Invisible dog fence anyone?

tsagona

tsagona

Cathlete
I'm thinking of getting an invisible dog fence. I have two small dogs (both between 15-20 pounds).

So does anyone have one? Did you install it yourself or did you have it installed? What are the things I need to be sure to get or things I need to know before maybe installing it myself? How bout running across the driveway? Cut a line in the concrete??

THanks for anyone who knows about invisible fences.
 
Love it! We first got it when we lived in a neighborhood that wouldn't allow solid fencing, for a Samoyed and a Chow .... that was years ago.

Now we have a Border Collie and a terrier. We actually had a 6' fence and a brick wall around our property, but the Border Collie could jump up top of both, balance and jump down! She is very social and loves to visit other dogs .... unfortunately, she would end up far from home and we were worried about her safety. Also, she is terrified of thunder and that would make her jump the fence and bolt. With the Invisible Fence, she would stay on our property. In addition, the terrier started digging UNDER the wood fence - solved that problem!

We've always had ours installed by the Invisible Fence company. They were great about training, and making sure we were happy with the setup. They mail us batteries on a regular basis. On the other hand, my neighbor put one in herself, didn't do the proper training, got frustrated and doesn't use it .... her dogs just wander all over the neighborhood.

Yes, they'll just cut a slit in the concrete to run it across. It will need to go in and out of the house at one point. There will need to be an outlet there, and it will be a place where your dogs won't go (because they'll be too close to the wire).

Training-wise, the dogs learn very quickly ... you just limit their time outside the first week or two and keep an eye on them. After time goes by, they test the fence often. The first correction is just a tone, which is all my dogs need.

The very BEST thing I love is that you can buy a small portable "disc" and keep your dogs from certain areas. You just plug it in and it works like the fence, only it's a circular zone. Now my dogs stay out of my little garden, off my leather couch, and away from the kitty's safe haven! This was about $100, but worth every penny!

Hope this helps!
 
I don't have one, and I'm sure there are many people who are happy with them, but I don't like them. I wouldn't even post about this, but I heard Patricia McConnell on the radio yesterday (she's a dog trainer & animal lover who recently released a new book, here's a link) and she made some really good points about these shock fences that I think are important. In addition to the fact that there are plenty of potential problems with electric shock fences , they may actually reinforce the wrong behaviors for your dog.

McConnell pointed out that for an aggressive dog, the fence allows them to see and bark at passers-by. When the people/kids/dogs move away from the dog's yard, the dog feels he has succeeded at defending his territory, creating positive reinforcement for his aggressive tendencies. For a very friendly dog who gets shocked when he tries to approach people, it creates negative reinforcement for his friendliness.

I thought these were very good points - nothing I had thought about before. My own experience is this: I have seen dogs run right through electric fences when properly motivated. Of course, they jump over/dig under regular fences all the time, too, but the regular fence doesn't shock or hurt them, and it takes time (or practice) to breach a regular fence, whereas it only takes a second for a dog to decide that chasing squirrels is worth the momentary pain of the shock fence.
 
We have an electric fence and our dogs do not cross it for anything. The Husky has a stubborn dog collar and we had to shave her neck for the first six months we had the fence because she could not feel the shock. We also have a fenced in area, that's where they go at night or if we take a weekend trip. The electric fence does a great job keeping our dogs in, however, it does not do anything to keep other dogs/animals out.
 
Tracy,

The downside to the electric fence is it doesn't stop another dog from coming after your dog. It is a real problem where I live. If you live in an area where the homes on situated on large lots, people think they can let their dogs run off leash. These people think it's harmless. Mercedes was attacked twice by a "loving" :rolleyes: neighbor dog. Yeah, the neighbor told me his dog was very loving. But what he failed to realize is that his dog was territorial.

BTW, Carola...if you read this, I bought the spray you recommended and recommended it to a few friends too! I feel safe with it in my pocket.
 
Last edited:
I only know one person personally who has an electric fence and she is very happy with it. I can understand the good and bad about it. And I am open the real fence vs. electric fence. However, I got a bid from a fence builder for a regular fence and they gave me a bid of $8700!!! You've got to be kidding me. Our entire lot is .24 of an acre. That is teenincy. They must be out of their mind. I'm fairly certain I can get an invisible fence for a fraction of that, especially if I end up installing it myself. My dogs have been through pet training so I feel I can teach them how to respect the boundaries. I'm still considering the good/bad of the electric but it seems like I'm leaning that way right now. Have an estimate coming out tomorrow evening. I'll know for sure then.

THanks for all the input.
 
