Electronic Pet Fences...help please!

Hey, i am new to the forum!

I have a german shepherd-terrier mix, rescued from an animal shelter. He is about 9 months, black, and 30 lbs. and absolutely adorable.

We are looking into getting an invisible fence, and i had some questions, and would really appreciate any help!

We are having the 'Invisible Fence' people come out on saturday to give us a quote...but they start at $599, which is just very expensive, but they claim they are the best...

Now, i was looking at petsafe, as well as some others...what are the differences? Is there any reason why Invisible Fence is more than double the other fence systems?


I have read about the dangers of having the fences, and i have no intentions whatsoever of leaving my dog unattended (he has a kennel outside anyways...so ill put him in there if i cant be outside playing with him)...and other animals coming in arent really an issue...since ill be there with him, and i live in a suburb, so there arent that many wild animals running around.


He is insanely hyper, and needs to run aroud...unfortunatley my area doesnt like dogs, and there are NO fenced in parks or anything where dogs are allowed. Because of the way our landscaping is done, putting up a fence would be almost impossible, too.

Anyways, if people could share experiences, that would be fantastic.

Also, when he is on walks, he lunges and barks at squirrels and rabbits...i have no idea if he would be willing to run through the shock in order to catch one...so thats another issue.

sorry that was so long! thanks !

This is just my own opinion, but I would never use that type of fence. I think it's cruel to subject an animal to a potential shock. I think a regular fence would be a better chice.

Dena

better a shock then a bullet..id take that fence right now in a heart beat. a regular fence would cost a thousand dollars and i don't have a hundred.

As long as you supervize him, it's ok I think. But I would definitely worry about him willing to take a shock just to catch a rabbit or something.

First of all, with him being a terrier mix, I don't think an electric/invisible fence would work. Terriers have an extremely high prey drive and they'll deal with a painful shock if there's a rabbit on the other side of the fence.
Second, if you do get the fence, he should not be trusted outdoors alone. Somebody could easily poison him or doggynap him.
Third, welcome to Chazhound!!

like i said, i wouldnt leave him unsupervized...

any recommended brands? thats more what im looking for... any chance there could be one to contain him?

Sorry, I don't have any experience with invisible fencing.

Vic is such a wuss i figure one time and he would give it a wide berth..he's tender
and it would only be for supervised play in the yard..dang i really need one.

Yes...welcome to Chazhound. It's nice to have you here.

Dena

My FFA instructor in high school had two labs on five acres done by the invisable fence people. He loved it and recommended it to everyone. If there was a problem they came out and fixed it and they didn't leave him untill they knew he and the dogs understood the fence. I just don't like how the other fences generally have you do it yourself. For some dogs they are great but I know I always found it funny when this big yellow lab showed up on our deck wearing his invisable fence collar.

I have no problem with the fences.....just like anything else, once trained, it gives the dog the freedom to be free without leashes...

yeah, thats what my dog needs so bad...to be without the leash...he loves slipping through the door and running all over the neighborhood...which he did today...not fun trying to catch him at all!

Luckily there was some nice lady down the street who owned a dog, and used him to entice my doggie into her backyard and then locked the gate...so we let our dogs play tag until they pooped themselves out.

thanks for all the welcomes

Im sure ill be on here for a lot more questions...my dog is showing some very aggressive tendencies...im taking him to a doctor tomorrow who claims she can cure him in one lesson...so we shall see...im just so so so scared of the worst...i dont want to put him down :\ he is the first dog we ever owned...took 19 years of begging...and finally, my parents gave in...anyways...hopefully there will be a very happy outcome tomorrow

Waste of money electric fences are....

Very not realiable they are.

I have an invisible fence installed and I love it! I know some people do not like the idea of having one, but if they really understood the purpose I think they would change their minds. The dog is not shocked if they are trained to know their limits. There is a high pitched sound at least 5 feet from actually getting shocked. My dogs were trained that when they heard this high pitch sound to step back. I've had my fence installed for about 6 months now and my dogs know not to even go near the boundaries. Whatever company is installing the fence for you, make sure they provide training for your dog. If they don't, then they are not credible and I wouldn't get the fence from them. We also were provided with a unit that is installed in my garage that allows you to adjust the ... ugh can't think of the word... sensitivity I guess, sorry just waking up here lol. (maybe I should have waited to post)

My two dogs (Cocker Spaniel and Westie) wear the collars, but actually now they don't even have to because they know the boundaries and where they are not allowed to cross. I have a semi large yard and its so nice to keep my door (with a doggie door) open to allow them to come and go during the day as they want and not worry about them wandering off.

I have one installed by Invisible Fence and it has worked great for me for the past 6 years. My 2 standard poodles feel their main mission in life is to chase away any of the wildlife that ventures into our yard (squirrels, chipmunks, turkeys, deer, neighborhood cats, etc.) and it has always contained them.

I will say tho that it is true that they don't work for all dogs. I, myself, as pleased as I am with it wouldn't necessarily trust it if I lived on a busy road. Luckily I am the last house on a dead-end road with extremely low traffic.

It is very important that you completely follow the training guidelines. You cannot have the fence installed & expect it to immediately contain your dog. For the first couple of weeks you will be spending alot of time with the dog on lead, with the collar prongs covered, simply walking the perimeter of the yard and training him to what he needs to do when he hears the audible signal.

I have found Invisible Fence to be a very reliable company. After I had them install it at my home the next yr. I had them install it at my camp. I experienced a couple of situations there where it didn't 100% contain one of my dogs and with a phone call to them and following their suggestion it was resolved. I also believe that if you find that with the correct training it doesn't work for your dog that they have a money-back guarantee - ask them for the details.

I never leave my dogs out when no one is home. I do agree that a conventional fence is definitely the safest route but I do also realize that that isn't always possible.

My brother has Invisible Fence for his dogs and its worked out great. I agree with Avenlee and Poodlesmom, once the dog knows its boundaries - they no longer get shocked. Invisible Fence does seem to really stand behind its product. It's true that it doesn't work for some dogs, but I've always heard it was your really big dogs like rottis that it didn't work for, I'm sure there are exceptions though - there are no guarantees. Good luck and welcome.

It depends on the dog. If the dog has a strong prey or defense drive it will ignore the electric fence.

thanks for all the help everyone!


I took my dog to a trainer, who deals with aggression...and learned my dog is not a german shepherd - terrier mix...but actually has a lot of cattle dog in him...she explained that he nips our feet in order to herd us...hehe

she recommended the electronic collar...so we ordered that...she had one for me to try out, and it was working wonders on him!

By electronic collar are you referring to a shock collar?

Another question: what kind of behaviour were you referring to as 'showing aggression?' True aggression is very rare, it is usually mislabeled defensiveness, fear, nervousness, physical pain, or even just misunderstood herding behaviour.

I think that the collar and fence work together when the dog crosses over the underground "invisable" fence, it gives the dog a shock. I'm sorry...it seems most everyone in here thinks they are ok. I still think that it's cruel, and there are better ways to secure a dog.