Corrective Dog Training Made Easy with SkyShepherd

Stephen Haynes practices guidance training when it comes to using corrections in dog training. He uses just the right amount of feedback in each moment of guidance to achieve better training outcomes.

Neither dog owners nor trainers like corrections. Who does... right? The word is negatively associated with something harsh, unpleasant, and unwanted. No one likes to be corrected, and that includes your dog. What is far more appealing to trainers is to provide guidance by giving small amounts of input or direction instead of heavier corrections.

How Professionals Handle Corrective Dog Training

My name is Stephen Haynes, a professional dog trainer and behaviorist of 21 years. A major difference between a novice dog trainer and a professional is how we perform corrective dog training. This includes how we develop our skills to reduce corrections yet provide more information to the dogs through guidance. After many years of training, we have come to understand that corrections come in many gradations and shades of intensity. We know when to use each intensity from very light guidance, such as a jiggle of the leash for a distraction and a reminder to a sharper correction to stop a lunging canine. We also know that gentle, light guidance often provides more value in teaching than something harsher and more confusing to the dog. 

Professionals always use input that is just strong enough to change unwanted behavior and convey the message we need to get across. If the dog is calm but wanders out of the heel position to sniff a tree, they may get a slight guiding jiggle of the leash to remind them that they have a job to do, and it’s time to start paying attention again. They will get a stronger correction if they make a larger error and try to charge across the road toward a pet on the opposite sidewalk. At that moment, we need to cut through the excitement and adrenaline they are experiencing to get the message across. Just like humans, getting our attention does not take much when we are calm. It takes a fair bit more oomph to get us to focus when we are excited and highly distracted. 

In the dog training world, we do not have many tools or devices that can make this variable adjustment between guidance and correction for us on the fly. Instead, trainers learn to modulate these through years of experience and practice. When done correctly at just the right level and time, dogs learn new skills faster and can apply those skills in different situations and locations more comfortably. Containment systems have never been able to provide this modulation of guidance intensity in the past. It’s always been a preset level, and that’s all there is.

An Innovative Approach to Corrective Dog Training

SkyShepherd has taken the best of what professional dog trainers do through experience and practice and built it into their system. SkyShepherd works differently than most containment systems. Until now, wireless fence systems would beep or vibrate to warn the dog that it was close to the fence. If the dog didn’t respond, the collar would correct the dog at a set, pre-defined level. It didn’t matter if the dog was excited, calm, or just playing around. Hard or soft, the correction was the same for all states of energy. Trainers don’t like this and neither do the owners nor the dogs.

It’s much better to have a containment system that gauges how excited your dog is and adjusts the correction accordingly, just like a professional trainer would. SkyShepherd does this by delivering progressively higher levels of feedback the further your dog pushes its boundaries—starts off low, then builds higher as necessary.

So, if your dog wanders around and quietly bumps into the boundary perimeter, it gets a gentle vibration to guide it to turn around. If your dog is on scent, not listening, continuing to push its boundaries, then SkyShepherd feedback rises automatically to meet your dog’s attention and guide it back. The SkyShepherd system knows where your dog is, where it should be, and will reward it with a safe tone when it’s done the right thing and turned back. There’s nothing else out there in the market that does this. SkyShepherd developed this technology with the help of professional trainers and behaviorists, making it so unique, it’s patented.

Using SkyShepherd unlocks the skills and techniques that professional trainers spend years honing, all within a revolutionary system designed to safeguard your dogs and keep them exactly where they belong. This ingenious approach ensures a stress-free learning experience for your furry companions by precisely applying corrections at opportune moments and at the proper levels. Corrective dog training done the right way empowers them to grasp new concepts swiftly without fearing unnecessary reprimands while they enjoy and explore the world around them.

GPS Tracking for Dogs vs. GPS Dog Containment: Which is Better?

Everyone knows what a GPS tracker is at this point. It identifies the location of a person, animal, or object. However, GPS tracking for dogs simply isn’t enough. You don’t just want to know where your dog is; you want to ensure that they are in the right location. There’s a world of difference between putting a tracker on your dog in hopes of protecting it versus a “sky fence” that keeps your dog secure and where it’s supposed to be.

