[mateoe2]

Please read this. Perhaps this may common sense to some but for us, we learned the hardest way. We have an electric fence installed. My Soft Coated Wheaten ALWAYS respected her boundaries. We learned a very difficult lesson last night. When a dog wants something it will go after it. Our 1.5 year has recently been chasing Chipmunks in the yard. I saw her "hunt" become more active as she matured. Last night, she saw a Chipmunk in the driveway. She chased it down at full speed. Despite calling her, which she responded to 99% of the time, she bolted down the driveway through a 12 foot pinch zone (an area that she would be shocked it entered) and a boundary line 5 feet from the road to try and catch the Chipmunk. Ultimately, she ran into the road and was killed.

The point it is that I should have not relied on the electric fence. I should have had an absolute blockage to keep that from happening despite no matter how many times I watched her respect the boundaries. She has never ever gone close to the boundary in our driveway until she saw the Chipmunk last night. In retrospect, I realize by nature it's in her breed to instinctually chase vermin. Yes, I feel incredibly guilty and responsible for not doing more. We are devastated. I am posting here not to blame the equipment but to just share with the community that the electric fence is invisible and can be penetrated. If you are considering one please think again. If you have one, I urge you to take it out and replace it with a physical fence.

Oooh so sorry for your loss. But hopefully, your story certainly caused a tragic lesson for others. Reading the sad story has advised the electric fence supporters. Every dog's owner must consult a professional dog training specialist.

 

[LauraFZ]

Omg that is so sad! My aunts dog was actually killed by the voltage of a faulty electrical fence! And I once lost a good hunting dog because of one!!

 

[LauraFZ]

I'm so sorry that happened to your dog. May God be with you during your grief!

 

[Laco]

Sorry for your loss, it had to have been very difficult to deal with. The lesson here, is dogs are strongly driven by their instincts and prey drive(instinct), and no amount of training or conditioning will overcome that every time. all it takes is once as @jjmota007 sadly discovered.

 

[Curls]

Someone on a local town page just posted the story of chasing their husky around the neighborhood for half a day. Their dog and a guest's dog were out in the yard playing. The guest's dog took off. The husky, who is accustomed to being outside with an e-collar, hesitated and then made the choice to run through the fence to follow her buddy. Once past the fence perimeter the two dogs happily ran through meadows and marsh, across roads and yards, before finally returning home a few hours later. It's a good illustration that pain isn't always a sufficient deterrent when a dog is sufficiently motivated. This dog clearly knew where the fence was, knew she'd be shocked, and chose to be shocked in order to get what she really wanted. Fortunately she came to no harm while out on her adventure, but it could have ended very badly for her.

 

[wellturnpet2013]

Please read this. Perhaps this may common sense to some but for us, we learned the hardest way. We have an electric fence installed. My Soft Coated Wheaten ALWAYS respected her boundaries. We learned a very difficult lesson last night. When a dog wants something it will go after it. Our 1.5 year has recently been chasing Chipmunks in the yard. I saw her "hunt" become more active as she matured. Last night, she saw a Chipmunk in the driveway. She chased it down at full speed. Despite calling her, which she responded to 99% of the time, she bolted down the driveway through a 12 foot pinch zone (an area that she would be shocked it entered) and a boundary line 5 feet from the road to try and catch the Chipmunk. Ultimately, she ran into the road and was killed.

The point it is that I should have not relied on the electric fence. I should have had an absolute blockage to keep that from happening despite no matter how many times I watched her respect the boundaries. She has never ever gone close to the boundary in our driveway until she saw the Chipmunk last night. In retrospect, I realize by nature it's in her breed to instinctually chase vermin. Yes, I feel incredibly guilty and responsible for not doing more. We are devastated. I am posting here not to blame the equipment but to just share with the community that the electric fence is invisible and can be penetrated. If you are considering one please think again. If you have one, I urge you to take it out and replace it with a physical fence.

I'm truly sorry for your loss. It's a painful lesson that no one should have to learn. I hope that by sharing this story, those who are considering using electric fences will pause and listen. I worry, though, that some may only learn this lesson the hard way, just like you did. Rest in peace to your beloved dog.