I have a sort of electric fence for our dining room. They are pods though, and Mikey has a collar which we don't use anymore. When we first got him, he kept peeing in the same spot in the dining room. My mom was NOT amused and wanted him out. He would be fine all day then pee in there. I had to do something fast so I used a shock collar. I was successful with it. He doesn't go near there anymore. But many dogs are not so lucky. I am not saying all dogs that have shock collars are going to turn aggressive, but I have seen the effects of negative reinforcement at work. I was lucky and in a desperate situation, but if I had to do it again I wouldn't. Positive reinforcement was new to me when I got Mikey and after the fact I tried it. Believe it or not that works a lot better, at least for me!

I would advise you to get a real fence rather then it being a gamble on your new dogs life. Rachel, I really don't think you'd misuse a shock collar like many do, and I know you are a responsible pet owner. No one's saying you have to fence in all 3 acres, just a certain amount. You can then work on recall training at home with him and maybe then you can have a good off-leash pup on your hands!