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Peter Stahl
01-30-2010, 4:47 PM
Anyone put one of these in and how effective is it? My daughter has 2 dogs and she said one of them can get on top of the fence (6 ft high cedar) and hang there with her front legs over the top barking at the kids next door. Being that the fence on both sides belongs to the other neighbors she can't attach anything to the top. Is there a way to go around the yard and have a spot near the back door so they can go in and out without do a full loop back? Would be a lot easier getting rid of the dogs but I don't see that happening.

Pat Germain
01-30-2010, 4:59 PM
What kind of dogs does your daughter have? It makes a difference. Beagles, for example, will usually run right past an invisible fence over and over again. Most dogs get the message very quickly.

Matt Meiser
01-30-2010, 5:09 PM
We have the Pet Safe brand which is in the $200 range plus installation, unless you want to bury hundreds of feet of wire yourself. We had about 2 acres "fenced" about 6 years ago for about $300, but wire has gotten a lot more expensive since then.

Based on a small sampling when we were looking into it, a lot depends on the dogs age too. If they are young when you get it they are more likely to obey it for life than an older dog.

Robert Parrish
01-30-2010, 5:16 PM
The problem with an invisible fence is that they will not keep other dogs off your property.

Pat Germain
01-30-2010, 5:17 PM
The problem with an invisible fence is that they will not keep other dogs off your property.

Goo point! For that you'll need a paintball gun. (Unless you're willing to bury the dogs yourself.)

Peter Stahl
01-30-2010, 5:18 PM
Pat, She has 2 rescued Pit Bulls which I don't think would harm a fly. The oldest is less than 2 years old.

Matt, Was there a reason you picked Pet Safe Brand? We would have maybe a total of 200 feet of wire to bury.

Pat Germain
01-30-2010, 5:25 PM
I'm not a pit bull expert. But based on my experience with that breed, they are very well tempered and would probably do fine with an invisible fence. I know my beagles would blow right over it every time something caught their fancy. :p

Matt Meiser
01-30-2010, 5:26 PM
Because it is readily available locally, got good reviews and could be a DIY solution. We DIY'd it at our old house around about a 1/2 acre which was a lot of work. You don't really trench in the wire, just cut a slot and slip it in, but still.

You can make a crossing by twisting the wire pairs together, for example to run up to the house but I don't remember if there were suggestions on how do do something to cross a door like you need. It might be best to run it around the front, but that's a lot more work.

You can staple the wire to a fence too, if the neighbors will allow it. Along the bottom rail of a wood fence it would be essentially invisible.

Peter Stahl
01-30-2010, 7:32 PM
Because it is readily available locally, got good reviews and could be a DIY solution. We DIY'd it at our old house around about a 1/2 acre which was a lot of work. You don't really trench in the wire, just cut a slot and slip it in, but still.

You can make a crossing by twisting the wire pairs together, for example to run up to the house but I don't remember if there were suggestions on how do do something to cross a door like you need. It might be best to run it around the front, but that's a lot more work.

You can staple the wire to a fence too, if the neighbors will allow it. Along the bottom rail of a wood fence it would be essentially invisible.

Matt, I found a review site and they liked the PetSafe plus the company (Radio Systems Corp.) that owns Petsafe now owns Invisible Fence Co. Also looks like PetCo sells Petsafe so being able to get it locally is a plus. I also like your idea of attaching it to the fence which would be a good option being the ground is frozen right now.

Peter Stahl
01-30-2010, 7:36 PM
I'm not a pit bull expert. But based on my experience with that breed, they are very well tempered and would probably do fine with an invisible fence. I know my beagles would blow right over it every time something caught their fancy. :p

It's a shame they get bad reputation because people fight them. These 2 would sit on your lap and lick your face if you let them. The male is 90 lbs. and still growing.

