Electronic Pet Fences...help please!

Dena, I would agree with you if I hadn't seen how well it has worked out for my brother's dogs. He has 5 acres of land. The dogs were in danger of getting hit by a car before he got it. My brother loves his land and fencing was just not an option, he has woods, swamp land etc. His 2 dogs LOVE to run, and now since he has the invisible fence that is exactly what they do all day long. They are free and happy. They never get shocked because they know the boundaries.

Like I said, I would feel the same as you if I hadn't seen how well it works. These are very happy dogs.

I was gonna say exactly what gaddylovesdogs said. terriers and many german shepherds dont care about a split second shock. Ive felt the shock myself and have to say Ive been shocked worse after wlaking around in socks on carpet all day and touching a door knob. also as gaddy said, even if you do get an invisible fence you cant trust the dog to be outside unsupervised. even if it does care about the shock. someone could poison or puppy nap your baby, and other dogs can come INSIDE the fenced area. the only time I dont try to talk my clients out of an invisible fence if if it is being put in along the bottom of an existing real fence. and then I tell them it'd be cheaper to lay wire along the bottom.

Funny (and true) story my friend told me....

She often trains peoples dogs. Where she is, there are lots of nordic breeds (sibes, mals, sammies, etc.). She was working with a family would just couldn't keep their siberian husky inside of their yard. They had a fence and tried chicken wire...everything!! It simply didn't work. They finally tried invisible fence about two feet outside of the regular fencing. One day, the owner went out into the yard to discover his dog was gone!! When he exited the yard, he discovered the dog napping in the invisible fence!! Because of her coat, it felt like a massage to her. She had been sleeping for about an hour.

LOL!!!! sounds like she was probably jumping ver the fence? e fences dont work with most dogs. if it is a very sensitive or submissive dog, it'll work but still doesnt keep people or other dogs from cming in.

I share that opinion, would a real fence be cheaper? I don't know how you can virtually punish a dog for running through somehting they cant see

i personally think real fencing is the best option...but our neighbors wont allow it..because it looks ugly...and my mom spent lots of money in landscaping...we have little evergreens bordering our backyard...but those obviously dont keep him in.

Now that we found out he is a cattle dog...it explains his constant nipping...but we arent cattle or sheep...so it is not an excuse for him to be nipping...especially since it is painful sometimes.

The shock collar is probably our best option...i understand people are against it...and ive seen trainers who train with no discipline/punishments...no treats even...only using praise...and thats what we have been trying ('cept we do use treats)...this method does not work with our dog...he is much too stubborn...praise is not enough for him....

He is a quick learner though, and when we tried out the shock collar, we only had to do it a few times...and then the rest of the time, he came whenever he was called...

the trainer's motto was "if you cant do the time, then dont do the crime" Once Oakley learns what behaviors will get him shocked, it is his choice to do them or not...he gets to consider the consequences and decide if they are worth it...thats just my 2 cents

I guess I'm just toooooo much of a softie when it comes to our fur friends!!! Of course I wouldn't want any dog to be injured in the road or by a neighbor. I would opt for a regular fence rather then an electric fence. If the regular fence is too expensive, the an electric fence is better then the amimal being hurt.

I just read your last post Dreeza...I didn't realize that the neighbors don't want you to have a real fence for cosmetic reason. Sorry. I'll jump off my soapbox now...LOL

why cant u just get a regular wood fence?
who cares what neighboursmwant u to do, its ur house and yard

some neighborhoods have strict codes, many do not allow real fences. does the neighborhood ban fencing in the back yard, or does it ban fencing the entire property line? what about a chainlink fence in part of the back yard?
I am not against shock collars, strider wears one fairly often. I do however STRONGLY recommend that if you are going to use one, you find a dog trainer in your area who really knows how to train with one. it doesnt hurt the dog, I have shocked myself before and let other people shock themselves to feel it. it feels like a static shock when you walk around on carpet in socks and then touch a door knob or something. however it is VERY easy to confuse the dog and screw up the training if you dont use them correctly. I also suggest trying a prong/pinch collar (not a choke collar as it damages the esophagus) before resorting to a shock collar.

Once we get a house in the country we were also planning on having the invisible fence. I would have an area that had real fencing so that if they need out while we are not home they can go out the doggy door but still be enclosed and contained safely. But I was considering the invisible fence for when we are outside with him (hopefully "them" by this time lol) he can stretch his legs. he loves to run and boy he can really motor too lol it would be nice if he could just run to his hearts content. I wouldn't want to have a great big fence around acres of land. that would look like the great wall of china in my backyard. or a fortress or something lol

the bigest problems with electronic fencing are that many dogs dont mind the shock enough to prevent escape, even if they do mind it they wont notice it if they are running when they cross it. also it doesnt prevent people or other dogs from coming into your yard.