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Invisible Fence?

4K views 21 replies 13 participants last post by  Tess 
#1 ·
Hey Everyone!​
Well, I was wondering about an invisible fence. My parents say that a real fence is out of the question, because they think it "ruins the appearance of the yard". But, he does pretty well off leash. My aunt and her boyfriend came over Friday and are staying until Tuesday, and my aunt and my sister and I went to go see a movie at the theatre, while my parents and my aunts boyfriend went to go look at a new car.

We took him out of his crate, and we usually let him off the leash so that he can go "sprinkle" since he gets excited whenever we get home, and he likes to go offleash so that whenever he goes outside he can run out at his own speed, not dragging my mom.

Since it was daytime, my dad decided to take him out to play, and I got the Frisbee, and we started tossing it to him while he went to fetch it, and we had a fun time chasing him around the yard trying to get him to let it go so we could have more fun again throwing it (he likes to play keepaway!) and a car came by and we couldn't stop him, and he stopped at the sidewalk.

He let the car pass by. Yet, whenever he is outside it scares me, and I almost have a heartattack! I want to get an invisible fence, but I want to know, is this considered abusive? I would like to get one because I cant really play Frisbee with him, and I cant play fetch in the house either, so I want to go and get an invisible fence.

Thanks in advance!​
 
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#2 ·
What about a long line instead? Invisible fences rely on unpleasant things to keep your dog within the boundaries of the fence. Personally, I'd never put a shock collar or anything similar on my dog. It can create negative associations with anything outside of the fence boundary and cause more problems than it hinders. Plus, it only keeps your dog in, but won't keep other unsavory creatures out.
 
#3 ·
Also, if your dog takes the shock to leave the yard for whatever reason, it is unlikely that he will feel compelled to risk the shock again to come back. In my opinion, they're more trouble than they're worth. You're better off using a long line and teaching boundaries with positive reinforcement. There's a good kikopup video about boundaries, but I'm on my phone so I can't link at the moment.


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#4 ·
Setting aside the abuse thing for a second, an electric fence is a terrible idea.

-With +p this extreme, fallout is bound to happen; you may wind up dealing with a dog who is afraid to step off your front lawn or even to go outside.

-If he crosses the line, there is really no guarantee that he will run back in the yard. He may simply bolt like a horse (i.e. any direction is a good direction, I just need to run as fast as I can to escape this pain). So in that case you have on your hands a screaming dog running as fast as he can away from your property with a painful current of electricity going through his body. Not good!

Personally, I think your parents should reconsider the idea of a fence. There are some really cute ones out there and having a terrier, you really wouldn't need anything that high. Knee-height even may be just fine. If they want they could even at last have the house with the White Picket Fence ;) Maybe you could leave a catalogue with some cute fencing on the counter or in their web browser to help the idea along. There are many other great uses for even a little bit of fencing, namely to keep passing dogs from using your lawn as a public toilet.

Alternatively (since I love off-leash play) you could put a drag-line on him and take him for a trip to the local park. Doesn't even really have to be a dog-park as long as you are supervising the dog well, respecting the other park-users and keeping an eye out for potential trouble (i.e. a loose dog or wildlife).

Lexy and I were actually in the same boat as you, as he owners don't like her running on their grass (yeah, it's a real head scratcher :ponder:). It became clear fast that walks alone would not take care of her hyperness so we started going to the park instead and training for off-leash there. Although a lot of seniors in our neighbourhood are sticklers for leash-laws, they cut us a lot of slack because we use the park midday when it's not busy, she has a strong recall and is always called in when someone enters the park. She is not left to charge up (friendly as she is) to other people or dogs and if another dog who is not down for off-leash play are poking around in proximity of us, I leash her and give her the Wubba to play with so she can't bother them.

If Fetch is Ace's thing, I'd get him a harness, a drag-line and try out some of the Chuck-It products at the park. They have fetch covered from A-Z and have many balls and frisbees that fly with different effects. Lexy is nuts for their Whistler balls, and I saw the other day that they make them in a smaller size as well!
 
#8 ·
Setting aside the abuse thing for a second, an electric fence is a terrible idea.

-With +p this extreme, fallout is bound to happen; you may wind up dealing with a dog who is afraid to step off your front lawn or even to go outside.

-If he crosses the line, there is really no guarantee that he will run back in the yard. He may simply bolt like a horse (i.e. any direction is a good direction, I just need to run as fast as I can to escape this pain). So in that case you have on your hands a screaming dog running as fast as he can away from your property with a painful current of electricity going through his body. Not good!