Paul Ryan
01-30-2010, 7:47 PM
Since you dont have much area to worry about. Pet safe also sells a wireless fence. You dont have to bury any wire. It runs about $270, that is what I have been using for 3 years. It was well worth it. What I like best about it is when we go to lake in the summer, I just bring it along and plug it in there. The dog hears the beep on the collar once and stays clear of the boundry. It took my lab about a total of 1 hours to figure out what was going on the 1st time I plugged it in. But he had been trained on an electric collar since he was about 8 months old.

Peter Stahl
01-30-2010, 7:58 PM
Since you dont have much area to worry about. Pet safe also sells a wireless fence. You dont have to bury any wire. It runs about $270, that is what I have been using for 3 years. It was well worth it. What I like best about it is when we go to lake in the summer, I just bring it along and plug it in there. The dog hears the beep on the collar once and stays clear of the boundry. It took my lab about a total of 1 hours to figure out what was going on the 1st time I plugged it in. But he had been trained on an electric collar since he was about 8 months old.

Wireless won't work, she needs it to keep them off the fence.

Anthony Scira
01-30-2010, 8:35 PM
We just bought the Pet Safe brand also. Dogs kept digging around the fence and barking. I installed the wire right on the fence with a insulated staple gun.

Dogs don't go up to the fence anymore. Works great.

Mike Cutler
01-30-2010, 9:29 PM
Peter

if you are only needing 200 feet of wire, that's not a very big area. I would wonder if the minimum area would be enough.

Another alternative is line of sight trandsducers . This would be transponders that would be at the corners of the yard that detect the cllar on a narrow beam between any two posts


I don't know about New Jersey, but here in CT ( my town at least), If I get a permit to put up a stockade fence in my yard. the most aesthetic side has to face the neighbors and it is theirs to "decorate". In other words, I can't control the side of the fence that faces their property.
The fence wire could be buried right at the fence.

Paul Ryan
01-30-2010, 9:56 PM
Wireless won't work, she needs it to keep them off the fence.

You can adjust the containment area with the wireless so the dogs couldn't even get to the fence. That is the beauty of it, you can adjust the size to what ever you need.

Matt Meiser
01-30-2010, 10:01 PM
The wireless one just basically does a circle though, right?

Bryan Morgan
01-31-2010, 12:46 AM
Depends on what kind of dogs you have and how smart they are. I have a border collie and an australian shepherd and those collars don't work with them. They are smart enough to know not to mess around when the collar is on but as soon as you take it off they do whatever it is you are trying to prevent them from doing (bark control collar, fence, etc). I've been watching the dog whisperer and using those methods and it actually works pretty well. :)

Aaron Hastings
01-31-2010, 1:34 AM
We have 2 hunting dogs, one 50 lbs, one 85 pounds. Most times they wouldn't cross the boundary. But if they really wanted to chase something, they could care less about the shock. We could never rely on it; and other animals could come in. We went back to a real fence. I suppose our smaller dog could clear it, but never has.

Rich Stewart
01-31-2010, 3:08 AM
Reminds me of the story about the lady who called Invisible Fence and asked, "Will it keep skunks out of my yard?" The guy says, "Yeah, if you can get them to wear the collar."

Matt Meiser
01-31-2010, 9:15 AM
All the neighborhood cats, rabbits, and dogs have learned where our dogs border is and how far they need to run to safety. The little Lhasa Apso from across the street will come about 5' from where he can go and bark at him for a 1/2 hour. When I was installing my parents' cabinets, my mom came to our house to pick my daughter up when she got off the bus. She took the dog with her and let him out on the wrong side of the fence. He was really confused and upset!

We've had him since he was about 6 months old and he's had the collar his whole life. Even without the collar he won't just run across the border but will eventually end up outside, probably without realizing. I usually notice the battery is low because I see him sniffing around the yard further than normal.

Paul Ryan
01-31-2010, 9:34 AM
Depends on what kind of dogs you have and how smart they are. I have a border collie and an australian shepherd and those collars don't work with them. They are smart enough to know not to mess around when the collar is on but as soon as you take it off they do whatever it is you are trying to prevent them from doing (bark control collar, fence, etc). I've been watching the dog whisperer and using those methods and it actually works pretty well. :)


Bryan,

My brother has a border collie and has not trouble using the collar with the dog. His dog is the same as all others. After a while they dont even realize when the collar is on or not. 99% of the time the collar is on the dog. But he goes out every no and then with out it and still behaves the boundries.