My name is Stephen Haynes, a professional dog trainer and behaviorist of 21 years. In my long career as a dog trainer, I’ve had a lot of requests from clients to help keep their dogs safe.  Everything from keeping dogs away from tree lines where bears were known to hang out to keeping them away from the county roads along the edges of their ranches and houses.

Dog trainers can do a lot training-wise to get a dog to respond when given a direct command. This applies as long as we’re close enough that they can hear us, be able to think about us, and realize we are close by. This all changes when the dogs are out alone on the property and making their own decisions.

Working with clients over the years, our options on how to accomplish this were limited. Most of the time, keeping the dogs in or out of a specific area required the use of a wired fence. These could take the form of a physical barrier like chain link or, more commonly, a barrier that used a wire trenched into the ground that emitted a signal that talked to a collar that the dog would wear. When the dog got close to the wire in the ground, the collar would “remind” the dog that it was time to make a good decision and turn around. These things are a pretty good proxy for a human being close by but have a couple of notable downsides.  

The Downsides of In-Ground Wire Fences

First, they were expensive to install, particularly on larger properties, steep or rocky gradients, or around complicated landscaping. Having a crew come out to dig a trench to lay in the wire around the property always cost a lot of money. There was also the maintenance of the wire. If the wire got cut by anything from a landscaping crew to a horse stepping on it, then the “fence” would stop working at all points, and the dog could just walk out anywhere with no reminder to stay in the boundary.

The second issue with these in-ground wire fences was the lack of flexibility and portability. You could install one on a property, but there it would stay. To have one at both your lake house and your main house involved buying another complete system. Not to mention if you wanted to go camping and keep the dog close to the campsite. Setting up a physical barrier on the fly is almost never a practical option.

The Downsides of GPS Tracking for Dogs 

By the early 2000s, I started seeing methods of GPS tracking for dogs. Owners liked the idea of being able to see where the dog might be at any point without the hassle of fences or wires. However, the limitations of these collars became quickly apparent when I started getting calls from people that were using them.  

GPS tracking devices allowed the clients to set up an area that was a safe zone for the dog to stay in. These collars would then notify the owner when the dog went out of that area. That was great in theory, but if a dog was chasing a deer, a mouse, or even just following the smell of something interesting, the dog neither knew nor cared where the boundaries were, and it would keep going when it crossed the line. 

My clients were spending hours looking at their phones, seeing a dot on the map where their dog was, and chasing after it. Often, when they would get close, the dog would take off chasing something else. My clients would call me because they wanted to improve their dog’s recall or “come to you” command, so they didn’t have to spend so much time chasing it around through the canyons, but even great recall wasn’t enough to stop the initial chase.

The Ultimate Solution: SkyShepherd GPS Dog Containment

The trackers were great for knowing where your dog was but didn’t help at all with getting it back to you or, even better, keeping it where it was supposed to be in the first place. Fortunately, there are better solutions now. 

One, in particular, is addressing the containment issues my clients have had for years. One of the best developments is what I describe as a “sky fence” that makes it simple for my clients to keep their dogs in an area they define, without fences or wires. These solutions leverage GPS technology, but the critical difference is that they combine GPS with the proven containment technology of the in-ground wire systems to get the best of both without the limitations of either.

Sky fences like SkyShepherd solve the main drawbacks of the hard-wired fences of the past. It uses GPS to map out a boundary for your dog through a mapping tool on your phone. The dog owner defines one or more safe spaces, and when the dog gets close to that perimeter, it will get that all-important reminder to turn around to safety. And what is more amazing for me as a trainer is that if the dog somehow manages to venture outside the boundary, the system will begin to shepherd the dog back into the safe zone automatically—no more chasing around the forest of canyons looking for a pet that has wandered into danger. Of course, if you have a big property where the dog has lots of freedom to roam, you can still simply use the app to see where the dog is whenever you want in real-time.

The second great thing about a sky fence is that they are portable. Go to a new location, and all you have to do is draw a new boundary on your phone screen. The dog will be able to explore the new territory until it finds the edges before roaming around free inside the zone. Camping, hanging out somewhere while on a long hike, using it at the lake house, or marking out a safe area while fly fishing, SkyShepherd makes identifying safe areas for your dog ultra simple.

These new tools are making my clients’ lives with their dogs better. My goal as a trainer is to help clients be able to take their dogs with them wherever they are able as easily as possible.  SkyShepherd is letting them do this in ways that have never been possible in my world until now. In dog training, we say that the easy way is usually the right way to get a dog to do something, and having a tool like SkyShepherd as a sky fence certainly makes keeping dogs safe easier for clients.

