Comments on: Invisible Fences – Good or Bad? http://care.dogboston.com/invisible-fences-%e2%80%93-good-or-bad/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=invisible-fences-%25e2%2580%2593-good-or-bad Boston's Dog Friendly Resource Guide Wed, 13 Apr 2011 23:36:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 By: Marian Siegel, VMD http://care.dogboston.com/invisible-fences-%e2%80%93-good-or-bad/comment-page-1/#comment-11082 Marian Siegel, VMD Thu, 24 Mar 2011 00:07:40 +0000 http://care.dogboston.com/?p=162#comment-11082 I am a veterinarian in the Baltimore area. My dog was severly burned by the shock collar provided by invisible fence, SEVEN burn holes and an eight inch circular burn area on the skin. I was never informed by Invisible Fince of Baltimore that this could happen.I called the company and the owner was aware that this could happen but would not take responsibility for his defective product. People NEVER use this product it causes pain and suffering to your dog if affected.I had it installed inside my chain link fence to keep one of my dogs in. I now am having railroad ties places on the outside of the chain link fence. My dogs will NEVER wear these collars again. I feel so guilty about not researching this product first! Feel free to contact me with your stories, I am compiling a listof complaints. Marian Siegel, VMD Owings Mills, Md I am a veterinarian in the Baltimore area. My dog was severly burned by the shock collar provided by invisible fence, SEVEN burn holes and an eight inch circular burn area on the skin. I was never informed by Invisible Fince of Baltimore that this could happen.I called the company and the owner was aware that this could happen but would not take responsibility for his defective product. People
NEVER use this product it causes pain and suffering to your dog if affected.I had it installed inside my chain link fence to keep one of my dogs in. I now am having railroad ties places on the outside of the chain link fence. My dogs will NEVER wear these collars again. I feel so guilty about not researching this product first!
Feel free to contact me with your stories, I am compiling a listof complaints.
Marian Siegel, VMD Owings Mills, Md

]]> By: Chris http://care.dogboston.com/invisible-fences-%e2%80%93-good-or-bad/comment-page-1/#comment-10760 Chris Thu, 17 Mar 2011 02:28:23 +0000 http://care.dogboston.com/?p=162#comment-10760 I understand both takes of the invisible fence. I found a stray dog with 8 puppies under an abandoned house. I could not get a rescue to take her because she was real aggressive. Animal Control was going to put her down. They darted her twice but she'd run too far under the house preventing them from getting to her. She would not go into traps. In the meantime, I made friends with her by giving her food daily. I took her and her 8 puppies and moved to the country, 6.5 acres. The first week was great. She took to the place and seemed to come out of her shell. I adopted out 7 of the puppies and kept one for her companion, a daughter. BI had both Mother and Daughter spayed. However, one problem, mother dog was real protective of our new home. Two of the nearest neighbors started complaining that she would run at them barking. One shot his gun at her and told me if she approached him again, he would kill her. She would chase cars on the road almost getting hit. It was dangerous. Also, I have livestock & poultry that the two dogs were naturals at protecting so they kept the coyotes out, the raccoons out, fox out, etc. (I have not lost anything to a predator). So one of my purposes was to have the dogs outside to keep other things from coming in, which they did. Being a Shepherd mix, they are bigger & stronger than coyotes. They learned to work as a team. I decided to try the IF. I had it put around my entire 6.5 acres. Being a stray, the mother dog was not very leash trained and I just had to wave one flag at her and she ran like I had hurt her. She got shocked once and that was it -- she immediately associated the beep with the IF, and I have had no problems with her. I waited until her daughter was older before training her. I also waited to see if she would simply learn to stay in the 6.5 acres with no collar. Over time, her independence took over and she was out barking at the neighbors and scaring them as well. So she got a collar & training. She seemed to train easily but after a few months, she learned to be OK taking the shock and going through when she wanted to. I adjusted the levels & gave her a bigger collar. Soon after adjusting the strength of the IF to try and contain the daughter dog, I came home to find her dead from being run over by a car. I found the collar smashed in the road and saw where whoever hit her had drug her. Since I wasn't here, I do not know what happened. My guess is she ran through the IF and the shock was bigger than normal so she was afraid to come back through, ended up in the road and a low brow, inbred driver ran her over (not an accident) My choices were limited, in that, I have a dangerous highway, outside dogs, the need to keep animals out by having dogs who must stay in or get shot or run over. Mother dog still obeys the IF completely. The IF is not a solution for everyone and things CAN go wrong. I am pained by the daughter dog who was killed, but those of you who criticize must realize that this is but one option. It can work but it also may not work for all dogs. It depends. I have a little dog and a large (blind from birth) dog who live indoors and they never go out without me-- The IF would not work for them because of some of the arguments above. But it has saved my Mother (former stray) dog's life. It killed her daughter. Just though someone might benefit from hearing both sides in a full story. I understand both takes of the invisible fence. I found a stray dog with 8 puppies under an abandoned house. I could not get a rescue to take her because she was real aggressive. Animal Control was going to put her down. They darted her twice but she’d run too far under the house preventing them from getting to her. She would not go into traps. In the meantime, I made friends with her by giving her food daily.

