Invisible Fences, need advice quickly

[Jane]

We have Lilly our almost 3 month old Yellow lab puppy, and we dont want to have to have her on the leash all the time. Our property is about one acre, and we would like her to stay on it without a leash. We need to be able to play fetch and have her run around and be happy, but be safe. There are nearby woods with coyotes, and some roads nearby where there is some traffic.
All our other dogs were rescue dogs who never wanted to leave our sides. But a puppy is an altogether different scene, she wants to 'fly'. And gets on the chase of squirrels and other wildlife and would not come back if she could get free.
So we have been advised to get an invisible fence, these people got the highest recommendation,
http://www.dogfencema.com/
We couldnt put up regular fence, as our property is surrounded by woods, and it would be very expensive, and hard to maintain.
Thank you in advance,
Jane

 

[lizzybeth727]

I generally don't suggest invisible fences, but I certainly wouldn't suggest one for a 3-month-old baby. Problems:

1. IFs are not reliable. Since there's no physical barrier, the only thing keeping your dog in is the threat of a shock. For many dogs, even the shock is not powerful to overpower the scent or sight of a squirrel, cat, other dog, ball thrown too hard, child next door taunting, etc. And once they get out, they will not want to come back in, as that involves another shock!

2. IFs do not keep other animals out of the yard. This is particularly dangerous if you ever (EVER) leave your dog outside unattended.

3. The dog doesn't understand exactly what he's getting the punishment for - maybe he thinks he's being punished for looking at a cat; then cats are all scary and should be eliminated (yes, they can become aggressive). Maybe he's getting shocked because everything outside the yard is dangerous and will shock him if he leaves; imagine how scary a walk down the street could become! Many dogs (some of whom I've met) refuse to leave the yard and become very anxious if they're forced to. This is only amplified for puppies, who are gaining so much information about the world at this point in their lives.

What I'd suggest is first, a physical fence. If this is absolutely not possible, you can get a long line leash (20-50 foot cotton leash) or just use a long rope, so that your dog can run but still be safe attached to you.

 

[Herschel]

There are nearby woods with coyotes, and some roads nearby where there is some traffic.

It is really, really risky to trap your dog into an invisible fence that other animals (like coyotes) can walk into as they please.

 

[Zoom]

I understand you wanting to be able to give your pup some off leash time, but I think it's going to be in your best interests to first train the dog to stay near you or at least come when called, which will take time.

I've got a Lab right now that had a short stint in a home with an IF...she came back fat because she didn't want to run much out in the yard because she was never quite sure when she was going to be getting a shock and one time the batteries fell out of the collar and she just took off and was picked up by AC swimming in a pond in the next neighborhood. So they're not foolproof by a long shot, in addition to the reasons listed above.

 

[Jane]

Thank you for the answers.
Its impossible to put a physical fence here, and its sandy soil, so it could easily be dug under. Plus, fencing an acre would be far more expensive than the IF.

We do have coyotes, deer and raccoons here, and have dealt with them for years. Thats why we always make a lot of noise when we exit the house. Lilly has been making it all night since 3 weeks ago, so that eliminates the midnight walks. Though our front yard has spotlights.


We have gotten Lilly to stay near us on our local beaches, as soon as she sees us walking away, she scrambles to catch up. Unless she sees a child, then she runs to play.
But the beaches are away from roads, and thru the woods here, there is a road with a 35MPH speed limit, which is ignored, cars can go up to 45 occasionally.
That is the real danger here, that one road, but its in the direction of our thick bamboo grove, so is not visible.

So if we put the IF around the perimiter of our property in the woods, then Lilly would not be so likely to cross it. Hoping she would stay in the area where we are, like the lawn and garden areas?
What are your suggestions on doing it this way?
The guy is coming this afternoon to give us an estimate, and I will most likely be bombarding him with these question.
Jane

 

[Maxy24]

There are nearby woods with coyotes

That sentence pretty much spells danger. Your dog can't get away from the coyote but the coyote can walk right into your yard. Also since your pup likes to chase things it's possible in her drive she will bust right through the shock of the fence. Then once she's done chasing she will try to come back and will get shocked and not be able to cross into your yard. You could always put up a physical fence around a smaller portion of your yard, enough so she can still run and play but not so much so that it will be extremely expensive.

 

[Jane]

Thank you again, This is indeed an option that we have been considering as an alternative to get us thru the winter. And in the spring, she would be full size, (our breeder estimates around 65 pounds). Then we would go for the IF.

So here is the next question, this would be about 1/3 acre, the lawn/grass areas we could do, what kind of fence do you recommend for this? It would be temporary, so a wire fence would be ideal?

I can call the IF guy this morning, before he makes the trip here, and schedule him for April instead.
I just spoke with him, and he will still come and look at our property anyway, and we might go for April or May.
Jane

 

[Zoom]

Depending on how much IF you're wanting to put up, a chain link fence might be cheaper. They come in varying heights; I would suggest getting an estimate on how much it would cost to fence in a good portion of your yard with 8 ft. fencing and sink it at least a foot into the ground. Then lay 1x1 square concrete paving stones along the bottom of the fence as well; this is what we did at our doggie daycare and it workd wonderfully.

 

[RedyreRottweilers]

I don't recommend the IF either. I have had one in the past, and would never consider another one.

Fencing can be installed in sandy soil if posts are seated properly in concrete. I would rather have a much smaller securely fenced exercise area than any size IF.

Add the age of the puppy and coyotes to the equation, and no way.

 

[Barb04]

I'd go with the chainlink fence as it would be cheaper. I've seen too many dogs break through an invisible fence.

 

[DanL]

My friend has a lab and has an IF. Dogs come into his yard all the time. It didn't take him long to learn where the boundries are, and they don't need to use the collar on him anymore. If the dog is properly introduced to the fence and TRAINED, he's not going to think a correction is coming from looking at a cat or other animal/object outside the yard.

