Invisable fence users?

I just saw a PetSafe rep yesterday. I know it's a sales pitch, but I liked their product a lot. Up to 1/2 acre will cost us $1000, but this rep will service it for life, includes years worth of batteries for the collars, comes out to help train (it's a two hour drive for him), and more. Try www.petsafeprofessional.com . I liked what I saw...and felt. I tried the collar on myself. This guy showed me their training methods and the "shock" level was set really low (felt like a tickle when I tried it on my hand).

Are you happy with yours? We have a lab pup and he caught on to the flags very quickly.

Try www.petsafeprofessional.com I was very impressed as I posted somewhere else. The sales rep here suggested just a part of the front be fenced in. The dogs could go out there with us, but would be close to the house. They also have a collar with a flexible bit where the contacts are. This helps for active dogs and smart dogs who learn to avoid the shock. It flexes with them so that they can't avoid the correction. There is another thing they can do if your dog learns to charge the fence, but I don't remember the details. I don't like dogs running toward the road either, but this is the only option for us.

we have one and are very happy.  We did wait until he was about 11 months old as his prey drive, pain tolerance etc are all intense and we didn't think he was ready for it.  he is SUPER smart but any earlier and I don't think he would've been as successful.  That said he has been through it 2x and zapped another 6 times total!
We are now about 2 months in and it has been great.  He knows his boundaries very well, he is super happy to be outside untethered in any way.  Just this week I have really tested his resolve and he resisted.  This included me walking across the road to the house that owns his best bud golden (this is who he went to visit the 2x he went through) while the golden was out and Bugsy was very hyper.  He waited for me and whined some and paced some but he wouldn't do it.  I was amazed.  He won't chase his ball beyond the line he puts on the brakes (very cartoon like).
And again he has a VERY strong prey drive, on a vet visit for a skin scrape above his eyelid the vet commented on his pain limit (he likced hte vet afterward and never made a sound), can be mule stubborn etc.  We were not wholly convinced that he would succeed with the fence but he has.

BTW the other zappings have been for rabbits (x3), a squirrel, and during the initial training

we do know three other people with them all success stories - the above mentioned golden who hasn't had his collar on in years and shows NO interest in leaving his yard (hard to imagine Bugsy getting to that stage!), 2 mixed pups that learned it at 7 mos old and a welsh terrier who also has had no collar on for about a year.
We have an acre that is irregularly shaped and fencing it wasn't the look we wanted nor the cost.  We bought the Innotek 4200 (I think) and self installed it - NO PROBLEM.
We didn't bring the boundary down to the road so no issue there for us

Yes, we had to b/c Peanut dug out under the fence & roamed the neighborhood.  When we got Draico, we couldn't break him of following us, the car, out the gate.  Some days are long & we can't leave the dogs locked up 9-10 hours, they have a big, fenced yard to play in, for that reason.
We got an Innotek Premium unit at [linkhttp://www.safepets.com]www.safepets.com[/link] & installed it ourselves, the instructions were easy to follow.  They had the best prices & the premium unit came w/ a battery back up system, lightning/surge protector & rechargeable (goes about 2 months), waterproof collars - our dogs are always getting wet!
Training is mandatory, one dog at a time!  We posted marker flags & started w/the unit turned off, using the remote trainer & leash.  When they came close to flags, we beeped the remote & ulled the dog back.  Yes, they got zapped b/c they pushed their luck once.  Since then, they keep back from the flags about 10 feet.  If they push it, the beep send them trotting back into the yard.  We like it, our eanut has stopped digging excape holes under the fence, finally! []  

wow, $1000 for a 1/2 acre??? we got an innotek unit for multiple acres and multiple dogs for $500. The collars are rechargable, so no buying batteries. Training was easy, did it ourselves.
We didn't run it down to the road-- they are confined to the back, because I too find it disconcerting to have apparently loose dogs charging right at me when I'm passing by a yard. Didn't want to inflict that on anyone.

In Germany, Austria, Switzerland, I think Sweden , Denmark... it's forbitten to use the invisible fence by law. You have to pay up to 25.ooo €!

And that's allright. My opinion as a hunting dog owner: cruelty to animals- not more, not less.

When knowledge ends, cruelty begins.