I took her and her 8 puppies and moved to the country, 6.5 acres. The first week was great. She took to the place and seemed to come out of her shell. I adopted out 7 of the puppies and kept one for her companion, a daughter. BI had both Mother and Daughter spayed.

However, one problem, mother dog was real protective of our new home. Two of the nearest neighbors started complaining that she would run at them barking. One shot his gun at her and told me if she approached him again, he would kill her. She would chase cars on the road almost getting hit. It was dangerous.

Also, I have livestock & poultry that the two dogs were naturals at protecting so they kept the coyotes out, the raccoons out, fox out, etc. (I have not lost anything to a predator). So one of my purposes was to have the dogs outside to keep other things from coming in, which they did. Being a Shepherd mix, they are bigger & stronger than coyotes. They learned to work as a team.

I decided to try the IF. I had it put around my entire 6.5 acres. Being a stray, the mother dog was not very leash trained and I just had to wave one flag at her and she ran like I had hurt her. She got shocked once and that was it — she immediately associated the beep with the IF, and I have had no problems with her. I waited until her daughter was older before training her. I also waited to see if she would simply learn to stay in the 6.5 acres with no collar. Over time, her independence took over and she was out barking at the neighbors and scaring them as well. So she got a collar & training. She seemed to train easily but after a few months, she learned to be OK taking the shock and going through when she wanted to. I adjusted the levels & gave her a bigger collar.

Soon after adjusting the strength of the IF to try and contain the daughter dog, I came home to find her dead from being run over by a car. I found the collar smashed in the road and saw where whoever hit her had drug her. Since I wasn’t here, I do not know what happened. My guess is she ran through the IF and the shock was bigger than normal so she was afraid to come back through, ended up in the road and a low brow, inbred driver ran her over (not an accident)

My choices were limited, in that, I have a dangerous highway, outside dogs, the need to keep animals out by having dogs who must stay in or get shot or run over. Mother dog still obeys the IF completely.

The IF is not a solution for everyone and things CAN go wrong. I am pained by the daughter dog who was killed, but those of you who criticize must realize that this is but one option. It can work but it also may not work for all dogs. It depends. I have a little dog and a large (blind from birth) dog who live indoors and they never go out without me– The IF would not work for them because of some of the arguments above. But it has saved my Mother (former stray) dog’s life. It killed her daughter. Just though someone might benefit from hearing both sides in a full story.

]]> By: Dottie http://care.dogboston.com/invisible-fences-%e2%80%93-good-or-bad/comment-page-1/#comment-10570 Dottie Sat, 12 Mar 2011 23:07:35 +0000 http://care.dogboston.com/?p=162#comment-10570 Since I moved I have had indoor Invisible Fence for both of my Maltese. It causes a much better environment when we do not come home to poop and pee all over our new house. My dogs have not had any adverse effect from the system and seem very happy. Since I moved I have had indoor Invisible Fence for both of my Maltese. It causes a much better environment when we do not come home to poop and pee all over our new house. My dogs have not had any adverse effect from the system and seem very happy.

