AND ANY ONE SUGGESTING THE ABOVE SHOULD NOT BE TRAINING DOGS. SEE MY BLOG ON INSTANCES OF THIS.

Question: Are you trained to handle/train dogs.
Answer: YES, Contain-A-Pet requires all of their dealers to be dog trainers first and foremost, in addition we have to undergo a complete and very rigorous training program developed and led by Mark McRay of Holliston, MA. Mark is well know through MA for is training classes and his trainers programs for dog trainers. Trainers come from all over the US to attend his programs.

Question: I can buy underground fencing from the pet store. Why can't I use this stuff and do it myself.
Answer: You can, but the features are very limited, and in the end you may end up being very unsatisified.

Question: How does the system work.

Answer: First, a transmitter is installed in a convenient location, such as the garage or basement. Then, the wire loop (14 gauge THHN, not the cheap stuff 18-20 gauge) is placed underground. The transmitter sends a harmless radio signal through the wire, which is picked up by the small receiver on the dog's collar. When the dog nears the wire, the receiver in the pet's collar picks up the signal and gives off the owner's choice of an audible warning or mild correction.

Question: How does your training work?

Answer: After the wire is laid, your dog will be trained on the perimeter of the yard by a professional trainer, or you under the trainers supervision. How exactly does it work, well thats the trick, and if I post it here, then our competitors will know and will try to copy it. So you will need to give us a call and schedule a no cost estimate so we can evaluate your dogs temperment and go over the training with you.

Question: How do I know that the system is functioning?

We rely on sound. If there is a break in the wire then the transmitter will put out an alarm tone, that is easily heard.

Question: Do you have REAL testimonials and references?

Answer: Yes, not only that but when we come out to do an estimate we will show you them and encourage you to call them. You see, we are proud of our work and the work we do with dogs and of our customer service.

Question: Do you also train dogs on other than underground fences?

Answer: Yes, in fact right now we are working with the Assistance Dogs of Goodwill in Akron on training assistant dogs.

Can my Contain A Pet Brand Computer Collar/Reciever get wet?

Be sure to remove your pet's Contain A Pet Brand Computer Collar/Reciever occasionally after he's been swimming or bathed. It'll help keep his neck dry and comfortable and prolong the life of the collar's material. The Contain A Pet Brand Computer Collar/Reciever ^® is water-resistant not waterproof. The battery cap contains a small o-ring that helps minimize water intrusion, but if you think the battery compartment is going to get wet that the battery cap off and using teflon tape, tape the battery cap treads.

Do you know where your Contain A Pet Brand boundary wire is?
As you plan your springtime projects or need to mark the location of your underground wire for landscaping, utility work or other digging, your local Contain A Pet dealer can help. The wire, which is typically buried 4-6 inches deep, can still be cut by a wayward shovel or spike. Your local Contain A Pet Dealer can quickly and easily mark your yard with flag markers to avoid any breaks in system integrity.

How do you conduct the underground dog fence training?

First of all, it is very important that you realize that your Contain-A-Pet's professionals experience is in animal training and behavior. Our training techniques are different than any other company although we find ourselves being copied more and more.

Depending on the pet being contained, we utilize a Pavlovian conditioning method that utilizes combinations of training string and flag visual boundary (depending on the personality and temperament of your dog). The combination of the flags and string provide both a visual and a physical boundary for your pet. This is designed to reduce the stress on your pet by giving it finite boundaries and reinforcing our training process.

Many companies use flags by themselves and they place them 6-8 feet apart. This creates a void or area between each flag. When a dog becomes disoriented, he may run between the two flags and out the property, thus conditioning him to escape the fence instead of being contained by it.

A typical conditioning period will last 10 minutes per day for 5-7 days followed by a 1-2 week supervisory period.

