Pet Lovers

[Perkup]

In our Parish (county) you may have an electric fence, but you must also have a physical fence if you have a dog. The IF must be used only as a secondary fence. There are substantial fines for ignoring this.

Next door neighbors (now moved) had their first dog run over and killed by a  driver whsn it ran across the IF and into the street. Second dog also crossed the fence and bit a woman running by.  In spite of a lawsuit, they kept using the IF until their dog - a lab - did it again, bit someone and since it was the dog's second offense it had to be put down.  They got a third dog. This time a Great Pyranees .  It would not stay in the electric fence, so they spent a lot of money to put up a four foot fence, which the dog could sail overl  She got out and bit a man on inline skates. Second offense, it bit a child in the face, and also had to be put down. Another lawsuit. After two suite they went into bankruptcy.

If you're going to have a dog, don't count on an electric fence - it really isn't going to give either you or the dog maximum safety. They will cross the fence at will, and as stated above, they won't come back in. Even a small fence in the rear of the house would be wonderful for the OP's little pup and give everyone a break. You can even buy portable fencing.  IF's require a rather substantial, heary collar and your dog is very small for that.

Also consider the fact that you have a tiny dog, and an IF does not protect it against other dogs coming into the yard that could maul this pupl As an aside, I don't take my dog to a dog park as I don't think some other people take the same care of their pets that I do. There are ticks and fleas and lots of viruses there, and it's not for my guy. Yes, I am picky, but my dog is my friend and I wouldn't do anything to hurt a great friend.

[msh8970]

Excellent points, all around. No, of course it does not keep ither animals out. And i am definitely reconsidering my reconsideration of the invisible fence. 

We have  long lead (I think it is 30") and also a runner for the back yard, as well as a small runner for the side of the house, which is attached to a covered porch, and enables him to go outside and potty easily. When the dog is outside and I am home, I am always outside with him. The men of the house sometimes leave the dog outside by himself to potty. Tried telling them, really, will it kill them both to stand outside for 10-15 minutes, while the sog romps around, or even most times just a couple of minutes while the dog just potties...?? But that is a whole other ball of wax..  

At any rate, thanks to those for the gentle reminders of why I decided against the invisible fence in the first place. 

[Lilysmom]

@msh8970, my dog is almost ten years old.  She has been using the Invisible Fence brand since she was four months old. You can search here for other posts.  This topic comes up from time to time. Here are my observations.  

  All electronic fences are not created equal.  My Invisible Fence was expensive enough that it gave me pause before I purchased.  The electronic fence has never failed in the ten years it has been in use.  The fence wiring is buried along the property line and extends out into the water at our lakefront.  This prevents the dog from leaving the property when the ice freezes on the lake.

Our dog was trained with me and the professionals who installed the system.  I spent a month with her showing at least twice a day where the boundaries lay.  The dog is trained to the sound of a beep which gives a timed warning before the buzz is administered.  You can vary the strength of the shock from low to high.  

Invisible Fence will not install systems for agressive dogs.  

I live on a large (almost 2 acre) property.  In our development, no fences are permitted.  My dog has never left the property.  Batteries emit a flashing red light when they need to be replaced.  In addition, my installer sends new batteries on auto delivery every three months which is well within the expiry date of the batteries.

If a dog is not properly trained to the system, it will not work.  The dog must understand where the boundaries are for the system to be effective.  The invisible fence is not a dog sitter service.  Our dog is never out unless we are home.

We have signs posted on the property about the electronic fence.  Our dog chases wildlife from time to time but has never exited the system.  If the squirrel or rabbit runs outside the boundary, the dog stops.

For me, the fence has given me peace of mind and given my dog the run of our two acre property.  I have felt the buzz (shock) myself.  I would rather have my dog momentarily experience discomfort to stop it from exiting the property than being hit by a motor vehicle.  Sadly, this has happened to a neighbor who lost their dog.  They now have an electronic fence which appears to keep the (new) dog contained.

