pet fencing info?

I posted this in the Pet Forum but didn't get any responses so was hoping to ask again. I'm looking for info about the "Invisible Fence" product.
I have some neighbors who've tried it and said it was a great thing. Others said they didn't want to "shock" their dogs. Still others said the dogs don't get shocked but rather hear a high-pitched warning sound as they get closer to the wire.

Figgered I'd check into it in an effort to be able to still let our dogs run as much as possible but w/out the worry of them ending up on the Interstate.

Anyone have any input on this? Good results? Bad results? If good, have a good inexpensive source? How much range do these things offer, etc?

Thanks.

hope this help Shoe ... http://www.invisiblefence.com/, http://www.minocqua.org/ifnw/ a friend in Oklahoma, use it. it is very effective.

'shoe, we had a conversation about them a while back, but I can't find it. We have (had) one, and here's what my thoughts are:

If you're going to invest in the fence, you HAVE to be willing to invest the time to train the dogs. And that means EVERY time they go out in the fenced area, for several weeks, maybe even months - you go with them, you keep them on a leash, you walk them around the perimeter, you make sure they get shocked if they get too close, you shake the white flags (come with the system) to show them where their boundaries are.

There's a video that comes with the system to explain how to train the dogs. If you're not willing to be VERY consistent and diligent in training them, don't bother with the fence. This goes DOUBLE if the dogs are already in residence, and have had the run of property - old habits die hard.

Also, keep extra batteries on hand at all times, because you never know when one is going to wear out.

The downsides to these systems, besides the patience and perseverance to train the beasts? If you are trying to keep your dogs away from neighborhood children or other pets in the neighborhood, this system won't work - there's obviously no barrier for kids or other animals to enter your yard. One of the biggest problems we faced was a neighborhood dog that runs loose. He'd come for a visit, and trot off when he wanted to, and our mutts would follow him. Then the neighbors would call animal control because our animals were out of their yard.

One of the upsides? A would-be burglar can get the bejeezus scared out of him because HE doesn't know about the fencing system, and all he sees are dogs flying across a seemingly unfenced yard toward him. They'll skid to a stop at the last second, but by then the would-be-thief is long gone. Ditto for deer, raccoons, rabbits, etc. - although the critters will eventually figure out just where the boundaries are :)

Now, after 18 months of trying to use it, we gave up when lightning struck the transmitter and I got sick of having to talk to the Animal Control folks.

Before we gave up, we went through 3 or 4 collars at $50/each (a couple got loose and mauled by the dogs - guess that's what pent-up frustration will do for them :) And one of our problems is the dogs will growl at some kids (but not at others.) The same people who have the dog that runs loose also have a four-year-old that runs loose, and the underground fence didn't solve that part of our problem. I was scared the dogs might bite him, so now they're in a fenced-in dog run :(

I put the system in and then thought about the busy street out front. Just one time and she would be history. I fenced the back in and that is where she plays.

i had this fence too. it worked when my dog listened to the beep. other times i guess she just wanted to get out and went. she would not cross the line to get home. we went through many batteries. now the whole yard is done in stock fence.

Shoe, here's a link to our discussion earlier this year. We had one installed for a very "obtuse" dog. It's worked, but we've had two incidents where his desire to be beyond the fence overtook his Pavlovian training. This resulted in him being shocked to a point of being unable to remove himself from the area in which he was not permitted. VERY SCARY! But, we had to up the shock since he figured out how to jump higher than the shock could go. By increasing the shock on our system, the area in which he is allowed is decreased. He's plently of space still; it's just that if he sees my husband or I on the other side of his invisbile barrier, he gets excited and decided on two occasions to try to break the barrier. We haven't had any more episodes, but I HATED him being shocked to the point of immobility... DH had to rescue and reassure him!

Link to previous post is here > http://davesgarden.com/s/250296.html

The upside of our system is that the batteries are available almost anywhere (like Walmart). Some systems are dependent upon expensive replacement units/batteries that you can only get from the company that installed your system. Our system is PetSmart. It does give an audio signal just before the animal is about to overstep the boundary. It also increases the amount of shock as the dog continues into the forbidden area.

My overall summary is that it has worked and our dog, who had us trained, seems to be under our control now. Dogs psyches are very simple. Either they are allowed or not. When they get a mixed signal, that's when problems begin. And, per the previous advice, TRAINING, TRAINING, TRAINING and LOTS of positive reinforcement during the training process!

This message was edited Thursday, Sep 5th 12:13 AM

Yeah, see, Sarah was a breaker-outer and whiner-to-get-back-inner with her previous family. And our yard is narrow - only 45' and some of that taken up by flower beds - so this isn't an option for us. We're pining away for a privacy fence!

Wow. Thanks folks. Lots of good info.
Not sure what I'll go with yet; I really didn't like the idea of "shock treatment". Will give it quite a bit more thought.
Much obliged!
And keep them dawgs happy!