In-ground pet fence system

[rd4isu]

Was wondering if anyone has recommendations on products that worked/didn't work for them. When the weather cooperates, we're looking to put in one of these systems for our lab. We have approximately 1.3 acres of yard so not sure a wireless device would be sufficient. Just looking for some feedback.

Thanks!

 

[HILLCYD]

My neighbors had two dogs and got one of these systems. They now have 0 dogs if that tells you how well theirs worked.

 

[DavClone]

I have a Sportdog inground system for our lab/irish setter mix. The Sportdog system has both an audible and shock correction. The audible beep is in the first 20% to 30% of the range and is followed by the shock as they approach the inground wire. Our dog reacts to the beep. It works well once you get the settings matched up with your dogs temperment. I had him run through it once while I was outside with him. I adjusted the width of the correction and the correction level and haven't had a problem since.

I have had a dog in our neighborhood run through their fence when we were out walking, so they are not fool-proof. If you have an agressive dog with a high pain threshold it may not stop them. It also doesn't stop other dogs/animals from coming in after your dog.

 

[ianoconnor]

We've had dogs for like 14 years and have had an electric fence as far back as I can remember. They have worked very well and our dogs have ran through them only a handful of times.

 

[CRLCy]

I'd suggest Invisible Fence® Brand - Creators of Electric Dog Fence

I have a 4 year old Yellow lab, with lots of energy. She wants to say 'hi' to everyone. Until the invisible fence, i couldn't have her in the front-yard. Now, no worries at all.

With each install, they also supply training for the dog (usually ~ 3 different session). It also has levels of 'pain' as well as a warning 'beep' that u can turn off / on as needed by your dog.

good luck.

 

[Phaedrus]

I know the wife hates these, because she can never tell if the dog is running loose, or has an invisible fence. She's afraid of dogs, and likes to walk for exercize.

 

[erikbj]

I'd suggest Invisible Fence® Brand - Creators of Electric Dog Fence

I have a 4 year old Yellow lab, with lots of energy. She wants to say 'hi' to everyone. Until the invisible fence, i couldn't have her in the front-yard. Now, no worries at all.

With each install, they also supply training for the dog (usually ~ 3 different session). It also has levels of 'pain' as well as a warning 'beep' that u can turn off / on as needed by your dog.

good luck.

I second the invisible fence company. After my last dog was killed because she was chasing a rabbit into the street - i had the invisible fence installed before i got my next puppy. It has worked wonders with my current dog. They can adjust the shock power to ensure that your dog does not go through.

 

[Jerry1982]

We had the underground fence. Worked great on our Pug dog. Pug dog gone and now we're about to train the new dog on it. The underground would be best to follow irregular boundaries.
I'd like to hear though, from the wireless people specifically. We might try that when on vacation if we thought it would work.

 

[retzmountn]

My wife (Dr. Lisa Williams, Fleur Pet Hospital) is a Veterinarian (ISU Grad) here in DM and she would not recommend anything but Invisible Fence® Brand - Creators of Electric Dog Fence .

She has clients that have tried other do-it-yourself brands, but they always come back and ask who she would recommend.

We have had Invisible Fence for ~ 8 years now & we absolutely swear by it for our dogs. :yes:

 

[cytech]

We have a similar sized yard as you do, and have the wireless version. It doesn't give the dog the entire yard to roam, but still works great.

 

[1100011CS]

Just make sure you train them with it and don't forget to turn it off or take off the collar when you go on walks. When I first put mine in I forgot to take off the collar when I was taking my dog for a walk on a leash. We crossed the wire and she freaked. Wouldn't even go outside for a few weeks after that:sad:

 

[DaddyMac]

I've heard both good and bad. From what I understand, you need to put a bunch of time in to make sure the dog understands the boundaries and what will happen. Too many people think that they put in the wire, put up the flags and just let the collar do the work - wrong answer.

If you have a dog that is prone to bolting, it's going to bolt right through the collar and not even notice the shock unless trained right. But I've seen several dogs in my neighborhood that obey the boundaries of their e-fence very well.

 

[rd4isu]

Good stuff here. Appreciate all the information.

