Mounting the Transmitter Box

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The transmitter is the main control for your electric dog fence. It emits a signal that is carried through your boundary wire, creating the line that your dog cannot cross. From the transmitter, you can set the width of the boundary, or how close your dog gets to the wire before the warning and correction start. The transmitter will alarm if there is a break in the dog fence wire, or if the fence is not operational for some reason.

Where to Mount the Transmitter

The transmitter needs to be:

  • Next to a Power Outlet: The control box needs to be near an electric receptacle so it can easily be plugged in.
  • On or Near an Exterior Wall: So the boundary wire can easily be ran outside.
  • Protected From Mother Nature: The transmitter must be kept out of the elements. Particularly, it cannot get any moisture in it at all.

Interior

The transmitter should be kept in an out-of-the-way location such as the garage, outdoor shed, or inside of the cabinet of an exterior wall. After initially installing the transmitter, you won’t necessarily need to have access to it on a regular basis.

Mounting the Transmitter

The transmitter box should be screwed to the wall, using the mounting screws that are supplied. If you are mounting onto masonry or drywall, you will need to use the anchors to mount the transmitter securely. Since the transmitter is fairly lightweight, you don’t need to necessarily mount it directly to a stud.

Weatherproof Box

The transmitter can also be put outside in a weatherproof box. You can find these in the electrical section of your local hardware store. Just be sure that it is large enough to house the transmitter (and surge protector if you have one.) A weatherproof box will give extra protection if you decide to put the transmitter outdoors, underneath a deck for example.

Installing the Surge Protector

If you are in a geographic region that experiences frequent lightning strikes, it is a great idea to have your dog fence transmitter hooked up to a surge protector. Your kit may or may not come with a surge protector. If you decide that you need one, you can order one here.

The lightning surge protector is plugged directly into any grounded power outlet. If you have a surge protector you need to hook up, here is what you do:

  1. You have 2 ends of wire coming into your house (twisted wire). Instead of taking them directly into the transmitter, you need to put them into the surge protector, in the holes that are marked “loop.”
  2. Take a small piece of twisted wire to connect your surge protector to your dog fence transmitter. Insert one end of the twisted wire into the surge protector where it is marked “TX or transmitter.” The other end of the twisted wire is connected to the 2 outer screws on your transmitter, leaving the center screw untouched.

Bringing the Wire Outside

If your transmitter is mounted indoors, the wire needs to be ran outside. If there is an existing opening there, you can just use it to run the dog fence wire outside. You can also run the wire under a garage door, or through a window. Avoid running the wire through a dryer duct. This is because dryer vents get very hot, and this could cause the insulation on the wire to melt. In most cases, the easiest way to get the wire outside is to drill a hole through the drywall, pull the wire through and then put some exterior silicone caulking around the hole to ensure it is sealed properly.