Anybody with an invisible fence

[Pieman]

Never needed a fence before with our old dog, but two puppies have changed that. Would prefer a fixed above ground fence but dealing with city hall and a neighbor ( a friend of city hall) presents problems. Anybody have experience (good, bad otherwise) with an electric, invisible fence? thanks in advance.

[hamerhead]

Can't say about dogs, but the wife finally quit running off.

[murkat]

Since Judy and I just got two pups, now 6 months old,

my advice,

Go to home depot, lowes, etc.

invest in a few rolls of chicken coop fence, 3 ft tall(?)

and plenty of metal stakes, zip ties.

what We did....

I made a circle coop, 25' wide circle staked every 6'.

plenty of water, etc. shade.

In and out they would be in the pup pen, conditioning them to fence.

Bigger they got, bigger the pen got.

I had to increase the pen size within every two weeks.

since they grew up with the pen fence, they did not "challenge" it so much.

Now that they are 6months old, close to 70 lbs each,

the back 40 fence line can hold them, they have not challenged it.... yet.

Fuk the neighbor. you are entitled to a fence. it is your property, just be in code,

talk to neighbor on your intent of, seek a co op agreement.

[Teh]

We have the invisible fence and have trained two dogs with it. Pay the extra for the trainer to come out. it's worth it in order to have the dogs respect the fence, not fear it (Which causes all other kinds of problems in the house). They also need to set the correct power level for the correction. Too little and the dog will ignore it. Too much and they will be hesitant to go outside at all.

We preferred not having the physical fence just because no one else on our block has one and we walk between neighbors houses via the backyard all Summer.

What you'll find is after a while, the battery will die in the collar (Also kind of expensive to replace) but the dogs don't know this and will stay within the boundaries. You do have to put a fresh one in once in a while just so they receive a reminder if they try to test the system. Btw, prior to the electric shock correction, the collar emits an audible warning, so the smart dog never needs to get zapped.

There's new technology out there that gets rid of the buried wire of the original Invisible Fence. Now they use GPS coordinates programmed into the collar -- The dog gets near the programmed boundary and receives the correction. If you take your dogs to another location, you can easily reprogram the collar to the new spot. Big advantage if your take them to friends' houses.

It's not inexpensive (I think we paid $1500-$2000 seven years ago), but a full fence in the backyard would probably cost the same if not more. You also don't have to worry about painting/staining or otherwise maintaining an Invisible Fence.

[louhamer]

I have had one for 20 years. They are great for your pooches. They actually give your dog a new freedom. They Just learn where their boundaries are and respect that. They will still run and play but learn their space. Got one after one of my Goldens was hit by a car. I have never regretted it.

[Ralph]

I have the Petsafe wireless. Works like a charm, and you can take it anywhere if need be.

[DaveH]

No personal experience, but I have plenty of friends/aquaintences that have, use, and like them. I think that in general, they work very well... I would not use them for the sole retention of an aggressive dog though (doesn't sound like this is an issue for you.)

[Teh]

An aggressive dog will run right through the barrier with only a little yelp as he gets zapped. Invisibile fence is for your average pooch who just needs to be "Kept honest" and contained in his yard.

[sledhead44]

How much range do you need? I have recently seen wireless systems that work up to 3/4 acre if that might work for you, but I have no experience with them. I went with an underground system (Innotek Ultra-Smart) because we have 3 acres and I wanted it routed around our pond so the dog would not go near it. (I put some nasty chemicals in the pond to keep the cat tails down.) Also keep in mind that with an underground system you will have to (possibly) go over / under your driveway somehow. I had someone install the whole system. I really did not feel like digging a trench around 3 acres and cutting, re-sealing the driveway. It cost me just under$1K for the system and installation.

[a.bandini]

I've got one, and a dog that used to be feral and wants to roam the neighborhood. I'm quite happy with the system I've got.

Mine came from the local Pet Warehouse Big Box store, and I installed it myself. Total cost: about $250.

