PetSafe Guardian GPS Dog Fence User Guide

Contents

• What you have
• What you need
• Set up your fence
• Mount the base unit
• Fit the collar
• Train your pet
• How it works
• Fence planning tips
• About the base unit
• About the collar
• Charging the collar
• Turning the collar on and off
• Understanding the collar LED
• Using the test light tool
• Resetting the collar

What you have

The Guardian GPS Dog Fence system includes the following components:

• Base unit with antenna
• USB power cable and adaptor (for base unit)
• Collar with long contact points and antenna
• USB charging cable and power adaptor (for collar)
• Mounting hardware (screws and anchors)
• Test light tool
• Short contact points

Illustration shows the base unit with its antenna and power connection. Separate illustrations depict the collar with its antenna and contact points, the charging accessories, mounting hardware, and the test light tool.

What you need

To set up and use the Guardian GPS Dog Fence system, you will also need:

• Wireless router (2.4 GHz)
• High-speed internet connection
• Smartphone
• Tape measure
• Phillips screwdriver
• Scissors
• Non-metallic collar and leash (for training)

The Guardian GPS Dog Fence is designed to keep your dog safe within your property boundaries.

Set up your fence

1. Open the My PetSafe® app. If you haven't already, download it from your device's app store (available on the App Store and Google Play). Follow the on-screen prompts to create an account and sign in. You will need a valid email address.

   Illustration of a smartphone displaying the PetSafe app logo, with buttons for "Download on the App Store" and "Get it on Google Play".

2. Once signed into the app, tap "Add Product". Follow the on-screen instructions to set up the base unit, onboard your collar, and create your first boundary.

To learn more about how the fence system works and how to plan your boundary placement, refer to the following sections:

• How it works
• Fence planning tips

Mount the base unit

1. After setting up and testing your fence using the app, complete the setup by wall-mounting the base unit.

   First, slide the mounting bracket out of the slot on the back of the base unit.

   Illustration shows the base unit with the mounting bracket being detached from its slot on the back.

2. With the flat side of the mounting bracket facing you, position it on the wall. It should be at least 5 feet above the floor and near an electrical outlet.

   Important: Do not mount the base unit more than 6.5 feet above the floor.

   Ensure the bracket is level, then fasten it to the wall using the provided mounting hardware. Use both screws and anchors for installation in drywall; use screws only for other wall types.

   Place the base unit onto the mounting bracket and slide it down to secure it.

   Illustration shows the mounting bracket being attached to a wall with screws, and then the base unit being placed onto the bracket.

Fit the collar

1. With the collar turned off, place it high on your dog's neck, just behind the ears. The LED should point upwards, and the collar's antenna should be centered at the back of your pet's neck.

   Illustration of a dog wearing the collar. The antenna is shown positioned at the back of the dog's neck.

2. Ensure the contact points are touching your dog's skin. If your dog has long or thick hair, you may need to trim (not shave) the hair around the contact points. For very short-haired or hairless dogs, consider replacing the long contact points with the shorter ones provided (the test light tool can be used as a wrench for this).

3. Important: Check the collar's tightness by inserting one finger between the end of a contact point and your dog's skin. The fit should be snug but not constricting. The antenna might pull away slightly from your dog's neck even when fitted correctly.

4. Once satisfied with the fit, remove the collar from your dog and trim any excess strap, ensuring there is room for growth or a thicker winter coat.

5. Important: Remove the collar from your dog when he comes inside. Do not leave the collar on your dog for more than 12 hours a day. Never attach a leash or ID tag to this collar; use a separate collar or harness for those purposes. Refer to the customer care guide for more important safety information.

Train your pet

1. Remove the collar from your dog. With the collar powered on and near the base unit, open your dog's profile in the My PetSafe® app. Select the desired correction level: tone and vibration only, or static correction levels 1 through 10. Choose the level that best suits your dog's temperament.

2. Follow the steps in the provided training guide to help your dog understand and respect the boundary. Your dog should be old enough to recognize basic obedience commands such as "sit" and "stay" (approximately 6 months or older).

Whether your pet enjoys playing or exploring, the Guardian® GPS Dog Fence helps keep them safe outdoors.

How it works

The Guardian® GPS Dog Fence utilizes GPS technology to keep your dog within a designated boundary. The system comprises three main components: the My PetSafe® app, the base unit, and the collar.

To set up the system, download the My PetSafe® app on your smartphone, connect the base unit to your home's Wi-Fi network, and create a custom boundary by placing digital fence posts on a map of your property. You can place up to 32 digital fence posts to define the boundary, which is then saved to the collar.

Once trained, your dog can roam freely within the boundary or pet area while wearing the collar. If your dog attempts to leave the pet area, the collar will vibrate and emit a warning tone, followed by a safe static correction delivered through the contact points on its neck. This correction is designed to get your dog's attention and encourage them to return to the pet area.

The base unit serves as the communication hub between the collar and the app. The base unit and collar communicate via a two-way radio frequency (RF) link. While the collar is within range of the base unit (approximately 300 feet), you can use the My PetSafe® app to:

• Monitor the collar's battery life
• Change the collar correction settings

Diagram illustrates the concept of a digital fence. It shows a base unit at a house, surrounded by digital fence posts creating a pet area. A dog wearing a collar is shown within the pet area. An arrow indicates a distance of 25 feet from the house to the fence posts.

If there is a power outage or your home Wi-Fi network goes down, the collar will continue to operate and will correct your dog if they approach the boundary.

