Invisible Dog Fence experiences?

Invisible fences work based on the premise that your dog will be TRAINED not to go near the border, based on a beep or warning shock given from the collar when he reaches a predetermined proximity to the fence.

They are NOT made to shock a dog into not crossing.

What you are describing with your neighbors dogs is that these dogs were NOT properly trained to stay away from the fence, and therefore were repeatedly shocked until they built up a tolerance and could get through it.

That must have been aweful for those dogs, because without the proper training as to when and where they would get shocked, and what the warnings meant, I'm willing to bet they felt they were just getting shocked at random...

If you train the dog correctly, they will work to keep your dog inside the fence.

However, invisible fences fail at two of the most basic requirements for dog safety:

1) They do not keep other people/animals OUT of your yard. This would allow other wandering animals free roam of your yard, while your dog was restricted to a particular section. This entices territorial aggression, and could lead to your dog attacking any other animals that enter 'his section' of the yard. With people, It also creates a barrier where people can safely stand and torment, tease and harrass your dog. This is not a desired way for your dog to become socialized, and again, under the right circumstances, could lead to aggression and your dog lashing out.

2) They do not block the line of sight of things outside of your yard. This will force your dog to WATCH all sorts of animals, people, cars, etc but will not allow your dog the ability to investigate/socialize them. As dogs by nature are social and curious creatures, forcing them to watch without being able to interact causes behavioral and nervous issues. It is often likened to being tied to a chain, as the dog feels the same panic and anxiety that they would if they were chained to a tree and forced to endure the same...

Keep in mind that your dog will still need supervised with this type of fencing because it does not keep other dogs out of your yard and also if the dog does cross the 'line' he likely is not coming back into the yard because he will get a shock then too. I have heard of dog fights happening when other dogs enter your dogs territory and also dogs who have ran off after getting on the other side. They are better then nothing but not the best a person could do. For peace of mind I recommend an above ground fence.

Invisible fences are a bad idea for the simnple fact that they don't keep anything out. A few years ago, a lady up the street from me lost both of her dogs because she was using an invisible fence. A large dog was roaming the neighborhood freely, and came into her yard and killed both of her dogs.

Just remember this - the invisible fence can keep the dog in, BUT it will not keep unwanted things out. A friend of mine had one, and his dog was very well trained to stay within the fenced area. However, while he was out, alone, he was attacked by a stray dog. My friend was able to scare the other dog away, but not before there was terrible damage done to his dog. After he paid the vet bill, he put up a real fence to protect his dog. Don't you want to protect your dog?

Just think about it before you decide to buy.

Good Luck.

I have a husky and we also considered an invisible fence but we decided against it on the advice of our vet. If the dog sees something outside the fence it wants, chances are it may run through anyway. If that happens, they dog is not coming back through and especially with a husky, who are famous for running! (We NEVER have our dog off leash...) Our solution was to get 100 feet of lead and a stake in the ground about four feet deep. Our dog has LOTS of room to run! (200 foot diameter) He loves it outside and we made sure he has access to grass, trees, plants and the house. BTW, our dog was a rescue dog and is the BEST dog I have ever owned. (I had different breeds growing up). He is great with kids, tolerant of the cat and we have never experienced any behavior problems.

they are wonderful.

my german shepard used to break the barrier while chasing things (he mostly chased headlights, which is why i got the fence) i found that a collar with higher voltage was in order. i also needed longer prongs on the collar because the hair on his neck is longer.

it all depends on how big, hairy and aggressive your dog is. i would err on the side of caution though. these devices are intended to contain you pet and keep him and others safe. the dogs hear a beep when they are getting too close so they learn to back up when they hear it. so it's not cruel, it's sensible especially in areas where fencing is not permitted.

As others have said, other dogs and people and still get in, but use with common sense. It should not replace supervision, it's just and aide to keep your pet from running in traffic or leaving your property.

I got a Guardian and my dog was already a year old when he first expierienced it. He went half way through a few times but then he hasn't done it since. It has this lever on it that you can turn the volume up and when you get a certain legnth away i think 3 ft. then it beeps. Don't leave it up too high cause dogs have a keene sence of hearing and it can hurt their ears. But they can hear the beeps and will back off.

They just plain don't work for many breeds. They'll go through the fence despite the shock but they won't come back in and then you've got a loose dog running around. Just as bad, they aren't going to stop other dogs from coming into your yard and possibly attacking your dog.

That is what my dogs did. I don't think electric fences have changed much. I think they are a waste of money, we ended up putting a regular old fence up.

my neighbours have one for their two dogs, a jack russel and a lab. it seems to work, but i know that on occasions the Jack has managed to get out because his collar was set too low and the shock wasn't that great....

personally i wouldn't want to use them because of the fact that they can be unreliable every once in a while.