As far as dogs chasing through the fence it has never been a problem for us. You just have to turn the collar up. We have all heard stories about how persistant male dogs can be when a female is around and in heat. My lab still has his package, and wont cross the broundry no matter what. My neighbors had a spring spaniel that went into heat last fall. My dog still would not cross the boundry to get to her. Now it didnt' prevent her from comming into his area.

Yes the wireless is a circle. The 2 draw backs are if you need a large area, over 1/2 acre you need 2 units (double the $$) and it is only a circle. So if you want the dog to be able to run every were and not just a circle then it is not the right thing. One unit is just enough for me. I have 1/2 acre of yard and the rest is woods and ravin. So it keeps the dog out of the woods except in places were he can just get to the edge were he does his business.

Matt Meiser
01-31-2010, 10:00 AM
One other question on the wireless--what happens when the power goes out? With wired, you lose the "fence". Does the dog get shocked with the wireless because the "circle of trust" is gone?

I've wondering about getting the wireless for over at my parents' house.

Jim Kirkpatrick
01-31-2010, 10:18 AM
Peter, We have a Jack Russell that could be your avatar's twin. We have a Dogwatch brand fence and I highly recommend it. We have a full 2 acres fenced in. It only took her one hit to be fully trained. She doesn't associate the collar with the correction so she doesn't even need to wear it. She just knows the area beyond the fence line as the "bad place". I've seen her chase squirrels and rabbits full speed to the fence then puts on the brakes when she reaches it. She won't even venture out for her favorite thing, the tennis ball. She barks at it and makes you get it. When she does wear the collar it's only set at level 2 (out of 5). Feels like a hard static shock.

I ride a bicycle and on one of my favorite routes there are 2 rottweilers that would love to get a piece of me but never cross the line. You can see a path worn in the field where the fence line is. I think it would work on pit bulls too.

PS We had it installed, it cost us $1k for 2 acres and it's completely seamless. By contrast, at out old house, we had a chain link fence which cost us over $3k, it only was the back yard and it was butt ugly.

Al Willits
01-31-2010, 10:52 AM
Many years back the wife used to be a service manager for the Invisible Fence System, she says they had about a 2% failure rate when they installed the fence, not so when customers did the DIY thing.

She mentioned Akita's were one breed the the fence had trouble with.

Trainning the dog is the hardest, maybe have a pro install and train your system.

Al

Michael Gibbons
01-31-2010, 11:44 AM
I had one installed about 5 years ago and the only real problem I had is when I plowed up some ground because I forgot where the actual wire was so I had to fix it. I had a company come out and install it. Cost $1,000. Worth every penny. He laid wire around 3.5 acres and hooked it all up. Used a neat trenching machine- digs the slot, lays and pushes the wire in then recovers the trench. The system is made by Innotek. the collar stays on at all times because the dog is outside at all times except when really frosty out like it has been this weekend- then we let him in at night.

Matt Meiser
01-31-2010, 12:22 PM
I did the same thing. Actually we had 2 problems requiring repairs. First was digging through it doing some drainage work. A new piece of wire and 2 waterproof wire nuts fixed that. The second was when the driveway turned to mush where it ran through and the conduit they put it in floated to the surface.

At the old house I had to cross an asphalt drive. I just bought a fiber blade for my CS and cut a kerf all the way across which was as easy as cutting plywood. Drop the wire in and fill with sealant. The next year when we had the drive sealed they just resealed that like any other crack. 7-1/2 years later it still looks good driving by at least.

Paul Ryan
01-31-2010, 12:45 PM
One other question on the wireless--what happens when the power goes out? With wired, you lose the "fence". Does the dog get shocked with the wireless because the "circle of trust" is gone?

I've wondering about getting the wireless for over at my parents' house.

