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Invisible Fences? (1 Viewer)

squidrope

squidrope

Footballguy
I have an English Mastiff puppy and have been doing a little research on dog "fences" for when the snow melts away. An invisible fence seems like the best fit. The area is about 5/8 acre. I'm currently leaning towards the SportDOG brand due to it's better suited to large dogs, 5 level settings, standard batteries, and it comes with a solid wire.

Anyone ever install one of these systems? Were the savings worth DIY? What brands would you recommend or brands to stay away from? What else am I forgetting?

 
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Dogs don't belong outside. You should probably add a room on to the house and buy him a nice bedroom set.

 
I got the invisbile fence brand. They came and installed under ground. Best investment I ever made.

 
I installed the Safe Pet hard-wire system with white flags - covered about 1 acre. Took the time to properly train the dog - two weeks of walking around the perimeter, at least 2x per day. It worked great for about a month. A few times you could hear the dog yelp in pain when it tried to get out.

But then it snowed and my smart-### dog realized if it walked over the higher mounds of snow it didn't get zapped. Once the snow melted it worked for a bit, until my smart-### dog realized if it ran really fast over the wire it would not get zapped.

Worst part is the dog was scared to come back over the wire, because the smart-### dog suddenly became a dumb-### dog and wouldn't use the higher snow banks or run fast to get back home. So the dog would be gone all day and it totally back-fired.

It was a waste of my ####### time and money.

But I would highly recommend it, particularly if you decide to buy it from me...

 
Buttonhook said:
I installed the Safe Pet hard-wire system with white flags - covered about 1 acre. Took the time to properly train the dog - two weeks of walking around the perimeter, at least 2x per day. It worked great for about a month. A few times you could hear the dog yelp in pain when it tried to get out.

But then it snowed and my smart-### dog realized if it walked over the higher mounds of snow it didn't get zapped. Once the snow melted it worked for a bit, until my smart-### dog realized if it ran really fast over the wire it would not get zapped.

Worst part is the dog was scared to come back over the wire, because the smart-### dog suddenly became a dumb-### dog and wouldn't use the higher snow banks or run fast to get back home. So the dog would be gone all day and it totally back-fired.

It was a waste of my ####### time and money.

But I would highly recommend it, particularly if you decide to buy it from me...
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:lmao:

 
our dog was really good with it. We even installed it inside to keep her out of certain rooms.

I accidentally shocked myself with it once. it's not cruel. Just a little jolt

 
MC Gas Money said:
TLEF316 said:
our dog was really good with it. We even installed it inside to keep her out of certain rooms.

I accidentally shocked myself with it once. it's not cruel. Just a little jolt
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The difference is you know what is shocking you
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She knew too. That's why she didn't cross the line after the first few times. . she didn't even wear the collar the last 8 years of her life because she knew all the boundaries.

 
TLEF316 said:
MC Gas Money said:
TLEF316 said:
our dog was really good with it. We even installed it inside to keep her out of certain rooms.

I accidentally shocked myself with it once. it's not cruel. Just a little jolt
Click to expand...
The difference is you know what is shocking you
Click to expand...
She knew too. That's why she didn't cross the line after the first few times. . she didn't even wear the collar the last 8 years of her life because she knew all the boundaries.
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My MIL/FIL dog won't leave the yard either bc of this. I'd wager each of these dogs has a higher IQ than our resident genius.

 
We have Invisible Fence and we're happy with it. They came out and installed it and then helped us train the dog. We don't even need to put the collar on anymore...he just respects the edges of the yard. Now, this is a small dog (13 lbs). Some of my buddies have labs that run through the shock on occasion...

 
whiskey7 said:
We have Invisible Fence and we're happy with it. They came out and installed it and then helped us train the dog. We don't even need to put the collar on anymore...he just respects the edges of the yard. Now, this is a small dog (13 lbs). Some of my buddies have labs that run through the shock on occasion...
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Neighbors across the street used to have one. Their 60lb dog was good for a while but would regularly roam off. I guess experiences vary but after seeing what they would go through almost weekly I won't trust one. And the rescue group I volunteer for won't adopt to you if you have one.

 
My dog is a bat#### crazy 7 year old Jack Russell Terrier who took years of abuse in a home with 14 cats and 7 other dogs before she was rescued.

