We all love the peace of mind that comes with having an invisible fence for our pups.
They can run and play in a secure area even though the fence isn’t visible to our neighbors.
However, in order to keep that peace of mind, you need to ensure your fence is up and running properly – and that includes regularly checking the batteries in your dog’s collar.
In this guide, you’ll learn how to test Invisible Fence collar battery, how to troubleshoot the collar, and how to change or charge the batteries.
How To Test Invisible Fence Collar Battery
To test the batteries in the invisible fence collar, remove the collar from your dog and carry it to the fence boundary.
If the battery is working, the collar should beep as you approach the boundary line.
Most collars have a low-battery indicator light, but if your dog has run through the invisible fence and you don’t see a light on the collar, the battery may have died, taking the indicator light with it.
We recommend taking a look at the battery indicator light once a week to make sure you catch the low-battery indicator light.
If you see it come on you’ll have time to buy or order a new battery and replace it.
If you have a rechargeable collar, you’ll need to watch for the low-battery indicator light then remove the collar at a convenient time and plug it in to charge overnight or for a few hours as needed.
Be aware that you’ll have hours of downtime with a rechargeable collar because the dog can’t be let out in the yard until the collar is charged and put back on.
Read our related article on How to Change the Frequency On an Invisible Fence Collar for more troubleshooting tips and tricks!
Testing the Battery
There are 3 steps to easily test the battery of the invisible fence receiver collar:
- First, you need to remove the collar from your dog. Make sure your dog is safely inside so they do not escape the yard while the collar is off.
- Take the collar out to the invisible fence boundary. Carry it close to the ground, at about the height of your dog as if your dog was wearing it.
- As you approach the invisible fence line, the collar should begin to give a warning beep and a light will flash (depending on the model). If it does this, your battery is working properly. If not, it’s time for a new battery.
If your dog has run away and the battery is working, then you’ll need to adjust the perimeter settings.
Increase the boundary width to give the dog a wider correction zone, making it harder to jump over.
If the dog still runs through a wide boundary, then increase the correction level on the collar by one number.
How Long Does an Invisible Fence Battery Last?
We recommend checking your battery at least once a month.
The Invisible Fence Brand recommends changing your batteries every 3 months to keep your fence working properly.
These time windows may change based on how often your dog uses the collar. If they are outside a lot, or if they tend to challenge the fence often, the battery will drain faster.
If you want to save battery life, take the collar off and power it down, or remove the battery when your dog is inside.
This may reset the correction settings, so double-check them before replacing the collar.
After your dog wears the collar for a few months, you should get a better understanding of how often the collar batteries will need to be checked or changed based on your dog’s usage.
Read More: Why is My PetSafe Wireless Fence Not Working? A PetSafe Fence that isn’t working may need to be reset. Here’s how to go about it!
How To Change An Invisible Fence Collar Battery
You will know the battery is dead if the collar is not beeping at the designated boundary line. If this is the case, it’s time to change the battery as soon as possible.
If your test shows that the battery is not working, your pup should not go back in the yard until it’s replaced.
A fence that’s not working properly will allow your dog to escape and teach them bad habits for the future.
Here are the steps to change the collar’s battery:
- First, find a coin (a dime works well because it’s thin). Then, locate the Power Cap battery on your pup’s receiver collar. It will be on the black box on the collar, opposite the prongs. You’ll see a small black circle with a slot in the middle.
- Insert the coin into that slot, and use it to turn the Power Cap 45 degrees counter-clockwise. That should remove the Power Cap battery from your collar and allow you to put the new one in.
- Line up the new Power Cap battery carefully in the designated space, and use your coin again to rotate it 45 degrees clockwise back into place.
After installing the new battery, we recommend performing another test of the collar to ensure it’s working properly.
Also double-check your correction settings in case they have been reset.
The batteries for your invisible fence collar may look different but the basic steps are the same.
Use the collar testing tool that came with the fence or a coin to release the old battery and install the new one.
Troubleshooting a Blinking Light
You may not even have to test your invisible fence collar to know when to change the battery.
These receiving collars are equipped with lights to warn you when the system is not working correctly.
When everything is working properly, you should see a green blinking light on your pup’s receiver collar.
However, when the collar’s battery is running low, the collar light will begin blinking red every 10 seconds.
If this begins happening, change your Power Cap battery as soon as possible.
If you have purchased a collar with a rechargeable battery, remove the collar from your dog and plug it into the charger to refresh the battery.
You’ll have to keep your dog indoors or secured during charging.
Read our related article, PetSafe Wireless Fence Collar Red Light Blinking, for more on why your dog’s collar is blinking red and possible solutions!
What Batteries Do Invisible Fence Collars Use?
The Invisible Fence brand uses a special type of battery called a Power Cap battery.
This is a special 3-volt battery that was designed by Invisible Fence specifically for your pet’s receiving collar.
Other batteries will not fit correctly in the collar, so keep a spare battery on hand just in case the collar’s battery goes out unexpectedly.
You can purchase them from the Invisible Fence website or from vendors like Amazon. Typically, these batteries run somewhere between $15 and $20 for a two-pack.
While that may sound expensive, the cost of these batteries will be significantly less than the cost to maintain a physical fence.
If you are worried about remembering to buy new batteries, or you are looking to save a little money, you can sign up for the Invisible Fence Brand Power Cap Plan.
On this plan, you pay for a year’s worth of batteries at a time, and then Invisible Fence will automatically send you new batteries whenever it is time to replace them in your receiver collars.
There are several benefits to choosing to sign up for this plan:
- You do not have to worry about remembering to buy new batteries because Invisible Fence will automatically send them to you.
- You will save money because you get a discount when you pay for a year’s worth of batteries all at once.
- You will always have a new battery on hand when it comes time to replace the old battery.
This Power Cap Plan may be a great option for you and your pup.
Alternatively you can choose a collar that has a rechargeable battery. While this option has downtime during recharging, you never have to worry about purchasing batteries.
A few hours on the charger and the collar is ready to go again. This is perfect for those who know they’ll be able to charge the collar overnight every few weeks.
Also, if you are looking for some great collars to train your dog with, here are our top picks for training collar options!
How to Test the Electrical Prongs
In addition to checking your battery, you should also check the electrical prongs on the receiving collar to ensure they are delivering static shocks correctly.
To do this, you will use the testing light that comes with your invisible fence collar:
- Carefully position the tool over both prongs, and then press the test button on your receiver.
- Look for a red flashing light on the tool that will show if the electric shock is being delivered properly.
- Keep in mind that the higher you set the level of shock, the brighter the red light will flash.
If your light does not flash when you test the electrical prongs with this testing light, here are a few things you can do.
- Tighten the prongs and test again
- Double-check that the battery is charged and test again
- Ensure that the transmitter is plugged in and turned on then test again.
If everything appears to be working fine but the prongs are not showing that they’re working with the testing tool, call the manufacturer for further troubleshooting.
Keep this testing light around in a handy spot.
Not only is it good for testing the electrical prongs, but it can also be used to adjust the prongs, as well as to open and close the Power Cap battery on the collar when it is time to change the battery.
Final Thoughts
It’s very important to check your collar’s battery and electric prongs once per month to keep your fence functioning properly.
Keep in mind that your batteries will most likely need to be changed every 3 months, depending on your dog’s fence usage.
The more often the dog triggers the collar, the quicker the batteries will drain.
With some minimal maintenance, your pup can continue enjoying safe, fun playtimes in your backyard.