]]> By: Lulu http://care.dogboston.com/invisible-fences-%e2%80%93-good-or-bad/comment-page-1/#comment-9779 Lulu Sat, 19 Feb 2011 00:44:01 +0000 http://care.dogboston.com/?p=162#comment-9779 I agree that one should consider many factors--age and breed of dog, male or female (spayed/neutered), value of dog, how close you are to busy streets, etc. When our neutered female Aussie Shepherd mix was about a year old, we moved to a suburban area with split rail fencing. We spent a good deal of time VISUAL training her with flags (which we left on a long time) and with the Invisible Fence Company of the Sierra. We have 1 1/4 acres and had the fence wire stop way up the driveway. At our previous house she took a lot of walks with us, but we had not much yard, no fencing at all due to association rules--and so we built a long dog run with a roof to keep her safe, however, she was never in it more than 2-3 hours as someone was always home. Dogs require a great deal of company and socialization--that is how they adapted to living with humans. You should read the dog behavior studies they are doing at Duke University--fascinating. No fence will supplant that, nor keep a dog in who wants to roam. With people working long hours away from home, this can be an issue, so dogsitters, doggie day care, etc., can help--or just a nice walk when you get home. Our Aussie did very well the 12 years of her life (she died sadly, last October). She was played with and loved a lot, and I think that's a factor. However,I think when you are gone, it is good to have a kennel or dog run to protect against coyotes, etc., or just leave your dog inside if s/he is good. Some dogs will simply have to be watched whether you put up physical barriers (our dog could jump a 10 foot fence and did it!, and probably not a great idea to just hope the invisible fence will contain a dog when you are not around to monitor. I am very sad for those of you who have had dogs injured or killed when they got out of these fences--it happens with regular barrier fences, too. Dog runs are kind of ugly, but done properly (ours goes from laundry room to doghouse attached to house to outside) can be a nice solution--but now for long hours. We are getting a new puppy in April when he is 10 weeks old, and I will probably keep in in the dog run and inside outside (plus lots of walks) until he is a year, then see how he does with the invisible fence (only when I am home to supervise, however). Best to all dog lovers out there! I agree that one should consider many factors–age and breed of dog, male or female (spayed/neutered), value of dog, how close you are to busy streets, etc. When our neutered female Aussie Shepherd mix was about a year old, we moved to a suburban area with split rail fencing. We spent a good deal of time VISUAL training her with flags (which we left on a long time) and with the Invisible Fence Company of the Sierra. We have 1 1/4 acres and had the fence wire stop way up the driveway. At our previous house she took a lot of walks with us, but we had not much yard, no fencing at all due to association rules–and so we built a long dog run with a roof to keep her safe, however, she was never in it more than 2-3 hours as someone was always home.
Dogs require a great deal of company and socialization–that is how they adapted to living with humans. You should read the dog behavior studies they are doing at Duke University–fascinating.
No fence will supplant that, nor keep a dog in who wants to roam. With people working long hours away from home, this can be an issue, so dogsitters, doggie day care, etc., can help–or just a nice walk when you get home.

Our Aussie did very well the 12 years of her life (she died sadly, last October). She was played with and loved a lot, and I think that’s a factor. However,I think when you are gone, it is good to have a kennel or dog run to protect against coyotes, etc., or just leave your dog inside if s/he is good. Some dogs will simply have to be watched whether you put up physical barriers (our dog could jump a 10 foot fence and did it!, and probably not a great idea to just hope the invisible fence will contain a dog when you are not around to monitor.

I am very sad for those of you who have had dogs injured or killed when they got out of these fences–it happens with regular barrier fences, too.

Dog runs are kind of ugly, but done properly (ours goes from laundry room to doghouse attached to house to outside) can be a nice solution–but now for long hours.

We are getting a new puppy in April when he is 10 weeks old, and I will probably keep in in the dog run and inside outside (plus lots of walks) until he is a year, then see how he does with the invisible fence (only when I am home to supervise, however).

Best to all dog lovers out there!

]]> By: Eli http://care.dogboston.com/invisible-fences-%e2%80%93-good-or-bad/comment-page-1/#comment-7104 Eli Fri, 03 Dec 2010 16:04:07 +0000 http://care.dogboston.com/?p=162#comment-7104 The response/answer preceeding these comments is clearly written by someone that has a biased opinion or has not tried the e fence. In my opinion the good aspects outweigh the bad. Some of the problems mentioned are: 1.The ability for other animals to enter the yard and harm your dog. Do pet owner's normally leave their animals unattended? If so that is neglect in its self. 2. Electrical storm damage. A simple surge protector that most people use to protect a computer ot other electronic device solves that problem. 3. High rate of malfunction? I have been through multiple collars for multiple dogs and have never had a malfunction that caused the collar to "repeatedly" shock the dog wearing it. As for the remainder of the response, If the dog is trained correctly using the perimiter flags then he will know exactly when and where he may recieve the corrective shock. Many collars have settings so that the owner can set the amount of shock. This is a constant and I have checked it on myself before putting it on my dog. Do the training youself, it is your pet after all. The response/answer preceeding these comments is clearly written by someone that has a biased opinion or has not tried the e fence. In my opinion the good aspects outweigh the bad. Some of the problems mentioned are:
1.The ability for other animals to enter the yard and harm your dog. Do pet owner’s normally leave their animals unattended? If so that is neglect in its self.
2. Electrical storm damage. A simple surge protector that most people use to protect a computer ot other electronic device solves that problem.
3. High rate of malfunction? I have been through multiple collars for multiple dogs and have never had a malfunction that caused the collar to “repeatedly” shock the dog wearing it.
As for the remainder of the response, If the dog is trained correctly using the perimiter flags then he will know exactly when and where he may recieve the corrective shock. Many collars have settings so that the owner can set the amount of shock. This is a constant and I have checked it on myself before putting it on my dog. Do the training youself, it is your pet after all.

