Off Topic Wireless Dog Fence

JasonM wrote:
I have the petsafe wireless model and it works great. I have a 65 lb basset hound and he doesn't even have to wear the collar anymore. The settings are 1 through 6 and number 4 seems to give him enough of a jolt that he lets out a pretty good yelp. Numbers 1 through 3 didn't seem to phase him. The first day he did walk right through the boundary at about 6 in the morning. It sounded like a house alarm going off. The wireless collar will keep shocking for thirty seconds outside of the boundary. It didn't take me more than 10 seconds to hear him howling in the front yard. The wireless works on the idea of the transmitter putting out a circular pattern. I have placed the transmitter in the center of my house and then adjusted the out edge of the circle to just touch my property line. It does not give you the exact layout of your property like the in ground systems. I get all of my batteries for the collar at pet smart. I think lowes is even selling the wireless unit now.
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I think with the average house lot, the wireless is the better way to go. I would have gone that route if it weren't for the odd shape that i wanted for the containment. With the inground system, a dog can blast through and once he is out, he is out. With the wireless, the corrections continue until he returns or until it times out. I think most dogs will return if they were trained properly with the system.

I just ordered a collar for our second dog, and i see they changed the batteries from the disk shaped calculator batteries to a battery module. However, it appears these modules will be cheaper (I was quoted 9.99 for 2 modules). They also seal better. My two year old Brit loves the water, and it is a safe bet the pup will like it too. It looks like they are changing most of their collars to accept the module.
 
We've got an invisible fence and a Boston Terrier. He's a great pet and a wonderful companion, we're very attached to him. We bought the house and the fence came with it but it had been broken when we were planting stuff. So we had it fixed when we got the dog and added a couple of garden areas to the NO ZONE. Now Bostons are a very determined breed of dog, but having been trained at an early age he won't go near the fence. Though we have noticed that he's been pushing the envelope lately he has not gone through yet. We play ball and toss a frisbee to him and when the ball and frisbee go into the NO ZONE he won't chase it, and he won't try to go through when we're on the other side. He will sit or lay on the lawn near it until we return from the no zone, but never has tried to go through.
 
Here is a different take on the "fence" idea. Why not spend the time and effort to teach/train you dog it's boundaries? Dogs love to work and learn and the time it takes will create a bond with your dog you could never imagine.

I have 3 dogs, two of which are German Shepherds. As my neighbors walk by my front yard with their dogs, they remark how well trained they are. They actually ask if I have a fence. Believe me it didn't happen overnight.

In the back yard, which is fenced in, squirrel hunting is an everyday game. However, in the front yard and on walks, a squirrel can cross my dog's path, no more than 20 ft. in front, and while they may be interested, they know NOT to chase them. If I throw a Frisbee for them that goes into the street, they'll stop at the road and wait for ME to go get it.

With all of that being said, I came across a problem that required me to use the Innotek radio remote collars - DEER!!!! I spent a year doing everything else, but to no avail. After 4 weeks, I was able to "curb" the desire to chase deer. It's an ongoing process though.

I'm certainly not better than any other dog owners on this site, but, if you have the time and desire, it's an alternative worth considering.

Dale
 
dsleader wrote:
Here is a different take on the "fence" idea. Why not spend the time and effort to teach/train you dog it's boundaries? Dogs love to work and learn and the time it takes will create a bond with your dog you could never imagine.

I have 3 dogs, two of which are German Shepherds. As my neighbors walk by my front yard with their dogs, they remark how well trained they are. They actually ask if I have a fence. Believe me it didn't happen overnight.

In the back yard, which is fenced in, squirrel hunting is an everyday game. However, in the front yard and on walks, a squirrel can cross my dog's path, no more than 20 ft. in front, and while they may be interested, they know NOT to chase them. If I throw a Frisbee for them that goes into the street, they'll stop at the road and wait for ME to go get it.

With all of that being said, I came across a problem that required me to use the Innotek radio remote collars - DEER!!!! I spent a year doing everything else, but to no avail. After 4 weeks, I was able to "curb" the desire to chase deer. It's an ongoing process though.

I'm certainly not better than any other dog owners on this site, but, if you have the time and desire, it's an alternative worth considering.

Dale
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Well Dale, by your own admission it seems that even you had to resort to a training collar and a fenced back yard for at least some of the training.:p

Seriously though. You are a better dog trainer than me. My dogs have all been trained fairly well (but not as well as yours). No matter how well a dog is trained, he is still a dog. A fence is just another safety factor. Even you have a fenced back yard. I’d never recommend someone rely on training alone as an alternative to a fence. Dogs like to run and play. On some days my dog sometimes spends a couple hours outside running and playing. That is where the fence earns its price.