When I first installed the system, our development was new.  There were large construction vehicles, dump trucks, etc going by our home all day.  I felt much better with this system in place especially since covenants prohibit a physical fence.

A reliable system and proper training are a must for effectiveness.  

It's a good idea to seek advice from people who have used such a system to help you evaluate it.  HTH.  LM

[ValuSkr]

@Lilysmom  Just wondering - how do you train your dog to the system?   Seems like he'd have to buzzed many times in order to learn the boundaries.

[Lilysmom]

@ValuSkr, sorry I wasn't clearer.  The dog gets trained to the sound of a beep beep beep.  The dog is conditioned to stop at the beep.  If he/she is properly trained, they will stop at the beep.  This is the pre warning to the shock.  LM

[Lilysmom]

@ValuSkr, when we trained Lily, we were taught to use one word to do recall from the boundary line.  Every time we heard the beep, we would say AWAY as the recall.  She knows when she hears AWAY that she has to back off.  Lily is a Labrador Retreiver.  She was easy to train but it takes time and consistency just like any other training exercise.  LM

[NickNack]

I would never recommend one, especially for a small dog.  The German Shepards could still get in your yard and attack your dog.  The men in your family would feel even better about leaving the shih tzu outside by himself, which is a bad idea for many reasons. 

My sister had an IF for her golden retriever.  She got out all the time and never would come back because of the shock.  They were constantly looking for her and finally turned it off and quit using it.  

[Marp]

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@msh8970 wrote:

We thought about an invisible dog fence when our dog was a pup, but decided against it. We are considering it now again, but want some advice and opinions and suggestions. 

I have read that some dogs 'break through' it anyway, I read they get used to the 'shock' and decide 'whatever' they want to investigate is worth it, apparently. I could see our dog do that, he is very determined and vary curious. He is a 12 lb shih tzu/bichon mix, and we had him neutered as soon as our vet allowed/recommended, at 6 months. But he still is a very curious creature, and a very determined one at times, and too smart for his own good, a lot of times! So, those are some factors that made us decide against it. Plus our yard is weird, very uneven, patchy, with a lot of little hills (but not that big of a yard). 

Another thing is the front yard is so close to the road, and people fly through our neighborhood (even though the speed limit is 35MPH). The back yard has the neighbors large beed German Shepherd-mixes that are not friendly, and their dogs like to come up to our yard, as is (we've talked to them about it, more than once, they basically shrug their shoulders, as do the local police). ***We cannot do a traditional fence.***

ANYWAY...we are thinking about an invisible fence again. He looks so cute and happyoff-leash. Ugh. Trying to decide and looking for the 'best one'. 

Any suggestions and advice is much-appreciated. 

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I don't have any experience with invisible fences but I do have too much experience with determined dogs.  If my little Pom/Pap mix sees a rabbit, squirrel or just about anything else he goes totally deaf and enters tunnel vision mode. 

I do not have one iota of doubt that when on the hunt an invisible fence would not stop him.  He has run full bore into our chainlink fence when chasing an animal.

[Carmie]

We don't have a fence or an invisible fence.  An invisible fence will not keep aggressive dogs out of your yard and if they get in, your dog is trapped and can't get away.

My dogs have never been in our yard without being on a leash and with either me or my DH on the other end of it.  They do not go potty alone... ever.

Our yard is clean from dog poo, because my dogs do not use my yard as a potty.  They are walked twice a day and do their business then. It is picked up ASAP.

My DH already had to kill two aggressive pit bulls who got in our yard and threatened me and our dogs.  Those two dogs jumped the fence at their house and were roaming the neighborhood.  It was a horrific experience.

My sister and my neighbor both had their dogs stolen from their fenced in yard.

I would never leave my dogs in a fenced in yard by themselves.  Anything can happen.

[Pook]

They are a cruel thing to use!!! Would you use one to keep your children in??  If not then why do that to your dog?  It's a form of abuse!!  You should never leave a dog outside unattended if you do not have a fenced in yard anyway.