Top 7 New Dog Tips for a Smooth Transition

Congratulations on welcoming a new furry family member! Whether it’s your first time or not, bringing a dog into your life is a big deal. Having the knowledge and supplies you need for the smoothest transition possible will prevent you and your pup from becoming overwhelmed. With these new dog tips in mind, your pet will feel right at home in no time.

Helpful New Dog Tips You Should Know

Have Supplies Ready to Go

Before you bring your dog home, it’s ideal to have all the basic supplies they’ll need to thrive. This includes but is not limited to the following items:

1.       Properly sized crate (for puppies especially)

2.       High-quality dog food and treats

3.       Water and food bowls

4.       A collar, harness, and leash

5.       Identification tags

6.       Dog bed

7.       Dog poo disposal bags

8.       Toys

9.       Outdoor containment (aka SkyShepherd)

If you need to change your dog’s diet after bringing it home, it’s crucial to transition slowly by gradually. Many people try to transition too quickly. To properly transition, mix in the new food over a two-week period, adding just a little bit of the new food at first and reducing the old by the same amount. Keep progressing the new/old exchange bit by bit until after two weeks, it’s just the new food. A slower transition will reduce the chances of an upset stomach or diarrhea.

Be Calm and Patient

Keeping things calm around the house when your dog first arrives can help it take in its surroundings with less anxiety. Give your dog a couple of days to adjust to its new environment. All the new sights, smells, and experiences can make it a challenge for your new dog to settle with your family. You can proactively help create a calm environment by freeing up your schedule during the time you’re bringing your dog home, if possible, and by talking with any children in your home about dog etiquette.

Patience goes a long way in the beginning. Puppies will need some leeway when it comes to accidents in the house or destructive chewing. If you already have dogs, they will all need to become familiar and comfortable with one another at their own pace. Exposure to all new situations should be positive and not forced.

Prepare Safe Spaces Indoors & Outdoors

Your new dog should have a safe space where they can relax and decompress. Providing a properly sized crate offers many benefits, such as giving them their own den-like area, keeping your pup safe while traveling or when not at home, and helping with potty training. Young puppies need a LOT more down time than most people realize.  Make sure that you allow your pup to be in their crate a number of times each day.  This allows them to decompress, calm down, and get ready for the next play or training session.

Having a fenced-in yard or a virtual GPS dog fence like SkyShepherd will help to ensure your pet’s safety outdoors, preventing your dog escaping the yard and getting lost/potentially hurt. For SkyShepherd, all you need is the lightweight smart collar and connected mobile app to contain your new furry friend. SkyShepherd works autonomously and uses patented progressive zone feedback and a Shepherding Mode feature to keep your dog in the boundary or guide them back to safety if they ever leave the boundary.

Dog trainers recommend that you do quite a bit of your training outside with your pup so that they can become acquainted with the sights and sounds of your neighborhood. Working outside allows you to train for a few minutes and then let the puppy run and play. Working in this manner makes training more effective and much more fun for the puppy.

Train with Positive Reinforcement

Training can offer physical and mental stimulation, increase your dog’s confidence, strengthen your bond with your pooch, and improve overall behavior. Using positive reinforcement and rewarding successes is the key to having them learn faster and be more comfortable with you. The SkyShepherd GPS dog fence collar also uses positive reinforcement to quicken and solidify training on staying within bounds.

Training shouldn’t ever be painful or aggressive, as these methods can lead to more problematic behaviors and poor welfare. You can teach yourself how to properly train your dog through online/written resources or by seeking help from a professional trainer/going to a training class.

A trained dog is a happy dog. Dogs that begin training early better understand what their owners need and want. Without question, early training improves communication and understanding between dogs and their humans.

Provide Mental Enrichment & Physical Exercise

Dogs need to be stimulated both mentally and physically to live their best lives. Mental and physical stimulation go hand in hand to keep your dog happy and healthy.

Mental enrichment from training, solving puzzle toys, or playing games helps to improve cognitive function, releases stress, and builds confidence.

Physical exercise in the form of walks, playing fetch, and going to the dog park help to keep your pup active, which can prolong their life and prevent obesity. Depending on the size and age of your dog, it should receive between 30 mins to two hours of exercise a day.