Personally, I think your parents should reconsider the idea of a fence. There are some really cute ones out there and having a terrier, you really wouldn't need anything that high. Knee-height even may be just fine. If they want they could even at last have the house with the White Picket Fence ;) Maybe you could leave a catalogue with some cute fencing on the counter or in their web browser to help the idea along. There are many other great uses for even a little bit of fencing, namely to keep passing dogs from using your lawn as a public toilet.

Alternatively (since I love off-leash play) you could put a drag-line on him and take him for a trip to the local park. Doesn't even really have to be a dog-park as long as you are supervising the dog well, respecting the other park-users and keeping an eye out for potential trouble (i.e. a loose dog or wildlife).

Lexy and I were actually in the same boat as you, as he owners don't like her running on their grass (yeah, it's a real head scratcher :ponder:). It became clear fast that walks alone would not take care of her hyperness so we started going to the park instead and training for off-leash there. Although a lot of seniors in our neighbourhood are sticklers for leash-laws, they cut us a lot of slack because we use the park midday when it's not busy, she has a strong recall and is always called in when someone enters the park. She is not left to charge up (friendly as she is) to other people or dogs and if another dog who is not down for off-leash play are poking around in proximity of us, I leash her and give her the Wubba to play with so she can't bother them.

If Fetch is Ace's thing, I'd get him a harness, a drag-line and try out some of the Chuck-It products at the park. They have fetch covered from A-Z and have many balls and frisbees that fly with different effects. Lexy is nuts for their Whistler balls, and I saw the other day that they make them in a smaller size as well!

OK! I will use this method, because I wasn't comfortable with the idea, but I thought I would see what you guys think!
 
#5 ·
Ditto. It's really easy to turn a dog into a reactive or barrier frustrated dog with an electric fence. Dog wants to go greet passers-by, dog gets too close and gets a warning or shock, dog starts to equate those passers-by with that warning or shock, dog starts taking an "offense is the best defense" approach and barks, lunges, growls, and/or chases passers-by now. (or dogs, cars, etc.)

The other big disadvantage is that if a dog sees something he really wants to get at, you bet he's going to run right through it. What's a second or so of shock when their adrenaline is going and they're after something? Not much. Then once they're out and the chase/whatever is over, do you think going back home--through the shock field--is much of an incentive? Nope.

And like CD mentioned, it doesn't keep other things out of the yard.

I'd pressure your parents to put up fencing--there are tons of options, pickets, semi-privacy, privacy, wrought iron/steel, wood, vinyl/pvc, etc. A fence won't ruin the aesthetics of the yard, and even if it did, ask them if looks are really more important than a life.

In the meantime, keep him on a long line.
 
#6 ·
Ditto. It's really easy to turn a dog into a reactive or barrier frustrated dog with an electric fence. Dog wants to go greet passers-by, dog gets too close and gets a warning or shock, dog starts to equate those passers-by with that warning or shock, dog starts taking an "offense is the best defense" approach and barks, lunges, growls, and/or chases passers-by now. (or dogs, cars, etc.)

The other big disadvantage is that if a dog sees something he really wants to get at, you bet he's going to run right through it. What's a second or so of shock when their adrenaline is going and they're after something? Not much. Then once they're out and the chase/whatever is over, do you think going back home--through the shock field--is much of an incentive? Nope.

And like CD mentioned, it doesn't keep other things out of the yard.

I'd pressure your parents to put up fencing--there are tons of options, pickets, semi-privacy, privacy, wrought iron/steel, wood, vinyl/pvc, etc. A fence won't ruin the aesthetics of the yard, and even if it did, ask them if looks are really more important than a life.
In the meantime, keep him on a long line.
This. ^
 
#7 ·
You can also set up some sort of zip line if you don't want to use a long line. The zip line will give him freedom to use all the yard but you can take down the line when you are not using it so your parents won't be bothered by the look of it. Just don't leave him alone in the yard on it, because just like an electric fence he can be attacked by other loose dogs coming into the yard and even worse then the electric fence he will not be able to get away from the animal at all, also depending on the set up him getting tangled on something could be a problem if you don't supervise.
 
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#9 ·
The only time I've seen an efence used in a way I've liked was in combination with a regular fence to keep the dog from digging under the fence. Honestly they have to many downsides when used by themselves IMO (and thats without getting into the whole "you have to deliberetly shock your dog to teach them what it means" part).

