invisible fencing question

[ilovemyrottie]

Someone recently gave an invisible fence w/ the collar setup. Has anyone used this before??
We haven't decided whether or not to try it out yet- looking for opinions first.
Any suggestions?

[JD102175]

If you do a search on this forum for "invisible fence" you will find quite a few discussions on it.

That being said, I think they are worthless. For a breed with such high pain tolerance like the Rottweiler I wouldn't bet my money on an invisible fence keeping it in my yard. Although some members have them and they work just fine. Another big con about these fences to me is that they don't keep anything/anyone from entering your yard and harming or harassing your dog. If you do decide to use fencing , I would recommend a good old fashioned 6ft wooden stockade or a 6ft chain link.

Jaime

[jayneliz]

I have an invisible fence and love it. Then again, I live in a rural area with no neighbors or children who would enter my yard. I've had the systems for over 12 years on three different dogs (two Rotts and a Ridgie) and never had a dog cross the fence line. It gives my dogs free roam of over several acres.

The downsides to the Invisible fencing are obvious. The training on the fence is long and intense. You have to buy expensive batteries every 3 months. The fence will not keep anyone or anything out of your yard. If you have an intact female, you must make alternative arrangements for her being outside when in season (or every dog for 6 miles will be visiting...)

Despite really liking the fence, I do not ever leave my dogs outside unattended for any length of time. Even when I do not physically go out with them, I check on them through the kitchen window frequently.

[K-9Girl]

I once had a neighbor that had an invisable fence and her dogs were always out and running around the neighborhood. Maybe now they have better quality products out there that work better and maybe she didn't have it set up correctly....I don't know.....but it sure didn't keep her animals contained....

Sara

[Judi W]

ilovemyrottie,
Did someone give you that because they thought you needed it? In other words, was your dog running outside your property?

[RottiMomCT]

My sister has it for her Corgi and 30 pound mutt. They are outside only when supervised, but they are also well trained in respecting the boundaries of the fence...she can go out and work in the garden and not worry about the dogs leaving the yard, even if a squirrel runs in the road.

That being said...it would NOT stop my dog from crossing the boundary - that drive to get the squirrel is way too high. It also does not keep anything from coming INTO your yard, such as other dogs/animals/children. That is not enough of a plus to make me forget the minuses about this type of fencing system....also, what happens when the transmitter or fencing itself stops working??

[Luvs]

I have three neighbors that have the invisible fence. I have seen all of their dogs running loose at various times. One of the dogs is the one that was coming over to my house on a regular basis and chasing my 6 month old filly. That dog was taken to Animal Control instead of her owners taking responsibility and keeping their dog confined.

My daughter used to want us to get an invisible fence for our dogs. I refuse and will NEVER have one! It "may" keep your dogs in your yard for a while, but it sure wont keep the other dogs and people out. I just don't feel that they are very safe with that type of fencing.

[jayneliz]

As I mentioned in my post, there are many downsides to the IF systems. I, too, have had experiences whereby other people have had IFs and their dogs have crossed the fenceline. Given my personal experiences, I believe this is due to poor training and an inability of a dog owner to READ their dog, and know their level of drive. Were I to own a dog with a high prey drive, I certainly would not rely solely on an IF. Again, as I mentioned, I do NOT use the fence to contain unattended dogs and live in a rural area.

IMHO - a dog owner has to weigh the circumstances (their dog's drive, their ability to train, the area in which they live and what potential hazards there may be with something or someone coming INTO the yard, etc.,) prior to making any decisions regarding any type of fence system they chose. (Stupid people usually remain stupid when it comes to owning a dog.)

Furthermore, I once had a Queensland Heeler who not only chewed his way out of his kennel, but then jumped over a 6 foot stockade fence and through a barn window to get at a bitch in season. No fencing system is infalable, however, despite loving my IF, I believe that the best choice is usually a chain link run with a concrete floor and a top on it for most dog owners.

[ilovemyrottie]

Thanks for the imput.
We have about 2 acres to our yard and the closest neighbor is kitty-corner acroos the street; next closest is 1/2 mile away. Our friends bought the invisible femce and never used it; gave it to us when we moved in becuz they knew we would be looking for a dog soon.
When we first got Casey we walked the perimeter of the yard and I'm trying to work w/her everyday on the basics. I'm also taking her to obedience classes in January to "fine-tune" what she already knows.
Even though our hose is set back from the road, we live off of a 55 mph highway. I realize training her is the best answer; didn't know if this could/ would help after that.
I had heard they didn't work very well and my hubbie had heard the oppisite.
Like I said before, thank you all for you imput on the subject. I'm sure my hubbie and I will be discussing this more after he gets a chance to read these posts after work.

[Wookie'sMom]

If you aren't going to build an acutal physical fence, then by all means I would use the invisible fence. It would be just a little more secure than just letting her out next to a highway, which I would NEVER do at all. She would be on lead at all times if I were in the same situation....

[Judi W]

From the local contrarian

If you are not going to have an actual fence, I would still prefer "no" to the electronic one. That creates a false impression of confinement and safety.................

[samanthac]

Yes and wait until the batteries run out. You won't know it until the dog has already escaped. Then it may be too late. The only proper containment for any dog, let alone a Rottweiler, is a proper physical 6ft fence which you can lock the gate on.

IFs cannot keep people/children/other animals out. And to be honest in most cases they cannot keep dogs in, either. If you cannot put up a physical fence, then leash the dog in the yard...yes this means you have to go out with her...I did it for a year and it didn't kill me! ;)

And, when you do get your fence, remember that a fence is not a babysitter. They still need to be supervised as dogs can dig under, climb over or get caught in fences. Not to mentiont hat if you have more than one romping at once, they can get hurt horsing around.

[Claussen k-9]

I used one many years ago. The first big electrical storm we had lightning hit it and completely melted the box and wire.

My old female (who was young at the time) would just cock her head and take the pain to walk right through it.

Needless to say, we have chain link now. :)

[Brooke&Ryan]

I agree. A little girl that I babysit has a Newfoundland & they use an Invisible fence. It does NOT work for this dog & the owners are so confused. I've tried to explain how some dogs have a high pain tolerance & if they see a squirrel or a bunny they just go off & then do not want to enter back into the yard because they do not want to get shocked again. They still think there must be something wrong with their fence & are trying to figure out what it is.....

We went outside with Julius for the first year & now have a six foot fence with a padlock when he is outside (which is ONLY when we are home).

If I lived beside a highway I would have a six foot fence & a padlock at all times. I would NOT trust an invisible fence. I wouldn't be able to deal with myself if something happened....

:)
Brooke

[ilovemyrottie]

We are saving $$ to get a fence. We do go outside w/ her- for both playtime and potty time. We play w/ her and take her potty in what I call the "top" of our yard. This area is also where we play w/ our 5-year-old Autistic son and our 4-year-old daughter. It's NOT near the "bottom" of our yard anywhere near the road. IF we use it - and after all the input I doubt we'll use it- it would NOT be put near that area. Casey is NEVER allowed to run around outside unsupervised.
I was only asking if anyone had used it and had any luck with this product.
Our main goal was to provide the safest area for Casey until we can afford to get the fence.
Thanks for all of your different opinions; it does help seeing different points of view.