Connect with a Vet

A trusted vet is one of the best resources for your new dog’s health and well-being. Setting up this relationship early will be especially helpful during your dog’s transition to your home. Bring in any previous history, medical records, and vaccine records to your first appointment, so your vet can perform the necessary tests/shots and schedule future visits.

Establish a Routine

Dogs thrive on routine, and puppies are particularly adept and picking up a routine. Routines keep puppies calmer and happier because they know what to expect when.

Having a consistent routine for your dog is essential for creating a calm and organized home environment. This includes regular feeding and walking schedules, as well as deciding who is responsible for caretaking tasks. Disorganization or disruptions to the routine can create a stressful environment for your pup that may lead to anxiety and unwanted behaviors.

Conclusion

With these new dog tips in mind, set yourself up for success in the long run. If you prepare and patiently help your dog settle in, you’ll be laying the foundation for a strong bond that will last a lifetime.

A Must-Have Portable Wireless Dog Fence for Travel

A Golden Retriever wearing a SkyShepherd GPS Dog Fence Collar is sitting on the ground in a wooded area in front of a log cabin vacation home.

As someone once said, the journey of life is sweeter when traveled with a dog, and we couldn’t agree more! Warmer months are on the horizon, which means that the busy vacation season is rapidly approaching. If you’re planning on bringing your beloved furry friend with you on your next trip, keep your dog safely contained with the SkyShepherd® portable wireless dog fence. All you need is the lightweight smart collar and corresponding mobile app—no pesky chains or tie-outs required. It’s never been easier to explore new places with your pooch.

Top 3 Benefits of the SkyShepherd Portable Wireless Dog Fence

1.     Hassle-Free Autonomous Containment

 As a compact, self-contained device, you can easily bring SkyShepherd and your dog with you when you travel to new destinations. SkyShepherd uses advanced progressive zone feedback to guide your dog to stay in bounds with the gentlest possible effective feedback. The Shepherding feature even guides your dog back to safety if it ever leaves the boundary. On top of that, our smart collar features a rechargeable battery for power on the go.

2.     Unlimited Number of Custom Boundaries

You can store a virtually unlimited number of boundaries for various locations and activate them on your collar wherever you need them. You could even create the boundary ahead of time before leaving on your trip. From triangles to pentagons and from one to 100+ acres, there is practically no limit to the shapes and sizes of your SkyShepherd Safe Zone boundaries. Please keep in mind that containment areas of one acre or more are ideal due to the space required for the wireless fence alert zones and the practicalities of GPS accuracy.

3.     Easy Transition to New Boundaries

 You won’t have to worry about your dog struggling to adjust to a new boundary. Your pup learns the principles of the SkyShepherd guidance system when you complete the initial dog training process. Each new boundary area should only require you to familiarize your dog with the GPS fence perimeter while observing its reaction to the alert zones.

With the SkyShepherd portable wireless dog fence, you now can have the freedom to bring your dog with you wherever you go while keeping them happy, safe, and contained. It’s a win-win!

Why a Smart Fence Dog Collar Makes the Pawfect Present this Winter

If you’re looking to treat yourself or a loved one in your life who owns a dog or recently got a dog, we have you covered. SkyShepherd makes canine containment easier than ever. It’s a smart fence dog collar powered by patented technology to keep a dog safe within a designated boundary. Great for wintertime, SkyShepherd also doesn’t require wires or flags to be installed into the hardened ground. What makes this smart collar the ideal gift for a dog parent? Keep reading to find out.

3 Reasons to Gift the SkyShepherd Smart Fence Dog Collar

1. Simple to Set Up & Use for Any Dog Owner

The person you gift SkyShepherd to won’t need to install anything. They only need the lightweight collar and connected mobile app to contain their furry friend. Once the simple dog training process is completed, SkyShepherd works autonomously. It uses patented progressive zone feedback and a Shepherding Mode feature to keep dogs in the boundary or guide them back to safety if they ever leave the boundary. If you are gifting this smart fence dog collar, keep in mind that the training process goes best with dogs that have basic obedience down—things like, “sit,” “stay,” and “come”—and are also able to walk well on a leash. Pups should be at least six months of age/20 lbs before using SkyShepherd.