 

[cykmup]

We also have Invisible Fence. I have a 2 1/2 year old boxer that was trained at 4 months and he has only ran thru once. I can now take him to other houses and he will not run from their yards because he does not know where the boundaries are, stays close to the house.

one thing I would recommend is to do a figure 8 around the house. this does not allow the dog to be in the front yard and wonder to the back yard. it puts my mind at ease knowing if I let him out in the front he will stay in the front and vice versa.

 

[Jerry1982]

We also have Invisible Fence. I have a 2 1/2 year old boxer that was trained at 4 months and he has only ran thru once. I can now take him to other houses and he will not run from their yards because he does not know where the boundaries are, stays close to the house.

one thing I would recommend is to do a figure 8 around the house. this does not allow the dog to be in the front yard and wonder to the back yard. it puts my mind at ease knowing if I let him out in the front he will stay in the front and vice versa.

Can you diagram that out for me?

 

[cykmup]

Sure, see the attached drawing. excuse the crudeness of the drawing. also, new to attaching so please bear with if I didn't do it right.

you want the wiring along the sides of the house as close as possible to the house. our garage is on the left side of the picture, so to say, and our dog will not get out of the left side of the car on that side because he got shocked when he did. he stands on the right side to get out of the car.

 

[clonzst]

I purchased Innotek Contain and Train and it works great for my dog. Easy to install yourself and a video on training your dog.

 

[tigershoops31]

We have a pretty good sized back yard and did a privacy fence and then ran electric wire about 4 inches off the ground all the way around so they wouldn't dig out. They touched it once and haven't gone near it again. Total cost was about $1200 doing it ourselves. As a bonus, my wife got to watch me test the electric wire out on myself a few times to make sure it wouldn't actually hurt the dogs :sad:

 

[Sousaclone]

My parents have had their system (Invisible Fence) for probably 6 years now. We have a beagle and an entlebucher mountain dog (little sister of the Bernese and Great Swiss). They both figured it out very, very quickly. The Entle respects the fence and knows exactly where the limit is. I don't think she ever challenges it. Our beagle however gets right to the limit of where it starts to beep at her. Mainly that's because she's a beagle and follows her nose and then her brain.

The beagle has gotten through the fence a couple of times, but they have been our fault (dead battery, circuit that the fence was on is tripped, loose collar). For some reason our beagle detests Wheaton terriers and will go nuts if they are on the sidewalk. She gets pretty close to the fence but that's about it.

We love the system, but you have to remember that it's not foolproof. Most issues are maintenance (batteries, making sure the collars fit properly after the dogs loose their winter coats and weight, cut line from aerating or gardening. Something we did was have the lower half of the driveway be off limits that way someone can pull in without having to worry about the dogs.

Few minor issues that we've had:
-knicked the line while aerating. We marked the line ourselves and we were off. If you ahve the invisible fence guys come out and mark for you, they will cover the cost of the repairs if they were wrong (i.e. they were off and not the fact that the guy aerating used the flags as a slalom)
-one of our dogs had her collar fail. we took it in and they replaced it on the spot. no fees, no nothing. apparently they are guaranteed for life.
-paths. our beagle patrols the perimeter of the yard every time she goes out and we now have paths marking where the fence is. We also have a less noticeable path in the backyard on the far side of the fence where the rabbits and squirrels detour around our yard.
-if the power goes out, the fence goes out. Unfortunately it's difficult to tell if the power is out on that circuit as it serves the outdoor plugs and garage.
-remember that it is not a baby sitting system for the dogs! You still need to just make sure you know where they are. If you hear lots of barking and yelping, the dog may have gone through the fence or something had come through the fence and is bothering the dog.

That said, we love our and we couldn't live without it. Especially with how high energy our dogs can be.

 

[Jerry1982]

Sure, see the attached drawing. excuse the crudeness of the drawing. also, new to attaching so please bear with if I didn't do it right.

Thanks. All I could picture in my mind for a figure eight was a crossed wire, which didn't make any sense. Thanks again. Good idea to accomplish what you wanted to do.:yes: