# Advice Needed Re: Electric Fence



## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Frankly, having read the research, I would not use one at any age, and I most certainly would not use one with a puppy. Even 4 months sounds far too young to me.


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## Quossum (Mar 18, 2011)

Echoing fjm. I very much dislike electric fences.

I always train off leash, but I understand your caution about short attention-span, easily distracted puppy. What about putting him on a harness attached to a light line and standing on the end of the line or attaching it to your waist? Really work the recall--after all, you don't want to get knocked down if he really takes off away from you--but you should be able to play a bit. What about running an overhead line between two trees and clipping him to that? 

Are there any places you can go that are safe off leash? My sympathies if the e-fence is your only recourse for fencing in your area.

--Q


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## CurlyDog (Aug 20, 2008)

I was very much against the electric fence at first. In my neighborhood, physical fences in the backyard are not prohibited but frowned upon. What sold me on the electric fence is that it keeps my dog(s) safe from running across the road when they get out the front door (which, when you have kids, you cannot ensure this won't happen. No matter how well trained, I can't take the chance that my dog won't run across the street to greet the neighbor's dogs. 

I realize they don't keep other animals out. We don't leave dogs unattended in the yard. With my collie and first standard, they learned the beep quickly and soon respected the boundaries with or without the collar. As for the "shock", only the minimal setting was required and I tried it on myself first. It is by far more of a startling effect than anything. It certainly was not painful. I don't think the dogs got past the beep and on to the buzz more than a couple times.

This kind of fence allowed my dogs follow us in and out of the house, giving them more freedom and a better quality of life. What is it that concerns you about them?


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## CurlyDog (Aug 20, 2008)

PS:

Quossom,

I like your "zip line" idea. I hadn't thought of that. I bought a stake and tether but he just gets tangled up in it. We never got past that to playtime!


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## Quossum (Mar 18, 2011)

Well...

*They're training with pain, for one thing, which I try to avoid if at all possible.

* I think they can create a false sense of security: some owners might not train the recall and door manners as well as they should because, after all, the fence will keep him in. My dogs can walk into the front yard with me, too. They will stand in the open doorway of the front door without running out; same with the back gate. They don't walk out until invited. Just today I carried in several loads of groceries with the back gate fully open and the dogs in the back yard, watching me go to and fro. This is an important life skill to train, and transfers to hotel doors, my parents' house, etc.

* If sufficiently motivated, there's a chance that a dog will charge out of the boundary in spite of the pain.

Just my take on it. Many people use e-fences without qualms or incident and are very happy with them.

--Q


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## Oodlejpoodle's mom (Sep 11, 2009)

CurlyDog said:


> I was very much against the electric fence at first. In my neighborhood, physical fences in the backyard are not prohibited but frowned upon.
> 
> Curly, I too hate the electric fences and think that they are cruel. If fences are not prohibited why not put one up and see how many of your neighbors follow suit (you can be the trendsetter :act-up. That is the best thing for you and your puppy. Put the collar on your neck and walk across the line, maybe your view on the electric will change. Your pup is adorable and would probably LOVE a nice fenced in yard!


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## CurlyDog (Aug 20, 2008)

As I said earlier, I DID try the collar on myself before I ever put it on a dog. I never would intentionally inflict pain. As I see it, the one or two times they get surprised by the buzz, is worth the benefit of keeping them from running in front of a car. I realize some dogs do power through. I have not had that experience. My dogs quickly learned that the beep meant they were pushing the limit. 

I think it's a matter of risk assessment. Vaccinations have discomfort, stress, risk, but that is usually far outweighed by the benefit. Cleaning teeth is beneficial but maybe we don't want to do general anesthesia just for that, but wait until something else requires it. And then there is tail docking. We do that for purely aesthetic reasons in the case of poodles. Am I wrong?

fjm: I would like to read any research regarding electronic fences. If you have a link to share I'd appreciate it. If there is something I'm missing, I really would like to know about it. I do believe in reward based training.


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## JE-UK (Mar 10, 2010)

I don't like them either. I've seen dogs blast through them (into a road) and I've seen dogs hurt when strange dogs came into the yard. Many dogs can apparently deal with them without issues, but I wouldn't ever risk it. 

Re not running out the front door, that's an easy one to train. My miniature is trained not to go out the front door unless he has a leash on, and he's rock solid. I can leave the front door open and go in and out, and he never steps over the threshold.

Some opinions:

Say No to Shock Collars
Taylor & Francis Online :: Can Aggression in Dogs Be Elicited Through the Use of Electronic Pet Containment Systems? - Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science - Volume 3, Issue 4
ScienceDirect - Journal of Veterinary Behavior: Clinical Applications and Research : Why electric shock is not behavior modification
Dog Fences: Invisible vs. Visible | Ahimsa Dog Blog


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## RBMishka (Jul 5, 2011)

Curly dog-we have an underground fence too and we love it. Our entire place is fenced with field fencing so we use the underground to keep the dogs out of our driveway and garden. Plus it enables us to leave the gate open which we do most of the time. I wouldnt have it any other way because I dont want my dogs in the driveway. The utility guys and UPS have both been yelled at because they use my driveway like a speedway. Its really long and so they FLY down it like its a hwy. We have chickens running lose, wild animals and every now and then an occassional stray dogs. Mine stay put with all that going on! Even if you put up a chainlink fence nothing is 100%-your dog could dig out or climb out or someone leave the gate open.


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