Questions on the Invisible Fence

[Eupher]

Beauty about it is, you can turn it off. During the summer, when she's eating algae, you probably want to turn it off. ...and, on those hot days, she can take a dip. Last thing you want is for her not to know how to swim. My dad has a different problem. A hellion for a dog that likes to run from him (Still VERY young), and dumbass f'n morons who like to drive 60 MPH down a dead-end cove. We had a Bull Mastiff that became damn near crippled because of this, and a neighbor who became damn near dead.

We've concluded that allowing her to swim in the pond is not a good idea although, if time allows and we're there to supervise, she can go in. We hose her off afterwards (pond water stinks).

We're also fairly certain that there's a water moccasin or two in the pond. But she does get opportunities to swim at dog parks that have better-quality lakes.

[RobJohnson]

There's also a radio fence that one puts in their house and then places a collar on the dog. When the dog gets out of range, it'll activate the collar. No wires. If I recall, it has about a 90ft radius.

Here's the standard invisible fence: http://www.radiofence.com/dog-fences/petsafe-stubborn-dog-fence.htm

Here's the wireless version: http://www.gundogsonline.com/petsafe-dog-collars/petsafe-instant-fence.html

This is a good idea: http://www.radiofence.com/dog-fences/above-ground-dog-fence-installation.htm

No digging to bury wires.

I remember when Invsible fence first came out about 30 years ago, it ended up not being very popular and the kits could be found in surplus catalogs. Then the franchise instalers stated to get really popular in the late 90's

Do the dogs still give a painful scream when being shocked?

[mamacags]

We have our dog trained to poo in one area.  When you get the fence does your dog poo everywhere or still in the area they did before getting the fence?

[Thor]

We have our dog trained to poo in one area.  When you get the fence does your dog poo everywhere or still in the area they did before getting the fence?

It depends on where the fence is placed.

[RightCoast]

We have our dog trained to poo in one area.  When you get the fence does your dog poo everywhere or still in the area they did before getting the fence?

Our dog poos more in the yard but only because she spands more time outside and we never trained her to go in one area.

[mamacags]

It depends on where the fence is placed.

The fenced area will include what she now uses as her bathroom.  I really want one (the fence) but hubby doesn't want to be stepping in poop all over the yard.

[Thor]

The fenced area will include what she now uses as her bathroom.  I really want one (the fence) but hubby doesn't want to be stepping in poop all over the yard.

As long as the pooping area is far away enough from the warning zone of the fence, it shouldn't affect anything. That said, I'm no expert in these matters. YMMV

[SaintLouieWoman]

When greyhounds are adopted, there's a clause saying you will never use an invisible fence with them. They run so fast that they're through it and then won't return.

I had a bad experience with a dog that attacked my first greyhound. The owners didn't train the dog well and let the batteries go dead. Yet they left an aggressive dog outside with no one home. It eventually led to my greyhound's death.

Now I have a privacy fence, so they can safely play outside. The one thing to consider with an invisible fence is that other dogs w/o the collar can come onto your property. The dog inside that invisible fence is a sitting duck as they can't escape without getting shocked. For small pets, coyotes (if you have them in your area) can easily get on the property. A former neighbor lost a small dog to a coyote. (and this was just in the 'burbs).

[Gratiot]

When greyhounds are adopted, there's a clause saying you will never use an invisible fence with them. They run so fast that they're through it and then won't return.

That's essentially what happened with my roommate's lab.  The poor boy would see a squirrel, rabbit, cat, what have you just outside the "line"... run full force, forget about it, be shocked, and than would be too scared to return!  As long as there wasn't something that just so captivated his attention he'd forget, he'd remember the limits and stay within.  Sigh, labs are great, but as puppies... just not always the brightest 

[RightCoast]

We never leave the dog home alone outside with the collar on for just that reason. People that don't take care of their animals will find any excuse to be dirtbags - invisible fence or not.

[Eupher]

In our case, we have a physical fence (16' cattle panels on T-poles) that encloses a huge yard - probably close to an acre - and the pond. I'm looking for a non-physical barrier to keep the dog out of the pond, unless we allow her to take a dip. Even then, I'm a little nervous about that because of the possibility of water moccasins. I've seen at least one black snake, but I don't know if it's a water moccasin or not.

The invisible fence seems like a perfect solution (and probably cheaper) than more cattle panels, concrete, T-posts, and gates that we'd need to enclose just the pond.