I had a dog when I bought the invisible fence, but I didn't buy it for him. I bought the invisible fence after moving to the farm. With all that extra space, and the year of unconditional love we received from our old dog, I figured I’d give something back and was considering adopting a dog from American Brittany Rescue. Most of those dogs are adults that already have bad habits. It would be foolish to adopt a stray without some kind of containment. Besides, ABR requires a fence, and an invisible fence is acceptable to them for some dogs. Anyway, that didn’t pan out (wife never liked the idea all that much anyway), and eventually my old dog died. I never even bothered installing it to that point. Two years ago, I got another Brittany from a reputable breeder in central PA. After about 6 months of training without a fence, I figured I have it, why not use it. Up until then, we never let the dog outside unattended. Now we can. This dog loves to run, and now he can do it whenever he wants, no matter what we are doing. He loves to chase the squirrels and birds, and especially likes to harass the cat and point at the rooster. Also, I spend a lot of time outside at the farm, and he follows me out. And I don’t have to worry about him. When he is out by himself, we do check up on him often, but like I said, the fence is just a safety factor. Like I said, no matter how well a dog is trained, it is still a dog. Training is not 100 percent foolproof.

It would be interesting to have a discussion about dog training, but we probably shouldn’t.
 
Dave you are absolutely correct. My dogs are not allowed out front unless I'm out there with them. I've made it into a "special place" where they know they must behave in a certain way. So by no means do I have the "answer", just an alternative that I think dogs would prefer. (hey, now I'm reading dog's minds)

Peace of mind is priceless, and according to all of the "Pet Fence Signs" in my neighborhood, a lot of people are paying for it. I live in a very dog-friendly neighborhood, where many people are out walking their dogs on a daily basis. In fact, you can tell what time it is based on who is walking by the house. But, I never see those "dog fence people" walking their dogs. Why? IMHO because every time they leave their dog outside, they count it as exercise.

That would save me my two 45 minute walks each day, supplemented by 2 or 3 20 minute frisbee/ball sessions in the back yard. All that and they still want to play! Go figure.

In fact, one of the few times I can completely tire my dogs out are when I take one of them with me fishing for the day. It's a win/win situation.

D
 
dsleader wrote:
Dave you are absolutely correct. My dogs are not allowed out front unless I'm out there with them. I've made it into a "special place" where they know they must behave in a certain way. So by no means do I have the "answer", just an alternative that I think dogs would prefer. (hey, now I'm reading dog's minds)

Peace of mind is priceless, and according to all of the "Pet Fence Signs" in my neighborhood, a lot of people are paying for it. I live in a very dog-friendly neighborhood, where many people are out walking their dogs on a daily basis. In fact, you can tell what time it is based on who is walking by the house. But, I never see those "dog fence people" walking their dogs. Why? IMHO because every time they leave their dog outside, they count it as exercise.

That would save me my two 45 minute walks each day, supplemented by 2 or 3 20 minute frisbee/ball sessions in the back yard. All that and they still want to play! Go figure.

In fact, one of the few times I can completely tire my dogs out are when I take one of them with me fishing for the day. It's a win/win situation.

D
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I had already assumed that you didn't leave them out front unattended, and you are right about dogs loving the attention. I'm just afraid of that darn road out front. A neighbors black lab got nailed this past winter because their daughter was too lazy to walk the 10 or 12 steps to their dog run at about 4:00 in the morning. She just opened the door and let her out.

You also have a great point about people relying on the fence too much to do the excercizing and training. I think that is very common.
 
This has been a very interesting post!
While this will probably bring the wrath of Scoobiedo down on me, I'll mention it, again anyway.............. and it is only MY opinion, learned the very hard way, after spending the past 16 years as a dog breeder and trainer.
"Dogs are dogs", very true. But, "Dog A" is totally different than "Dog B", when it comes to training. A "hunting class", canine is going to take a LOT more obedience training, for the "stay, boundaries, digging and roaming", issues than say a Pekingese will. HOW LONG, a particular breed has been domesticated by man, is a very real factor, also.
Our Cairn and Cestie Terriers, both have a 150 year history of being excellent ground hunting dogs. They hunt in packs and as a "team", when used for their intended purpose. Because they have only been bred as "family pets", since their fame rose so highly after "the Wizard of Oz" came out, they STILL have a tremendous "hunting instinct gene", that must be worked with constantly, to train a Cairn Terrier to the level you wish it trained.
Still, as we tell every adoptive family, that gets a puppy from us.............. "NEVER allow your dog, off leash, unless in an enclosed/fenched area, if there are roads and/or, traffic nearby!"
You can teach a Cairn, to send your email for you................ they're extrememly intelligent dogs. BUT, they still have that "hunter's instinct" and if they see a squirrel, rabbit, etc. across a busy highway........ no matter how much you've trained them to come to you when called or given the command to "stay", 9 times out of 10, that Cairn is going to bolt and not listen to you, after that rabbit or, whatever it's seen.
You can train and teach a dog to do just about anything, you wish it to do, but only within limits. "Instinct" plays a tremendously huge role in just how much, or how little, your dog will obey you.
Some may say, that "Well, when I tell MY DOG, not to chase a rabbit, IT WON'T and it will stay right with me!" Well, that's usually true............................if your dog is a Chihuahua or a Miniature Poodle! I wouldn't brag about that claim, though, if my dog was a Cairn,Pointer or Lab! I'm sorry, this post is way to long, but I've seen so MANY beautiful and loyal family members, underneath the wheels of a car, all because someone "thought" they'd "trained out" their dog's naturally born instincts!
 