Tracy,

That bid does seem rather high. We paid around $7K for 5' white vinyl on over a half acre, but that was 8 years ago. Easter fencing installed fencing in two of our homes (cedar privacy in our first). Who gave you the first bid?
 
We got our estimate from a place called Fence Depot. They seem to be quite competent in getting permits and their recommendations and all. But I still nearly fell off my chair when I saw the bottom line. Like I said, our entire lot is only .24 and we aren't fencing in .24. Amazing. Simply amazing.
 
We have the wireless invisible fence. This was easy to install and no digging up the ground. It works in a circular zone around my house, goes right over the drive way no problem. It is also portable. We can take it camping with us.
My dog was trained within a week. She is a bit timid so getting stastic once on the lowest setting was enough for her. Now we only have it on the warning sound. The draw back we've found is that because she can see anyone walking by she tends to bark at them. She is very friendly and just wants thier attention. The colar also goes through batteries often.(every few months). My dog has thick fur. The colar came with longer prongs that worked well when her fur was longer this winter.
We are very happy with ours.

here is a picture of what we have. We bought it at petco on sale.

http://www.discount-pet-superstore.com/wireless_fence/instant_fence.htm
 
That is really high Tracy.
Fence Depot got some pretty lousy reviews on google.
http://maps.google.com/maps/place?c...t=0&ved=0CC8QuAU&sa=X&ei=99ioS5S5A43SNeHEwPsL

They scored an overall B rating on Angie's list which is not good. They have some pretty bad reviews actually.


If you are serious about fencing, it is worth signing up on Angie's list to get contracting reports.



We loved Easter fencing that is why we hired them for our second house. They have been in business a long time. They know all the county codes.
http://www.easterfenceinc.com/FAQ.htm

I think some people get a little irritated with Easter because it takes a while to get through to them. They are busy because they have a solid reputation.
 
Elaine - I might have to look into this! We've been wanting to do something for the wienies. If Dakota sees a rabbit, he shoots out the door so fast and is gone in an instant. No time for calling him back. He always ends up on the busy road a good distance from the house. Both him and me have almost been creamed on that road while trying to get him home. I'd rather he get a little shock than get smashed by a semi.

ElaineP said:
We have the wireless invisible fence. This was easy to install and no digging up the ground. It works in a circular zone around my house, goes right over the drive way no problem. It is also portable. We can take it camping with us.
My dog was trained within a week. She is a bit timid so getting stastic once on the lowest setting was enough for her. Now we only have it on the warning sound. The draw back we've found is that because she can see anyone walking by she tends to bark at them. She is very friendly and just wants thier attention. The colar also goes through batteries often.(every few months). My dog has thick fur. The colar came with longer prongs that worked well when her fur was longer this winter.
We are very happy with ours.

here is a picture of what we have. We bought it at petco on sale.

http://www.discount-pet-superstore.com/wireless_fence/instant_fence.htm
Click to expand...
 
Here's a thought - would you be willing to put the collar on yourself and walk up to the fence? I dare you to do it! I double dog dare you.
I can't comprehend how anyone would consider electrocuting an animal is an appropriate method of anything - especially if they wouldn't do it to themselves or their kids (unattended kids are want to roam as well -would you put the collar on your kid?)
How about a leash? Or just attending to your dogs when they are outside? As another poster stated - it doesn't stop any one or thing else from coming into your yard.
 
NY25 said:
Here's a thought - would you be willing to put the collar on yourself and walk up to the fence? I dare you to do it! I double dog dare you.
I can't comprehend how anyone would consider electrocuting an animal is an appropriate method of anything - especially if they wouldn't do it to themselves or their kids (unattended kids are want to roam as well -would you put the collar on your kid?)
How about a leash? Or just attending to your dogs when they are outside? As another poster stated - it doesn't stop any one or thing else from coming into your yard.
Click to expand...

Sure, why not? I'd be game for seeing what it felt like. I wouldn't use anything higher than the low setting anyways. Heck, I'm tempted to get my DH one too. But I would need a remote control for that. Honestly, I would just think it would be common sense to try it out and see how much of a charge you are really getting. It was my understanding you could set it pretty low. A little static shock is a long way from full on "electrocution". I didn't have a collar as a kid, but I did get a pretty good shock to the behind if I went somewhere I wasn't supposed to. That's a whole different discussion though!
 
Last edited:
My husband and I got an invisible fence for our dog a couple years ago. For us, it didn't turn out very well at all.

Our dog Reina is a 30 lb border collie mix rescue, and she is very sensitive, timid and submissive. What ended up happening is that she became so afraid (even of just the beep that the collar made - she had gotten one shock during her initial training, and then the trainer suggested we practice with the shunt on the collar so that it would just beep its warning that she was close) that she stopped wanting to go outside in the back yard altogether, and even started going to the bathroom right in front of the sliding door to the backyard instead of telling us she wanted to go out like she always did prior to the fence.