2. Ultimate Flexibility with Custom Boundaries & Local Monitoring

SkyShepherd is best for folks with one acre or more to contain their dog. Gifting them SkyShepherd will allow them to create and edit a custom boundary of virtually any size and shape in seconds using the SkyShepherd mobile app. Each boundary they set up will have a Safe Zone, two Alert Zones (First Alert and Second Alert), and an Out Zone. SkyShepherd will continuously monitor their dog and use the included gateway system to relay info via the internet to their mobile device. As long as the collar is within range of any SkyShepherd gateway (up to a half mile in excellent conditions), the recipient can track their dog’s location and receive real-time notifications in the app if their dog tests its boundary. Built for use at home or while traveling, this GPS dog collar also features a rechargeable battery for power on the go.

3. Gifting a Safe & Humane Pet Containment System

SkyShepherd’s unique, dynamic feedback always uses the lowest level of feedback necessary to guide a dog at its level of excitement. Since the person your gifting SkyShepherd to knows their dog best, all feedback is user-selectable. SkyShepherd also rewards a dog for doing the right thing by giving a friendly, periodic Safe Tone while the dog is in, or returning to, its Safe Zone.

Coming soon, in early 2023, gift the smart fence dog collar that’s unlike anything else on the market.

A Custom-Shape Wireless Dog Fence for Ultimate Versatility

Need to contain your dog on your large property? Always on the go, traveling with your pup to fun destinations? Moving to a new home with no fence? SkyShepherd has you covered. With our multi-patented custom-shape wireless dog fence, you can create and edit a boundary of virtually any shape and size in seconds using the connected mobile app. It’s as easy as a few taps! Now it’s possible for your furry friend to have the freedom to roam while staying contained in a play area that you control. 

SkyShepherd’s Custom-Shape Wireless Dog Fence: 3 Advantages

1.     Unlimited Boundary Shapes & Sizes

From circles to pentagons and from one to 100+ acres, there is practically no limit to the shapes and sizes of your SkyShepherd Safe Zone boundaries. In the mobile app, you can create as many “pins” as you want by tapping points to make the custom shape of your GPS fence for dogs. This means that you don’t have to physically walk the perimeter of the boundary, and you can make it perfectly custom-fit to the shape of your property or desired boundary. Properties of one acre or more are a good fit for SkyShepherd due to the space required for the alert zones and the practicalities of GPS accuracy. Our smart dog collar is not affected by falling snow, rain, or most other weather, but since GPS signals bounce off of water surfaces, and a swimming dog’s collar will be below the water surface, it’s best not to create a boundary over water. We also recommend having at least 50 feet between your boundary perimeter lines and any tall structure, like a vertical face of a two-story house.

2.     Hassle-Free Autonomous Containment

Get peace of mind with SkyShepherd. All you need is the lightweight collar and mobile app to keep your dog safe wherever life takes you. Once you’ve trained your dog, SkyShepherd works autonomously to contain your dog in its boundary. SkyShepherd uses advanced progressive zone feedback to guide your dog to stay in bounds with the gentlest possible effective feedback. AND a Shepherding Mode feature even guides your dog back to safety if it ever leaves the boundary. SkyShepherd continuously monitors your dog and uses an included gateway system to relay info via the internet to your mobile device. We call it “local monitoring” because as long as your GPS dog fence collar is within range of any SkyShepherd gateway (up to a half mile in excellent conditions), you can track your dog’s location and receive real-time notifications in the app if your dog tests its boundary.

3.     Set Custom Boundaries at Home & Away

As a compact, self-contained device, you can easily bring SkyShepherd and your dog with you when you travel or move to a new home. You can store an unlimited number of boundaries for various locations and activate them on your collar whenever you want. You could even create the boundary ahead of time before leaving home. On top of that, our smart collar features a rechargeable battery for power on the go. You won’t have to worry about your dog struggling to adjust to a new boundary either. Your pup learns the principles of the SkyShepherd guidance system when you complete initial training. Each new boundary area should only require you to familiarize your dog with the GPS fence perimeter while observing its reaction to the alert zones.

Your complete satisfaction with SkyShepherd is guaranteed. Look no further for a custom-shape wireless dog fence system that’s engineered to be Smart. Safe. Secure.

