Hi all, I'm new here so I'm not entirely sure which forum is best suited to my question but I thought I'd start here. I was really happy to find Chazhound! Do any of you hound breed owners have your hounds trained on an invisible fence? We are getting a PBGV soon and everything I hear and read says that they cannot be trusted on a buried fence. I'm wondering if anyone has actually tried it with success? I would assume that most all of the scent hound breeds would be challenging on a buried fence? Thanks, I appreciate any info. on this!
Scent Hounds and invisible fence training?
- Thread starter jeanjo
- Start date
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I wouldn't use an invisible fence on any scent hound. Their nose is stronger than any invisible fence current. Get them riled up on the scent of a rabbit, or any other animal, and they'll run right thru that fence. I know an invisible fence alone would never hold mine in... not a chance. I wouldn't even dare attempt it. For a scent hound, a real fence is a must in my opinion.
Wow, so wierd I just went here to make a post about invisable fences to see what everyone thought about them! So I guess I'll just post here 
My neighborhood doesnt allow fences so most of the neighbors use the invisable fence. I use it with my three dogs and it works great. My aussie doesnt wear his collar anymore, he is trained the best for it and knows his boundaries. If he gets close to a boundary (only happens if his ball rolls across or he wants in the lake) we just say get back and he will back up. He asks permission to jump in the lake, and will not go in until we say ok, go. He has been trained on it for about 5 years. Preston is very good about it to, never goes near his boundaries. We do put his collar on him to be safe, he's a little guy and gets very excited about UPS trucks, but has never crossed his line for one. He's been tained on it for 7 years. Duke is the most difficult, he took a lot longer to train and it was much more difficult for him to understand that the flags were his barrier. Once he learned it he was fine until this year(3 years later). He has started running through it when we are across his line. Which has started since I went to college and my family has let him get away with it. I am starting his training over now, putting the flags back up.
Now my first neighbors that his this had 5 dogs (2 beagles, 1 aussie/GSD, 1 border collie, and 1 terrier mix) who spent the time needed training and their dogs stayed in the yard very well. The beagles did take more time to train, those noses get them in trouble. I have another neighbor with a boxer and cocker spaniel that also spent the time to train their dogs properly and it works very well for them. The boxer was the hardest to train and would run through it the first summer, but does well now. Then I have the neighbors who did not train their dogs. One of the families has 2 very very large labs that run through like its nothing. They didnt spend much time training and just let them get away with it. Another neighbor has a golden and boston terrier. These dogs do not stay in the yard, and actually I dont no how much time they spent training. The golden stayed in the yard until they got the boston who runs through it and has gotten to the highway(3 miles away) and been hit. the other neighbor that didnt train also has a lab(averaged size though) and she actually stays in the fence, but had very little training. the last neighbor that has it has a lab and golden that they did train for it. However they keep changing it, they put in a new one to make their yard space smaller and smaller. Those poor dogs are so confused they dont no where they can go. The lab freaks out if you try and take him outside of the yard for fear of getting shocked.
IMO these fences are fine if you live in an area that isnt busy (county). They take a lot of time to do the proper training for them to work. It can work for hounds but they are going to be more difficult to train. From what I've seen different breeds do better with them (when trained). I feel like labs, for example, are very difficult to train on these, they dont seem to care about the shock(which honestly isnt a bad shock, I've accidently had ahold of the collar and walked across the line several times. I love that our dogs have 2.5 acres of yard to run around in, that they wouldnt have without the invisable fence, but I have heard of so many dogs that run through them and will get hit by a car. this is something that you must continually work with your dog on, and the dogs should be watched while in the yard.
My neighborhood doesnt allow fences so most of the neighbors use the invisable fence. I use it with my three dogs and it works great. My aussie doesnt wear his collar anymore, he is trained the best for it and knows his boundaries. If he gets close to a boundary (only happens if his ball rolls across or he wants in the lake) we just say get back and he will back up. He asks permission to jump in the lake, and will not go in until we say ok, go. He has been trained on it for about 5 years. Preston is very good about it to, never goes near his boundaries. We do put his collar on him to be safe, he's a little guy and gets very excited about UPS trucks, but has never crossed his line for one. He's been tained on it for 7 years. Duke is the most difficult, he took a lot longer to train and it was much more difficult for him to understand that the flags were his barrier. Once he learned it he was fine until this year(3 years later). He has started running through it when we are across his line. Which has started since I went to college and my family has let him get away with it. I am starting his training over now, putting the flags back up.
