Electric Fence? Yes or No? Opinions?

[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.

[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".

[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.

[Lady's Human]

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.

A static shock IS an electric shock.

The difference between the two is semantics, in terms of physics they are the same, excited electrons searching for a path to ground.

[Varga]

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.

As Lady's Human already said - now we're just arguing semantics. But yes, I do say that getting a static shock is the same as getting shocked by an electric fence. At least the one's I've seen back home used for horses... I'm sure if we're talking, like, prison security or whatever it's a totally different thing and it gives more of a burn than a shock, so in those cases it can't really be compared. Or if we're talking dinosaur fencing

But yes, the shocks I've gotten from the horse fences and the ones I get from touching agility equipment, after running around on AstroTurf, both hurt equally much to me. I don't care if one is called static shock and the other electric shock - still equally unpleasant.

[sasvermont]

I have a wireless system that I have yet to install. It creates a field that the dog can stay within and the dog gets a shock if it goes beyond. It is a signal rather than wires. I keep thinking about installing it, as it is easy, but I just haven't tried it yet.

I spent a week with friends, just last week and they have two Chesapeake retrievers and an electric fence. It worked fine with them. The dogs stayed within the areas just fine. I guess lots depends on the dogs and how badly they want OUT.

I think Prue would do just fine with the wireless system. Prue doesn't like to be outside without me, so, so far there hasn't been any need to use the wireless system.

I would consider the underground if I were you.

I also have friends whose dog doesn't know that the system isn't turned on and it obeys the old rules, not going past the wired area. It's really funny to watch the dog come to a screeching halt.