The Benefits of Positive Reinforcement for Dogs to Keep Your Pet Safe

According to the Humane Society and the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior, positive reinforcement for dogs is one of the most powerful tools for shaping or changing your furry friend’s behavior. Positive-reinforcement training, sometimes called force-free training, involves rewarding your pup for correct actions and not punishing it for incorrect actions. It’s an effective and humane way to communicate with your dog and teach it right from wrong. Incentives can range from praise, treats, toys, or in SkyShepherd’s case, a friendly Safe Tone that rewards your dog for staying or returning to its Safe Zone. In this blog, we’ll outline the benefits of positive reinforcement for dogs and how it ties in with our patented containment technology. As a bonus, we’ve included trainer tips from Chad R. James, one of the inventors of SkyShepherd, who has nearly 50 years of experience in the field of advanced technology to improve the relationship between canines and humans.

Why Positive Reinforcement for Dogs and the Safe Tone are Best for Containment

1.     Rewards for Doing the Right Thing

Dogs are brilliant and aim to please. Rewarding your pup for doing the right thing will teach it good behaviors vs. bad behaviors. Positive reinforcement happens with SkyShepherd’s electronic Safe Tone sound. While training, you condition your dog to associate the Safe Tone with pleasant sensations by praising it whenever the sound goes off. While it’s in its Safe Zone, the Safe Tone periodically sounds. It also sounds whenever your dog returns from the alert zones, just after the vibration from the First Alert Zone ceases. Overall, the sound of the Safe Tone acts as a positive marker, serving as extra confirmation that your canine has done the right thing, which reinforces the desired behavior.

Chad’s Tips:

-       Keep it fun, but don’t overdo it, as it may become a distraction.

-       It’s ok to provide treats as a type of reward during the teaching process, as long as they don’t become a distraction.

-       Praise and affection should be used throughout the whole training process and are very important to strengthen your bond/trust while making learning more permanent.

-       This continued use of praise/affection primes the dog for learning by promoting a safe, secure, and relaxed environment—a powerful behavioral learning tool.

2.     Non-Aversive Stimulus with Positive Reinforcement is Humane and Effective

SkyShepherd’s non-aversive approach (no pain, fear, or fright) teaches a dog where it should be based upon innocuous, positive reinforcement markers (the Safe Tone), providing the dog a sense of a safe, secure, and relaxed environment. Most of the other devices offer aversive stimulus (very high levels of e-stim) which creates alternative behaviors that generally get in the way of teaching/learning.

Rest assured that none of SkyShepherd’s feedback system is harmful, and all SkyShepherd feedback is user-selectable since you know your furry friend the best. SkyShepherd’s unique, dynamic feedback always uses the lowest level of feedback necessary to guide your dog at its level of excitement. How does SkyShepherd do that? Through progressive feedback:  

·       Positive reinforcement is primary, reinforcing good behavior at all times with the Safe Tone.

·       A First Alert zone provides a variable-intensity vibration followed by a tone.

·       A Second Alert zone offers variable levels of low e-stim and a different tone.

·       An Out Zone uses moderate static feedback and a tone to turn your dog back to its Safe Zone.

·       Lastly, if your dog should ever find itself outside the boundary, SkyShepherd’s “Shepherding” feature helps to guide your dog back to its boundary to receive the reward of the Safe Tone.

Chad’s Tips:

-       Teach your dog to recognize the Safe Tone in all areas of the Safe Zone since the Safe Tone must become a trusted source of safety, security, and relaxation for your dog no matter where they are within the boundary.

3.       Safety Signal Learning with Positive Reinforcement

The Safe Tone automatically reinforces what you’ve taught your dog during training. Your pup will be mentally stimulated while walking the boundary with you during training, as well as when SkyShepherd works autonomously to teach and remind your dog where it should be. The positive reinforcement Safe Tone tells your dog it has done the right thing, so your dog’s learning is constantly being reinforced. This means our GPS dog fence collar allows for gentler, innocuous feedback compared to other systems providing faster, more relaxed learning within any new boundaries. SkyShepherd will keep your canine alert, confident, and on its best behavior.

Chad’s Tips:

-       It’s crucial to minimize any and all distractions early in the teaching process so that you and your dog can focus, and your dog learns to associate the Safe Tone with the same feelings it gets when you give it praise.

