Invisble Fencing

I do not care for invisible fencing for several reasons.

While most dogs can learn the bounderies, if trained properly, some dogs figure out if they are moving fast enough, and go right through it anyway. Then problem is they are on the wrong side of the barrier.

However- the biggest problem I see, is that unlike a regular fencing while keeping your dog inside the yard, another dog etc could easily enter your yard obviously. Then your dog is stuck within the yard. And a real fence is a real barrier- not just for other animals, but other people as well.

If you want the dog to stay with you, use a long line, check cord or long lead to train. Like this http://www.dog.com/item/mendota-super-dog-check-cord/492389/ 

What you do is attach the check cord to the dog, take out the in yard. When the dog starts to get near the end ( ie 30 feet), call the dog back to you. If the dog doesn't, say nothing else, just reel the dog back to you. Praise when the dog arrives. This teaches the dog to stay within a certain distance from you.

If you are consistant, it wont take long for the dog to come back. But remember- off lead never totally trust having a reliable recall.

We have had both regular and invisible fencing.  When we moved to Alabama our ridgebacks laughed at the 4 foot tall chain link fence that was around our back yard. Friends owned an Invisible Fencing Company and convinced us it would be the answer to making sure our furkids stayed in the yard. Both the fenced back and unfenced front.

With a breed that has high prey drive or intense protection issues an Invisible Fence is an expensive joke.  Although properly trained our dogs were great at blasting through the Zap Zone when they wanted to.  Then you must up the charge and retrain .... some dogs require an extension to the collar , a harness that will go to the flank also delivering a zap there as well!!  My dogs never had to go that far but because of our friends we routinally met dogs who did. Plus Dogs that needed the thick fur about the neck shaved ( or on flanks if they were determined) to assure there was nothing to diminish the correction.  Should a dog speed through the fence on a joyful race , the zap is reduced.  Unfortunately lighter correction does not mean non exsistant so when the run was finished and my naughty hounds and lab returned they would stand panting on the wrong side of our fence!!  They were not going to repeat the zap just to return to the yard.  Our elderly girl wandered into the Zap Zone when we had upped the area and sat down crying in pain that was the last day it was used.  I pulled the wires out of the unit in anger and the Hubs agreed to call a fencer in.

We also learned several other cons  as mentioned by others it will not keep other dogs out of your yard... so any stray or neighbor dogs not wearing the corrective collar may wander at will in and out of your yard, causing fights, unwanted breedings and messing in your yard ...which of course can bring illness , fleas , worms etc .

Lose a collar and they are horibbly expensive to replace.  Have a lightening strike and your fence is down.  Have someone dig, drive excessively heavy equipment or a variety of other unknowns and you have line breaks in the buried line about your property which will require a tech to return and with a meter walk the line until they may determine where the break is and then dig to repair.

In the long run you can't beat chain link for ease of use and maintenence. We have an 8 foot wooden privacy fence which replced our 4 foot chain linkit is wonderful for...  well privacy but as we live in the Hurricane Belt it does little for us when a big "wind" comes through and knocks out a section.  Then you must find someone to repair it when every one in your area is seeking fast repairs at reasonable rates.  What a misery!   Chain link allows neighbors to gawlk at your pets and kids, and in some cases count the number you may have . While it doesn't matter for us as we grandfathered in , newer homes are restricted on the number of dogs they may have.  We  go out of our way to keep the pack quiet, clean and in our yard.  That did not stop the moron with the dozen tiny yappy dogs from trying to cause a problem when they were served notice they were way over the allowed limit for thier newly built home.  They were very unhappy when they found out as our home was one of the original built almost 30 years ago We were not limited in number of dogs or anything else we can have.  This blew their small dog breeding dynasty to heck and certainly did not make me unhappy. 

Pros ...Invisible Fencing  does not cost as much as most physical fences.  It does not need painting, staining or routine up keep for appearances, It will not require you use a weed wacker to keep lawn growth down next to the base line , as you just run your lawn mower over it.  It tends to limit the number of dogs your family might add when you factor in the need to buy additional collars to the expense of the new dog.  Good Luck with your babies you sound like responsible and loving owners !

