PetSafe Stubborn Dog Radio Fence

Built for the dog that doesn’t take no for an answer

Most dogs learn a fence boundary within a week or two. Some dogs don’t. If you’ve already tried a standard underground fence and your dog blew right through it, the PetSafe Stubborn Dog Radio Fence is what you should have started with. This system uses the PRF-275-19 receiver collar — the highest-intensity containment collar PetSafe makes — with correction levels roughly twice as strong as their standard collars. For large breeds, high-drive dogs, or any dog that has learned it can tolerate a regular fence, that difference matters.

The system works the same way as any underground fence: you bury or lay wire around your perimeter, plug in the transmitter, and your dog wears the receiver collar. When he approaches the boundary, the collar beeps. If he keeps going, he gets a static correction. What’s different here is what happens when a determined dog keeps pushing. The PRF-275-19 has a Progressive Correction Anti-Linger feature — if your dog lingers in the correction zone or tries to run through, the correction level automatically increases rather than staying static. A dog that’s learned to muscle through a flat correction hasn’t met this collar yet.

What’s in the box — and what it covers

The kit includes the fence transmitter, one PRF-275-19 receiver collar, 500 feet of 20-gauge boundary wire, training flags, short and long contact points, and a training DVD. The 500 feet of included wire covers up to 1/3 acre out of the box. Add additional wire and you can expand coverage up to 25 acres — more than enough for most large properties. You can also add unlimited additional receiver collars, including other collars from the PetSafe in-ground fence lineup, so households with multiple dogs of different sizes and temperaments can all run on the same transmitter.

The transmitter includes a boundary width control knob that lets you adjust how far from the wire the collar activates — from about 1 foot to 12 feet. This lets you dial in a wider warning zone for fast-moving dogs that need more stopping distance. A wire break indicator on the transmitter will alert you if the boundary wire is ever cut or damaged, so you’ll know immediately if containment is compromised.

The PRF-275-19 receiver collar

The collar is built for big dogs. It fits neck sizes from 6 to 28 inches and weighs 6.5 oz — heavier than standard containment collars, but designed for large breeds that can handle it. It’s fully waterproof, runs on a standard 9V alkaline battery, and includes both short and long contact points so it works on dogs with short coats or thick, long fur. A low battery indicator flashes when it’s time for a replacement so you’re never caught off guard.

In addition to the four static correction levels, the collar has a tone plus vibration only mode that delivers no static at all. This is useful during the initial training phase when you want your dog to learn the boundary before introducing correction, or for dogs that are sensitive enough to respond to vibration alone.

A 25-second safety timeout automatically shuts off the correction if your dog somehow becomes trapped in the boundary zone — a safety feature that’s standard on PetSafe collars but worth noting.

Who this fence is for

This system is NOT for small or medium dogs. The correction intensity is calibrated for large, stubborn, or high-drive breeds. PetSafe recommends it for dogs that have failed to respond to standard containment collars. If you have a smaller dog in the same household, add a standard PetSafe in-ground collar on a separate receiver — the transmitter supports multiple collar types simultaneously.

The Stubborn Dog fence is the right choice if your dog is a known boundary tester, has escaped through a previous electric fence, is a large or high-energy breed with a high pain tolerance, or is a working breed that’s been trained to push through discomfort. German Shepherds, Huskies, Malinois, Labs, and similar breeds are the most common candidates. If your dog simply hasn’t been trained to a fence yet — start here anyway rather than upgrading later.

Specs at a glance

Questions about whether this is the right system for your dog? Call us at 1 (800) 524-2428