We are able to adjust the correction of our collar/receiver to fit the personality type and breed of your pet. This includes very small dogs all the way to the large "escape artists" that our competitors' systems cannot seem to keep in. One big key, many times our competitors will have to change collars to their stronger (which is much bigger and heavier) collar if the dog gets out. You can confirm this by asking our competitor.

How old should a puppy be before being trained to the electronic fence?(Retreived from Containapet.com)

A puppy should not be placed on the electronic fence before the age of four months of age! It does not matter the size, personality or temperament of the puppy. Some puppies should not be put on the electronic pet containment system until as late as five months of age or later.

All puppies go through a fear imprint stage from approximately six weeks to sixteen weeks of age. Any thing that could psychologically damage a puppy during this time can affect it for life. This has been thoroughly researched by dog behaviorists and professionals.

Do not take a chance with your puppy because some electronic fence company wants you to go ahead and commit to them. Most of our Dealers are true dog training professionals and can assist with determining your puppy’s personality and temperament.

You can read more about fear imprint stages of your puppy in relation to fencing by going to our Dog Training and Fencing Blog.

Contain-A-Pet has mandated all new Contain-A-Pet Dealers be certified dog training professionals. We are the only company that has endorsed using true pet professionals in this industry.

Do you have a small dog fence collar for small dogs?

Yes. Contain-A-Pet has a small dog fence collar that weighs less than 1.1 oz. and it’s smaller than a matchbox. We use this small training collar on small dogs, some mild temperament medium/large size dogs and cats.

The collar is completely programmable. We can adjust the correction to the temperament and personality of your pet. We can match the fence collar to work any of the major brands of pet fence systems (an industry first). The programmable series of our electronic dog collar even has an audible alarm to let you know that the battery is getting low (another industry first).

There are even more features of Contain-A-Pet’s small dog fence collar. It’s all about keeping your pet safe and happy in your yard.

My dog keeps getting out of our underground dog fence. Do you have a stubborn dog fence collar?

Yes we do have a stubborn dog fence collar; but we rarely have to use it because most of our Dealers are professional dog trainers who know how to read your dog’s personality and temperament. They know how to keep your pet in your fence by using sound training and conditioning principles.

In the event a dog does start getting out of your underground dog fence, we can usually source out the cause and devise a method of containing him without resorting to a much higher correction.

So, if your dog is getting out of your fence, call us. We have products that will work with most of the underground dog containment systems.

Do you use a special dog fence battery?

The dog fence battery is made up of either three or four 1.5v Energizer 303/357 silver oxide cells wrapped in a heat shrink wrap (depending on the type of electronic receiver collar). The dog fence batteries are non-proprietary meaning you do not have to purchase them from your local Dealer. We would hope you would buy batteries from your local Dealer as they are guaranteed fresh; but, you could go out and purchase these batteries if you caught in a pinch.

This dog fence battery is much less expensive than those batteries you have to purchase that are attached to the battery cap making you buy a battery cap as well

Is there a special type and size of pet fence wire that should be used?

There are two types of wire that is used in the pet fence industry. One is a 14 gauge or stronger copper stranded, coated wire (normally called THHN) and the other is a 14 gauge polyethylene coated single strand copper wire (normally called PE wire).

The PE wire has a thicker jacket or coating and is rated for underground use. We use 14 Gauge PE wire with a 50 mil jacket/coating that is specifically designed for underground installations. In addition our LineLayer is designed to take 2500' rolls of wire so that we can make a complete run around your property with out any wire splices or joints. We feel that any break/joint/splice in the wire will cause a potential problem in the future.

In conclusion, we would like to thank you for your interest. Hopefully, reading this information will assure you that we are thorough and sincere about your pet's well being.

Contain-A-Pet is not just in the business of selling "doggie fences", but is in the business of improving our clients' and their pets' lives.

It is not our policy to become involved in "high pressure, sign on the dotted line" sales techniques, nor is it our policy to discredit our competition. However, we do want you to be aware of what we have to offer and why we feel it is the safest, most cost effective electronic pet containment system in the market.