Invisible fences for containing dogs? what's your experience?

Question

If you have experience with those "underground," "radio-signal," "invisible" fences used to keep a dog contained within a yardspace, please comment. What's your experience? Good? Bad? Costs? Worth the costs? What to expect? Best brands? Any suggestions?

Thanks!

Answer 1

It works well for many dogs, but not for moost hunting breeds, as their prey drive is stronger than their fear of the zap..This includes many hounds,birders, and terriers..
Consumer reports online has evaulation of each brand, and you can find them cheapest on eBay..

Answer 2

It is much cheaper than a traditional fence. As far as how effective it is, that depends on how well you train the dog once it is installed. There is a training routine you go through after the fence is put in. Have them tell you all of the details about that before yo make a decision. I would no more want to teach my dog to stay in the yard by shocking him than I would want to teach him to sit, stay, etc. by shocking him. Some dogs, no matter how much you work with them, will take the shock and run through. Chances are that they will not take it again to get back in the yard. Also invisible fence doesn't protect your dogs from something else getting to them. I had a friend who's dog was almost killed by a pit bull because the pit bull could get in the yard but their dog wouldn't run out of the yard to get away. Personally I would never use it. It is all about the owners convenience, not the dogs'.

Answer 3

Shock collars are not the answer. Not only do some dogs run through them to get at whatever they are chasing, it also leaves your dog open to attack with no means of escape. If a dog, mountain lion, coyote, or cruel person comes onto your lawn looking to injure your dog, it has no problem wandering into your yard.

Shock collars are also banned in numerous countries around the world and several cities here in the US because they are considered cruel. They are not simply a small jolt or pinch - they hurt your dog. This can make them fear their own yard, become depressed, or become agressive.

The solution? Either install a secure fence so that you dog can be safe, or take the time to bring him out on a leash. Find a friend that has a fenced yard and find a good darkpark if your dog needs to run regularly.

Personally, I could not in good conscience injure a member of my family for my own convenience. It's just not the type of person that I am.

Answer 4

I'm torn on that subject. My neighbor has the "invisible fence" thing and I am not quite certain how it works. All I know is that his St. Bernard stays within the grounds, is well taken care of and doesn't seem to have any problems regarding sleep, social-ability with people or other animals and never gets lost or stolen. I guess it's OK.

Answer 5

My brother used that set-up for his two LARGE dogs and it worked reasonably well. The female was a bit more agressive and if she got a good head of steam up, like chasing a squirrel, she would break through it in the beginning. Or rip her collar off! But he got the stronger "zapper" for her and it did the trick. After a while, they didn't even need the collars -- they knew where the line was and did not cross it.

Sorry, don't know about price or brand, though.

Good luck!

Answer 6

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RE:
Invisible fences for containing dogs? what's your experience?
If you have experience with those "underground," "radio-signal," "invisible" fences used to keep a dog contained within a yardspace, please comment. What's your experience? Good? Bad? Costs? Worth the costs? What to expect? Best brands? Any...

Answer 7

My husband got one of those....and dont get me lying about what the name was. We had a lab/chow mix and a weiner dog mix. They both got fried so-to-speak. The 'weenie' was found dead in our yard only 3 days after the "fence" was installed. Our vet said his little brain was fried. Our lab/chow mix contained a bone growth problem and eventually had to be put down because he couldnt walk right and would fall down. Now that could have just been our dogs...no telling. BUT I will never ever install one of those things again. To each their own I reckon. But I wouldnt tell my worst enemy about them for their dogs. (I hope I dont have any enemies). Good luck to you.

Answer 8

I don't know the costs or brands, but my brother in law uses an invisible fence for his dogs and it works perfectly for them. They never cross the lines. It does involve some training tho.

Answer 9

I had one of them with my old dog a few years ago. They suggest that you train your dog properly to use it- which could take a few weeks, however, when we first got it and set it up, our dog got out of the area and was shocking and he was kinda doing backflips and stuff. I don't know what the effects on him or his behavior was, because he was fairly young (about 9 months old or so) when we started using it. Eventually, he learned how it worked and it started beeping when he got close to the "line" and learned on his own w/out us even training him (yes, i know this was poor judgement, but he was really smart)- but i think proper training would have been better. The shock i dont think is too bad because it is approved for use. I am partially wondering if that led to his behavior problems later on- we stopped using it after we moved into an apartment.

Answer 10

my experince good.
i walked a dog with an invisible fence. she was a bull mastiff (like a great dane) AND she was too powerful to be fenced
expenses, this is the downpart.. I think their close to 100 bucks.

good luck. id rather recommend this then a fence and know a dog is secured.