 See Customer Reviews on Amazon.com | Max. Dogs: 2 Correction Levels: 5 Coverage: 2.8 acres (400 ft. diameter) Collar Neck Size: 14" - 26" Compare Specs. With Other Fences |
At a Glance: Havahart Radial-Shape Select Review
Pro’s:
- Superb Coverage; up to 11 acres (400+ ft. radius) – please read below for details.
- Check battery life and change correction level directly from the control unit.
- Most stable transmission signal in the entire industry.
- Removable, rechargeable battery.
Con’s:
- Support for only two collars.
Package Contents & Accessories
Welcome to our Havahart Radial-Shape Select Review. All packages bought post May 2013 will include the following items:
- The Havahart Transmitter / Control Unit
- AC Power Adapter
- Adhesive strips
- Wall anchor + screw
- Collar with receiver
- Long and short probes
- Receiver Tester
- 2x rechargeable batteries
- Battery Charger
- 75x boundary training flags
- Instructional DVD + printed installation and dog training manual
- 1 year + 10 year limited warranty
- Quick Set-up guide
Adhesive Strips
While other wireless pet fences only allow you to mount the transmitter using screws, the Havahart Radial-Shape Select comes with adhesive strips you can use to “glue” the unit directly to the wall. Simply clean the wall (isopropyl rubbing alcohol only) where you want to mount the transmitter, separate the two provided strips at the perforation and attach them vertically to the back of the unit as per the instructions, then attach the transmitter to the wall. You can remove the unit at any time and easily clean off any remaining adhesive on the wall. (Detailed instructions with pictures are provided with the package.) Please note that the strips should not be used on wallpaper.
Of course, you can also mount the transmitter using screws thanks to the provided wall anchor if you prefer.
Probe Attachments
As usual, you get two pairs of probes for both long-haired and short-haired dogs. The collar comes with the longer probes attached by default, and you can remove them and re-attach them with your fingers only; no need for a wrench or a probe fitter.
Collar Testing Heart
A cute heart-shapred tester is included with the Havahart Radial-Shape Select package. Simply place the tester against the collar receiver probes, and the tester will light up every time the receiver approaches the containment boundary, allowing you to test proper functionality and to determine the exact location for the training flags regardless of the correction level set on the collar receiver.
Boundary Training Flags
Havahart includes 75 flags in the package (most other models come with 50), which is understandable due to the large signal coverage of the transmitter, requiring the use of more flags than usual during dog training sessions. If you want to contain a large area (for instance a 450+ foot diameter circle), you will need to buy an additional 100-150 flags for proper and comfortable dog training, though it’s not a necessary requirement.
Warranty
Havahart stands behind their wireless radial fence with a 10 year limited warranty on the main transmitting unit, and a 1 year warranty on all other parts, including collar / receiver, tester, battery charger, contact probes and adhesive stripes. In the case of the 10-year transmitter warranty, you need only pay for labor beginning with year 2 and up.
Battery Recharger
The great thing about it is that it’s an external charger, meaning you don’t mean to connect it directly to the collar but instead you take out the battery from the receiver and charge it separately. Why is this good? For two reasons:
- It allows you to charge one of the two batteries while your dog keeps wearing the collar
- In case of a battery failure, you can quickly replace it without having to send the entire collar for servicing
The Havahart Radial-Shape Select Transmitter
This is the best transmitter on any wireless dog fence in terms of quality and signal stability; it’s even better than those coasting 3 times as much.
Transmitter Installation
You can attach the transmitter to a wall using either the provided adhesive strips, or the screw-mounting assembly. Detailed instructions on how to do both are included in the transmitter installation manual. As with any wireless dog fence, make sure there are no large metal objects in proximity to the transmitter (3 feet or more is best), and that the unit is positioned a good 4 or 5 feet above the floor and on the ground floor of your house. Make sure no objects (even non-metal ones) are placed on top of the transmitter as they could interfere with the units cooling capabilities, causing it to fail. Before mounting the transmitter to the wall, test the location thoroughly to make sure there are no signal interference.
Signal Coverage
The Havahart Radial-Shape Select Fence has the finest coverage of any models we have ever reviewed.
While Havahart mentions a 11 acre (390 ft radius) containment area diameter, we have found this not to be a reliable number, and anything above a 9 acre area (353 foot radius) will produce relatively serious boundary instabilities. However, a 353 foot radius boundary is still more than three times what the PetSafe Stay & Play has to offer.
