Let's talk invisible fence?

Our next door neighbor uses one. Our other next door neighbor just got a newfoundland/border collie mix puppySo, we've got three properties in a row, with dogs that are all friends, with large backyards (for suburbia anyway) @ 3 acres total.The next door…

    Let's talk invisible fence?

    Our next door neighbor uses one. Our other next door neighbor just got a newfoundland/border collie mix puppySo, we've got three properties in a row, with dogs that are all friends, with large backyards (for suburbia anyway) @ 3 acres total.The next door…...
    Dog Breed Discussions : Let's talk invisible fence?...

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    • Let's talk invisible fence?

      Let's talk invisible fence? Dog Breed Discussions
      Our next door neighbor uses one. Our other next door neighbor just got a newfoundland/border collie mix puppySo, we've got three properties in a row, with dogs that are all friends, with large backyards (for suburbia anyway) @ 3 acres total.The next door neighbor with the I-fence proposed making one common I-fence around our 3 properties. Sounds idyllic - everybody frolicing off leash over 3 acres right outside our back doorsI saw the neighbor's dog get 'trained' on their invisible fence. She got zapped a few times ... but once training was over - the off-leash freedom she gained in her huge yard seemed like a good deal. We've also got some client dogs who have invisible fence and they all seem fine with it. None of them seem the least bit disturbed or fearful or any of the bad things anti-I-fence people sometimes argue.But - neighbordog sometimes escapes and has to be hunted down, and also - wearing that clunky collar with the box and frankenstein bolts in it doesn't look fun. Even if our guys didn't mind it - they aren't afraid enough of the busy street out front for me to feel safe with anything that isn't 100% inescapable.I'm skeptical. My wife ain't down wit it at all. We've already got a small portion of our backyard traditionally fenced. It is adequate for our small dogs. I walk my dogs daily and every other walk I take them to a ballfield where we run around off leash. I also use retractable leashes w/halters so we can run around even on leash (halters better than collars to prevent neck injury should the dog max out its r-leash). They get plenty of exercise and alot more than a 6 ft leash's length of freedom.Dog Disneyland ain't happening with us, but - I'd like to hear opinions on I-Fence.LEGIT: please provide a rational, objective argument supporting your opinion on invisible fence.

      Let's talk invisible fence?

      Let's talk invisible fence? Dog Breed Discussions
    • Dogs whose yards are surrounded by electronic fences may develop fear or aggression aimed at what they believe is the source of the shock (kids riding by on bikes, the mail carrier, the dog next door, etc.). Dogs have been known to run through electronic barriers when frightened by fireworks or chasing a squirrel and then be too scared to cross back through the barrier.Electronic fences may actually encourage animals to try to escape. Since dogs only suffer painful shocks in the yard, they may associate the shock with the yard itself—once they get out of the yard, the pain goes away. The fact that the pain returns when they try to reenter the yard can cause dogs to believe that they are being punished for returning home.Even when animals are confined within certain boundaries of an electronic fence, they are still in danger of attacks by roaming dogs, cruel humans, or other animals, who can freely enter the property. Electronic fences are a dog thief’s dream come true!The most effective way to keep your dog safely confined to your property is to keep him or her inside the house when you aren’t home and allow him or her outside only under close supervision on a leash or in a securely fenced enclosure.A 6-foot privacy fence is best, preventing your dog or intruders from scaling it.Wood or vinyl fencing is optimal for privacy, but chain link is less expensive. (Small windows covered with wire mesh can be cut into wooden fences to allow dogs to see out.)Replace a short fence with a taller one, or add an extension to the top.

    • I believe an I-fence is the lazy owners way of not spendng enough time training the dogs on boundaries, hazards of traffic and where they can or cannot go. My dogs will chase a fox out of the front yard, but stop before the road. Like an invisible line that may only be crossed when I have them on a lead. they will chase the neighbours cat out of the back garden, but stop at the hedge. They will sit at the edge of the chicken or duck pen while I go in to feed the poultry. You should always supervise dogs when they are outside anyways. I find other dogs that come to play in our yard tend to focus so much on my dogs and playing with them, that they don't think about going off to the main road.

    • Personally I don't like the idea of any animal getting a shock, no matter how small it is, the shock I mean not the dog. Plus even with these fences you would still need an outer bush or fence that they could not get through for real safety sake - and what when the electric wire fails? like ordinary electricity within the home, the fence too has a chance of loosing power at times.If I knew friends with fences like that I would not take my dear little dog around their place. But that is just my opinion.

