Electric Fence? Yes or No? Opinions?

[CountryWolf07]

We'll see, I suppose. Of course I wouldn't misuse it. You all know me. We absolutely CAN NOT afford a real wood fence to fence in our backyard or even parts of it. Honestly, I'd love that, but not right now, it isn't in our budget.

[moosmom]

No bashing here.

We had two Airedales growing up. We had a fenced in yard, but Tinker's Terror was ALWAYS getting out. We put up a fence and he always managed to get out. My Dad put up an electric fence. He only turned it on ONCE. Just enough for Tinker to get the idea that everytime he tried to get out, he'd get zapped. Tinker did get zapped once and that's all it took. My Dad turned the fence off and never used it again.

That's may be all it'll take. I don't like those "invisible" fencing things, as your dog could be a target for other animals that don't have the electronic collar.

Good luck. Let us know how you make out!

[buttercup132]

We do want to protect our dog, because it's family.

Then don't get one, it will not keep other animals out and the chances of it keeping your dog in are slim given he is mixed with a hound.
I really don't blame the other forum but hey thats just me and I'm a very blunt person.
Get a chain spot or a cable run to keep him contained.

[Varga]

I'd never use anything that emits an electric shock on my dog. I've heard countless horror stories where the device gets faulty and shocks too much or gives continues shock. Really any kind of shock collar would not be safe to have on the dog when he's not supervised - just in case it malfunctions - so where is the use of an electric fence then.
I also admit that I personally HATE the feeling of getting an electric shock (like when I get static shock etc.), so I am biased for sure. It just is one of the worst pains imaginable for me - yes, despite that it doesn't last that long - so I just could not justify doing that to my dog when I know for sure that can't stand the pain myself.

[buttercup132]

I'd never use anything that emits an electric shock on my dog. I've heard countless horror stories where the device gets faulty and shocks too much or gives continues shock. Really any kind of shock collar would not be safe to have on the dog when he's not supervised - just in case it malfunctions - so where is the use of an electric fence then.
I also admit that I personally HATE the feeling of getting an electric shock (like when I get static shock etc.), so I am biased for sure. It just is one of the worst pains imaginable for me - yes, despite that it doesn't last that long - so I just could not justify doing that to my dog when I know for sure that can't stand the pain myself.

It's not a shock it's a high level of vibration.
The lowest setting would feel like a phone vibrating.

[Varga]

It's not a shock it's a high level of vibration.
The lowest setting would feel like a phone vibrating.

Yes, that might be. But for it to be effective the dog has to at least once feel the pain of the actual shock which comes after the vibrating. For most dogs I imagine they would have to feel the pain several times before they get the message and heed the vibrate only.

[Catty1]

Rachel - get 2 x 4s, a roll or two of wire fencing and build a dog run. Even better if a dog door leads from the house to the run. I understand from others that it can be done inexpensively, and you can use it for a long time. You can always take your doggies on walks and runs outside the "run".

[Pinot's Mom]

First, just to be clear, you're talking about an 'invisible' not an 'electric' fence - correct? I just want to make sure, because my answer would be very different.

The only exposure I've had to an 'invisible' fence was the Shepherd across the way. There are very strict covenants regarding fencing in our neighborhood, and they could not have a fence. The German Shepherd, Jasmine, did quite well with it; BUT, after the family moved away, we talked to Sharon, who owned the dog, and she discovered after they moved that Jasmine had been blind for some time and they didn't know it. It seems Jas knew the property/house so well she didn't need sight. So, I don't know how much of the behaviour modification was the fence and how much was the blindness.

Sorry; that probably didn't help much, but it's the only exposure I've had to an invisible fence.

[JuniorxMyxLove]

We use one for both of our dogs (border collie mix and then a basset). We kind of have to, though, since we aren't legally allowed to have a fence in our neighborhood (dumb rule). We've got like an acre of yard with all sorts of trees and obstacles so using a rope or anything like that wouldn't work, either.

Sadie used to get out occasionally when she was younger, if she got super focused on something and hit it at a dead run. That was only really during her demon days, though. It did take a while for her to understand that the little beep meant that she needed to stop...she got a shock quite a few times when she was younger.Now that she's grown up and chilled out a little, it works fantastic (half the time I forget to even put the collar on her, haha. She just knows where the boundaries are).