She will attack any animal on the planet and forget I exist until she's 15 miles away. She attacks Fed Ex trucks regularly (I put her on a 30 foot long lead once, and she just completely took off and forgot I existed)

She takes shots/needles at the vet without flinching like it's a swedish massage.

I thought about the fence, but I think there's about a 1% chance she will give a flying #### about a little jolt if there's a squirrel or another dog passing by.

 
Officer Pete Malloy said:
Invisible fences make invisible neighbors.
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:goodposting:

I used to live next door to a mime. He was always peeking in my windows until I installed the invisible fence.


 
I've always heard that the 2 biggest drawbacks with these are that if the dog gets out it may not cross the wire to come back and it does nothing to keep other dogs from getting in. With 2 Dobermans, there is no way I would trust one of these things.

 
When we put ours in we used lawn staples as opposed to trenching it. Very simple install. 11 years, no issues.

 
Ours has worked great. Just remember to take the collar off if you put the dog in the car to take to the vet.

We found someone else in our neighborhood that was shopping for one also, and we used that to negotiate a discount. Would recommend.

 
We looked into one when we bought our house for our 3 dogs. Ended up going with a board fence - to not only keep our dogs in, but to keep other dogs (and wild animals) out.

 
John Bender said:
My dog is a bat#### crazy 7 year old Jack Russell Terrier who took years of abuse in a home with 14 cats and 7 other dogs before she was rescued.

She will attack any animal on the planet and forget I exist until she's 15 miles away. She attacks Fed Ex trucks regularly (I put her on a 30 foot long lead once, and she just completely took off and forgot I existed)

She takes shots/needles at the vet without flinching like it's a swedish massage.

I thought about the fence, but I think there's about a 1% chance she will give a flying #### about a little jolt if there's a squirrel or another dog passing by.
Click to expand...
Correct. See my post above.

My dog is some kind of an Australian Shepherd mut and she captures and plays with squirrels/chipmunks like a cat plays with a mouse. She once came home with a live kit (baby fox) in her mouth.

I learned the hard-way that there are certain types of dogs that invisible fences do not work on. Their instincts to roam far outweigh their fear of a little zap.

My dog is maybe 40 pounds soaking wet and we turned on the shock to it's highest setting. Never made a difference.

 
Buttonhook said:
John Bender said:
My dog is a bat#### crazy 7 year old Jack Russell Terrier who took years of abuse in a home with 14 cats and 7 other dogs before she was rescued.

She will attack any animal on the planet and forget I exist until she's 15 miles away. She attacks Fed Ex trucks regularly (I put her on a 30 foot long lead once, and she just completely took off and forgot I existed)

She takes shots/needles at the vet without flinching like it's a swedish massage.

I thought about the fence, but I think there's about a 1% chance she will give a flying #### about a little jolt if there's a squirrel or another dog passing by.
Click to expand...
Correct. See my post above.

My dog is some kind of an Australian Shepherd mut and she captures and plays with squirrels/chipmunks like a cat plays with a mouse. She once came home with a live kit (baby fox) in her mouth.

I learned the hard-way that there are certain types of dogs that invisible fences do not work on. Their instincts to roam far outweigh their fear of a little zap.

My dog is maybe 40 pounds soaking wet and we turned on the shock to it's highest setting. Never made a difference.
Click to expand...
My dog is an Australian Shepherd mutt as well, and I thought the same thing about the fence. However, after proper training, he doesn't even need the fence collar anymore. He knows the boundaries. Even when other dogs walk by, he will not cross the fence. Dogs are smart. How much time did you spend training him?

 
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Neighbor has one of these. Apparently the one they have the collar beeps when you get close to the shock zone. So the beagle walks the perimeter close enough so the collar beeps but far enough away to not get shocked. Once she wears down the battery in the collar from all the beeping she's free to meander the neighborhood.

 
Wildcat said:
Buttonhook said:
John Bender said:
My dog is a bat#### crazy 7 year old Jack Russell Terrier who took years of abuse in a home with 14 cats and 7 other dogs before she was rescued.

She will attack any animal on the planet and forget I exist until she's 15 miles away. She attacks Fed Ex trucks regularly (I put her on a 30 foot long lead once, and she just completely took off and forgot I existed)

She takes shots/needles at the vet without flinching like it's a swedish massage.

I thought about the fence, but I think there's about a 1% chance she will give a flying #### about a little jolt if there's a squirrel or another dog passing by.
Click to expand...
Correct. See my post above.