    • I dont normally agree with any kind of "band-aid" fix to a training issue (ie. haltees, choke collars, bark collars etc) are all easy fixes to a problem, the problem being the dog is not properly trained to not pull, not bark, in your case, not stay in the yard etc. Thats being said I do know lots of people in my neighborhood who have very happy well balanced dogs who have invisible fencing. I think the key is to insure that you do the proper training in a thourough and responsible way so that the dog does not have negative associations with the shock. Some dogs, however, are more naturally balanced and every dog will react differently to an invisible fence. Some will run right through it, some know the property line so well they dont even need to wear the collar forever. So essentially for it to work and for everyone to be happy its going to depend on your level of dedication to the training, the personality of your dog, etc. I would say that if your yard is working for you now, why change it? And if you do, just know that it may or may not work.

    • I have known of a few dogs learning to charge right through the invisible fencing IF they want to go after something bad enough (our neighbor's black lab has been loose more then once - and then he's afraid to hit the fence to go back in). However, my BIGGEST issue with the "invisible fencing" is that it does NOTHING to protect your dogs from stray/strange/roaming dogs coming INTO your yard and causing serious problems.I prefer traditional fencing for that reason..

    • I would not get an I-fence. Our neighbor has one and the dog can still escape. She hates coming outside now and you have to drag her. Just get a traditional fence for the three of you if you want to share. It's much safer.

    • I suppose an I fence is better than nothing, but why would someone take a chance on their dog running through it into traffic, or a wandering aggressive dog coming into the yard? An I fence doesnt keep anything out (other than maybe the dog once he has run through the barrier.)I tried an I fence, years ago, when I was completely out in the country, and wanted to keep my dogs up by the house.....my dogs went right through it.My current Lab mix is an escape artist with an extremely high tolerance for pain. He would be through an I fence in a heartbeat.

    • Oh my...the bunny huggers are out in full force!I would NOT be against putting up a fence with ALL the neighborhood dogs.....dogs fight...no matter how "friendly" they are with one another.....you're just asking for problems, in my humble opinion.Plus its 3 different families involved...so you have to watch for the people's drama...."Your dog scratched my dog...my dog has fleas now.....my dog is sick, why isnt yours."...you get my point?I know people with electric fences...they are great 99% of the time. Dogs can and do run right through them...especially if chasing something. That actually happens more often than people think.Idk...I looked into this myself....I'm not sure how much use he'll get out of it. He's a house dog...used to being around us. I'm pretty sure sitting outside by himself wouldnt be his idea of a good time.....plus my dog loves chasing things...

    • The people a few streets down have one, and it don't work for there dogs. They have 2 labs, and an African boerboel. There dogs seem pretty aggressive, and i have actually had to walk down other streets just to avoid there house, because the dogs will run right through the invisible fence. But a family friend uses invisible fencing for his rottweiler, and he has no trouble (shes a pretty well trained dog, and knows not to leave his sight, fence or no fence)For dogs that have a high prey drive, the fence don't always work. Some dogs will just walk right into the street, and the fence don't bother them.I would never use an invisible fence for my dogs, especially living so close to the city. And it don't prevent dogs/animals coming into your yard. I'd rather have a real fence, i know my dogs can't get out, and nothing is getting in.

    • I have a similar situation to yours, except I live on a 3 acre lot next to a 1 acre lot who already had an invisible fence when we moved in, as well as two protective labs. We installed our own just 3 weeks ago. Our problem before was that our boxer lab cross just loves to run, and she loves to play with our neighbors dogs, and tease them by running around on their side of the fence to lure them into our yard. Often when we take her out to play she wants to visit our neighbors 2 labs and she will just run off. Since we installed it she has learned to not cross the line, even when the other dogs are playing near by. Sure she got shocked a couple times but it was a learning experience for her and not a painful one, only surprise. We can now let her roam the property without having to constantly worry she could get on the street or mauled by another dog. She is almost 3 yrs old and she took to the training without any hitch. I'm confident you would feel better knowing that your dog is safe if she does get out. I believe that any method you can use to keep your pet safe and the possibility of injury down to a minimum. Hope that is useful to you. I fully recommend using the system.

    • I'm on the fence with it. A neighbor dog has it and is perfectly fine. A dog I sit for has it and is perfectly fine... he doesn't even go near the fence anymore. Neither seem afraid of it, more of a "I can't go there, dude". For some dogs, it's a good option. Not nearly as good as a REAL fence, but it's an option. There are also a lot of dogs that could care less about the shock. They aren't great for high prey drive dogs. Why? Because all that dog's senses are locked onto whatever they're chasing. We were once considering an IF for my dog, Buddy (we never got one though). We had one of the IF people over at our house, telling us about the successful dogs and the unsuccessful dogs. One of the unsuccessful dogs was a Great Dane that, even at the highest shock, still jumped (yeah, actually jumped) the invisible fence. Some dogs may be too sensitive for the IF. Some dogs could care less. Some dogs will pay attention to the shock somedays, and ignore it the next. And then there are the dogs that an IF works great for. I am honestly not for an IF, but not against it if you have a dog that is compatible with the IF. It's a tool. But, I will always say that a real fence is better than all other options.ADD: The thing I really hate about the IF, though, is that it does NOTHING to protect your dog/s from outsiders. NOTHING.

