The Havahart Custom-Shaped Wireless dog fence (model # 5144G) is a very high tech fence and the first wireless fence that allows users to establish a custom shape boundary without installing boundary wire.

Summary

Overall, the Havahart Custom-shaped wireless outperforms the competition, but often fails greatly when it comes to details.

The System comes with:

1, LCD color controller
1, Master base with 3 bases
1, Collar receiver
2, Rechargeable batteries
1, Battery charger with adapter
1, Set of short prongs
75, Boundary flags
1, Instruction manual and DVD

Before digging into the details of the Havahart Custom, it’s best to know up front that the Havahart Custom is plagued by the same issues all wireless fences experience:

1. It creates an elusive, moving boundary line that makes setup difficult and training a headache. Dog’s have difficulty knowing where the boundary line is because it continuously expands and contracts as much as 5 feet from one moment to the next.

2. Slow communication between collar receiver and transmitter. This again creates problems during training. The delivers the correction way too late and does not stop giving a static correction until your dog retreats 8 to 9 feet back into the safe zone. This confuses dogs to receive a correction while they obey the boundary rules.

3. The fence cannot function around metal buildings and roofs. The Havahart Custom signal transmits in the shape of a sphere which requires it to penetrate roofs and walls. Metal roofs tend to block the signal.

4. The fence signal struggles to travel through multiple barriers like walls and trees. The more barriers the signal must travel through, the more likely it will create a dead area on that side of the boundary.

The Havahart Custom-shaped Wireless fence does have several nice features:

Custom Boundary
For one it’s the first fence that allows users to create a custom shape boundary. This is great if you cannot install wire. The downside is that the Havahart custom struggles with establishing boundaries for small yards. The Havahart custom can create reliable boundaries up to 200 feet in radius.

Rechargeable Batteries
Like the Havahart Radial Wireless, the Custom contains a collar with 2 rechargeable batteries. This is much better than having to purchase proprietary batteries, but the tough thing is the Havahart Custom battery has a very short life of 3 days maximum before needing to be recharged. It is nice that you can use one battery while the other charges.

High Tech
The Havahart Custom is easily the most high tech fence among all current DIY dog fences. It’s proprietary Fence Tracker Program application is accessed through the internet and allows users to adjust their fence boundary and follow dogs movements from their home PC computer. The downside is that setting up and using the fence can be technically challenging for some.

Collar Receiver
The collar on the Havahart takes one step forward and a few steps back. One of the reasons why the Havahart Custom outperforms other competing wireless fences is because the collar’s antenna is located inside collar band. This strengthens connectivity with the transmitter. One the flipside, the the collar is bulky and has a flimsy plastic buckle. Collar band is short with a 17 inch maximum circumference. The collar’s bulkiness and short collar band means it cannot fit small dogs under 15 lbs or large breed dogs.

LCD Controller
The system is controlled with an LCD Controller. Even though the screen is small, the display is in color and the navigational menu is simple to use. Another nice feature is that LCD Controller holds a charge so when there’s power loss, you do not have to reset your fence. However, like the Havahart Radial, there is no battery backup. So, if there’s a power loss, the fence will go down. The Controller does have a boundary breach alarm so if your dog decides to break through the boundary, an audible alarm will sound on the Controller. And finally, the system works with up to 2 collars at a time. This rules out owners with 3 or more. (If you need to fence in 3 or more dogs on a wireless fence, check out the PetSafe Stay + Play wireless.)

Wireless Fence Comparison
When comparing the Havahart Custom-shaped Wireless dog fence to other wireless fences currently on the market, it functions nearly identically to the Havahart Radial Wireless and thus shares the spotlight with the Radial as the best overall wireless fence. The Havahart custom possesses the largest range among wireless fences; not to mention it’s the only wireless fence not limited to a circular boundary.

However, the Havahart Custom is not for everyone though. For one, this fence works well with medium-sized dogs with mild temperaments, but comes up short with small and large breed dogs. Secondly, this fence struggles with small yards. So, for owners with smaller properties, 3 or more dogs, or owners with small or large breed dogs, you would do better looking at the new PetSafe Stay + Play wireless.

Ultimately, if you need a large range wireless fence that contains few barriers and a relatively level yard, the Havahart Custom may be your best bet.