A dog owner's work is not finished once the fence has been installed. At that point, the person should walk around the perimeter of the property holding the activated dog collar. The flags that come along with the fencing kit need to mark where a warning beep will be heard, not where shocks will transpire. Owners should want pets to realize where they need to stop, not at points where it is too late to stop.
Many people have asked whether these systems are humane. Do they hurt the animals that wear them? While the sound and electric stimulation are not pleasant, they will cause no damage to the animal's health. Instead, they will actually make the animal safer as he or she learns the limits of the acceptable territory. Your dog will stay on your property, even when you are away, safe from accidents.
Indeed, these systems are effective means of training your animal. Over time your dog will realize what the boundaries of your territory are and he or she will not cross that line. After they have learned this lesson, they will stay on your property even when the collar is removed.
It typically takes anywhere from 2 weeks to 2 months to train an animal to use such fences.
All in all, electronic dog fences are good products. They are safe and can give pet owners a new flexibility. Your pet can go outside, and you will not have to worry. They are a cost effective solution to a common problem facing pet owners.
What is an Electronic Dog Fence?
An electronic fence is essentially a collar that your dog wears and a series of wires that you lay out to mark the boundaries of your property. While wearing the collar, your dog will be limited to a specific range. What this means is that if you have to be away for many hours but still want your pet to be able to go outside, you can use the electronic fence to keep your animal on your own property. There is no need to tie your dog up or resort to expensive fence building around your home. The electronic fence can keep your pet close to home for a minimal cost.
Why a Dog Fence Works
The dog learns there are negative consequences for approaching the boundary and so learns to avoid the boundary. In much the same way we learn not to touch a hot stove by being told that it is bad and having a couple of bad experiences touching a bad stove, the dog learns not to go near the boundary, by us training it to think crossing the boundary is bad and by having a couple of bad experiences going near the boundary and receiving the correction. Psychologists call this process Operant Conditioning.
A theory as to why electronic dog fences are so successful is that they simulate the boundaries a dog would have in the wild. The closest ancestors to our domesticated dogs were nomadic wild dogs but they had boundaries. The boundaries were indicated by geographic features or the presence of rival animals as revealed by scent. The wild dog knows where it is safe to go and more importantly it knows where it is not safe to go.
The domestic dog does not have any boundaries. It is not obvious to the dog that it cannot go outside your premises or that it cannot go onto the road. The dog fence fills the gap. It gives your dog a territory and teaches it that leaving the territory without you can be dangerous.
The Advantages of an Electronic Dog Fence
You will find it fascinating to see the change in your dogs once they learn their boundaries. Dogs that were once running wild or darting out open doors seem to transform. Suddenly, they are happy in their territory. The dog is at peace and does not worry about things outside the boundary, it does not even see them. We speculate that dogs desire boundaries and that the dog fence provides the boundaries they crave.
Electric Dog Fences keep a good check on the dogs while providing a good safety measure for the dog and keeping your mind at ease as no more complaints from the neighbours.
How many times has it happened that your dog has gone loose and is now tearing up the neighborhood lawns and the phone just won’t stop ringing with people calling in to complain? Since with the arrival of electric dog fences you are saved from the trouble of those embarrassing moments all the while sitting and relaxing on your couch not physically having to restrain your dog because these electric dog fences do that for you.
A wireless dog fence can be used in any area where there is a need to keep a dog inside a designated area as well as keeping them out of a certain area. They are often used for keeping the animal out of a swimming pool or garden area and indoors for preventing entrance into areas such as a kitchen or bedroom.
The Other Point of View
"In 22 plus years of working with dogs, I do not feel that invisible fences are a safe, humane or fair method of primary confinement for dogs. This type of fencing offers no protection to the dog and minimal protection from the dog to the general public. There are also behavioral issues that can arise through the use of these fences. Sadly, until one has been employed, there is no way of knowing how the dog will react over time to the fence. The safest form of confining dog to the property for its own protection and mental well-being as well as the protection of others is a good, physical, barrier fence".
This quoted paragraph comes from an article written by Karen Peak.... How safe is Invisible Fencing? What the average Dog Owner May Not Know
on www.petpeoplesplace.com
Her article concentrates on numerous negative aspects of electronic dog fences. Read her article to obtain her prospective about dog fences. I trust that this article will give further insight to the ongoing debate on the pros and cons of electronic dog fences.
The WiFi Wireless Dog Fence
The latest WiFi technology has been introduced to dog fences bristling with a host of useful features. These systems have been around for more than a year but still have many teething problems and customers seemingly cannot get them to function properly. The advice for now is to stick with wireless fences until bugs in the systems are sorted out.
Visit http://www.dogfencediy.com/reviews/wifi-fence-dog-perimeter-technologies for reviews on these systems
While researching I came across a positive review concerning one of these systems. The success rate of Wifi systems are 1 out of 2 but this person is quite please with his. See review below:
Perimeter WiFi Dog Fence
WallyMac April 8, 2010 at 9:36 am
I feel compelled to write a good review about this product. I was one of the original purchasers of this system back in May/June of 2009. I will admit that the system they originally sent was not working correctly… but the problem was relating to the collar synching with the base unit. The second system they sent worked perfectly! I think the biggest challenge that people face is finding a suitable place for the base unit. It does use a wi-fi signal, so like any radio wave, it is succeptable to interference. I live on a 2 acre property and have the perimeter set to 110 feet. Yes, if u do not calibrate the collar, it can be off by a LOT!! There is a factory reset button if u have a problem. It only took my dog about a week to really learn the boundry. I set it up with the collar in my hand and walked the entire circumference of the signal placing the flags exactly where I heard the beep. It was mostly a circular shape, although on the far side of my house, the signal was brought in about 6 feet (due to interference, or going through all the walls), so the shape there was a little different. Like I said, I put the flags exactly where the beep occured. I re-checked the boundry twice before putting the collar on the dog.
I understand the problems some people are having and will try to explain from what I experienced. #1 – the collar does not need an on/off switch because it has a motion sensor built in. After about 5 minutes of stillness, it goes into a sleep mode until motion is detected again. Sometimes, I will shake the collar just a bit before letting the dog outside to make sure it is activated. #2 – Like any wireless product (and I have tried them all), there will be times when the signal is dropped. The base unit DOES have an alarm if it loses contact with the collar. You can choose to mute it, or wait until it re-scquires the signal (sometimes takes a minute or so). However, the pluses of the system far out weigh the negatives. I know where my dog is at all times. I can actually watch the distances change when he is running around the property at night. I can see when he is getting close to the boundry and call him back if needed. I would agree that the accuracy is about +/- 3feet from the set distance. Overall, I am pleased with the system as it continues to keep my dog in the yard. I used a Petsafe wireless system
before and sent it back because my dog was shocked very badly several times while IN MY OWN HOUSE! So, do your research and see what system works best for you. I was pleased to work with their customer service.
. This book focused on incorporating shock collars in all phases of training retrievers. Through a series of detailed steps the reader was shown how to train a dog from beginning to end. It is thanks to technological improvements and educational support given by manufacturers, that the days of the shock collar are gone, giving way to remote training collars. Like cell phones today, its becoming increasingly difficult to find trainers who train without an electronic dog collar.
, which releases a bitter scent that dogs dislike and forces them to be quiet.