We had the fence installed through the Invisible Fence company (and spent a couple thousand dollars on it), so we called them to ask for help. They sent a trainer to our house to try to get her comfortable in the back yard again. The girl was very nice, and brought her own dog as a tool, so our dog would play back there and have fun, which she did. But, as soon as the girl left, our dog again refused to go out.

We ended up just not using it anymore. We had to walk her out the front door for a few weeks, until eventually we got her to go out in the back again (w/out the collar). We ended up wasting the money because it just wasn't a fit for her. The part that annoyed me was that we were concerned that this might be an issue, and we discussed her personality and her sensitivity with the salesman who came to our house, and he assured us that she would be fine.

I'm sure our case is not the norm, but I just wanted to mention it in case anyone w/a sensitive dog is considering the fence idea.

Doreen
 
I made sure I felt that shock before my dog did. So I accept your double dare. It wasn't pleasant but it was hardly electrocution. The warning signal keeps my dog away from the fence, so he hasn't had a shock in years, nor has he been able to bolt to the busy street that's located nearby. I would put another fence up in a minute. And my dog seems to love being outside playing for hours on a nice day too. :)
 
I accept your dare. We tried the colar on us first, as the poster above said. It really didn't hurt, Just enough to make you stop and think. I would never put my dog in harms way. She is our little girl.

Liann, she loves to chase cars , this fence has stopped her from doing that.
Putting up a real fence was out of the question, as our property doesn't lend itself to that. Now with the fence she can play outside without getting all tangled in a leash.
 
That's cool - at least you know what she's getting then. I've seen people do it and it looks pretty bloody painful - particularly if you have a smaller dog or a sensitive dog - kind of like accidentally shocking yourself plugging something in. It hurts.
 
Afreet said:
I don't have one, and I'm sure there are many people who are happy with them, but I don't like them. I wouldn't even post about this, but I heard Patricia McConnell on the radio yesterday (she's a dog trainer & animal lover who recently released a new book, here's a link) and she made some really good points about these shock fences that I think are important. In addition to the fact that there are plenty of potential problems with electric shock fences , they may actually reinforce the wrong behaviors for your dog.

McConnell pointed out that for an aggressive dog, the fence allows them to see and bark at passers-by. When the people/kids/dogs move away from the dog's yard, the dog feels he has succeeded at defending his territory, creating positive reinforcement for his aggressive tendencies. For a very friendly dog who gets shocked when he tries to approach people, it creates negative reinforcement for his friendliness.

I thought these were very good points - nothing I had thought about before. My own experience is this: I have seen dogs run right through electric fences when properly motivated. Of course, they jump over/dig under regular fences all the time, too, but the regular fence doesn't shock or hurt them, and it takes time (or practice) to breach a regular fence, whereas it only takes a second for a dog to decide that chasing squirrels is worth the momentary pain of the shock fence.
Click to expand...

Afreet makes good points. I do want to point out that Patricia McConnell is also one of the few certified animal behaviorists in the country which means she actually has a doctorate degree studying animal behavior and national board certification which puts her in an entirely different league than the average celebrity dog trainer/Cesar Milan/Certified Pet Dog Trainer/whatever.

I am currently working with an owner who is trying to retrain her two dogs to stay within the e-fence. Lots of dogs learn to run through it, take the shock and keep on going. Once they've learned that's an option, there isn't a lot you can do. For little dogs, the risk of a larger dog coming into their yard and posing a threat is huge. I wouldn't leave a small dog of my own in one without direct supervision.

Lisa
 
dormars1979 said:
My husband and I got an invisible fence for our dog a couple years ago. For us, it didn't turn out very well at all.

Our dog Reina is a 30 lb border collie mix rescue, and she is very sensitive, timid and submissive. What ended up happening is that she became so afraid (even of just the beep that the collar made - she had gotten one shock during her initial training, and then the trainer suggested we practice with the shunt on the collar so that it would just beep its warning that she was close) that she stopped wanting to go outside in the back yard altogether, and even started going to the bathroom right in front of the sliding door to the backyard instead of telling us she wanted to go out like she always did prior to the fence.

Doreen
Click to expand...

This is actually a fairly common story, especially in border collies and other noise-sensitive dogs. I have a female who simply would not go in the yard if she heard a beep.

Also, high prey drive dogs are the most likely to learn to run through the fence and accept the shock along the way.

Lisa
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Our Newsletter

Get awesome content delivered straight to your inbox.

Top