Important: The fence system uses GPS technology for containment but is not a GPS tracking device. If your dog escapes the boundary, this system cannot be used to locate them.

Fence planning tips

Keep the following guidelines in mind when planning your boundaries:

• If your dog is allowed inside the house or garage, the boundary must encompass the house or garage.
• Digital fence posts must be placed at least 25 feet per story away from any structure. For instance, to create a boundary around a one-story garage and a two-story house, place digital fence posts at least 25 feet from the garage and at least 50 feet from the house. For reference, 25 feet is approximately the length of two car lengths or a standard parking space.
• To ensure your pet's safety, place all digital fence posts at least 25 feet away from any roads or other dangerous areas.

Illustration shows a road and a property line. Digital fence posts are shown placed at a safe distance (25 feet) from the road.

• Opposing lines of digital fence posts must be at least 35 feet apart to prevent creating areas too narrow for your dog to pass through without receiving a correction.
• If a physical fence exists along your desired boundary, place the digital fence posts at least 10 feet outside of the physical fence. This maximizes the usable area for your dog inside the physical fence.

Illustration shows a physical fence. Digital fence posts are shown placed at least 10 feet outside the physical fence. Another diagram shows two parallel lines of digital fence posts, with an arrow indicating a minimum distance of 35 feet between them.

About the base unit

Diagram labels the parts of the base unit: Antenna, Multi-purpose button, PetSafe® logo/power light, Wi-Fi light, Power jack. It also shows the base unit connected to a USB power cable and adaptor.

Power light

The PetSafe® logo/power light glows white when the base unit is connected to power. If the base unit has no power, this light will be off.

Wi-Fi light

The Wi-Fi light (?) provides information about the base unit's connection status. It also blinks when a reset of the base unit has been initiated.

¹ Fast blink: Three flashes per second

² Slow blink: One flash per second

Resetting the base unit

You can use the multi-purpose button to reset the base unit if necessary. There are two types of reset:

Wi-Fi soft reset

To reset the base unit's Wi-Fi module while retaining your Wi-Fi credentials:

1. Ensure all Guardian® GPS collars are powered on and within 3 feet of the base unit. This ensures all collars will be updated and retain communication with the base unit.
2. Press and hold the bottom of the multi-purpose button (near the Wi-Fi light) for 5 to 7 seconds. You will see the Wi-Fi light slowly blink purple.
3. Release the multi-purpose button and wait 8 to 10 seconds for your base unit to reset. The Wi-Fi light will return to its previous state (blue or red) and then start blinking alternating blue and red, indicating the base unit is ready to connect.

Factory reset

To erase your Wi-Fi credentials and return the base unit to factory settings:

1. Ensure all Guardian® GPS collars are powered on and within 3 feet of the base unit. This ensures all collars will be updated and retain communication with the base unit.
2. Press and hold the bottom of the multi-purpose button (near the Wi-Fi light) for 10 to 20 seconds. You will see the Wi-Fi light slowly blink purple, and then after 10 seconds, start quickly blinking purple.
3. Release the multi-purpose button and wait 8 to 10 seconds for your base unit to reset. The Wi-Fi light will return to its previous state (blue or red) and then start blinking alternating blue and red, indicating the base unit is ready to connect.

About the collar

Diagrams show the front and back of the collar. Front: Labels include Antenna, Long contact points, LED. Back: Labels include Magnetic charging port, Power button. A separate illustration shows the USB charging cable and power adaptor.

Charging the collar

To charge the collar, connect the USB charging cable to the magnetic charging port on the back of the collar and plug it into the provided USB power adaptor. The collar will beep when connected to power and charging. Leave the collar plugged in until fully charged, which typically takes 2 to 4 hours.

Important: Using a USB power adaptor other than the one provided may cause the collar to charge more slowly.

The collar LED will blink blue while charging and glow solid blue when fully charged. Each charge can last up to 5 days, depending on usage frequency.

Turning the collar on and off

To turn the collar on: Press and hold the power button until the collar LED glows solid blue, flashes blue twice, and then turns off (approximately 1 second). When you release the power button, the collar will beep low to high, indicating it is turned on. During use, the collar LED will flash once every 4 seconds (blue, yellow, or red) to indicate the current battery charge.

To turn the collar off: Press and hold the power button until the collar LED glows solid red and then turns off (approximately 3 seconds). When you release the power button, the collar will beep high to low and then turn off.

Understanding the collar LED

The collar LED provides information about the collar's current battery charge and connection status, as well as any warnings or corrections being issued to your dog.

¹ Blip: One flash every 4 seconds

² Slow blink: One flash per second

³ Fast blink: Three flashes per second

⁴ Pulse: LED fades on and then off once every 2 seconds

Using the test light tool

You can use the test light tool to check your collar for correction without touching the contact points yourself.

1. Make sure the collar is fully charged.
2. Set the correction level to 2 or above.
3. Verify the collar is receiving GPS data. If it is not, the collar LED will slowly blink white (1 flash per second).
4. Hold the collar contact points against the wires on the test light tool.
5. Holding the collar with the antenna facing the sky, walk toward the boundary zone.

The collar will vibrate and sound a warning tone, then deliver a static correction through the contact points. The test light tool will flash when the static correction is issued.

After testing the collar, save the test light tool for future use.

Resetting the collar

To return the collar to factory settings: With the collar off, press and hold the power button continuously for 10 seconds. The collar will beep high to low, and the collar LED will turn red, then flash blue when the reset is complete.