I'm not into the IF thing for the reasons already mentioned, but in the case of a large yard, I can see where it'd be a cost effective solution. I don't think I'd leave my dog out very long without supervision regardless of the fence type if you have coyotes around.

 

[RedyreRottweilers]

I'd go with the chainlink fence as it would be cheaper. I've seen too many dogs break through an invisible fence.

Mine went throught it way too often for comfort. The sellers are very specific in letting you know that the dogs should never be out without the collar, and to keep the batteries well monitored in the collars as well. This is one thing that operates on operant conditioning, and if the dog does not get the warning sound when he approches the barrier, the respect of the boundaries can (and will) degrade rapidly. Speaking from experience, when this happens, retraining is VERY DIFFICULT.

I will say again I would never again have one of these fences, and I forbid them as a means of primary confinement in my sales contract.

 

[houndlove]

Another option that is cheaper than a chain link and can be installed easily by regular non-handy folks, but still rather effective containment: http://www.bestfriendfence.com/

I just don't feel comfortable with anything but a physical barrier, for all the reasons already stated. But we have the Best Friend Fence and it's attractive (you can actually barely see it unless you're right up next to it), inexpensive, and seems to be holding up well. The rabbits nibbled a couple small rabbit-sized holes around the bottom, but we left them as a "rabbit highyway" because we knew if we repaired them, they'd just nibble a new hole. We left those two holes open and they haven't felt the need to create any more, and both holes are so small the dogs could barely get a nose through, even if they did discover their locations.

 

[Jane]

Thank you again, I will price some chain link today. Though I would rather have a temporary fence, I did find "Welded Wire" 4 ft recommended. As its not as unsightly and you just pull it up when you are finished with it. Cheaper too, so we could do about 1/3 acre and be able to play ball with our dog.
WHat do you all think about 4 ft Welded Wire?
Of course, she would never ever be out without us anyway. And not have the opportunity to dig or be unsupervised.
Jane

 

[Herschel]

Thank you again, I will price some chain link today. Though I would rather have a temporary fence, I did find "Welded Wire" 4 ft recommended. As its not as unsightly and you just pull it up when you are finished with it. Cheaper too, so we could do about 1/3 acre and be able to play ball with our dog.
WHat do you all think about 4 ft Welded Wire?
Of course, she would never ever be out without us anyway. And not have the opportunity to dig or be unsupervised.
Jane

HoundLove's suggestion is awesome!

Check this out: http://www.bestfriendfence.com/prod_fence_kits.asp

 

[Jane]

Thats just like the stuff we were thinking of, so I think we shall buy some and fence in part of the yard, while Lilly is small enough to be coyote food.
Then go with the IF, having both for the winter will be good. We decided to go with the IF now, as we do have a lot of neighbours right here in town(same woods and roads), who are very very pleased with how it works.

I will price this other fence today and buy some soon as we can. So that we have a secure part of the lawn area to play ball with her, she is retrieving tennis balls very well. And that doenst work with a leash.
Thanks again,
Jane

 

[Sweet72947]

I have an IF, and I would rather have a physical fence, but the snobby Homeowner's Association won't allow it. When there are storms, we have to unplug it because otherwise the main panel will get fried by lightening and we have to pay the company to come out and fix it. We have also had problems with the underground wire getting cut when the neighbors have work done in their yard, since the workers are unaware of our fence line. I rather hate the IF, but I have no other choice for letting the dogs some run-around time. But they are never outside unsupervised, and we go for walks quite often.

 

[Jynx]

I live in an area of alot of wildlife and would never consider any type of electric fencing.

To many things can go wrong,,animals can get in, I've seen dogs go thru the fencing and refuse to return (because who wants to get zapped again?). Dogs that go thru it, can still get hit by cars..

I fenced almost an acre in, and it really was not that expensive..Along 3 sides which is woods, I used galvinized sheep fencing (4ft) and put 4 x 4's every 8 feet , cemented in.
Across the front of the property are 4 x 4 posts, with attached boards to look like railings, lined with the wire fencing..

I feel SO MUCH better knowing my dogs are fenced in with no possibility of escape, (they are always monitored) and no possibility of "critters" getting in the yard..

Definately check prices, fencing can be cheaper than you think
Diane

 

[Jane]

Hi Diane,
Do you have any pictures of your fencing? As this would be a back up for us, if it would be not too expensive. How much to do an acre? We would install it ourselves. Need to know the details, as this sounds good.
Thanks,
Jane

 

[Jynx]

Gosh no pics,,sorry..We got all the materials from HD..I used the green vinyl fencing, got it in 100 ft rolls, (this was 2 years ago so not sure of the price I paid)...Got pressure treated 8ft 4 x 4's,,had to allow for a couple feet in the ground which we used "quik crete" to keep the posts in place.

We put all the 4 x 4's in the ground approx 8-10 ft apart, then ran the fencing and U nailed it to the posts. You definately need two people to pull/stretch/keep the fencing straight..With the green vinyl wire, you don't even "see" it,,so when you look outside, it bascially blends right in with the woods behind it. Across the frontof the house where people see it from the road,,we nailed flat 4 inch wide boards to the posts, to make it look rather like horse fencing..the wire fencing is on the inside, and again, you don't really notice it, it rather blends in..

I wanna say, for the acre we did, maybe 800$? I honestly can't remember as it was two years ago, I DO know, it was MUCH cheaper than having a fence company come in and run chain link..The green coated vinyl is a little pricier than plain wire, but it will never rust or corrode.

The last fencing I had was basically the same thing, but not coated, and we had split rail on the outside of the entire area..That lasted 10 years, so not bad considering..

Diane