no fence = deal breaker if you have a dog?

[minniebee]

Ugh.

We have been searching for a house in our new city since September. We've seen several houses that are pretty close to what we want, with the exception of being able to add a fence around the back yard. There are a lot of suburban neighborhoods here that have HOA rules that forbid building fences. Invisible fencing is allowed.

We had a fence at our last home and loved it. We didn't leave our dog outside unattended for more than a couple of minutes, but it was so nice to just open the door and let him go outside for a potty break without having to put him on a leash and take him out. It was also nice to let the dog out while we were out doing yard work and not have to put him on a tie-out.

Anyone have an invisible fence? How effective is it for you?

My concern with invisible fencing is that it might keep our dog in, but it doesn't keep other dogs out. Our dog is very nervous around strange dogs. He doesn't care at all if strange people wander into the yard, but he wouldn't like it if a strange dog came into the yard. It's a fear aggression issue ... if he can possibly run away from another dog, he will, but if the strange dog gets too close to him, he gets defensive and aggressive. He's an older dog (9), but he's fairly big at almost 70 lbs, and still pretty strong, so he could hurt a smaller dog. We've worked on this issue with a trainer, and have seen some improvements but the issue isn't completely solved, and might not ever be. He's never hurt a dog (at least that we know of - we adopted him 3.5 years ago), but he's also had a fenced yard where other dogs couldn't come into his territory, and he's always on leash when outside the fenced yard.

Would you hold out and keep looking for a house where there's already a fence or at least the possibility of adding a fence?

Or would you compromise on the fence issue and just take the dog out on a leash every time he needs to go out?

I think it's a deal breaker, and my H says we can compromise. Of course, he's not the one primarily responsible for the dog's care.

[mrs.jacinthe]

I'd not install an invisible fence for the exact reasons you listed. We take our dog out on a leash when she needs to go out. I bought a 30-ft extend-a-leash and I just stand near the grass and hold the leash. I can click to freeze the length if she's trying to wander too far, but otherwise I just let her roam. It's a pain when she's sick and needs to go out every couple of hours (which is infrequent) but otherwise it's not so bad - forces me to get some fresh air occasionally.

I would say not a deal breaker. A minor inconvenience, at most.

[emoflamingo]

I don't like invisible fences for the same reasons you don't (doesn't keep randoms out, just corners yours). My family likes big dogs (except my sister, who has a Boston and a little mutt) so the invisible fences would be no big deal to a Mastiff or a Great Dane lol.

[wawa]

Minus the fear aggression issue, I'd be fine with it. We have a rather large unfenced yard and just have him unleashed in our yard and go outside with him (or in shitty cold weather I stand just inside the back door watching him through the glass).

He's very well voice controlled though, and our neighbors on each side like him and he's pretty universally friendly. (with the one exception of unaltered male dogs - but even then he's not aggressive aggressive, just really annoyingly in their face.)

If those three things did not apply then it might be a deal breaker because putting him on a leash or a tie-out every.single.time we had to go outside would get old.

[Susie]

My parents live in a neighborhood with with HOA restrictions on fences. It's kind of a PITA, to be honest. They have a dog and a puppy, and it's always on-leash. They take them to a park for off leash exercise. We have to adapt to leash-only when we visit with our dogs, who are used to their fenced yard and leash-free play.

I know invisible fences work for some people (my neighbors across the street use one very successfully with their two dogs). How much I'd worry about other animals/dogs coming in would depend on the neighborhood, whether I had intact pets (I don't, except my 8 week old puppy who isn't old enough yet to be spayed), etc. I'd certainly prefer a physical fence.

Since September is not THAT long to have been looking for a house. Our house took us 8 months to find the right one. I'd keep looking through the spring real estate season (we have a big spike in listings then) and if you STILL can't find something then I'd revisit the invisible fence idea.

[jhawks482]

I don't have a dog, but we plan on getting one when our kids are a bit older. I wouldn't move to a community where the HOA did not allow fences. Ours doesn't allow anything but wrought iron fences- and that's totally cool, but I wouldn't like it if we didn't even have a possibility for one at all.
I wouldn't want my dog out on a leash only- I'd definitely love to let my dog run around in the backyard. Also, my children are young- and it's awesome to be able to let them go outside and be contained in the backyard. So, no fence allowed would probably be a deal breaker. I would definitely hold out.

[thewop]

I have a larger dog that loves to be outside for long periods of time to sniff/nap/potty/whatever, so I personally would need a fenced backyard. I would hate standing outside forever with my dog waiting for her to finish being a dog. LOL. Plus she's 7 years old and we've had her since she was a puppy in this house, and I couldn't imagine how it would go if we suddenly moved to a house without a fence and she couldn't rome around on her own. She'd probably be whining at the door for hours and want to go in and out every 5 minutes. Ugh. Total deal breaker for me. I don't have any experience with invisible fence. Sorry.

[wawa]

Jan 3, 2013 11:46:08 GMT -5 thewop said:

I have a larger dog that loves to be outside for long periods of time to sniff/nap/potty/whatever, so I personally would need a fenced backyard. I would hate standing outside forever with my dog waiting for her to finish being a dog. LOL. Plus she's 7 years old and we've had her since she was a puppy in this house, and I couldn't imagine how it would go if we suddenly moved to a house without a fence and she couldn't rome around on her own. She'd probably be whining at the door for hours and want to go in and out every 5 minutes. Ugh. Total deal breaker for me. I don't have any experience with invisible fence. Sorry.

oh yeah, that too. My dog is a homebody who enjoys climate control and sitting on the couch. He goes sniffing around, does his business, and then comes racing back to the door to come inside again. Unless we're outside, he wants to be inside. And even sometimes when we are outside he'd rather be inside. If I had a tougher dog who wanted to just chill outside for a while then I'd REALLY want a fence.

Also if it's a consideration for the future, some of the pickier rescues won't adopt out to a home with no fenced in space.

[gtkim]

We have a border collie and have had no trouble with him and the invisible fence. It is all the way around the perimeter of our property, but we had the back cut off from the front as he likes to chase cars and even if he wasn't going to break the barrier I didn't want to freak anyone out driving down the road. So he is confined to the back yard.
The only time he gets out is when the battery dies, so we just replace it every 3 months or so to prevent that from happening.
We have many neighbors who have calmer breeds who hang out in their front yards without incident.

[sjh722]

We've never had trouble with the invisible fence, either - and like pp, we've always just enclosed the backyard + the area around the front/garage door, but not allowed her in the front.

Our dog is spayed, doesn't have a strong prey instinct, and we've never had other dogs in the neighborhood that have worried me. I could definitely see those as concerns, though.

In our area, if you want certain types of homes (ex, a newer construction home in a neighborhood, not on a busier street) you're probably going to be restricted on a fence, so I guess I'd consider if that was the case whether it was a deal-breaker or not.

[sailorgray]

Definite deal breaker because I have dogs and kids.

My IL live in a nice development that would be perfect for us and it is VERY kid-friendly. The houses are nice and it's near a lake. They can't have fences so we won't even entertain the idea of moving there. The no fences and being that close to IL is a deal-breaker.

[Ramz-ee]

Definitely a deal breaker for us. Plain and simple. Sucks, but that's the way it is.

[lb2006]

deal breaker for us as well. We have two GSPs that are not contained by invisible fencing alone. Our current neighborhood allows a 4 foot fence & we know our female can clear it if she sees a cat/bunny, so we also had invisible fencing installed along w/the physical fence.

They play in the backyard in the AM & in the afternoons. The IF is nice for the lake & front yard, as they can be with us & know their boundaries.

[wawa]

Jan 3, 2013 13:16:33 GMT -5 lb2006 said:

deal breaker for us as well. We have two GSPs that are not contained by invisible fencing alone. Our current neighborhood allows a 4 foot fence & we know our female can clear it if she sees a cat/bunny, so we also had invisible fencing installed along w/the physical fence.

They play in the backyard in the AM & in the afternoons. The IF is nice for the lake & front yard, as they can be with us & know their boundaries.

Sudden urge to tell a story - when I lived with my brother in pittsburgh most of the houses in his neighborhood had fenced in front yards with 4' fences.

I used to walk my brother's dog all the time, and the one time there was a doberman in one of the front yards. It started barking at us when we were about a block away. But it's behind a fence, so I think nothing of it. And then it starts running. And it jumps the fence into the neighbor's yard like it's nothing. And then jumps out of that yard and is coming down the street toward us.

I seriously almost SHIT MY PANTS.

My brother's dog is a freakin' gigantic husky-malamute mix, but he's a total softy and is afraid of any dog that barks at him. I was pretty sure either my brother's dog or I were about to get HURT. Luckily before the dobbie got past the 3rd house down his owner came bursting out the front door yelling and he turned around. I guess he was visiting and they had let him out in the front yard to pee while his owner kept eye on him from the living room. thank god they were actually keeping an eye.

In retrospect, the dog was actually kind of beautiful clearing those fences. But at the time I was way to scared to appreciate it.

None of which has any relevance to the question at hand at ALL, but i'm bored and procrastinating.