    • In general I would not support these fences...I have used one, so I do know what they can do, how 'useful' they can be...in my case a client with an 8' fence that her dog continually jumped/scrambled over into the road, would stand and bark at traffic in the middle of the street...then after an hour or two jump back herself....would run away from being caught as if she didn't know anyone...so completely anxious/fearful, so reactive and not listening/hearing...once on lead this dog was a potential obedience show dog...and went on to become one.The garden was all 8' fenced but this continued to happen with them not knowing how the dog got out so setting up a camera I found out,implemented training, it worked, however the client didn't reinforce the training as required, we talked about 'topping' the fence with an extra piece at an angle to stop the dog getting over...the owner decided not to do it ( cost/work/lack of energy ?)So to stop this dog causing an accident and getting killed I used the fence, however only as part of training not as a permanent fixture...........sorry I don't like them and would not use them for myself, used for this client as thy were too lazy to train their dog and I didn't want a dog killed.Cons: As you say "But - neighbordog sometimes escapes and has to be hunted down" so it doesn't work 100%Other dogs can come in who do not have those collars...your dogs can then be attacked and fear running away through the fence.For older dogs and dogs with health issues these fences can be potential killers giving dogs shocksI don't think it is necessary to inflict pain and fear apposed to training.A dog getting a shock, can turn reactively on another dog thinking it is that dog which caused the pain... with a pack of dogs that dog being attacked would be set on by the whole packI personally would go with the traditional fencing, shared gardens sound great, but....a 'pack of dogs' running without supervision what happens ( as it will) when one or two get into a fight and there is injuries or a death...when there is an argument with a neighbour or one of them move......you will be glad of your private space and fence.My added advice Throw away your retractable lead, buy a cheap washing line instead, let it trail when you want your dogs to have off lead time, tell them free, when you want them back, first go and put your foot on the line nearest to you as you have control, THEN call them and you will quickly find they will learn when you call they come and you can then do away with the washing line...retractable leads are dreadful things, teaches dogs to pull, they know they are not off lead, they know they are not free to run, that you don't trust them and 'demand' they come when called...so if they do get free they play games and don't come back...with the line you have control if required and you are training your dogs that when you say come they do ensuring you can trust them off lead within a couple of weeks with daily training.

    • Personally I don't think I would ever feel safe with an invisible fence. I have lost a dog due to getting hit by a car and I never want to experience it again. Even if the fence is supposed to be reliable, the fact that there are no actual walls containing my dogs would not make me feel safe.Secondly, I have two hyper Labrador Retrievers. Labs are notorious for being tough dogs and sometimes don't even feel pain. I don't think an electric shock or beep would stop my dogs from running out of my yard and away. Simple as that. They are also known for being "thick headed" and not the brightest common sense wise of the breed. I think if they were to get an electric shock they would probably not even notice it, or be so stupid as to wonder what was going on and still run away.Thirdly I also have a Basset Hound. He is a scent hound and when his nose hits the ground he is in his own world. He typically has a good recall despite his breed, but I would think that if his nose was to the ground that he wouldn't even notice the shock or beep warning noise and be gone. There is one family where I live who contains their two Cocker Spaniels with an invisible fence. It works for them, but they also have a very small yard. We live on a little over an acre of land and to have to place an invisible fence for the whole property never mind just a section (which would be stupid because my dogs could only go so far), would be an astronomical price. Overall, I just feel safer with an actual built fence. We have a large run built for our dogs outside where we house them sometimes in the summer when it's nice out. They can run around and are securely fenced. Plus another thing is in an invisible fence other dogs who do not have the collars on can come in and possibly be a threat to your dogs. While with an actual fence they can't.So it's built fences hands down for me.

    • My aunt owns 3 beagles and one heinz 57 lab sized muttShe also fosters beagles, so at any given time has 5 beagles or so running around the place.Did I mention she lives in the middle of no where, has a huge yard filled with trees and tasty little critters running around, and beagles? Lots and lots of beagles.She has no physical fence just an electric fence. And it's worked with all of her dogs. Even new fosters learn fast. I know her dogs have ran through once or twice. But only once or twice in the last 8 years or so they've had the dogs (I think her oldest beagle is 7 or 8 now? And the large dog is 9)So I'm all for them, because I've seen them work on a very prey driven breed.