Maurice wrote:
Well last night I was sitting here wasting more time reading about dog fences while my wife carried in the groceries and when she finished, she yelped. Here while the garage door and kitchen -garage door were open, our neighbors cat leaked in and was eating our cats food. The nerve!

So I had to get up and shoo it outside...I don't think they feed that cat...it was glued to the bowl. Had to pick it up and toss it out. Landed on its feet too.

We're back to normal around here....she's bringin' home the bacon and I am keeping the stray felines out of the house. :lol:

Now, what were we talkin about....oh, dog fences. The folks who lived here before me had one, I know this because everytime I put a shovel in the ground I come up with a black wire. Thats all I know on the subject.
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My cat busted down the sliding screen door last month...leveled it...flat out on the deck..chased an intruding cat across the street and beat its @$$...I tightened the slider considerably since then. There is another cats that comes by..must be a female though because he sounds like he has other intentions for that one. I grew up with 5 dogs...they weren't whiney like the cat...if they wanted something you knew it.

I jacked the thread with a cat tale too..feel better Mo?
 
Flybinder, what you are saying, while I understand it from a logical and unprofessional standpoint, goes against what I have gleaned from my own trainer as well as Cesar Millan - that dogs should be treated in this order:

1) Animal
2) Dog
3) Breed
4) Pet

I understand that dogs are bred for certain "jobs", but the common denominator for all breeds is that they are a dog. And dogs seek and respond to leadership, i.e. a pack leader.

If you establish yourself as a pack leader, they will follow. Not always, but most of the time. That's good enough for me. I want my dogs to be dogs, but to respect me as their leader.

I'm definitely interested in your opinion and experience, since mine is only an opinion based on limited experience.

D
 
my lab knew his boundries after 2 days of moving here. Rocky never goes near the road unless he's at my side..All my dogs never needed a leash or a fence, just depends on how long you work with them and how much they are willing to learn.....HEY !!! WE ARE GETTIN RAIN !!!!YAHOO>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
 
Our dog is sort of spoiled, we live in a wooded project, no traffic, all folks love dogs, we built the house with low windows so he can look out of nearly all of them, we have a dog door in a window and one in the basement door, he can go in and out as he pleases, I just need a fence of some sort so he doesn't bother the neighbors, they don't mind but sometimes he causes a lot of barking. He hasn't run away yet except once to a neighbors house who has six dogs. Looks like wireless may be the best for us?
 
flybinder wrote:
This has been a very interesting post!
While this will probably bring the wrath of Scoobiedo down on me, I'll mention it, again anyway.............. and it is only MY opinion, learned the very hard way, after spending the past 16 years as a dog breeder and trainer.
"Dogs are dogs", very true. But, "Dog A" is totally different than "Dog B", when it comes to training. A "hunting class", canine is going to take a LOT more obedience training, for the "stay, boundaries, digging and roaming", issues than say a Pekingese will. HOW LONG, a particular breed has been domesticated by man, is a very real factor, also.
Our Cairn and Cestie Terriers, both have a 150 year history of being excellent ground hunting dogs. They hunt in packs and as a "team", when used for their intended purpose. Because they have only been bred as "family pets", since their fame rose so highly after "the Wizard of Oz" came out, they STILL have a tremendous "hunting instinct gene", that must be worked with constantly, to train a Cairn Terrier to the level you wish it trained.
Still, as we tell every adoptive family, that gets a puppy from us.............. "NEVER allow your dog, off leash, unless in an enclosed/fenched area, if there are roads and/or, traffic nearby!"
You can teach a Cairn, to send your email for you................ they're extrememly intelligent dogs. BUT, they still have that "hunter's instinct" and if they see a squirrel, rabbit, etc. across a busy highway........ no matter how much you've trained them to come to you when called or given the command to "stay", 9 times out of 10, that Cairn is going to bolt and not listen to you, after that rabbit or, whatever it's seen.
You can train and teach a dog to do just about anything, you wish it to do, but only within limits. "Instinct" plays a tremendously huge role in just how much, or how little, your dog will obey you.
Some may say, that "Well, when I tell MY DOG, not to chase a rabbit, IT WON'T and it will stay right with me!" Well, that's usually true............................if your dog is a Chihuahua or a Miniature Poodle! I wouldn't brag about that claim, though, if my dog was a Cairn,Pointer or Lab! I'm sorry, this post is way to long, but I've seen so MANY beautiful and loyal family members, underneath the wheels of a car, all because someone "thought" they'd "trained out" their dog's naturally born instincts!
Click to expand...

