Invisible Fence

Will It Keep Your Dog Safe?

Every dog owner wants to keep his or her dog inside the backyard.  This is where invisible fences come in, since they are designed to prevent a dog from going somewhere. Most people say that these fences were invented to keep a dog on a property in a humane way.  Many think that it is a better investment than putting up a physical fence. But most dog owners still dread the moment they find their dog gone. 

There are two designs of invisible fences.  All of them make use of a wire buried along the perimeter where you want to restrict your dog to staying.  The wire acts like an antennae, attached to a transmitter producing a radio frequency.  A dog collar transports a receiver which responds to the frequency when it comes in close range of the antennae. Using electronic stimulation, the fence system responds by giving a warning tone to the dog.  If the dog ignores it an electronic correction follows.

The other kind of invisible fence system available makes us of a citronella spray. It also uses a warning tone when the dog nears the perimeter.  Regardless of which system you will use you need to train your pet to react properly on the system you will use.

It takes 30 days for the training and conditioning of your dog to the invisible fence system.  You have to spend about 45 minutes daily in working with your dog on how to react with the system.  Additional conditioning may also depend on the capability of the dog to quickly learn the system.

However not all dogs can be trained to adapt to invisible fences.  Certain dogs are not really suited for this type of fencing.  Citronella systems in fact have been proven to be more likely to fail than electronic stimulation. Dogs however can be trained to adapt to both systems, allowing them to run through the stimulation zone, and making the system virtually useless. Thus reliability of both systems is also doubtful.

Another downside of the invisible fences is that it cannot keep stray dogs and other animals away from your property.  There have been reports of dogs being assaulted and subsequently killed by stray animals while the said dogs were inside the invisible fence system.

Indeed, invisible fence systems remain popular despite these disadvantages.  In the long run, however, building a fence may be a more feasible alternative.