It works great for Babs...I don't think she's EVER gotten out of the yard. She hears the beep and backs off.

We'll leave them out there for a few hours (as long as they're not at the door asking to come in) but there's always someone nearby/on the ground floor to make sure they don't get out. I still wouldn't trust them out there completely unsupervised...we have a lot of deer and turkeys come through our yard and I wouldn't put it past Sadie to chase them right out of the yard.

[buttercup132]

Yes, that might be. But for it to be effective the dog has to at least once feel the pain of the actual shock which comes after the vibrating. For most dogs I imagine they would have to feel the pain several times before they get the message and heed the vibrate only.

You should really educate yourself if your going to try and argue a point.
It is not meant for pain and does not cause pain, if something was buzzing at your neck at a high speed it would be uncomfortable and get your attention.

Shock collar USED to be used centuries ago but times have changed, do you really think they would able to be sold if they caused the dog so much pain?

[Lady's Human]

You should really educate yourself if your going to try and argue a point.
It is not meant for pain and does not cause pain, if something was buzzing at your neck at a high speed it would be uncomfortable and get your attention.

Shock collar USED to be used centuries ago but times have changed, do you really think they would able to be sold if they caused the dog so much pain?

Centuries ago shock collars didn't exist, as the most advanced electronic device was a leyden jar.

They are still quite common, and the first hit I got when searching for an electric fence was (drum roll please) a fence utilizing a shock collar for compliance.

[buttercup132]

Centuries ago shock collars didn't exist, as the most advanced electronic device was a leyden jar.

They are still quite common, and the first hit I got when searching for an electric fence was (drum roll please) a fence utilizing a shock collar for compliance.

I meant decades not centuries
A lot of companies still call them shock collars but they are not, collars that emit a electric shock are not sold.
The only thing they would be referring to is like a static shock type collar which is again not painful, uncomfortable yes but again like I said you can't sell things that cause the dogs that much pain.

It's just like people who think pinch collars are cruel and painful, they are just uneducated and mis informed.

[Varga]

I meant decades not centuries
A lot of companies still call them shock collars but they are not, collars that emit a electric shock are not sold.
The only thing they would be referring to is like a static shock type collar which is again not painful, uncomfortable yes but again like I said you can't sell things that cause the dogs that much pain.

It's just like people who think pinch collars are cruel and painful, they are just uneducated and mis informed.

That is simply incorrect. Shock collars do emit electric shock. A static shock is still an electric shock. It hurts - that's the point and that's why it works.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shock_collar

Shock collars are sold as shock collars because they give electric shock. If they didn't give electric shock it would be false advertising. If it is a vibrate only collar it would be sold as such. Some shock collars do have a vibrate function too but they are still shock collars since they are capable of giving an electric shock.

[buttercup132]

Your using Wikipedia as a source of information..?

A static shock is not the same as a electric shock, are you telling me getting shocked from your carpet is the same as getting shocked by a electric fence?

And since your using Wiki as your info source it says right here

Go ask some people in Shutzhund and hunters who use them to train their dogs to hunt hogs I'm sure they will tell you different as these people would not be wanting to cause pain to their dogs to train them.

[Alysser]

I meant decades not centuries
A lot of companies still call them shock collars but they are not, collars that emit a electric shock are not sold.
The only thing they would be referring to is like a static shock type collar which is again not painful, uncomfortable yes but again like I said you can't sell things that cause the dogs that much pain.

It's just like people who think pinch collars are cruel and painful, they are just uneducated and mis informed.

Shock Collars DO emit an electrical shock. It isn't strong enough to cause pain, it's supposed to be a correction for behavior modification training. Why else would they be called SHOCK collars? Collars that emit a vibration or tone are called Vibrational or Tonal Collars. Mikey has a Vibration Collar, which I used for boundary training with him when I was inexperienced with dog training and my mom was getting really frustrated with him peeing in the same spot in one room. The box of his collar said Vibration Collar on it. The fact that they sell some with the auditory option, the vibration option, and the shock option is proof that they do sell collars that shock.

Vibration more or less surprises them. I am not completely against Vibration Collars, but there are more effective and positive ways to train a dog. These collars often seem like the "Easy Way Out", and I honestly don't think I'd ever use it again unless I was in the same situation where my parents were threatening to get rid of my dog.