I went to the local rental place and rented a machine that cut a groove about 3 inches deep, and spent a half day putting the wire in and burying it. The end of my driveway already had a groove in it, so I didn't have to cut that. Followed the directions on how to train the dog and it all seemed to work great until a nearby lightning strike overloaded the transmitter and blew it out. I've since bought some sort of lightning arrestor, replaced the transmitter, and keep the battery in the collar (straight 9 volt) reasonably fresh.

My dog knows exactly where the boundaries are an pushes into them continually. She really wants to roam. Her stubbornness complements her stupidity. It is a tough combination to keep in check, but the fence does.

My neighbor's was installed professionally, and his seems to work great too. One thing to watch out for: It doesn't work if the power is off. That makes me think the GPS version is probably the way to go.

Good luck.

[Ralph]

An aggressive dog will run right through the barrier with only a little yelp as he gets zapped. Invisibile fence is for your average pooch who just needs to be "Kept honest" and contained in his yard.

I had my German Shepperd on it. Crank that joker on high and she learned quick. But she wasn't overly aggressive.

[SSII x 2]

If you change your mind and go for a fixed fence, it will probably go

a lot easier if you have it installed by a local pro vs. DIY. At least

that's how it is around here. My buddy got a ton of shit from the local

gov't on a DIY project, but when I told the village who was doing my

fence install, I got on-the-spot approval. Didn't hurt that the fence guy had

done some fences for the village, I guess.

No experience with invisible fences, but I really like having a fenced-in

exercise yard for my dog. Biggest drawback of an invisible fence, as I see

it, is if the dog does get past it, they won't come back...

[JGale]

Two things to consider. There is a newer technology that allows for the warning zone to begin at the wire and extend outwards, giving you a few more inches all around the perimeter. There are also units out there where the collar drapes over a charger overnite, you pop it on the dog when you let them out.

[JGale]

Here is some really innocuous fencing that may help with the nay-bors.

http://www.puppyfence.com/

[JGale]

Petsafe has refurbed wireless units for $210.

http://store.petsafe.net/wireless-pet-containment-system-refurbished

[JGale]

Like this one. http://www.dogfencediy.com/reviews/petsafe-yardmax/

[Ralph]

Petsafe has refurbed wireless units for $210.

http://store.petsafe.net/wireless-pet-containment-system-refurbished

This is the one I have. If your interested I might sell it.

[Pieman]

You guys are great. Thanks mods for not bouncing this thread.

This gives me a lot to think about. We have a weird-shaped lot about 1.25 acres, part of which wraps around part of one neighbor. Good news is most of the back is fenced I need to look into the range of the above ground wireless models. We don't have any electrical outlets beyond the garage. Lots of trees.. Might need a couple of transmitters. Our last dog was a gem. She wandered only a handful of times and the cops would give her a ride home in the back seat of the patrol car.

[velorush]

Neighbors just installed a wireless fence. I'll let you know how it goes - two hose ends, a welcome mat and a really nice bag of sencha (ate through the UPS box and into the envelope!) - I need this fence to work!

[Armitage]

I have an invisible dog. It's cheaper and easier to take care of.

[alantig]

I have an invisible dog. It's cheaper and easier to take care of.

And no one notices when your dog craps in their yard.

[Armitage]

Yeah, yeah they do... and they blame me!

[Studio Custom]

Dogs can dig under or jump over a traditional fence. As noted, a determined dog will run through the zap zone of an electric. I've found a combo of both to be best. The dog can never get close enough to dig a tunnel, but if the power goes out he still has the physical barrier.

[alantig]

Yeah, yeah they do... and they blame me!

Well duh - you can't hide behind an invisible dog.

[velorush]

https://screen.yahoo.com/wade-blasingame-call-wade-000000326.html

[BadgerDave]

Obvious, I know, but the best invisible fence won't keep other dogs (and animals) out. That was a major disadvantage when we considered installing one.