]]> By: Allan http://care.dogboston.com/invisible-fences-%e2%80%93-good-or-bad/comment-page-1/#comment-7042 Allan Wed, 01 Dec 2010 20:37:33 +0000 http://care.dogboston.com/?p=162#comment-7042 What a wonderful product this is! I no longer have to worry about my dogs hurting themselves or someone else. I can let them out of the house now so that they may enjoy the freedom of the outdoors. Before the fence their outside time was limited. The neighborhood we live in is not very dog friendly due to cars and certain neighbors. With the fence, my dogs stay where they are safe. They now can spend hours running through our yard without any problems. What a wonderful product this is! I no longer have to worry about my dogs hurting themselves or someone else. I can let them out of the house now so that they may enjoy the freedom of the outdoors. Before the fence their outside time was limited. The neighborhood we live in is not very dog friendly due to cars and certain neighbors. With the fence, my dogs stay where they are safe. They now can spend hours running through our yard without any problems.

]]> By: Daniel http://care.dogboston.com/invisible-fences-%e2%80%93-good-or-bad/comment-page-1/#comment-4582 Daniel Thu, 05 Aug 2010 20:35:04 +0000 http://care.dogboston.com/?p=162#comment-4582 To those who say the fence is inhumane. The "pain inflicted" by the collar is miniscule. I tested it on myself before placing the collar on my dog. I would compare the sensation to a static shock after someone walks across a carpet and touches you. This system is not counterproductive. Hitting an animal is. If you hit a dog to train it then he will associate the pain with you and not the behavior that you are attempting to correct. With the fence system the dog learns that those little flags you placed out marking the boundary is where they need to stop. Very little correction is needed. In fact, the battery in my dog's collar has been dead for months now and it still has not ventured outside the boundary. He happily runs around his 5 acre area and I don't have to worry about him getting hit by cars. Try pricing enough conventional dog proof fence to cover that much area and make a comparison with the price of the invisible fence. To those who say the fence is inhumane. The “pain inflicted” by the collar is miniscule. I tested it on myself before placing the collar on my dog. I would compare the sensation to a static shock after someone walks across a carpet and touches you. This system is not counterproductive. Hitting an animal is. If you hit a dog to train it then he will associate the pain with you and not the behavior that you are attempting to correct. With the fence system the dog learns that those little flags you placed out marking the boundary is where they need to stop. Very little correction is needed. In fact, the battery in my dog’s collar has been dead for months now and it still has not ventured outside the boundary. He happily runs around his 5 acre area and I don’t have to worry about him getting hit by cars. Try pricing enough conventional dog proof fence to cover that much area and make a comparison with the price of the invisible fence.

]]> By: Star http://care.dogboston.com/invisible-fences-%e2%80%93-good-or-bad/comment-page-1/#comment-3845 Star Wed, 26 May 2010 06:54:45 +0000 http://care.dogboston.com/?p=162#comment-3845 I would never ever ever buy anything like this for my dog and I hope these fences are banned. Inflicting pain on dogs as a form of restriction or training is a horrible and counterproductive method. These invisible fences are just as bad as shock collars. Why don't you just smack your dog on the head every time he/she does something to tick you off since we are talking about pain here? If you want to abuse your dog to the point of emotional damage then this is the right product for you. However, it's inhumane. Please, I suggest you just buy a regular fence. Still, I will never understand how anyone could use or advocate these torture devices. I would never ever ever buy anything like this for my dog and I hope these fences are banned. Inflicting pain on dogs as a form of restriction or training is a horrible and counterproductive method. These invisible fences are just as bad as shock collars. Why don’t you just smack your dog on the head every time he/she does something to tick you off since we are talking about pain here? If you want to abuse your dog to the point of emotional damage then this is the right product for you. However, it’s inhumane. Please, I suggest you just buy a regular fence. Still, I will never understand how anyone could use or advocate these torture devices.

