5 Best Wireless Fences For Hills & Sloped Yards (Expert Opinion + Pros & Cons)

Do you have a house on a hill and want to install an invisible fence? Worried that your hilly yard might interfere with a wireless signal? We’ll show you the best wireless fences for sloped yards and cover some frequently asked questions based on what we learned installing these systems.

Note: If you click some of the links in this article we may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.

In a Rush? Here Are Our Top Picks

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The Top 5 Wireless and Underground Fences for Hills and Sloped Yards

For a detailed item-by-item breakdown of what makes these products great and things to watch out for scan below.

Top Pick – PetSafe Wireless Dog and Cat Containment System

PetSafe is one of our go-to brands when it comes to wireless systems. They’ve been around. They’ve tailored their products to our needs. They get the job done.

Like all wireless fences, you will have some issues on steep downward slopes.

This system is also only good for 1/2 acre yards. That’s 90 feet radiating out from the unit or 180 feet in diameter.

For larger yards, you’ll want to go with a different system (see below). With larger yards comes the danger of weak spots in the signal at the edges so be careful with that.

This system requires training like all invisible or wireless fence systems. You can see our full training guide here.

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Compare price on Petsafe here.

What We Like

• Long-term reliable brand
• Allows re-entry without a static correction (shock)
• Easy to setup
• Up to 1/2 acre of coverage

What We Don’t Like

• Metal cars, sheds, and other dense metals can interfere with signal
• Takes days to weeks to train a dog

Best For Small Yards – PetSafe Stay & Play Compact Wireless Fence for Dogs and Cats

Another great model from PetSafe. This one is better built for smaller yards. Of course, you can dial the other model down to a 5-foot radius similar to this one. We just like the compactness of this set better.

This model is great if you have a flat area in your yard near the house and you want to define that as the boundary. Even if you have a steep slope nearby you can dial this back so they don’t go over there.

You can even get base repeaters to give the boundary a more rectangular shape. We haven’t fully tested that feature so be wary of jumping into that option. For rectangular yards, we recommend other options below.

Be warned that all the models on this page require training. You must teach your dog to learn the boundary and the boundary can’t change. That takes a few days minimum to a few weeks.

Another thing we love about this one – it’s great for RVs and taking your pet on the road.

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Compare price on Petsafe here.

What We Like

• Again, we love the trusted PetSafe brand
• Smaller unit for small yards and travel. Due to the small-signal size, you can tailor this to the flatter parts of your yard.
• No static correction or shock on re-entry

What We Don’t Like

• Still requires training

Best For Large Yards – UTOPB Long Range Wireless Dog Fence

There are models out there that promise huge ranges. Of those that we tested, this is our top from the list. With a range up to 500 meters (nearly 1500 feet), this model crushes the competition.

Be warned again though:

• You still have to train your dog on the boundary – bigger boundaries mean more training and more training flags to put in!
• Bigger boundaries have weaker signals at the edge. We don’t know for sure but we suspect this is why the PetSafe models have relatively smaller ranges.

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What We Like

• Huge range – Up to 500 meters (1500 feet)
• Covers over 100 acres
• Adjustable range setting for different sized yards
• Waterproof collar (for rain or sprays, not submersion)
• One transmitter can work with multiple dog collars (of the same brand)

What We Don’t Like

• More blind spots and weak points at the edges

Best For Yards with Cars, Metal Sheds, and Signal Interference – My Pet Command GPS Fence

If you’ve got a lot of metal in your yard (e.g. metal shed, lots of cars) then you may want to consider a GPS fence.

Why? Wireless systems get distorted by heavy metal objects. This can confuse or even scare your dog. The same thing happens at the edge of downslope boundaries where a wireless signal can be weak.

With a GPS unit, this isn’t a problem. The signal even goes through rain and weather cover.

This unit is easy to set up though it requires the same training you would have to do with any wireless unit.

The only thing we don’t like about this model is that it resets the boundary each time you change the collar batteries. A little annoying but you get used to it.

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Check price on mypetcommand here.

What We Like

• Metal cars, sheds, and other interference isn’t a problem – It’s a GPS signal from the sky.
• Slopes don’t matter – signal comes from the sky
• Hugely expandable
• Truly waterproof transmitter (GPS signal comes from satellite and can go through clouds, trees). Most wireless transmitters must be plugged into a power source and often have to be inside.