Now my first neighbors that his this had 5 dogs (2 beagles, 1 aussie/GSD, 1 border collie, and 1 terrier mix) who spent the time needed training and their dogs stayed in the yard very well. The beagles did take more time to train, those noses get them in trouble. I have another neighbor with a boxer and cocker spaniel that also spent the time to train their dogs properly and it works very well for them. The boxer was the hardest to train and would run through it the first summer, but does well now. Then I have the neighbors who did not train their dogs. One of the families has 2 very very large labs that run through like its nothing. They didnt spend much time training and just let them get away with it. Another neighbor has a golden and boston terrier. These dogs do not stay in the yard, and actually I dont no how much time they spent training. The golden stayed in the yard until they got the boston who runs through it and has gotten to the highway(3 miles away) and been hit. the other neighbor that didnt train also has a lab(averaged size though) and she actually stays in the fence, but had very little training. the last neighbor that has it has a lab and golden that they did train for it. However they keep changing it, they put in a new one to make their yard space smaller and smaller. Those poor dogs are so confused they dont no where they can go. The lab freaks out if you try and take him outside of the yard for fear of getting shocked.
IMO these fences are fine if you live in an area that isnt busy (county). They take a lot of time to do the proper training for them to work. It can work for hounds but they are going to be more difficult to train. From what I've seen different breeds do better with them (when trained). I feel like labs, for example, are very difficult to train on these, they dont seem to care about the shock(which honestly isnt a bad shock, I've accidently had ahold of the collar and walked across the line several times. I love that our dogs have 2.5 acres of yard to run around in, that they wouldnt have without the invisable fence, but I have heard of so many dogs that run through them and will get hit by a car. this is something that you must continually work with your dog on, and the dogs should be watched while in the yard.
What I did was set all the flags up spaced very closely together (every 3 feet or so). I carried the collar around the entire yard and listened for the beep so I new where to place them. Then the training varried depending on the dog. With my aussie, he already knew a "leave it" command and so I turned that into a "get back" and showed him the flag and told him to "get back" and that was very helpful. then I walked him around the perimeter a couple times a day on a leash(very important, dont let them off leash until they no the boundary!). When he got near the flags he would here the beep and I'd say "get back" and we'd run away from it and he'd be rewarded. I also put him on a long leash and played with him in the center of the yard. Its very important that they learn the yard is safe for them to play and is fun still. The hard part is that you do have to let them get shocked. They hear a beep before the shock and if they keep going they will recieve the shock. Its not painful just surprising. When they get shocked you have to run away from the flags and reward in their safe area still. I made it into a game with Boomer, we walk the boundary and when heheard the beep we'd RUN AWAY and make it fun. He is an aussie so running and chasing after me was fun lol. We made sure to run them toward the house each time, because if they were to cross off leash we want them to run inside the barrier instead of across it when they get surprised by the shock. I think with Preston, the guys that installed the fence walked him around the perimeter first. The guys that installed the fence were very helpful. We allowed at least a month, depending on dog, before allowing them off leash. And we left the flags up still. Slowly we would start taking every other flag down until all were gone (and conntinued walking the barrier on leash each day). You also have to have an exit area for them. Ours is through the driveway. So when we take them for walks we used our release word "ok" and took them through the driveway.
Now if when you take them off leash they run through, you need to go get them, bring them back through the exit spot and start over. Walk the barrier on leash, put up the flags ect. the most important thing is for them to learn that those flags are not what they want to be around and then very very slowly taking them down. Also its very important that you get a properly sized and fitted collar of course and not let it be to tight or to loose.
These fences are not for all dogs! Many dogs do not respond well to the shock or just don't care about it. When we trained Duke, he shut down. He wasnt motivated by food or toys so rewarding the good part of the yard was difficult. He didn't want to go into the yard at all and just stuck next to the house. It took a lot of praising and us just trying to get really excited about playing in the yard to get him out there so he learned he wasn't going to get hurt. It took a lot of time with him, but he learned it was safe to play in the yard but still kept a bigger distance from the barrier than the other dogs. Now he runs through the fence though and seems to not notice the shock and doesnt think its bad at all. You just need to know your dog and train accordingly like any other thing you train for. And remember that some dogs arent going to work out with this type of fencing.
Now if when you take them off leash they run through, you need to go get them, bring them back through the exit spot and start over. Walk the barrier on leash, put up the flags ect. the most important thing is for them to learn that those flags are not what they want to be around and then very very slowly taking them down. Also its very important that you get a properly sized and fitted collar of course and not let it be to tight or to loose.