I am not sure I have never lost the power while the dog is on it. Seems to me he would get shocked, but I thought they addressed that. I know it has a 20sec limit on stimulus. I can go a couple of weeks now with out putting the collar on the dog he still obeys. All I know is he never tests the limit. If the power were to go out and he got shocked he would get over it, and forget what happend 15 minutes latter. I think it is a great product because it works excellent and takes 2 minutes to install.

Bryan Morgan
01-31-2010, 1:42 PM
Bryan,

My brother has a border collie and has not trouble using the collar with the dog. His dog is the same as all others. After a while they dont even realize when the collar is on or not. 99% of the time the collar is on the dog. But he goes out every no and then with out it and still behaves the boundries.

Is this the one with the little shock probes on it? I was told not to leave it on the dogs for more than a couple days because it would mess up their skin or something...

One of my dogs responds to the shocks pretty well while the other doesn't seem to care but doesn't like the citrus sprayers at all.

Lee Schierer
01-31-2010, 1:44 PM
I bought an invisible fence from Innotek and installed it my self. It took less than 3 hours to fence in my 1 acre. If you put the fence in in the spring before the grass grow, you can just staple it to the ground and let the grass grow over it. I have a rechargeable collar and it has worked reliably since we learned only to charge the collars when they were asking to be charged not every night. It has adjustable stimulation levels and our dog and my daughters dog when it visits rarely gets zapped. They hear the beep and immediately retreat. I feel confident that my Brittany will not cross the fence while wearing the collar no matter what. Our fence is set on the lowest level of nine levels that actually zap. Even with the training for the fence, I can put my dog at heel with the fence turned off or the collar off and walk him through the secret gate (one specific place) into the back field, yet he won't go on his own when left unattended and won't cross other areas of the fence even if called.

Let me say this however. NO DOG will stay inside the fence unless it is properly trained. Training isn't a five minute job after you poke all the flags in the ground and let the dog get zapped a few times It takes several weeks to do it right and you have to observe that the dog is ready to be on their own before letting them be on their own. Some learn much faster than others. Dogs that bolt through the fence have not been properly trained. Innotek has a great step by step training video with their product.

With regard to keeping other dogs out, it is true that the electronic fence will not. But you have a lot more leverage with the folks that let their dogs roam if yours doesn't and won't. Most areas have laws that can be enforced about dogs roaming on their own. They are very effective with your electronic fence.

Matt Meiser
01-31-2010, 1:50 PM
We've had the collar with the probes on ours 7 solid years-no skin problems. He gets scared when you take it off. Bath time!

Paul Ryan
01-31-2010, 3:03 PM
Is this the one with the little shock probes on it? I was told not to leave it on the dogs for more than a couple days because it would mess up their skin or something...

One of my dogs responds to the shocks pretty well while the other doesn't seem to care but doesn't like the citrus sprayers at all.

The collar he has came with 2 sets of prongs. On a border collie you need the longer of the 2 due to long hair. My lab takes the short prongs due to short hair. Either way the collars come off every night when they go to sleep. Both dogs are allowed and spend considerable time in the house. I have hunted with my lab since he was 9 months old so he was well aware of what elctricity feels like. So it took him one time to get zaped by the fence and associtate that with the beep. I dont think it is good for the dogs skin if you leave the collar on 24/7. My vets says sores and leasions can occur where the prong contacts the skin. I also shut my fence down every night to save electricity. I guess if you left the collar on 24/7 and then took it off. The dog would know something is up. My dog will only cross the boundry for one thing, if I tell him too. He trusts me enough that he wont get zapped. If I take the collar off him and leave him roam on his own he wont even test it, not for squirls, rabits, trukeys, deer, and female dogs. But if I tell him to come on, he will follow. I even tested him early on with the collar on. He still followed. But I have only done that once so now he knows if I say go it is ok.