My problem with invisible fencing is that, at best, it only deals with half of the problem.  It offers absolutely no boundary for any person, dog, or other critter coming INto my yard.  Even with a tie-out (which we used before the fence) or invisible fencing I would not be able to relax knowing that any passerby or loose/stray dogs could still terrorize my dogs.  We had problems with neighborhood kids coming into our yard.  When I put up the fence there was at least ten feet of our property left on the side that bordered there's and I explained very clearly they were not allowed in the yard or even touching the fence.  The fence has also saved us many times when neighbors' dogs escape or we have roaming strays, some with questionable health and temperament.  Invisible fencing for us would have been over $1000 and I put up a physical fence for about $300.

Exactly- the yard is not as safe.

I guess my big thing is that we don't really have "problems" to correct with the dogs...they don't run out of our yard b/c we are always outside with them.  I'm not so much looking for containment, as I am a backup plan in case for some reason they would decide to step further outside our lot line.  I would never leave dogs alone outside.  I'm just wondering if it could cause problems that we don't have right now.  Not sure if I'm explaining it right...but when you say it only deals with half the problem...we really aren't having problems containing the dogs...I'm just worried if by chance we are playing ball and the ball rolls out into the street...I don't want them chasing it...or trying to follow hubs in the car when he leaves for work in the mornings (we always go outside and wave goodbye)...I would never assume a dinky little fence would keep my pitbulls in...but I would never assume a physical one would either if they really wanted to get out...so I'm just thinking of it as a "backup" I guess I should say.  The only 3 times they have run out of our yard is 1. A tennis ball flew out (hubs got a little wild with the chuckit).  2.  The neighbor lady called their names and said hi to them so they ran over.  And 3. There was a dead raccoon in the neighbors yard they just couldn't resist! lol  I don't really consider those problems...just little glitches that the fence might help me with.

borzoimom1

Exactly- the yard is not as safe.

 

I'm more looking to keep my dogs in, rather than worrying about their safety while in our yard...we have a very nice neighborhood...with owners who all take excellent care of their dogs....of course there is always that danger...but what I am actually trying to figure out is if Invisible fencing will cause obedience issues with my ALREADY trained dogs that stay in the yard already...I guess people are misunderstanding that my dogs won't stay in so I need a fence...just the opposite. My dogs DO stay in the yard expertly...although Stewie does like to bark at people passing by 10% of the time...but we are always outside with them...I'm just looking for a reinforcement to my training I guess I should say.

 Due to HOA regulations just about all owners in my neighborhood have invisible fencing - we have been using it for our pain insensitive and super prey driven dog for nearly 4 years now without any problems and we walk the neighborhood daily and haven't had one dog breach the fence.   It is all about training, period.

I also don't worry about other animals coming in (we have so much wildlife nothing would keep all of it out) and no one is going to come steal my dog.

As for accidental corrections or 'zaps' it doesn't happen once they know their boundaries and since yours already do it will be super easy to achieve.

It is important to always be out with them or watching them - you don't want kids teasing them or as you say Stewie barking at passersby.

I understand that others have had bad experiences or just don't understand how they work but we love our invisible fence as do all the owners of them in this neighborhood.  All they do is set boundaries a properly trained dog will not get 'zapped' because it knows its boundaries just as a dog inside a physical fence doesn't need to run into it to know his boundaries LOL

I never suggest invisible fence for dogs with high prey drive (actually, I never suggest it at all, since I don't like the idea of shocking my dogs, but I don't want to get in to that argument here).  I also do not recommend it for Pit Bulls.  Not because I don't love the bullies, but because a certain percentage of them will exhibit dog aggression at some point, and it can happen suddenly.  Not saying that your dogs would have this happen, but if they do, and the temptation is great enough for them to bolt through the fence, they will quickly become statistics, and you may lose control over what happens to them.  That can happen if you are standing two feet away.  So, whoever said yard not safe - I have to agree.  My inclination is to recommend, whenever possible, that large breeds of the terrier herding or working groups have solid fencing.

Having that invisible fence is better than nothing, which is what you have now. Having no protection and just trusting your dogs off leash in the yard is really dangerous imo. Even the best trained dogs have their moments and a moment is all it takes.

Keep in mind though that with the right motivator every dog will go through the zap zone. Once through they won't come back on their own to get re-zapped. The friends and family I hsave wth invisible fences say that the fence serves its purpose the majority of the time. But every dog has gone through at least once, chasing a deer, running after their owner, etc.

kpwlee

 Due to HOA regulations just about all owners in my neighborhood have invisible fencing - we have been using it for our pain insensitive and super prey driven dog for nearly 4 years now without any problems and we walk the neighborhood daily and haven't had one dog breach the fence.   It is all about training, period.

