Dog Forum banner
Status
Not open for further replies.

Dogwatch virtual fencing: Smartfence Vs. Profence

4K views 5 replies 3 participants last post by  MooseMan1 
#1 ·
Hey all!

I'm new to the forum and new to dog owning. I've got a beautiful brindle pup who is almost two years old. He's a rescue so he has a fair amount of separation anxiety. He's been wonderful, adjusting to our household (which includes two 10 year old cats who aren't so keen on the pup) as we adjust to him.

The biggest issue we've had is with potty training. His foster family had a dog door, so he went outside whenever he had to go potty. Thus he never learned to signal when he needs to eliminate. He does fine at the dog park and on walks, but refuses to go to the bathroom in our yard.

One solution we're investigating to help with this (and also allow exercise on days when a park walk isn't feasible) is virtual fencing. We don't have a big backyard, and physical fencing wouldn't be very practical. We just got a quote from a company called Dogwatch. They offer several tiers of fencing, the two most interesting being Profence and Smartfence.

I wondered if anyone had any experience with the company, and advice on advantages and disadvantages of either. The quotes were significantly different- around $500- so I'm having trouble deciding between the two.

Any advice would be appreciated.
 
See less See more
#2 ·
I know nothing about the company but having grown up with an invisible fence I want to warn you to really research it. They take a decent amount of training and the nature of the beast is if the dog wants whatever is on the other side bad enough, there is really 1 momentary shock standing between them. I watched many times as my lab took off after a bunny, took the shock, and kept running. I would highly recommend not trusting one when you're not home. Ours was also a long time ago but our line frequently got cut and wouldn't work. The lawn guy, the sprinkler guys, any little thing would break the line and then we would have to try to search to find where it was broken and try to repair it. It was a complete hassle.
 
  • Like
Reactions: eisenkrote
#3 ·
Thanks for the advice. Our goal won't be to leave our pup unattended. He is fairly clingy and always wants us nearby. We adopted him from a rescue, which got him from the humane society in Georgia. He isn't over that first rejection.

But it would be nice to let him wander the backyard and be comfortable finding a suitable "bathroom." I'd also like to be able to play with him off-leash when he's at home.

We originally crate-trained him and he broke out every time and threw a fit. After that trial and error, we found he's most comfortable sleeping on the couch with his blanket. Given how that went, I don't expect he'll every be fine being left outdoors unattended, even if we're just in the house.

But I appreciate the feedback. Part of the challenge of dog ownership is figuring out your dog's personality, and what works best for them. Its been quite a journey.
 
#4 ·
Our yard is not fenced, and we thought about an invisible fence, but I honestly don’t really trust them. My cousin has one for her dogs, and a lot of the times, it is broken and the dogs do occasionally run through. Plus, I don’t like how you have to shock the dog, especially because I have a small dog.
So, what we did was purchase a long line. Ours is 30 feet, but I’m pretty sure they go up to 100. It has worked out good for us, my dog can roam the yard pretty freely. If I am not actually playing with him, we tie it to our deck, but if I am playing fetch with him or something, I just let it drag behind him. That way, if he sees another dog or squirrel or something, I can step on it. They are also really good tools for off leash training.
 
#5 ·
That's our current solution. Unfortunately, its so heavy and cumbersome for him that he doesn't ever get settle down and go to the bathroom. We've tried thinner lines, more like cloth leash lines. But whenever he's given a moment alone with a leash he chooses freedom and chews through it. I've even seen him trying to free other leashed dogs. Clearly he was a rebel leader in a former life!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
You have insufficient privileges to reply here.
Top