Invisible fences

[Shalva]

So today I get home and I see that my neighbor has gotten her invisible fence set up and the little flags are all over the yard.... she has a puppy that is very closely related to one of my goldens.....

In my puppy contract I do not allow a person to have a invisible fence... they must have a physical fence and that must be up and ready before puppy goes home. I do visit the home to make sure the fence is up and ready.... kinda like a drive by.

In my estimation an invisible fence is as good as no fence at all....

when power goes out you have no fence....
when too much snow... no fence
other animals can get in
if your dog goes through it they usually dont have the same motivation to come home.....

so basically I think invisible fences are a bad idea.... I can also say that a neighbor down the street had an invisible fence... sign was up sayingthe fence was there... I was walking a puppy down the road and all of a sudden we were charged by three chessies who attacked my puppy (she was fine but doesnt like dogs running up to her to this day).... apparently they shut the fence off.... but who would have known that.....

so I refuse to sell a puppy to someone with an invisible fence.....
physical fence or no puppy.

so what do you all think of these darned things.
s

[CTDog]

I dislike invisible fences for the exact same reasons listed above. However, if someone is going to let their dog run loose outside regardless, I think the invisible fence is better than nothing.

[2ndchance]

I agree, a fence like that only protects your dog from getting out, doesn't protect him from others getting in. Also if the collar malfunctions the dog is getting zapped all the time.

[EscapeTurn]

I've got two greyhounds, so an invisible fence is a no no for me.

I know one family with a bunch of dogs and the invis fence works just fine for all the dogs except for the golden. When he wants out, he gets out. He'll run up to the line, stop, tense up, charge through, and take off down the street.

If it works, fine, but a physical fence is better. and cheaper...

[schnzrluv]

I think it really depends on the situation. I am actually considering getting one for our new house when it is finished. My problem is that we have 5 acres of open yard. There isn't really a good place for a physical fence, and I really don't like the looks of them. I never leave my dog unatended outside and would just have it for when we go out to play, or potty.

I also think the breed of you dog would make a difference. For example you cannot adopt a bloodhound from a rescue if you don't have a pysical fence. Some dogs just have too much drive, and will go right through it. I think forgetting to turn it on is the fault of the iresponsible owner not the fence!

[mulroony]

I think they are better then nothing, but dtill not as good as a physical fence. I have seen many dogs that learned how to trick the fence, and some dogs that need a couple collars to deliver enough of a shock to be effective.

[momof2nmp]

My lab is 9 months old. When I got her I fully intended to purchase an invisible fence ....because that was what everyone told me to do (Ruby's my first dog).

I held off on such an expense because I knew that within the year I would be moving out of state. During the time that I have had Ruby, I have always had her on a leash outside (unless we are playing fetch) and she has learned, to some degree, her boundaries.

I also find that since she is a social dog, it would be nice to have "play dates" with some of her friends. After weighing everything including the above.........animals can get in, she can dart out, etc........I have decided to go for a physical fence. That way I will feel comfortable knowing that she has some sort of protection from other animals and know that she is safe and can have dog friends visit.

[Crossfire Bulldogs]

I also refuse to place a pup with someone who has an invisable fence. On top of the reasons already mentioned, if a dog wants to go at something bad enough that little jolt isn't going to stop it. Take for instance my breed of choice, the Bulldog, this is a breed well known for it's pain tolerance and I've known more than one bully with an invisable fence that will sit directly on the line for a nice neck itch from that collar.

Granted, the physical fence can be breached as well but not as easily if set up, maintained and at a proper height for the dog.

[Shalva]

Originally Posted by schnzrluv

I think forgetting to turn it on is the fault of the iresponsible owner not the fence!

I am not saying it was the fault of the fence, rather that with a physical fence people going by can clearly see that the dogs are contained.... rather with the invisible fence people going down the road, cars,.... dont know if the dogs are contained or not.... in my case they didn't forget.... they shut it off..... they weren't using it and my puppy suffered the consequences and my husband got bit.
S

[Shalva]

Originally Posted by Crossfire Bulldogs

I also refuse to place a pup with someone who has an invisable fence. On top of the reasons already mentioned, if a dog wants to go at something bad enough that little jolt isn't going to stop it. Take for instance my breed of choice, the Bulldog, this is a breed well known for it's pain tolerance and I've known more than one bully with an invisable fence that will sit directly on the line for a nice neck itch from that collar.

Granted, the physical fence can be breached as well but not as easily if set up, maintained and at a proper height for the dog.

oh my gosh thats a riot.... sitting on the fence line.... tooo funny.
s

[theGOOCH]

I had an invisible fence at my old house. Actually it was the Petsafe brand. It worked great for us. I think results are best when they are trained from puppyhood.

The main thing is to not leave your dog out unsupervised for long periods of time no matter what type of fence you have. Many dogs can dig under or jump over most fences.

[Kade]

Also, to a dog prone to aggression or territoriality, an invisible fence can heighten tension and take the dog closer to its bite threshold -- the dog stresses at the sight of an "intruder", tries to go after the person, is shocked and then associates the frustration and pain of being shocked with the sight of an intruder. Eventually, "this" dog will bite someone!

[Pugdawg1]

I would never trust my pugs to be safe with that sort of fencing. I want a tall sturdy fence I can see.

[Shalva]

while an invisible fence might keep my dog in... or not if they dig under..... or jump over.... it does keep other dogs out and that is important to me..... as well as other animals.....

but like I said I will not sell a puppy to a home that only has invisible fencing.

[TribalRats]

We have a solid 8 ft wooden fence at my house surrounding my entire yard. We also have Rat Terriers who tend to dig so we put the invisible fence surrounding our yard as well as our fence. Though we had never had anyone dig out, they had come close so we train the pups with it (the invisible fence)when they are young.
Now they do not go all the way to the fence line to dig. They can tear up there entire section of yard searching for earth worms and anything else they can dig up but no digging out. The invisible fence is about 6 inches from the wooden fence so all of the adult go about 6-8 in fromt he fence to carry on conversations with the neighbor dogs.
I would NEVER rely on the electric fence alone to keep them in but is was a great aid to deter them from digging under the fence.
A friend of mine has 10 unfenced ares and had the electric fence surrounding the "dogs" part of her yard. I was over there one day when one of her dogs crossed the fence, they were so terrified that they refused to come back into the yard. I do not think they work to contain a dog when used alone.
I would absolutely never place a pup with a family that did not have a solid fence. Especially with my breed of choice.
We recently bought cinder blocks and sometime in the next month we will dig along the fence line and bury the blocks so we can remove the invisible fence and not have to worry about it any more.