I also don't worry about other animals coming in (we have so much wildlife nothing would keep all of it out) and no one is going to come steal my dog.

As for accidental corrections or 'zaps' it doesn't happen once they know their boundaries and since yours already do it will be super easy to achieve.

It is important to always be out with them or watching them - you don't want kids teasing them or as you say Stewie barking at passersby.

I understand that others have had bad experiences or just don't understand how they work but we love our invisible fence as do all the owners of them in this neighborhood.  All they do is set boundaries a properly trained dog will not get 'zapped' because it knows its boundaries just as a dog inside a physical fence doesn't need to run into it to know his boundaries LOL

Us too! Three dogs trained, large, med and small - high prey, low prey never had an issue in 7 years. It's all about the training! My dogs can be running full out at a deer and always stop in plenty of time and never ever try to bust thru! We love our invisable fence!!!

Even the best trained dogs can end up the victims of dog fights or cars. I know of 3 friends/acquaintances with incredibly well trained dogs (OTCHs and SAR certifications) who met untimely ends under the wheels of a car in pursuit of a ball thrown when all looked clear.  High drive dogs with stoic natures are particularly at risk for that one bad moment.  If you can have a fence, get one in my opinion.  If not, drag lines all the time.... Better safe than sorry.

We've used an invisible and wireless fence for our two bird dogs (very high prey drive) for 5 years and we love it. We have never had a problem with breaking through the fence. They are totally boundary trained and, at most, will get a warning beep if they stray after a rabbit. They have not be shocked by the fence since the initial training. I would recommend the type of fence that will only give an adjustable correction when the dog leaves the covered area and not when the dog returns. While the correction can be adjusted and usually isn't as severe as the other type of fence, the correction can last for up to 30 seconds and immediately ends when the dog crosses into the reception area again. They are governed by radio frequency instead of electric current. There are both wired and wireless radio fences. Because we have wireless, we take it with us on vacation. The girls understand the routine and the boundary flags and have no problem with the fact that it is in a new location. You have to access your individual needs, though, and decide whether the invisible fence is for you. Yes, the big danger is if there is wild life or other aggressive dogs loose in your neighborhood.

RubyandStewiesmom

So, I have the world's most wonderful pitbulls! LOL...if you have ever read my other posts, I can't say enough about how wonderful they are...and they really have been so easy to train.  They've been a complete joy!

No matter how "wounderful" they are, they are still of the "pit bull" type. Bull breeds, "pit bull" types espescially, have an incredibly high pain tolerance. It doesnt matter if they are "easy to train" or the most non DA and calm dogs in the world, if they want something bad enough, an ecollar isnt going to stop them. If some kids were throwing a ball around, they saw the neighbor and they just *had* to go say "Hi", you think a shock is going to matter to them? If they want something bad enough, the ecollar is no obstical for them. Whether your dogs are actually APBTs or just "pit bull" type, the breeds natural high pain tolerance makes them bad candidates for invisible fences.

A good invisible fence system will probably cost you several hundred... I dont see why you dont just build a fence. You can make your own using wire fencing from Tractor Supply. Its very inexpencive compared to a solid wood or chain link fence, and fairly easy to set up yourself.

I would opt to not use an e-fence, and to be honest breed does play a role in it (despite that I would not recommend one as an option anyhow). I love pitties, have fostered a Staffy mix in the recent past, and I own terriers. But there is a reason that Pitties (and other terriers) are the way they are - they often have a high pain tolerance, can be socially impulsive, are often quite prey driven, stimulated by movement, highly emotional, and in a lot of situations direct conflict (including inner conflict - do I stay or do I go) can increase their arousal - not lower it. The stim of an ecollar, if the dog does choose to get to the border and receive a shock, may be enough to cause an adrenaline dump in the brain (Brenda Aloff's term, I love it) at which point sometimes "nice dogs" can do things that you might not expect.

Given the high-risk of the breed, and the reputation the breed already has in a lot of places, I would never opt to depend on invisible fencing. If your dog ever did get out, I would be worried about your dog's safety. One non-bully loving person can do bad things to a dog, it could be hit or shot (and claimed to be done in self defense), you could face a lawsuit if an unhappy parent thinks "the pitbull attacked the child", even if your pittie loves kids and did nothing wrong, and if AC picks it up, it may sometimes be a one-way ticket to the rainbow bridge, no questions asked. I don't know your area, but all areas these days are sensitive to "high-risk breeds", and I simply could not depend on an e-fence in this situation.