Intellipet ZW18900-05, Quick Start Manual, Page: 12 / 16

TRAINING
To get the most out of your containment system, keep
these tips in mind:
1. Begin training when your dog has reached at least
six months of age.
2. Place the training flags where the warning tone is
heard.
3. ALWAYS praise your dog for appropriate behavior.
4. Never call or put your dog into the containment sys-
tem’s correction field.
5. Keep training sessions brief (10 to 15 minutes) and
stop the session before your dog has lost interest.
End the session with play.
6. Complete all of the steps in the Training Plan before
allowing your dog to run free.
7. Always make sure that the collar is functioning prop-
erly BEFORE putting it on your dog.
THE TRAINING PLAN
The goal of containment training is:
• To teach your dog to identify and retreat from the
boundaries.
• To make the training fair – so your dog will under-
stand the consequences of leaving the yard
• To make the training fun – so your dog will enjoy
staying and playing on your property.
Training Equipment
You’ll need a training collar. Choose either a flat or slip
collar. Use a flat collar on a mild mannered dog. A slip
collar works best on a hard to handle or easily distract-
ed dogs.
You’ll need a leash.
Training Lessons
Before you start to train – Make sure the collar receiver
has a fresh battery. Remove the standard contacts and
install the plastic training contacts. The training contacts
ensure that your dog does not receive a stimulation until
he/she learns to retreat from the boundary when he/she
hears the warning sound.
Put the collar receiver on your dog. Make sure the trans-
mitter is turned on.
Lesson 1: The Retreat Pattern
The goal for day 1 is to introduce your dog to the
boundary and to help him understand he/she should
retreat when he/she hears the warning sound.
Using the leash, casually walk your dog toward the
boundary. Your dog may indicate he/she hears the warn-
ing sound by tilting his head or twitching his ears. The
instant the dog hears the warning sound, give a tug on
the leash and bring him back into the yard.
On days two and three repeat the lesson of day one.
As the training sessions progress through the three days
of lesson one, you’ll see that your dog will begin to
anticipate the signal and retreat without prompts.
Day three is successful if your dog retreats with no
prompt from you or he/she refuses to approach the
boundary. Remember to praise proper behavior.
Lesson 2: The Stimulation
A dog may be tempted to break the rules. To prevent
this, he/she must understand that there are conse-
quences for inappropriate behavior. When your dog
retreats from the boundaries on his own, or won’t go
into flagged areas, he/she is ready to receive stimula-
tion.
Before you begin this lesson remove the training con-
tacts and install the standard contacts. Make sure the
transmitter is turned ON and functioning properly.
Use a leash. Have a family member run through the
containment field. Let your dog follow. The distracter
must not stop, look back, or call the dog. After your dog
receives the stimulation, pull him back to you and lavish
him with loud, happy praise. Try it again. If he/she
responds correctly, praise him, then move to another
boundary area.
Lesson 3: Distractions
If your dog is avoiding the boundary, he/she is ready for
distractions. This is the most important but often short-
changed part of the training. This lesson teaches your
dog that he/she must resist temptations. When practic-
ing distractions, never call or pull your dog into the con-
tainment field.
Most dogs have a hard time generalizing concepts so
you can’t assume that if your dog won’t chase a ball
he/she won’t chase a bicycle. You have to go through a
list of distractions that will tempt your dog the most.
Dogs will learn specifics. If your dog likes to chase, dis-
tract with balls or bikes — anything that moves. If your
dog is distracted by children, family members, or other
dogs — use them as temptations.
IN-GROUND DOG FENCE
TRAINING AND TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE
12