We use 50ft leads with both my dogs. In kinda secure areas I'll let them loose and let them drag the leashes, but in unsecure areas I'll keep ahold of them. I've not got a strong pitch ANYWAY when it comes to throwing things (and neither of mine is much of a retriever) so it just takes a little extra care to avoid throwing something out of their reach.

(Edit: I'll admit that they're better than nothing and just letting the dog loose with no supervision or restraint, but yah, not my first choice by any stretch)
 
#10 ·
I agree with whats been said. I don't think an e-fence is every a good solution, or a substitution for proper containment for a dog. Every time I've seen them be used, I saw problems. Big ones. In one case, a dog became too terrified to even go outside to potty. In another, the dog will plow right through the fence to get to a deer. In another, the dog plowed right through to get to the pool area where the family was. This one kept shocking the dog continually...She was screaming and snapping at the air, and one of the family members had to carefully (got bit many times anyway), drag her back up to the other side of the boundary. I don't know if that fence malfunctions, or if that's what they're supposed to do. But either way, not a pretty sight, it clearly doesn't work, and they're very lucky the fallout from that wasn't too bad.

I think you are best off using a long line if your parents really don't want to install a fence. But I would still try to convince them. Maybe a different style of fence would be more to their liking? Idk. I'm not really one that believes yards are for looking at. Yards are for using. Then again, you're talking to somebody with a dirt backyard because she thinks grass is a waste of water :rolleyes:
 
#12 ·
I agree with whats been said. I don't think an e-fence is every a good solution, or a substitution for proper containment for a dog. Every time I've seen them be used, I saw problems. Big ones. In one case, a dog became too terrified to even go outside to potty. In another, the dog will plow right through the fence to get to a deer. In another, the dog plowed right through to get to the pool area where the family was. This one kept shocking the dog continually...She was screaming and snapping at the air, and one of the family members had to carefully (got bit many times anyway), drag her back up to the other side of the boundary. I don't know if that fence malfunctions, or if that's what they're supposed to do. But either way, not a pretty sight, it clearly doesn't work, and they're very lucky the fallout from that wasn't too bad.
Its probly the kind that uses a base station rather than a buried line around the yard. The base station ones zap when the dog gets a certain distance away the base, and will continue to zap untill the dog returns to within the radius. With the guardian tempered breeds, or dogs with aggressive tednancies, the constant zapping can drive the dog unto a further frenzy, making a potential dog attack worse.
 
#14 ·
Alot of people I've talked to don't realize they work that way. The ones with the burried wire don't afterall....the base station ones are cheaper and require essentially no install, so they're becoming popular.

If it happens again, tell'em to pull off her collar till she's back within range for doG's sake!
 
#15 ·
My maltese ( decade ago) went right through the fence, and my golden/BC/Lab mix followed right on his heels...and it doesn't stop other dogs from coming into the yard. I put up a fence. And padlocked it. Who cares what the yard appearance is for the peace of mind of keeping your family member safe. It's a "thing" versus a "life" saved.
 
#16 ·
Thanks Guys :) I'm going to get a drag line and a couple Frisbees, and we'll play the day away in the yard :) Just have to keep the yard clean so he cant get caught in something....
 
#17 ·
Eventually, hell learn it only shocks him one. Id get one of those long tie out leashes that you screw into the ground. Id attach it to a harness/collar and it should be fine for short periods of time.

I have one, but i use it for camping and it works well for me but them again im usually around. I think its worth a try but dont leave the first time you try it out


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#18 ·
Don't underestimate what a smart/crafty dog can do to outsmart an electric fence. I've seen models where there is a mild stim within 10 feet or so from the actual boundary line as a warning. I knew a dog who would lay down for about 5 minutes in the warning zone and take the mild stim until the battery died, and then had free roam of the neighborhood.

Also I once saw another dog (this was a long time ago so I'm sure the technology for the fences/collars has advanced) who figured out that if he held his head in a certain odd way the prongs didn't make good contact and the collar wouldn't register. He would tilt his all the way back and kind of shimmy his neck around as he trotted over the boundary.

Besides all the very good reasons given (negative associations, creating reactivity, etc), at the very least, be aware that many dogs can outsmart the fence anyway.
 
#19 ·
Oh, just to let you know, I am not planning to have him lay out there alone and let him out un supervised, I am planning to do this under supervision :) We want to let him off leash but he's a terrier and he LOVES people so he might try to get out...
 
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#21 ·
I'll look into seeing what my dad will let me do :) I just don't want to have a heart attack every time I go outside..
 
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