The Invisible Fence - Will It Work?

Question

I have a 5 year old female Boxer. I have her in the house most of the time because if I let her out into my yard that has a 5 foot chainlink fence, she looks to exploit ANY weak spot to get under the fence and gets out. Well of course I don't want my dog getting out, and running off because I have to catch up to her with the car, since she runs so fast, and hasn't been around us long enough (we got her at a shelter about a week ago) to be trained to come back when called, I'm working on that, presently. I'm wondering about the invisible fence idea... if I place the flags around the bottom of my chainlink fence, will it keep her from getting out. I want to use it for a month or so, and then maybe keep the collar on her and disarm the system just as a reminder to her that she belongs in the yard. With such an active dog, she can't be kept in the house all the time. If it's warm outside, I want her to be able to enjoy the outdoors between walks, instead of being in the house all day. Help

Also... how does it work? Does it emit a high pitch noise when they cross the boundries, does it work like a shock collar? Anyone used one of these and had success? I'd really appreciate any help, I love this dog, and I refuse to give her away, but she does need to be trained to stay in the yard, but in the meantime... would the invisible fence work to deter her from getting under the fence?

No I'm not going to euthanize her, and I DO have a fence, I want her to stay within those boundries... I don't want to use the Invsi-Fence by itself, I want to deter her from going under the fence I have already... some of you aren't reading what I wrote. For those of you that are giving honest answers I appreciate it greatly!!

Answer 1

I have an invisible fence. I think it would be a good idea to install one with your current fence.

The way it works is that the dog gets a warning sound or beep that increases as it approaches the boundary, and then when it gets there, it gets shocked. If you do the training correctly, you teach your dog to retreat at the warning sound. Buy a model that you can change the intensity of the shock, and change the size of the warning zone. It allows you to make the warning area bigger or smaller, depending how much your dog is likely to challenge the fence.

I would not advise you to use the invisible fence for a month or so and then turn it off. You should leave it on to serve as a reminder to your dog to stay in the yard. Some dogs will "check" the fence to see if the warning sound is working. If they find the warning is not working, they will try to escape.

I think you will be very happy with an invisible fence if you take the time to train your dog to it.

I got one and installed it myself. Maker was Innotek.

ALSO... don't be deterred by people who say their dog runs right through. Most dogs who go through have not been trained correctly or at all. If you do the training as the manufacturer outlines for you, you should not have a problem.

Answer 2

You should get an invisible fence and put it about three feet away from the fence you already have, depending on how big your yard is. If your dog gets within 3-5 feet (don't know for sure) it will make a loud beeping noise, and when she crosses it, she will get shocked.

My neighbor has one for their dog, and it works great. They told me that the dog would go over and under the fence at their old house (the just moved in a month ago) and the dog stays in the yard now. She doesn't even come near the fenceline. Also, she doesn't even wear the collar anymore.

I would leave the fence on all the time. She may see something and try to chase it, you never know.

Answer 3

It could work if you put it along the edge of your existing fence. most stubborn dogs will simply run through them but this isnt an option when used with another fence. the invisible fence emits a beep sound when the dog gets a certain distance from the fence, then if he tries to cross it he gets a mild shock, just as a correction, its not going to knock him out or anything. the dog soon learns that the shock comes after the beep so they know how far to stay away from the fence. You could give it a try and see how it works, it may do well in this case, but i dont like the invisible fence by itself because a hard headed dog will just run right through them.

Answer 4

They work wonders!! My aunt has an Australian shepherd and a Black lab, and both used to run out of the fence every chance they got, but with the invisible fence, they won't even go near the boundaries anymore. You have to work with them a little to show where the boundaries are and what the flags mean, but once they get the concept, it's amazing. They are shock collars, but the shock is adjusted to your dog specifically. You use the lowest shock that keeps a dog from crossing the line. Also, you control when it's on with a plug, so if you decide after a month that you don't need it anymore, just unplug it, and you don't have to worry about it. Good luck!

Answer 5

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RE:
The Invisible Fence - Will It Work?
I have a 5 year old female Boxer. I have her in the house most of the time because if I let her out into my yard that has a 5 foot chainlink fence, she looks to exploit ANY weak spot to get under the fence and gets out. Well of course I don't want my dog getting out, and running off because I...

Answer 6

The invisible fence works! So dors the shock collar. But, eventually the dog will try it out again. The dog will get reminded that it works. The shock collar works so well that all I have to do to keep my dog in the yard is put it on him! I don't even have to shock him. Invisible fence is the same. Just leave the flags up and you can turn the fense off. You may have to turn it on once in awhile because, as I said, every now and then the dog will "challenge" it.

Answer 7

Invisible fencing definately works. My family used the in-ground fencing to train our lab/golden mix and he learned very quick. The system that we used to train him no longer works (the line was cut), but he still stays in our yard. If the line could be cut at sometime (for example, cable lines get put down) I would recommend getting the radio fencing. Both will give out a warning and if the dog continues to cross the line, it will then shock them. You can adjust the boundry size and how much shock the collar will give. Another plus to the radio system is that once a dog leaves the boundry area, it will continue to be shocked longer until it returns to the containment area. Both systems come with instructions on how to set up the fence and train the dog. If you decided on getting one, an employee at a pet store should be able to help you decide which system is better for your needs.

Answer 8

They work by shocking your dog. As far as will it work or not in large part that depends on the individual dog and how pain sensitive they are. Since Boxers are short coated that works to your advantage since you don't have to keep the hair trimmed on her neck like you would with a long coated breed.

I've see some dogs that are perfectly willing to stay in an invisible fence and some that won't. When they won't stay in sometimes the results are tragic. Personally as breeder and as Chairperson of my breeds national rescue group I will not place a dog with someone who only has an invisible fence I've seen too many dogs get out and get killed and other animals coming into a yard and injury the dog in its own yard.

Personally I wouldn't leave her alone unattended because they are too many risks including someone stealing her but has long as you are around the invisible fence in combination with your chain link might just be the answer to your problem. Just remember that if she does get out it will shock her if she tries to come back.

Answer 9

It would work. When she gets close to the fence, the collar will emit a warning noise, then deliver a small shock if she gets any closer. The shock isn't that bad, but it's enough to get the point across. We had a Brittany spaniel years ago, that would decide the shock was worth it when a female dog was in the area. I doubt you'll have this problem since she'd still have to dig under the fence. If she's as smart as my boxer, she'll learn quickly. Fortunately, I haven't had a problem with him digging out.

Answer 10

I will give you an answer from personal experience, I bought for the last house we lived in in an attempt to keep 3 dogs under control. At first it worked just fine but then eventually they would run as fast as they could and cross the line no matter what the consequences were. So then i had a "reverse" invisible fence they would go out but thy would not take a "risk" and run back in! So it ended up keepin em out of the yard more than in the yard!