My dog is some kind of an Australian Shepherd mut and she captures and plays with squirrels/chipmunks like a cat plays with a mouse. She once came home with a live kit (baby fox) in her mouth.

I learned the hard-way that there are certain types of dogs that invisible fences do not work on. Their instincts to roam far outweigh their fear of a little zap.

My dog is maybe 40 pounds soaking wet and we turned on the shock to it's highest setting. Never made a difference.
Click to expand...
My dog is an Australian Shepherd mutt as well, and I thought the same thing about the fence. However, after proper training, he doesn't even need the fence collar anymore. He knows the boundaries. Even when other dogs walk by, he will not cross the fence. Dogs are smart. How much time did you spend training him?
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Two weeks straight - 2x per day. Worked great until my dog figured out how to work around it. You're right, dogs are smart.

 
Buttonhook said:
Wildcat said:
Buttonhook said:
John Bender said:
My dog is a bat#### crazy 7 year old Jack Russell Terrier who took years of abuse in a home with 14 cats and 7 other dogs before she was rescued.

She will attack any animal on the planet and forget I exist until she's 15 miles away. She attacks Fed Ex trucks regularly (I put her on a 30 foot long lead once, and she just completely took off and forgot I existed)

She takes shots/needles at the vet without flinching like it's a swedish massage.

I thought about the fence, but I think there's about a 1% chance she will give a flying #### about a little jolt if there's a squirrel or another dog passing by.
Click to expand...
Correct. See my post above.

My dog is some kind of an Australian Shepherd mut and she captures and plays with squirrels/chipmunks like a cat plays with a mouse. She once came home with a live kit (baby fox) in her mouth.

I learned the hard-way that there are certain types of dogs that invisible fences do not work on. Their instincts to roam far outweigh their fear of a little zap.

My dog is maybe 40 pounds soaking wet and we turned on the shock to it's highest setting. Never made a difference.
Click to expand...
My dog is an Australian Shepherd mutt as well, and I thought the same thing about the fence. However, after proper training, he doesn't even need the fence collar anymore. He knows the boundaries. Even when other dogs walk by, he will not cross the fence. Dogs are smart. How much time did you spend training him?
Click to expand...
Two weeks straight - 2x per day. Worked great until my dog figured out how to work around it. You're right, dogs are smart.
Click to expand...
Well that sucks, sorry. We had to turn the intensity of the collar up for our dog at first because he would just run right through it. That made the difference for him.

 
Checking in to see if there is any update from the OP. We adopted a 3 year old dog, roughly 60 lbs, Germ Shep/Hound mix. She is very friendly and wants to play with other dogs/people, but doesn't realize that approaching them at 20mph and barking doesn't start a good friendship. Neighbors on either side of us have fences that are different types and property lines would make putting a real fence in look pretty stupid along the back of the yard.

Is there any sort of guarantee with these? I'd hate to pay to have it put in only to find out it doesn't work. Any estimate on costs to have it installed? Yard is about 1/3 of an acre (little less) if we did the whole thing; about half of that if we just did the back yard.

Also, curious on the DIY versus hiring someone to install. Neighbor did it on his on and has leftover wire he said I could use, but I'm still a little nervous about doing it myself and being responsible for getting it right.

 
Polish Hammer said:
Checking in to see if there is any update from the OP. We adopted a 3 year old dog, roughly 60 lbs, Germ Shep/Hound mix. She is very friendly and wants to play with other dogs/people, but doesn't realize that approaching them at 20mph and barking doesn't start a good friendship. Neighbors on either side of us have fences that are different types and property lines would make putting a real fence in look pretty stupid along the back of the yard.

Is there any sort of guarantee with these? I'd hate to pay to have it put in only to find out it doesn't work. Any estimate on costs to have it installed? Yard is about 1/3 of an acre (little less) if we did the whole thing; about half of that if we just did the back yard.

Also, curious on the DIY versus hiring someone to install. Neighbor did it on his on and has leftover wire he said I could use, but I'm still a little nervous about doing it myself and being responsible for getting it right.
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I have 1.1 acres and it was $1,000. My dog is 65 pounds and she went through it once and never again. Its at the point now where I dont even put the collar on her. She knows the boundaries and does not even try to leave them

 
AcerFC said:
Polish Hammer said:
Checking in to see if there is any update from the OP. We adopted a 3 year old dog, roughly 60 lbs, Germ Shep/Hound mix. She is very friendly and wants to play with other dogs/people, but doesn't realize that approaching them at 20mph and barking doesn't start a good friendship. Neighbors on either side of us have fences that are different types and property lines would make putting a real fence in look pretty stupid along the back of the yard.