Thus ends wawa's story hour.

[thatgirl2478]

not having one, but being able to put one up = no deal breaker.

not having one and NOT being able to put one up = deal breaker.

We have greyhounds and can't use invisible fences with them because a) they would run right through it if they saw something they wanted to chase b) their skin/fur is so thin the shock can actually burn them c) it doesn't keep other dogs/animals OUT.

[InBetweenDays]

With two kids and two dogs it would be a deal breaker for me. I don't trust invisible fences for the reasons you mentioned, but I've also heard of larger dogs being able to still run through them without thinking twice.

Our dogs don't really enjoy being outside without us for long periods of time, but we are often out in the yard playing with the kids, doing yard work, throwing the ball for the dogs, etc. We also live on a VERY busy walking route where tons of people walk their dogs (sometimes off leash) so I like the added security of a fence for both the kids and the dogs.

[cajungal]

Not being able to add a fence would be a deal breaker for me. I have a small dog, and two young children. I need the security of having a fenced-in backyard. Plus I like the privacy of having the fence.

[FoxInFiji]

I would never put a dog with those issues in an invisible fence that is just asking for trouble (this is coming from someone with their own share of similar issues with their dog). All it takes is for one incident and your HOA will be all over your or worse your dog may get in a fight. You're relying on everyone else dogs to be be well trained and handle the situation without reacting. Even if your new neighbors had perfect dogs what if a family member or friend brings their dog over for a visit? It's best to control the situation from your end and have a solid plan to contain your dog. It sounds like a fence might be best for him but you'll have to look at he uses his fenced in yard now and if he would be able to deal with being on a leash instead. Maybe you should try buying a lead and using it in your fenced in yard to see how he does with it. For a week pretend you have no fenced in yard and try leashed bathroom breaks and see if you hate it.

We weren't able to fence in our backyard because of the size, shape, and access needed so we built a separate fenced in yard for the dog in the woods off the side yard only 15' from our back patio door. We keep her on a leash for bathroom breaks and walk her every day for exercise (she prefers a walk to being in a fenced in yard anyway). We also use ties for around trees in the yard in combination with the fenced in yard when we're outside with her. We move the ties around all the time so she gets to explore and smell new areas. She's the kind of dog that likes to be near us all the time so it works for us.

[sawyerthedestroyer]

It was a deal breaker for us. We turned down many houses because they did not have a fenced yard.

[adhdfashion]

Not being able to put up my fence on my own property? HUGE deal breaker. Sounds like this would be one up tight HOA and just the tip of the iceberg on annoying.

[sierramist03]

Not a deal breaker for me our dog is trained for off leash and she goes to the bathroom in our yard without a leash

[minniebee]

OK, so I'm not crazy to think it's worth being a deal breaker.

I'm surprised at how many HOAs here have fence restrictions. That wasn't common at all in the city we moved from. In our old city, there were some neighborhoods where the HOA only allowed certain kinds of fences (for example, you couldn't install a chain link fence), but very few where all kinds of fences were banned.

I think we should hold out for a house with a fence, or at least a house in a neighborhood where we could install a fence if there isn't one. I have to remember that we've been house hunting through the fall, when there have been fewer and fewer homes available. Inventory has really dwindled. I'm told that there's usually a lot of new listings in mid-late January, so I'll hold out hope that something better will come up soon. I just really hate our rental and want out of it YESTERDAY!

[minniebee]

I will add that at the rental home we're currently in, our neighbors have an outdoor cat that has decided it likes to hang out on our patio furniture. If the cat is outside when we are trying to go out with our dog, he will not go outside. He's afraid of the cat. He just freezes in the doorway, then whines and backs up. We can't get him to go out until we've chased the cat away. That's how nervous he is around strange animals.

Now ... if he was already outside and the cat came over to him, he'd probably growl at it and act all tough. But, if he has the option to hide or run away, he will.

This is our big, scary rottweiler mix, BTW. Afraid of the neighbor's cat. :-)

[pitterwoo]

does the HOA allow a hedge? Part of our yard is fenced and part is a hedge. The dog can't get through it. There was some chicken wire along the bottom when it was getting started before they were close enough together. It's privet which grows quickly. There are lots of other quick-growing options depending on how much area you need to cover and how tall it would be.

[RoxMonster]

I would also say deal breaker, especially with the issues you have. We just adopted from a shelter and our pup has some fear aggression issues that we're getting an animal behaviorist to help work with her on, but I would definitely not be comfortable having her in a yard where other animals could get in-for both her safety and the safety of the other animals.

[katie4253]

For me, yes, it would be.