Flybinder, I agree with you for the most part, except weren't Cairn Terriers a result of crossing a wire haired terrier with a rat? (joking)

Seriously, I was actually going to say the same things as you, but decided not to for a couple reasons. Mainly, I am not a professional breeder or trainer and I haven't owned many dogs. Therefore I am not going to argue with someone on dog training. As a breeder, I'm sure you already know about the things i am about to add, but I figured I'd add them to the discussion for anyone else who might be interested.

I agree with what you are saying about it depends on the breed and even the individual dog. I would add that the sex of the dog is a factor as well as if the dog is intact or fixed. An intact male bird dog is going to be harder to train boundaries than a female of the same breed.

From my limited experience, you are absolutely right in what works for one dog doesn't necessarily work with another. this is even true within the same breed and sex.

And finally dog training is more about training the dog owner than it is training the dog.

My first Brittany was a very dominant dog. What I found interesting is when I had him in the field, or anywhere outside of his familiar surroundings he listened extremely well. It actually came natural. He made me proud. On the other hand, around the house in his comfort zone, he didn't listen nearly as well. We butted heads fairly regularly. Man could he be stubborn. I think the reason he listened well in the field is that Brittanies tend to be hesitant by nature which is probably the case for most if not all pointing breeds. They are bred for that hesitation. Anything new, and they are hesitant. When his surroundings were unfamiliar, he paid more attention to the big boss (me). It is like he looked to me more for guidance. My two year old Brittany is more submissive and listens to me fairly well in the field and around the house. He doesn't listen so well to the wife, but he does listen to me. The only problem is when I get too forceful (which was necessary with my first Brittany) he freezes up. He'll be 10 feet away and I call him and he just stands there, which of course ticks me off, so I get more stern with my voice. Then he won't budge, and I have to go get him. It is strange, but I have to treat this dog differently from the first one. With this one, It's like I have to watch so I don't hurt his feelings. :roll: He is a real woos. With the first one, I had to use a stern voice to let him know who was boss, but with this one, he freezes up. At least he doesn't run off when i call him. Now this new pup that I have looks like he is going to be very dominant. At 3 months, he is already trying to dominate the 2 year old dog. They are both male, but the 2 year old is fixed. They do get along well. One thing i have in my favor is this pup appears to be very smart and is a fast learner. In a weeks time he has learned his name, come, sit, and lie down. My wife thinks he is going to be even better than number 2.
 
Flbinder, I more or less agree with everything you've said. When our dog is out and about it gets it's pincher collar, he knows it is a special outing and he must obey.Does he always do what I want him to? No.. he's still a dog. But he is tranied to listen to me and sit when I ask and he does. He never jumps on kids though I can't always say he doesn't jump on adults. He's very good with kids , but he always knows I'm in charge of the situation too.
He love to run, but he's never off the leash at the park. If he's to run then he runs when I say we run and I run by his side.
The invisible fence keeps him in the yard, he's not allowed out fornt unless he's on a leash, and he only goes on the driveway, yet this is not something he was tranied to do. He and I are always learning, and I never lose sight of the fact that he's a dog and that they are always looking for leadership.
 
Will try again
 
He just loves to hassle this empty two litre pop bottle, try it with your dog. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mC2oP8oByts
 
LJ, my employer blocks youtube, but i know what you are talking about. My dogs have all loved to play with any kind of plastic bottle. anything from a small pop bottle up to the large hard plastic gallon juice bottles. the bigger the better, because if they can't get their mouth around it, the bat it around trying. It keeps them entertained for hours. But i have to rinse them out first, because the first thing the do is chew the lid off, and any drops left inside end up in the carpet. Anytime I am drinking a beverage from a bottle, they want it. Except for beer, in which case the two year old wants the beer.
 
You are fight Dave, I guess they like the size bottle that they just can't quite get their mouth around, great excercise toy for your dogs.
 
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