Changing Fence Radius
Unlike other wireless fences, there is no need to turn a knob to set the radius of your fence with the Havahart; the whole process is done on-screen and a digital display will indicate the current setting and allow you to make changes by pressing the UP or DOWN buttons. See screenshot below for a demonstration:
Boundary Stability
The Havahart Radial-Shape Select has the most stable boundary of all wireless fences available on the market, regardless of the price range. With signal intensity set to HIGH and with a containment circle diameter of 250 feet, we’ve found boundary instabilities to be as low as 0.4 feet up or down; meaning the actual diameter was between 249.6 and 250.4; it really doesn’t get any better than this.
Very Unique Transmitter Features
A great feature is the Challenge Alarm. As soon as your dog approaches the boundary of the designated play area, the transmitter in your home will emit an audible alarm alerting you to the situation; you can then go out to see what is happening and how your dog is reacting. Additionally, the transmitter comes with a menu that you can use to change a few different settings, as well as to program new collars to be recognized and tracked.
Here’s the good stuff though: all other settings such collar correction level, battery status etc. can be checked and changed directly from the transmitter control screen. You can even check the current distance of the dog from the control unit, disable a collar when needed, and set the transmitter alarm volume level. This really makes life easier much for a dog owner.
Two-dog limit
This is pretty much the only downside to the Havahart Radial Wireless Fence. The control unit only supports two collars, so if you have 3 or more dogs that you’d like to contain, better go for the PetSafe Stay and Play model.
The Havahart Radial-Shape Select Receiver Collar
The collar weighs around 4.4 ounces with a battery inserted and the probes attached, and fits all dogs with a neck size of 14″ – 26″, as long as the dog is at least 6 months old and weighs a minimum of 8 pounds. Please remember that you must activate the collar through the control unit before you can start using it (a very simple process; details are included in the instruction manual). The collar receiver must have a charged battery inside before it can be activated.
Correction Levels
Up to 5 static correction levels are available (plus sound-only correction for training and testing). Remember that changing levels is done directly from the in-house control unit (the transmitter) using the control panel, so there is no need for playing around with the receiver collar as there are no buttons there at all.
Battery
The Havahart Radial-Shape Select Wireless Fence package comes with two rechargeable batteries, though only one is needed to power the collar receiver; the second one is a spare that you can keep charged at all times so there is no down-time involved when a charge is required. To insert or remove the battery from the receiver, unscrewed the small latch located to the side of the receiver and you immediately gain access to the battery tray.
A fully charged battery will last for approximately 3 days of heavy use. These batteries are lithium-Ion, meaning they will last for many years and hundreds of recharges before a replacement is required. A full recharge takes around 90-120 minutes. Please remember: you can check battery levels at any time directly through the main in-house unit’s (the transmitter’s) control panel.
Checking Battery Status
As mentioned, you can check the status of the collar battery at any time directly from the control unit (choose “Display Options” -> Show Collar Monitor” from the menu). There are four different statuses which can be displayed: HIGH, MED, LOW/REPLACE and N/A. Below is a chart explaining each of those:
Click to enlarge
Energy Conservation
The receiver on the collar will go into sleep mode if the collar does not move for a while, conserving energy. As soon as your dog / the collar moves, the receiver awakes automatically.
Collar Strap
The collar strap on the Havahart Radial-Shape Select comes with a quick-snap lock, making it quick and easy to properly fit onto your dog’s neck. A noteworthy fact here is that part of the receiver antenna goes right through the strap, which means you can only use the strap that is provided by Havahart, as using any other kind would break the receiver’s capacity to properly receive radio signals.
Dog Training & Detailed Configuration
Remember that proper dog training is crucial for your Havahart Radial-Shape Select Wireless Fence to work properly. Head over to our Training Center to learn everything you need to know about training your dog and properly configuring your fence boundaries.
Havahart Radial-Shape Select Review – Summary
Not much to say really: if the price is acceptable to you, this is the best wireless dog fence you can get. Exceptional coverage, superb boundary stability, unparalleled configuration comfort through the main control unit, and a very responsive and reliable collar. Be sure to check out today’s Amazon.com price on this fence. And please keep in mind that you should not expect to achieve a 11 acre boundary; 9 acres is a more realistic goal.