]]> By: GKM http://care.dogboston.com/invisible-fences-%e2%80%93-good-or-bad/comment-page-1/#comment-3659 GKM Mon, 03 May 2010 02:24:51 +0000 http://care.dogboston.com/?p=162#comment-3659 I have had great success with the electric fence. I have a foxhound and she needs a lot of exercise. There is no way I could take her on enough walks to satisfy her, but with the electric fence she gets run of the yard. We trained her ourselves on the fence so there was no fear of strangers walking her problem as referenced above. Also, as another poster mentioned, we don't even need the collar, she won't go near the border. I feel as though the benefits of having her enjoy the ability to run at full speed without a leash on a daily basis outweighs the negative og her needing to go through the training/initial shock. I have had great success with the electric fence. I have a foxhound and she needs a lot of exercise. There is no way I could take her on enough walks to satisfy her, but with the electric fence she gets run of the yard. We trained her ourselves on the fence so there was no fear of strangers walking her problem as referenced above. Also, as another poster mentioned, we don’t even need the collar, she won’t go near the border. I feel as though the benefits of having her enjoy the ability to run at full speed without a leash on a daily basis outweighs the negative og her needing to go through the training/initial shock.

]]> By: Susan http://care.dogboston.com/invisible-fences-%e2%80%93-good-or-bad/comment-page-1/#comment-3372 Susan Sat, 10 Apr 2010 00:14:24 +0000 http://care.dogboston.com/?p=162#comment-3372 I was not thrilled with the idea of an invisible fence because I too thought that teaching the dog through a shock was cruel. However, we recently adopted a grown dog through a rescue program. Her second day here, she barreled me down and ran out the door. I swear I never saw a dog run so fast in my life! It was then that I realized we could train her with a shock and keep her contained, or risk her getting out and being killed by a car. To me, the shock was the lesser of the two evils. Our dog lives inside our home. We also have another older dog. Before we adopted out new dog, we never ever let our other dog outside unattended unless she was on a chain. We have always taken her out in the yard to run and play and she stays within the yard on her own accord (I wouldn't trust her if we weren't outside watching at all times) So our poor new dog is on a chain watching the other dog play. The running away and not being able to run and play were the determining factors in having the fence installed. We payed a lot of money on our system so that it had the features we felt were best for us and the dog. This dog has trained quickly and easily and now runs and plays and sniffs and explores the yard. Of course, we don't leave her unattended while she is out. The other issues stated in the above messages are exactly why we don't. I don't think this system works for all dogs. It is going to depend on the dogs breed and personality. I would not even think of putting a the collar on my older dog. She is too emotional and it would probably devastate her! Judgement and the dogs quality of life are key in deciding if the fence is right for your dog and you too. I was not thrilled with the idea of an invisible fence because I too thought that teaching the dog through a shock was cruel. However, we recently adopted a grown dog through a rescue program. Her second day here, she barreled me down and ran out the door. I swear I never saw a dog run so fast in my life! It was then that I realized we could train her with a shock and keep her contained, or risk her getting out and being killed by a car. To me, the shock was the lesser of the two evils.
Our dog lives inside our home. We also have another older dog. Before we adopted out new dog, we never ever let our other dog outside unattended unless she was on a chain. We have always taken her out in the yard to run and play and she stays within the yard on her own accord (I wouldn’t trust her if we weren’t outside watching at all times) So our poor new dog is on a chain watching the other dog play.
The running away and not being able to run and play were the determining factors in having the fence installed. We payed a lot of money on our system so that it had the features we felt were best for us and the dog. This dog has trained quickly and easily and now runs and plays and sniffs and explores the yard. Of course, we don’t leave her unattended while she is out. The other issues stated in the above messages are exactly why we don’t.
I don’t think this system works for all dogs. It is going to depend on the dogs breed and personality. I would not even think of putting a the collar on my older dog. She is too emotional and it would probably devastate her!
Judgement and the dogs quality of life are key in deciding if the fence is right for your dog and you too.

]]>