Dave Ogren
01-31-2010, 6:09 PM
There is a lot of difference in the quality of the brands available. Unfortunitally you get what you pay for.
There is a unit coming out soon that operates off a gps system.
No wires to bury. You can just walk the perimeter and when you get to a corner push a button and keep moving any size of shape up to a few miles in diameter.
When to dog breaks out of the area he is shocked (adjustable).
He will be shown on the screen as a dot the whole time, so you will always know where he is.
This unit is going to cost about $500.00 and will handle several dogs, you just need an additional collar for each one. at a cost of about $125.00 each.
Perfect if you travel a lot of have a motor home etc.

Dave

Bob Chapman
01-31-2010, 9:15 PM
We have 3 dogs, two Golden retrievers and a Lab/Bassett mix. We had a “Dog Watch” system installed at one house and I installed a “Pet Safe” system at another. Both systems contain all of our dogs under most circumstances.
Since your post says that your daughter’s dogs are already contained by her fence or that of her neighbor’s, the only issue is keeping the dogs off of the fences. A fence wire should do the trick.
Talk to the neighbors, I think the wire could be easily attached to the fences without damaging them. This would be much easier than burying them.
Check out the systems on line and read the installation manuals before you buy.

Dave Schreib
01-31-2010, 9:36 PM
Like a previous poster said, you can just lay the wire on the ground and let the grass grow up over it. If necessary, you can stake it down in a few places or put a few rocks over the wire. I have done this in 3 houses now and probably saved $750 each time I did it. It's been cut a few times (neighbor with a backhoe, me with a lawnmower once) but since the wire and the break are not buried, they are easy to find and fix.

Peter Stahl
01-31-2010, 10:21 PM
A lot of great info here and sounds like the Pet Safe system might be the way to go. We'll definitely do it ourselves. She had them get out the day before I posted this and didn't know it until the day after. Across the back is just 6 ft. high wire and the female is the oldest and the leader of this band of idiots. I don't think the male would have made a break, he's very content but he is a follower. She can't go any where without him following close behind. Both are fixed so at least she won't have to worry about that.

Lee Schierer
02-01-2010, 7:59 AM
We've had the collar with the probes on ours 7 solid years-no skin problems. He gets scared when you take it off. Bath time!

Matt, Our Innotek collars are 100% water proof, so he would never see it coming! :D

Gene E Miller
02-02-2010, 8:08 AM
Greetings & Salutations,

I have a Blue Healer and a Terrier that I have built a nice dog run fully covered under a lean-to on the side of my Shop Building.

During the day I let both dogs out and have had very good luck with the Petsafe Wireless dog Collar system.

I have a transmitter box inside my shop building that I can adjust the range on. Then each dog has a collar that contains a receiver that when approching the border of the containment area will start to beep. If the dog continues it will then provide an electric shock for a short period.

When I first got it I just put the collars on and leash led the dogs to the edge and as they started to go over the boundry and I knew that they were getting shocked I would say "NO" and pull them back to the safe area.

It only took my Blue Healer one day to learn the boundries and the terrier just a few but now all I have to do is put those collars on when I let them out of a morning and as long as the batteries are good I never worry about them getting away.

I am right on a state highway that does have some traffic at times and these dogs never ventur near it.

I also never have to worry about anyone getting too close to my shop as if they get inside the collar boundries it would be bad news for them. LOL

BTW I also have "Beware of Dog" signs on my property.

I have used his system now for about 6 yrs and all I do is replace the collar batteries the first of every month at the same time I frontline and heart worm them so it makes it easy.

Dave Ogren
02-02-2010, 11:48 AM
Gene,

Many years ago in the country in Illinois I put up similar signs, not because the dog was unfriendly, I just did not want anybody who didn't know me to be wandering on to my acreage.

I found out from a lawyer later that that is an indication that I was harboring a known danger. Any biting or legal confrontation would end up automatically in my losing.

Now in N.C. I have learned the same thing. At least in Buncombe county. Here, the correct way is to post keep out signs every so many feet. I don't recall if it is 50' or 100' but I did not because it would have taken dozens of signs.

Check your local ordinances, you sure don't want to stack the deck against you.

Good Luck,

Dave