What We Don’t Like

• Still requires training
• It may not be suitable for all locations – some areas have better satellite coverage and it can vary throughout the day
• This model requires redefining the boundary distance when you change batteries. We wish it would just remember!

Best For Steep Downward Slopes – PetSafe Stubborn Dog Underground Invisible Fence for Dogs and Cats

Got a weird yard with steep downward slopes, lots of cars parked here and there, and other obstacles (e.g. rocky boulders and outcrops at your boundary)?

You may be better off with an underground fence. This gives you the power to control the signal strength at the edge no matter where it goes.

You can also make it in any shape you like.

You have to install it though. For smaller, weird-shaped yards that isn’t much of a problem.

For larger yards, you might want to go with the GPS option.

The other thing that can be tough about underground fences – they use static correction going out and going in. That means if your dog chases a squirrel over the boundary, they get a shock going out and then coming back.

That might sound bad. Wireless signals though can get weak at the edges and give intermittent signals. This causes the same problem – sometimes they get shocked at the edge, sometimes they don’t. If it’s bad enough your dog will just stop going out.

You don’t have that problem as much with a wired underground fence. You control the boundary and your dog knows where it is.

We left this option last as it’s not technically wireless. Some yards though, this is the only option.

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What We Like

• Works for any shape yard
• Works on hills works on slopes get around interference (no cars on the line though!)
• Hugely expandable – Wired systems can get really big
• A more reliable signal at the edges

What We Don’t Like

• Requires underground fence installation
• Static correction on re-entry

Do Wireless Fences Work on Hills and Sloped Yards?

Sloped yards are a problem for wireless fences on the downward side.

Why? The signal can get weak and your dog can escape. Wireless signals are circular (spherical). They bend inwards on the downward slope making weak spots.

On upward slopes, they aren’t a problem.

It’s best to illustrate this with a few pictures. First on downwards slopes and signal loss.

Will this affect your yard? It depends on how steep your slopes are for the area.

We’ve given recommendations based on yard size and other features.

Just be careful with the long-range option. This is the one most likely to have weak signals at the edges of a downward slope.

How To Choose

So how do you choose which fence is best for you? Let’s see if we can break this down as simply as possible.

1. Do you have a huge yard? Consider the UTOPB Long Range Wireless Dog Fence.
2. Do you have a rectangular or unusually shaped yard? Consider the PetSafe Stubborn Dog Underground Invisible Fence for Dogs and Cats
3. Do you have a small yard or use RVs a lot? Try the PetSafe Stay & Play Compact
4. Have a 1/2 yard without too much slope at the edges? Use the PetSafe Wireless Dog and Cat Containment System
5. Do you have a few cars parked in the yard, especially at the border? Wireless or even a wired underground system gets signal interference from large metal objects. Try the GPS instead of by My Pet Command.

Training

We have an entire article that covers how to train your dog on wireless fences, GPS fences, and underground fences. You can read that article here.

Training takes a few days to a few weeks depending on the dog. Bigger yards take more training as you have to show them the boundary wherever it is.

FAQ
Do Wireless Dog Fences Work On Hills?

Yes, wireless dog fences work on hills. The wireless signal can get weak on steep downward slopes. This can cause intermittent or changing static corrections which could scare your dog.

Which Is Better Wireless Or Wired Dog Fence?

This depends on your situation. Wireless and GPS dog fences are easier to set up for large yards. They have a circular signal that can expand out to 500 meters on some units. Wired dog fences are better for rectangular or non-circular yards. Wired fences also have a stronger, more reliable signal at the boundary.

Both can get interference from large metal objects like cars or metal sheds. You can solve that by using a GPS-based fence that doesn’t care about metal interference.

How Old Should A Puppy Be For An Underground Or Wireless Fence?

Puppies should be at least 10 weeks old before training them on an underground or wireless fence (or GPS option). Those systems work by giving a static correction (shock) when your dog crosses the boundary.

You do not want to do that to a young puppy. Instead, you can start training them on the boundary without using the collar and just using treats. See the video and training here where we show you how to start the training of the boundary with rewards. Then later you can move into collar training with our guide here.

Our top pick wireless system for sloped yards…

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