These fences are not for all dogs! Many dogs do not respond well to the shock or just don't care about it. When we trained Duke, he shut down. He wasnt motivated by food or toys so rewarding the good part of the yard was difficult. He didn't want to go into the yard at all and just stuck next to the house. It took a lot of praising and us just trying to get really excited about playing in the yard to get him out there so he learned he wasn't going to get hurt. It took a lot of time with him, but he learned it was safe to play in the yard but still kept a bigger distance from the barrier than the other dogs. Now he runs through the fence though and seems to not notice the shock and doesnt think its bad at all. You just need to know your dog and train accordingly like any other thing you train for. And remember that some dogs arent going to work out with this type of fencing.
Thanks for the info. We do the proper training with the flags and do it for the entire 2 weeks. Both our Goldendoodle & American Eskimoo mix are very reliable on the fence and we live in the middle of 55 acres with about 2 acres "fenced". We have a lot of squirrels, rabbits, deer some fox, coon, geese, ducks, turtles, frogs, snakes to name a few going through our yard on a pretty regular basis. I'm very nervous about trusting a pbgv on the fence. Even if we're out in the yard, with the size of the yard I think he will get a real jump on us and be gone in pursuit before we even realize what's happening! We live well off the highway, maybe equivalent to a city block + but the highway is very busy. Personally, I would prefer to fence an area for the petit to run & play and then do regular walks for outings, etc. My husband is not convinced about the problems with training a petit on the invisible fence so we probably will give it a good try at least. Do you think we should extend the normal training period by a week or so? We run a b & b so I kind of hate to have the flags up any longer then necessary. Thanks again for all your input!
With all that wild life I don't know if I'd trust a hound not to run through. I personally dislike them anyways, my own emotional reason is that I don't like shocking a dog. For safety reasons I think a lot of dogs if in pursuit of animal will run through (especially if it's been a while since they were last electrocuted) and all animals can run right into your yard, including other dogs who could cause a lot of problems. I would fence in a smaller area if you can, it would be worth it for piece of mind.
after seeing a chihuahua run through an invisible fence then refusing to come back home because he knew it would hurt (and if you dont think it hurts please put it on yourself, on the equivalent setting for YOUR weight cause lets face it, setting #2 might just tingle for you but if your 3 times your dogs weight then its gonna hurt him 3 times as much...it Does hurt, quite a bit!) i wouldnt trust them with ANY breed...
particularly a breed that has a strong drive...the desire to track is much higher than the pain when it comes to that initial chase...but when it comes to comming home...thats when the thrill of the chase has gone and the brain kicks back in and goes...hey wait...it smarts when i cross that line...
personally i wouldnt use them unless absolutly nessicary (no fencing allowed and i MUST live there kind of situation, cause lordy knows i aint spending my money on a house i cant do whatever the heck i want to including putting up a fence), ive seen the results of dogs that have blted through, ive seen them fail when the power goes out (and head strong breeds will occasionally "test" those things...
and ive seen 3 in the past 8 months literally EXPLODE, 1 was because of a lightening strike, 1 just seemed to go for no reason and the third got water in the case and burnt down most of the house and almost killed the dogs who got out of the house but were too afraid to try and cross the boundry line...
just not worth the money...
not to mention the fact that while an invisible fence may work for keeping YOUR dog in...they do not work for keeping other dogs, cats, wild animals and neighborhood children out...
horror story for you
neighbor had her 2 mixed breed dogs in the yard on the invisible fence by underground company, she was in her kitchen when she heard blood curdling screams, a trio of neighborhood strays had waltzed into the yard and had killed her 20lb female and were mauling her 45lb male...
she intalled a fence 6 months later when she got her new puppy.
particularly a breed that has a strong drive...the desire to track is much higher than the pain when it comes to that initial chase...but when it comes to comming home...thats when the thrill of the chase has gone and the brain kicks back in and goes...hey wait...it smarts when i cross that line...
personally i wouldnt use them unless absolutly nessicary (no fencing allowed and i MUST live there kind of situation, cause lordy knows i aint spending my money on a house i cant do whatever the heck i want to including putting up a fence), ive seen the results of dogs that have blted through, ive seen them fail when the power goes out (and head strong breeds will occasionally "test" those things...
and ive seen 3 in the past 8 months literally EXPLODE, 1 was because of a lightening strike, 1 just seemed to go for no reason and the third got water in the case and burnt down most of the house and almost killed the dogs who got out of the house but were too afraid to try and cross the boundry line...
just not worth the money...
not to mention the fact that while an invisible fence may work for keeping YOUR dog in...they do not work for keeping other dogs, cats, wild animals and neighborhood children out...
horror story for you
neighbor had her 2 mixed breed dogs in the yard on the invisible fence by underground company, she was in her kitchen when she heard blood curdling screams, a trio of neighborhood strays had waltzed into the yard and had killed her 20lb female and were mauling her 45lb male...
she intalled a fence 6 months later when she got her new puppy.