Hmmmm.......OK, I can see some would view it as cruelty.  However, ponder this:
I have an 1.5 acre fenced in yard with a pond in the back.  Our 2 dogs prefer to be outside, I bring them in during thunderstorms & to sleep at night.  By 7am, they're whinng to go outside.  We leave the patio door open & ceiling fans on for them, as well as plenty of toys for their entertainment.  They are walked in the morning before we depart for work (somedays we're gone 9 1/2 hours)
Before we installed the invisible fencing, our female would dig under the fence, daily, & roam the neighborhood.  Nothing we tried worked, so we decided it was safer to leave the dogs inside.  We crated them, for their safety.  We came home to find bedding shredded, saliva all over the crate & the female tore a few nails trying to get out! 
We purchased the invisible fence, installed it & trained our dogs.  Now, the dogs are happy being outside & running free in their yard.  And we have the peace of mind that our dogs are safe from cars, alligators, and thieves who would use them in dog fights.
So, my opinion: the dog's quality of life & safety!  

Yes, $1,000 for 1/2 an acre is a lot.  We have 2 dogs & 1 1/2 acres & it cost us about $500, DIY helped on the labor cost.

Ladiebug - how can an invisible fence stop an alligator or thief?  Doesn't only the dog with the collar get a shock? I've heard other dogs can enter your property just fine? 

You're right, it can't stop a gator or thief from entering my property.  Not sure if you read my previous post, Peanut used to dig under the fence, leave our yard, & roam the neighborhood.  When we opened the gate to leave, or get the mail, Draico would follow us out.  We tried to train him, & he got better with us, but as soon as company came over & the gate was opened for them to enter, he went out!
 
We have quite a few canals where we live that gators have been found in the past.  No sign of them in recent years & I hope it stays that way.  Plus the traffic, we feared she may be hit by a car.
 
We installed the invisible fence to keep our dogs in our yard, we know it won't keep other dogs out.  As for thieves, there's no guarantee they won't enter.
 
Both dogs wear a collar, but only get shocked IF they disregard the warning tones & continue to approach the fence.  It's set up so that they get warning beeps 3 feet before the fence.  Plus we inserted the marker flags at that warning tone.  The dogs were trained & believe me, they stay at least 5 feet away from those flags.  Once Peanut got closer & soon as she heard the warning tone, she turned around & trotted toward the house.
 

Both dogs wear a collar, but only get shocked IF they disregard the warning tones & continue to approach the fence. It's set up so that they get warning beeps 3 feet before the fence. Plus we inserted the marker flags at that warning tone. The dogs were trained & believe me, they stay at least 5 feet away from those flags. Once Peanut got closer & soon as she heard the warning tone, she turned around & trotted toward the house.

 
exactly. How is this cruel? I think our dogs averaged three shocks each during the training period. So three painful shocks, followed by years of safe romping in the yard. Much crueler to let them roam and get hit by cars, or always keep them on leash. Due to the nature of our yard, a "real" fence is out of the question. I asked a contracter for a quote on a real fence, and he looked the thick woods and just laughed at me, said it was well over $20k and would involve destroying the woods.

Nevertheless it's forbitten by law- in Germany- thank God!

[]I've been reading on this forum for a while and came across this subject I felt I wanted to post a reply on.To the poster that said e-fences are cruel. Well they are not. I've had the fence now for 5 years with no mishaps. Tigger has only been shocked during her initail training as well as my 2 other dogs trained to it.That's it.Way too many times I hear of gates being left open , dogs hanging them selves on the fence to get out , digging under the fence. My dogs can't do none of this .They don't go anywhere's near the boundry lines. The fence is not cruel. It's a life saver.

Tori, you may like your e-fence, but they are not a life saver if someone wants to steal your dog, nor are they a life saver if a coyote or other predator, depending on where you live, gets in.  When a dog is properly trained, they are certainly effective, *until* the battery goes dead, the dog sees something on the outside of the perimeter that is worth the shock to go and get, or he is afraid to come outside of the house (yes, some dogs are one-trial learners and fear coming into their own back yards because that is where they were shocked).  You were just lucky, as so many people are, which is why they think these things are ok...

I can speak from experience as the former owner and user of an Invisible Fenceing system.

I would not cross the street to buy one. I forbid their use as the only means of confinement in my sales contract.

I find them USELESS, and engendering a false sense of security for the users. Dogs can and do cross the barrier, and refuse to come back in. It does not keep any person, child, dog, or other animal from entering your fenced area.

Spend the same money on conventional fencing. If you have a digger, a single strand of electrified wire can be put around the inside of your fence for less than a hundred bucks. End of problem.

JMO as always.