 

Putting It All Together

Ultimately, SkyShepherd’s patented technology utilizing positive reinforcement for dogs will keep your canine happy, safe, and more relaxed. It’s a triple win! If you’re on the hunt for a GPS dog fence collar unlike any other, you’ll be able to try out SkyShepherd soon and experience the difference!

The Best GPS Dog Fence Collar: SkyShepherd

Love is a four-legged word! For many, dogs are so much more than pets. They’re family that we want to keep safe. According to the Animal Humane Society, approximately 10 million pets go missing each year in the United States. SkyShepherd is on an active mission to create a world where dogs won’t run away and are always connected with their owners. Our passion and expertise in dog behavior, GPS technology, and pet product leadership have enabled us to develop and patent our GPS dog fence collar. SkyShepherd is the first and only pet containment system that melds three important behavioral learning concepts into one cohesive approach: guidance training, incentive learning, and positive reinforcement. The fusion of these concepts allows for gentle feedback compared to other systems and faster, more resilient learning within new boundaries. Keep reading to learn more about what SkyShepherd has to offer.

The SkyShepherd GPS Dog Fence Collar: Top 5 Benefits & Features

Say hello to the next generation of dog containment. SkyShepherd is an innovative GPS dog fence collar that’s ideal for dogs over 20 pounds with one or more acres of up land covered by up to a moderate canopy of foliage. To accommodate varying neck sizes, choose between three collar strap lengths for the perfect fit. This smart device is designed with 19 patents and more pending. After years of development and field testing, SkyShepherd is finally available to the public. Here are the main advantages that SkyShepherd offers to you and your dog(s):

1. Easy to Use with No Installation

Say goodbye to chains, flags, and buried wire. No installation is required to keep your dog safe! All you need is the lightweight collar and connected mobile app to contain your dog. Once the simple training process is completed, SkyShepherd works autonomously for you. It uses patented progressive zone feedback and a Shepherding Mode feature to keep your dog in the boundary or guide it back to safety if your dog leaves the boundary.

2. Customizable Containment Boundaries

Create and edit a boundary of virtually any size and shape in seconds using the mobile app. It’s as easy as a few taps! Each boundary you set up will have a Safe Zone, two Alert Zones (First Alert and Second Alert), and an Out Zone. Properties of one acre or more are a good fit for SkyShepherd due to the space required for the alert zones and the practicalities of GPS accuracy.

3. Ultra-Portable Device for Home or Away

As a compact, self-contained device, you can easily bring SkyShepherd and your dog with you when you travel or move to a new home. You can store unlimited boundaries for various locations and activate them on your collar whenever you want. You could even create the boundary ahead of time before leaving home. On top of that, our smart collar features a rechargeable battery for power on the go.

4. Stay Connected Without a Cellular Network  

No cellular connection available? No problem! SkyShepherd continuously monitors your dog and uses the included gateway system to relay info via the internet to your mobile device. As long as your GPS dog collar is within range of any SkyShepherd gateway (up to a half mile in excellent conditions), you can track your dog’s location and receive real-time notifications in the app if your dog tests its boundary.

5. Safe & Humane for Your Dog

Dogs’ excitement changes from moment to moment. Higher excitement means it’s harder for your dog to sense guidance. Lower excitement means your dog is more sensitive. That’s why SkyShepherd’s unique, dynamic feedback always uses the lowest level of feedback necessary to guide your dog at its level of excitement. A First Alert provides a variable-intensity vibration and a tone. A Second Alert offers variable levels of low e-stim and a different tone. Lastly, an Out Zone uses moderate static feedback and a tone to turn your dog back to its Safe Zone. SkyShepherd also rewards your dog for doing the right thing by giving a friendly, periodic Safe Tone while your dog is in, or returning to, its Safe Zone. None of SkyShepherd’s feedback is harmful, and all SkyShepherd feedback is user-selectable since you know your dog the best.

Don’t just take our word for it. Professional Dog Training Expert Steve Haynes used our GPS dog fence collar with his canine companion. He noted, “Wow! This is great. It’s amazing. I couldn’t believe how quickly he got it! I even watched. Our neighbors came walking by, and he challenged his border but then immediately stopped and returned without any adverse reaction.” Your complete satisfaction is important to us, which is why every purchase comes with a 60-day money-back guarantee. Experience the SkyShepherd difference for yourself, and create a safe world for your dog!

Have Questions?