Owner`s Training Manual

Training Your Pet
Now that your PET STOP Electronic Fence System has been
installed and is operational, it is time to train your pet to the system.
As explained to you at the time you purchased your system, this
product is designed to be used only as a tool to train your pet to stay
within the confines of a given boundary. The success for your pet relies
upon the training given.
At the time of installation, your dealer representative (where
applicable) will provide an initial training session, and explain to you
the following procedures to ensure that your pet will remain safely
behind the chosen boundary. The information contained in this manual
will further aid you in training your pet. It is designed so that your pet
is thoroughly trained to the system at the program’s end.
Taking shortcuts or rushing the program and not following the
guidelines provided, may yield unsatisfactory results for both you
and your pet.
Be sure to read this portion of the manual thoroughly before
beginning your pet’s training. This program has been organized into
daily sessions and is designed to be completed within two weeks.
Feel free to contact PET STOP with any questions or difficulties
as soon as they arise.
WARNING
The PET STOP Electronic Fence System is to be used only with
proper training of your pet. It is not intended to be a foolproof means,
such as a solid boundary, of keeping your pet in your yard.
Training is the most important part of any electronic fence system.
Therefore it is the sole responsibility of the owner to provide training,
either personally or through an authorized PET STOP dealer.
Reinforcement of training may be necessary.
NOTE: If you have reason to believe that your pet may cause harm to
itself or others, you should not rely solely on this system for restraint.
Neither PET STOP nor Perimeter Technologies, Inc. shall be held liable
for any damages sustained as a result of your pet crossing the boundary.
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Training Your Pet
PREPARING YOUR PET
FOR TRAINING
Your pet should be of sufficient maturity to understand basic training
commands and be comfortable walking on a training lead before you
begin training. Most pet owners find this to be somewhere around four
to six months of age, depending on the breed of the dog.
If you are training more than one pet, do so separately.
Each deserves the benefit of your full attention.
Training Tools
TRAINING FLAG
FLAGS:
The signal field should be marked with the training flags.
If this has not been done or the yard needs to be re-flagged,
see the instructions below.
Installing Or Setting The Training Flags
The installation of flags is done to aid your pet in establishing its
new boundaries by providing a visual reminder of where the training
pulse begins. After setting the
signal field, find the point
along the boundary at which
5'-7'
the receiver detects the
transmitter signal. Be careful
3' to 10'
not to touch the receiver probes
WIRE
while doing this. Set the
training flags approximately 6'
3' to 10'
apart along the edge of this
field or first detection point.
WARNING: Training flags should not be placed directly over the wire
itself as the dog may not make the connection between the training
pulse and the flags.
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Training Your Pet
REGULAR COLLAR AND TRAINING LEAD:
Attach a training lead to your pet’s regular collar, not the collar
to which the PET STOP receiver is attached.
RECEIVER COLLAR:
Adjust the collar to which the PET STOP
SmartReceiver is attached so it is tight
enough that the soft conductive probes
maintain constant contact with your pet’s neck. These probes must be
touching your pet’s skin for good results. Removal of excess hair or fur
may be necessary. Be careful not to tighten the collar so that it chokes
or is uncomfortable. A good gauge is if you can slide a finger between
the soft contacts and your pet’s skin, with gentle pressure.
For pets with particularly thick coats, trim back the hair to roughly
one-half inch in the area where the receiver is positioned.
TIPS FOR SUCCESSFUL TRAINING:
• For the duration of the training program, do not leave your pet
unsupervised in the yard. Your pet must be kept on a training lead
for the first week of training, and kept under close supervision during
the second week.
• Limit training sessions to 15 minutes, three times a day.
This will prevent your pet from becoming bored or distracted, and
will optimize the quality of each training session.
• If your pet attempts to run through the boundary during training, be
certain to bring him back to the same point he tried to break through,
and re-emphasize with a sharp “No” that it is not a point of exit.
• Knowing where the safety zones are is just as important to your pet
as knowing where his boundaries are. Play with him before and after
each training session to reinforce where it’s safe for him to be.
• Do not delegate training detail to one member of the family.
Everyone taking part in your pet’s training will ensure that he does
not associate receiving a training pulse with just one family member.
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Training Your Pet
• We recommend you remove your pet’s receiver collar at some point
each day. Many pet owners do this at night if their pet sleeps indoors.
Fluctuations in weight, a growing puppy, and the changing thickness
of the pet’s coat will necessitate adjustments to the collar. Checking
often for proper fit will provide optimum comfort for your pet.
Again, a good gauge is if you can slide a finger between the soft
contacts and your pet’s skin, with gentle pressure.
• It is beneficial to train your pet while distractions are present as
he/she must learn to respect the boundary under all circumstances.
Children playing and the occasional darting rabbit do not eliminate
the signal field. Training while distractions are present will reinforce
the necessity of paying attention. We suggest that you perform
several training sessions after dark. The signal field doesn’t go
down with the sun.
• After the first couple of training sessions you will want to see if your
pet is differentiating between the danger and safety zones. Have
another family member stand on the opposite side of the signal field.
Walk your pet up to the boundary line and let him/her receive a
correction if he/she insists on walking into it. If he/she runs back into
the safety zone, and not to the family member for comfort, it will be
clear that he/she knows the way to the safe area and relief. DO NOT,
UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, CALL YOUR PET INTO THE
SIGNAL FIELD. Calling him into the signal field punishes him for
responding properly to a command.
REMEMBER: CONDITIONING RELIES UPON CONSISTENCY
• At all times, and especially during the first two weeks, do not allow
your pet into the yard without his receiver collar. Every challenge to
the established boundary must be met with a correction.
• Decide upon the field width, set it, and leave it. The field should
remain consistent as adjusting it mid-training will leave your pet
confused as to where his boundaries are.
• For the first month, and especially during the initial training period,
put your pet in your car when leaving the property. This will
reinforce that leaving the property is an experience governed by
specific conditions.
• This training program is based upon conditioning. You will need to
reward your pet with affection and praise when he performs well,
and allow him to receive a training pulse if he persists on entering
the signal field.
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Training Your Pet
Be certain that you have removed the receiver before leading your
pet from the boundary. He will receive a correction even if leaving
in an automobile.
Under no circumstances, whatsoever, should you use the correction
for any reason other than training your pet.
THE FIRST WEEK
DAY ONE & TWO:
1. With the training lead attached to your pet’s regular collar, and
the receiver-collar held in your hand, walk your pet to the flagged
boundary and allow him to hear the audible warning.
2. Call your pet by name, and as you rapidly shake the training flag,
repeat “No!” in your firmest training voice.
3. Turn and run your pet into the safety zone. Once in the safety
zone, play with and praise him. This will reinforce and reward
him for knowing where to run.
4. Walk your pet along the perimeter of the established boundary,
repeating day three the first three steps at various intervals.
DAY THREE:
5. Place the receiver-collar on your pet and fit appropriately.
Do not put the collar on your dog the night before a session.
6. Approach the flagged boundary, allow your pet to enter the signal
field and receive a correction if he/she insists on going forward.
The combination of the audible warning and the training
correction is designed to startle him, and may cause him to yelp.
7. As soon as the correction is delivered, run your pet into the safety
zone and resume play and praise.
8. Walk your pet up to various points on the perimeter of the
established boundary, repeating steps six and seven. IT IS NOT
NECESSARY TO ALLOW YOUR PET TO RECEIVE THE
CORRECTION MORE THAN ONCE. In most instances your
pet will be hesitant to approach the flags. This means that he/she
is beginning to understand and makes repeating the correction in
most cases unnecessary.
9. Do not remove the receiver collar immediately after training.
Gradually building up the amount of time your pet wears the
receiver is an important element of the training process.
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Training Your Pet
DAYS FOUR THROUGH SIX:
1. With the receiver collar on and the training lead attached to your
pets’ regular collar, repeat the training from day three.
2. During the first few training sessions, some pets will not
associate the training flags with the correction and will wander into
the signal field. If this occurs, allow him to feel the correction - it will
grab your pet’s attention – but don’t ever pull or call your pet into
the signal field. While it is important to repeat training often, it’s
unnecessary to force your pet to re-experience the correction. You will
know he’s learning if he avoids the flags, and he will soon learn if he
does not avoid them.
3. After the training session is complete you may remove the
receiver collar. Remember, build up the amount of time your pet wears
the receiver gradually.
DAY 7
1. On day 7 you will want to test your pet to see if he is respecting
the boundary you’ve established. If he is consistently avoiding the
training flags, while supervising him, let him off the lead and observe
his reaction. This should be a short training exercise.
2. With most pets, this first time off the lead will let you know if it
is necessary to continue training. If he leaves the boundary, remember
to remove his receiver collar when bringing him home. If he shows a
healthy respect for the training flags, however, reward him amply for
all his hard work and move on to the training guidelines for week two.
WEEKS TWO & THREE
1. During week two, with his receiver collar on, allow your pet
to spend some time outside off lead. If he responds well, gradually
increase the amount of time you leave him unattended.
2. You may begin to leave your pet unsupervised in week three.
Be sure to check on him every 10 minutes and do not leave him
unattended for more than 15 minutes.
3. It is very important to continually adjust the collar. You should be
able to slip two fingers between the soft contacts and dog’s skin.
Flag Removal
One week to ten days after you’ve completed the two week training
session, you may begin to remove the visual boundary.
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Training Your Pet
Take out every other training flag over the course of the next week
so your pet experiences a gradual removal of his visual reminders.
Walking Your Dog Off Property
When taking your pet off of your property, exit from the same point,
such as the driveway, each time. Make sure he is wearing a lead every
time he leaves his boundary. He will then associate leaving the property
with wearing a lead and being with his master. When taking a walk
with your dog or leaving in a vehicle, remove the receiver collar. This
will avoid accidentally shocking your dog when leaving your property.
Your Pet’s Personality
Your pet’s reaction to the training session varies according to his/her
personality. In most instances, he/she will react in one of two ways:
1. Some pets have a great and immediate respect for the signal field.
Particularly timid animals stick close to the foundation of your home
until they understand where the safety zones are. If this occurs, coax
your pet into the safety zone and spend a lot of time playing there.
By consistently walking him around the safety zone, his confidence
will increase. If he remains overly timid, reduce your pet’s approaches
to the signal field during training to every other day.
2. On the other hand, some pets may show little or no reaction when
experiencing the correction. If this should occur, check the following:
A. Are the soft contacts making contact with your pet’s neck,
particularly the skin?
B. Is your pet’s coat trimmed back to one-half inch in the area
where the receiver is positioned?
C. Is the battery inserted correctly?
D. Has the correctable training pulse been set at a level appropriate
for your pet?
If your pet still shows little reaction, contact your dealer for possible
ideas or adjustments to your receiver.
Now you’re ready to go! Remember to communicate any training
difficulties to your dealer so they may quickly remedy your problem.
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