Dog/Fence Options

[kimmyo73]

We are contemplating a dog in the near future and will probably end up with a larger breed of dog.  At the moment we don't have a fenced in yard.  I'm wondering if the invisible fences work well with larger breeds or if we need to fence the backyard.

We will start with a puppy so they will have a chance to learn.  My concern is that a larger dog will rush the invisible fence to get at something (squirrel, bunny, etc) and not feel the zap.  I'm also not sure I like the idea of the zap either.

I really like the idea of being able to let the dog out in the backyard to do their business if time is short or if I just want them out with the kids in the back.

Any advice?  Be patient with me, I've always been a cat person but we lost our cat in August and have since moved to a new home and want to invest our time and energy in a puppy/dog that will be a companion to us and the two kids.

TIA.

[purrbox]

I don't have any experience with invisible fences, but I've heard great things about them. My aunt uses one for her massive Labrador, and it works great for them.

As far as cruelty goes, I don't think that's an issue. Dogs learn quickly not to cross over barriers, so it's not like they're being zapped on the regular. Also, dogs are very tough creatures; have you seen them play with each other, lol? So, personally, I don't think invisible fences are inhumane.

I do have one piece of advice: look into the breed of dog that you consider adopting, even if you choose to adopt from an animal shelter or animal control (which I highly recommend). This way, you'll have a better chance at finding the perfect fit for your family.

Good luck!

[niemand88f]

Much better to get a real fence. I don't think they're inhumane necessarily, just ineffective. They do work for many dogs without strong prey drives.

However... an invisible fence doesn't stop any unwelcome dogs or people from coming in your yard. People and dogs walking past may not realize there is an invisible fence, and get scared if your dog charges it. If your dog gets out of the fence, it isn't going to brave a second shock to come back inside. And of course, if your dog wants something badly enough he might run right through it. It would be fine as a back-up if you are always out supervising, but I would be uncomfortable with leaving them out unsupervised. Just some things to think about.

Good luck finding a new family member, and please consider rescuing

[G22]

My parents have an invisible fence for their German shepherd and it works just fine. She won't go anywhere near the line, because she doesn't want to be shocked.

We could never do one of those though with our dogs. They'd run right through them. My German shepherd has even jumped a 4foot chain link fence because he wanted to go play with horses in the pasture behind us. We currently have a 6 foot privacy fence and its perfect. My dogs can't always see what going on outside the yard, so they don't bark or freak out nearly as much.

Personally, we will always try to have the privacy fence as long as we have big dogs.(We move a lot, my H is military). That's just what I've found works for us.

[redheadbaker]

I'm not a fan for the reasons niemand posted. You also need professional training, otherwise your dog could end up afraid of the entire backyard, not just the fenceline.

Also, some shelters and rescues (there are puppies in rescues!) won't adopt to someone who uses one.

[elletr13]

My parents had an invisible fence put in for our lab. He got to where if he wanted to leave, he'd leave...the pain was temporary, the glory of running down the street to the store was forever (until he was caught and brought home by the local PD. #smalltownlife).

[thatgirl]

We have an invisible fence with dogs with a strong prey drive.  The issue was climbing, we were warned by several breeders that anything short of a 6 foot solid vinyl fence was nothing going to be nothing more that challenge and a game to climb.  Our HOA does not permit such fences.

The invisible fence works great. Ours has a tone before the shock, they listen for the tone and do NOT get shocked.  Also they will train your pet and start with a very low setting.  Our girls love to lay outside and watch everything, they will go right up to the edge of the fence line and hang out.

PS- although we have a system for the front yard, the dogs are only in the back.  I do not trust it near a street and I do not want any people walking by to be frightened.  We have it in the front yard "just in case".

All in all we do not leave our dogs outside for any length of time unattended.

[nomad100]

We have a 6 ft stockade fence and even that doesn't always keep our 1 dog in. He has a crazy high prey drive and a high pain tolerance. I know he would blow right through an invisible fence. Our girl would stay in but not be happy about it if she saw a squirrel on the other side.

[mala]

I'm tardy to the party here. We have an Anatolian Shepherd and invisible fence. There are things that I love about it, and things that I don't.

Love: Easy to install, cheaper and faster than physical fences. She has 100% visibility all around the house.

Hate: doesn't keep other animals or people out of the yard. It drives me crazy when people (neighbors) come up to her and pet her without us there. And the neighbor kids have been warned that they are never allowed to pet Anna without us present. I'm paranoid that someone is going to be mad at her for barking and throw poised meat into the yard or something. And we can't have other dogs over to play because they won't be contained by the fence.

Anna adapted really well to it. She has been shocked a few times. But really, so have I. It feels like a static shock like you'd get in the winter when you touch a light switch. The level of the shock is adjusted to your dog, so a bigger dog will get a bigger shock. There is a warning tone before the zap, too. She flinches at the tone, now, and I think it's been a year since she was actually shocked. When we first got the fence, she went over it for a deer. It was the only time she has sailed over it after prey. She has been shocked twice while trying to play with other dogs across the line. That's it. She will not chase anything over the line anymore. Not food, toys, squirlles, raccoons, dogs, nothing will get her across the line unless she is on a leash and with us. We did have one escape incident spring 2012, though, when she literally walked over the line. She had grown tall enough that the signal coming out of the ground was not strong enough and didn't reach the collar. It was an easy fix, just dial up the strength of the signal.