If you do try it, I would def. wait longer than 2 weeks to take the flags down. We have always waited at least a month before taking all flags down.
I also agree that the dogs dont want to go back into the yard sometimes. Esp. in our neighorhood since eveyone has these fences, dogs will get shocked in any yard they go into. Thats why I think dogs need to be watched if when they are loose in the yard. I no my neighbors golden retriever reacts very strangly to the shock. She lays down and refuses to move. Even if its just the beep, she freezes. Its strange..
I think it just depends on the dog you are training whether it will ignore the training and go after wildlife. I live in an area with a lot ofwildlife as well. Boomer is completely obsessed with geese, and chasing them but always stops at the barrier when chasing them. Of course he is an aussie not a hound though. If you are worried about wildlife coming into the yard yes other dogs can get into the yard but no fence is going to keep out other animals.
I would not have this fence though if it was my decision. We have no other choice on fencing and it does work for our dogs well. Other than Duke recently but that is from him being without a collar more often and getting away with it(I blame parents haha).
As for the very smart dogs that figure ways to escape.. my neighbors two beagle used to stand where they heard the beep to wear down the battery. When it stopped beeping they knew they could go through. They ended up having to change it so they didnt recieve the warning beep anymore.
I also agree that the dogs dont want to go back into the yard sometimes. Esp. in our neighorhood since eveyone has these fences, dogs will get shocked in any yard they go into. Thats why I think dogs need to be watched if when they are loose in the yard. I no my neighbors golden retriever reacts very strangly to the shock. She lays down and refuses to move. Even if its just the beep, she freezes. Its strange..
I think it just depends on the dog you are training whether it will ignore the training and go after wildlife. I live in an area with a lot ofwildlife as well. Boomer is completely obsessed with geese, and chasing them but always stops at the barrier when chasing them. Of course he is an aussie not a hound though. If you are worried about wildlife coming into the yard yes other dogs can get into the yard but no fence is going to keep out other animals.
I would not have this fence though if it was my decision. We have no other choice on fencing and it does work for our dogs well. Other than Duke recently but that is from him being without a collar more often and getting away with it(I blame parents haha).
As for the very smart dogs that figure ways to escape.. my neighbors two beagle used to stand where they heard the beep to wear down the battery. When it stopped beeping they knew they could go through. They ended up having to change it so they didnt recieve the warning beep anymore.
This is very true. My parents tried to use an invisible fence for their JRTs, and they would see a deer or rabbit, chase after it - and run so fast that the shock may have not have even triggered. When they would try and come back, they would hear the beep and get shocked, on the outside of the line.
I do know somebody that used it for their labradors and they did very well with it. They had run of most of the property with it, however they never buried the line, so they had to constantly reconnect it when it would get shredded by the lawn mower or a rodent bit through it.
I do know somebody that used it for their labradors and they did very well with it. They had run of most of the property with it, however they never buried the line, so they had to constantly reconnect it when it would get shredded by the lawn mower or a rodent bit through it.
Oh I just remembered one of my neighbors does have a greyhound/husky mix that does wonderfully on this fence. I forgot about him because I havent seen him much since they got the fence. Greyhouunds and huskies are both known for being difficult to train for these fences and he definately has a very high prey drive, chases anything that moves and loves to run and run and run lol. He had run of the neighborhood for years before they finally got the fence because of his aggression and he got hit by a car. They have never had a problem with him running through the fence.
I personally wouldn't use them with our lot, it would likley stop Sophie but definetly not Harry or Buster, both of them have huge chase drives, both will go after other dogs, Buster will go after cats, next doors ducks, Harry doesn't like children and none of them like the mailman one bit.
I think eventually Harry would learn not to go through them, he can be called off almost anything now but the risk would be too much.
I think eventually Harry would learn not to go through them, he can be called off almost anything now but the risk would be too much.