Although the shipping took longer than I would have liked, I finally received this and MAN, how did I ever live without this? I can't even imagine not having it now. Firstly, it is simple to put up, the instructions are so well written and clear, I think a 10 year old could do it. If you have an existing fence, you do not have to put this in the ground. I read on some reviews that this is a huge chore buying, and if you have a huge yard, I guess it is, but I just attached it to my fence, used my lawn edger to help dig a rut where there was no fence, and boom, it's up. After MUCH research for a couple of months, I decided on this because it isn't wireless. The big huge wireless box is not only ginormous and ugly, but it doesn't have good reviews overall, and is prone to failure for many reasons, including that the signal fluctuates and makes the boundary you set move up to 2' either way at any given time. First, you lay it out around the area you want to fence, making sure it's just as you want it. They include helpful tips and advice too to help you in deciding how to lay your fence. At first, I was just going to lay it around the perimeter of my yard, but they show all kinds of ways to protect your pool area, garden spot, and cover difficult areas. They also explain how to train your animal precisely, which I was kind of worried about, but if you just follow their instructions on what and how to train on what days, it's simple. Days 1-5 for example, you just walk your pet around with the unit off and give him treats when he avoids the flagged areas. You do this for 30 minutes a day or something. Then day 6-10, for example, you'd see if he avoids the area by himself, and if he does you praise him a lot and reinforce the training. It accelerates up to about 2-3 weeks with progressive training. Even an idiot could do it. There is some adjustment work just making sure it works the way you intended, giving you the opportunity to reset the wires or whatever. And of course, you have to fit the collar to your specific pet, since all pets are different sizes, fur thicknesses etc. But they tell you all about that, too. I just think this is a well designed product that works great. It seems like they have thought of everything, and they give you pet training tips and tell you what to do to leave your area with your pet (because you don't want them to be afraid to cross the line when they have to go to the vet, for instance). They explain what to do if your animal gets out of the protection area. You can buy additional wire, flags, a second or third collar, and anything else you need. They also include some waterproof gel to use in case you have to splice in additional wire. The gel is a capsule shaped container of gel that you put the spliced wire into, close it to seal, and then use, because you need your wiring to be waterproof. This particular unit is rechargeable, but I decided it was worth the investment so I don't have to buy the exclusive petsafe batteries that everyone thinks are so high. They don't seem that high to me, but maybe the non-rechargeable units use a lot of batteries. Anyway, this is a complete set with every little thing you could ever think of, even things that aren't pictured. It even has a surge protector included, so all in all a great price for such a great product. Now my cats cat climb over the fence to the cat hating dogs and people on the other side. They can't get into the street on the front of the house and get hit by a car. But they can have freedom to play outside, catch bugs, lay under the shade tree, roll around on the patio, bask in the sun, chase squirrels, and just be cats. I'm so thrilled I got this!!!! And so are my babies!!