Is there any sort of guarantee with these? I'd hate to pay to have it put in only to find out it doesn't work. Any estimate on costs to have it installed? Yard is about 1/3 of an acre (little less) if we did the whole thing; about half of that if we just did the back yard.

Also, curious on the DIY versus hiring someone to install. Neighbor did it on his on and has leftover wire he said I could use, but I'm still a little nervous about doing it myself and being responsible for getting it right.
Click to expand...
I have 1.1 acres and it was $1,000. My dog is 65 pounds and she went through it once and never again. Its at the point now where I dont even put the collar on her. She knows the boundaries and does not even try to leave them
Click to expand...
Thanks for the pricing info. Looking on Amazon I can get a DIY solution that will run about $300 plus my own labor, maybe another $50 to rent a trencher. Figuring my smaller property I would guess install comes in somewhere around $750 or so. I'm thinking if it comes in around $600 it is a no brainer to do the pro install, above that I'll start to debate.

 
squidrope said:
eoMMan said:
squidrope said:
NutterButter said:
A real fence not an option?
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We don't like the looks of a real fence, and they cost much more. Plus there's maintenance, extra work mowing/edging, etc.
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English Mastiffs get HUGE.

People are gonna freak when they see a 200 lb dog that appears to be lose. Just sayin.
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:)

Her mom weighed 240lbs. when she delivered. (Dad was a light weight at 185)
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When she gets bigger, paint her with phosphorus and let her roam the neighborhood at night. Tell people you're cursed.

 
First dog used it and worked fine. Got a 2nd dog who ran through it multiple times even though hed get shocked and seemed to hate the shock. Old dog started doing it too once he saw the new dog doing it. Had to build a real fence. Breed matters a ton.

 
I haven't made the time to install it yet... Work and family is taking all of my time. "Puppy" will have her first birthday in a few days. She weighed in at 134 lbs.

 
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I thought this was the place to discuss invisible feces... Can someone point me to that thread, please. :kicksrock:

 
We need one this coming spring. 1/3 acre. Tiny dog...5 lbs but annoying and fast as f***. Likes to run off.

 
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I use the wireless one.

http://www.amazon.com/PetSafe-Wireless-Containment-System-PIF-300/dp/B0001ZWZ8O/ref=sr_1_1?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1449277623&sr=1-1&keywords=petsafe

The positives are that if your dog leaves the range of the transmitter, the collar will keep triggering until he/she is back within range. That avoids the whole issue of if your dog gets past the fence, he/she won't cross the zap zone to get back in the yard. Secondly there is no install, just set it up and adjust the range as needed. You can also purchase a range extender if you have a huge yard. I have 1.3 acres and I would guess the dog's range is probably about 3/4s of an acre and I had to ratchet that down quite a bit to keep the range short of the street, so it can cover a large area.

The downside is the range is circular, and it can vary slightly over time so it's virtually impossible to have a consistent "do not cross" line. The dogs just learn that they need to stop when they hear the beep. On some occasions, the unit skipped the beep and went straight to shock. The other issue as I touched on earlier is we have a lot of land that the dogs can't use because the circular range and my house is close to the street in the front so that cuts off a lot of back yard. The range is also impacted by trees, cars, walls etc, so it's not a perfect circle either, it has some jagged edges.

Overall I think it works well. The dogs know roughly where the edge is and they avoid it. The only time they move past is when they figure out the batteries are dead. So watch for that.

 
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I have a petsafe brand that is "above" ground. Transmitter sends signal out in a circle. Radius distance is adjustable. No wires to bury. I also take it with when we go camping. Just spend a little time setting the boundry with the dog each time. The collar has warning signal so dog doesn't have to find out the hard way. Draw backs are same, dog can run through and not get back and doesn't keep out others, may case skunks.

 
I have a large yard and some issues that would make the fence go around the entire perimeter very difficult.

It took some time, but I got a shock/beep collar with remote for $100 that has worked great. It took a week or two, but anytime she got to the edge of my yard I gave her a beep followed by a shock. After a few days only a beep was needed. Now she goes out without the collar and stays in the yard.

 
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