You open the window and get a whiff of the fresh morning air. The sun is beaming on your grass, and birds are tweeting. It’s a beautiful weekend morning – the perfect time to go outside and play with your dog!
But you don’t have a fence yet! And the road next to your house is so busy – it’s just too dangerous to let your pup play outside without her leash. You sigh as you close the window. Fences are so expensive and so time-consuming. The beautiful weather will be gone by the time you can get a fence installed, right?
Wrong! Fortunately for you and your fur baby, there’s a quick, affordable, modern solution to fencing your yard: an electric fence. And this isn’t your grandma’s electric fence. It’s portable, GPS-based, and only takes a few minutes to install. Meet technology’s answer to conventional fencing, the COVONO Wireless Dog Containment System EF851.
The COVONO EF851
Unlike most wireless electric dog fences, the COVONO EF851 utilizes GPS technology to keep your dog safely within your designated zone. This gives the system a more reliable signal compared to radio-based systems, which are subject to interference from other invisible fences.
The COVONO EF851 comes with a transmitter, power cord, adjustable collar, collar receiver, and two different sizes of contact points. You choose the contact points for your particular dog, attach the receiver to the collar, and plug in your transmitter. Once you decide how much area you want your dog to be able to roam in, you’re ready to go.
The transmitter maintains a safe zone in a circle around the point where it’s plugged in. You can adjust the radius from anywhere between 20 meters and 800 meters, which covers yards smaller than .5 acres and greater than 400 acres.
Why Is This Product Here?
The COVONO EF851 is about as simple an electric fence system as you could ask for, meaning anyone can use it. As previously mentioned, you simply set the transmitter with your desired play area, fit the collar to your dog, and head out to the yard! When your dog gets near the edge of the safe zone, the collar warns him that he’s about to leave your yard. You do have to teach your dog to use the fence first – more on that later. But it’s a straight-forward enough task, as simple as teaching your dog any other trick.
The COVONO transmitter can cover anywhere from .3 acres to almost 500 acres. This vast range makes it an excellent choice for every pet parent, whether you have a small suburban yard or extensive farmland property.
Since the COVONO EF851 is wireless, you can take it with you on the road. All you need is the transmitter and the collar, and you’re ready to keep your dog safe wherever you may travel: the beach, your parents’ house, or camping. The transmitter and collar can communicate as long as they can receive a GPS signal without obstruction.
Check Carefully because…
The benefit of a wired fence system is that you can enclose smaller areas within your yard to keep your dog out of them – for example, if you wanted to stop your dog from digging up your flowers. But obviously, burying a wire around the boundary of your yard takes some time and effort. And the system isn’t portable once it’s in place – you can only use a wired fence system at one location.
The second type is a wireless fence like the COVONO EF851. Unlike a wired fence, the wireless fence is entirely electronic, cast in a circle by a transmitter that communicates with your dog’s collar. It creates a barrier around your property – tell the system how much area you want it to cover, and you’re done.
A wireless fence system is the most straightforward fence system to set up – all you need is an outlet and the power cord. And it has the added bonus of being portable. If you’re going on vacation, you can bring your dog and your fence with you to keep your pup safe on all your travels.
The MUST Know, True Facts about
The COVONO EF851 is designed for dogs who weigh at least 15 pounds and up to 120 pounds. If your dog is smaller (or bigger!) than that, please look for a system that supports your particular pup.
The collar receiver is rechargeable and fully waterproof, meaning your dog can play in the rain, the sprinklers, or your pool without any worries. The receiver has both beep and shock settings, with five levels of static shock for you to choose from.
Each static shock lasts 20 seconds, and the COVONO EF851 won’t shock your dog more than three times in a row. This is to prevent your dog from getting repeated shocked if, for example, she got tangled in a bush near the fence line or if the GPS signal was momentarily blocked.
The COVONO EF851 comes with a 90-day return period and a lifetime warranty.
What to watch out for with this product?
The COVONO EF851 works best in flat, open areas. This makes it a fantastic choice for your back yard or a beach vacation. However, if you live in a wooded area, the trees might interfere with the COVONO EF851’s GPS signal.
Don’t forget that once you have your COVONO EF851 set up, you still need to train your dog to understand it. Since your pup can’t see the virtual barrier around your yard, she needs to learn where the boundaries are to ensure she stays in the safe zone. Learning is more natural for some dogs than others – it might depend on your dog’s breed or his particular temperament.
Experts recommend training your dog with the new fence for 2-3 weeks, for only 10 minutes a day. Does that sound like something your pup can handle? Many dogs adjust admirably to an invisible fence and stay safely inside once they’ve learned the new rules, while others are stubborn and hard to train. If you’ve taught your pup to “sit” or “stay,” you might already have an idea of whether this will be an easy or difficult task for your fur baby.
It’s worth noting that some dogs develop behavioral problems after exposure to an invisible fence. Sometimes, escape artists or stubborn dogs keep trying to escape like they did before the fence was in place – but now, they get shocked when they leave the yard! Now their favorite habits of saying hi to strange dogs and new people are associated with a surprising and confusing shock from their collar.
If your pup is a fast learner, she’ll probably adjust well to the new fence. But if you already know that your dog is a few fries short of a Happy Meal, you might consider other options. And remember, if your dog doesn’t respond positively to the COVONO EF851, you can remove the receiver collar and your dog will resume his old habits.
Choose a convenient place to plug the COVONO EF851 transmitter – this will be the center of your dog’s safe zone. Then set the transmitter to whatever size you need to cover your property.
When you leave your property with your dog, take his collar off. This includes going for walks. Try to leave from the same point of your property each time – maybe via your driveway. This repetition helps your dog associate leaving your yard with you and a leash from one particular spot, instead of wandering off your property from anywhere he pleases.
Check your dog’s collar receiver for battery status on a regular basis, and be sure to keep it charged. If your dog is inside for the night, take the collar off to give her a well-deserved break.
Start your dog off at a level 2 shock for training. But be aware that some dogs can’t even feel a low level of shock! During training, watch your dog to see if he is responding to the shock of the collar. If he looks around, raises his ears, or shows other signs of curiosity, then he felt the collar, and there’s no need to increase the shock level. In the event that your dog doesn’t react to the collar, raise the setting to level 3 and try again.
Don’t forget that your pup is shocked every time she crosses the boundary of the invisible fence. This means that if your dog runs away from home and tries to come back into the yard, she gets shocked on the way back in. The system can’t differentiate between a dog leaving and a dog returning – any crossing of the fence line evokes a zap from the system. If your dog does run outside the safe zone, take her collar off before bringing her back into the yard.
Crucial Tips
Commit to training your dog with the COVONO EF851 for 2-3 weeks. Each training session only needs to be about 10 minutes long – keep sessions short and fun, so that your dog doesn’t get tired or frustrated. Set up some markers around the perimeter of your property (you can buy training flags for this purpose) to help your dog understand where the safety of your yard ends. Don’t worry; you’ll take these down later.
The first time you show your dog the fence, set your dog’s collar to the beep function instead of the shock settings. That way, your dog won’t get shocked for her first day of training. Before each training session, take time to play tug of war or fetch in your yard. Then walk your pup towards the fence line. (Be sure she’s wearing her regular collar and leash.)
Wait until the collar beeps a warning, then walk your dog away from the training flags. Tell your dog that she’s the best puppy in your whole yard! Give her some treats, too. Stay in the same location, and repeat the process: Approach, repeat, eat treats. Keep doing this until you notice that your dog is resisting approaching the flags – but don’t spend more than 15 minutes a day on training. There’s always tomorrow!
During training, observe your dog for signs of frustration or fear. Be sure to take a break if your pup seems anxious – spend some time playing instead! The more fun your dog has, the faster he’ll learn.
When it’s time for training again, repeat your original process: Approach the flags, return to the yard, dole out lots of treats and praise. But this time, don’t practice at just one location in your yard – train at different parts of the fence line. This helps your dog understand that the fence wraps around your whole yard.
Repeat this process until your dog doesn’t want to approach the training flags in any area of your yard. Now that your dog is comfortable, it’s time to make things more complicated. Bring your dog’s favorite toy with you on your next training session. Approach the fence as usual, but then toss your dog’s toy across the boundary. Wait to see what your dog does! If she stays in the yard, reward her lavishly. Repeat the toy test at different points of your invisible fence – and if your dog is doing extremely well, maybe try throwing a treat, too.
If your dog immediately runs after his toy, don’t give up! Switch to throwing something less dear to his heart – a toy he never uses, for example. If he ignores the boring toy, reward him with lots of treats. Slowly build your dog’s endurance by introducing more and more new items. Keep training every day – consistency is key.
During the training phase, take the receiver collar off your dog when he’s not training so that he can get used to the feeling slowly. Training time will be extra fun if you stock up on your dog’s favorite treats and reward him as he’s learning. And of course, spend plenty of time playing outside together! The more positive memories your dog associates with your yard, the more likely he is to stay put instead of trying to bolt for the hills.
Benefits and Features (Pros)
One of the biggest pros of the COVONO EF851 is the price. Between materials and labor, a traditional fence made from wood or chicken wire can cost thousands of dollars. The COVONO EF851 costs a fraction of that amount with almost no set-up time at all.
Another benefit of the COVONO EF851 is that it doesn’t obstruct your view. Obviously, an invisible fence is invisible and won’t interrupt your pristine grass (because everyone’s yard is always flawless, right?).
Problems (Cons)
While the COVONO EF851 is excellent for wide, open spaces, it doesn’t work well with obstacles. Anything tall has the potential to disrupt the GPS signal between the transmitter and your dog’s collar receiver, which could result in your dog getting shocked when he’s playing nicely in your yard. If you live in a wooded area, you should choose a different invisible fence for your property. However, a farm, a big yard, and the beach are great places to use the COVONO EF851.
Unlike a traditional fence, the COVONO EF851 won’t keep other animals out of your yard. Depending on where you live, this might not be a problem. But maybe your neighbor has an aggressive dog who’s always trying to escape their yard. (Or maybe you just don’t want to watch your neighbor pretend to water the flowers for a fourth time while judging you for your sweatpants. Haters gonna hate.) If you are looking for privacy or the ability to keep strange animals out of your yard, the COVONO EF851 won’t help you there.