Dog lovers, i need advice:)

larry merlau

Member
Messages
18,741
Location
Delton, Michigan
charlie has decide to tour the neighborhood more than he should, when out for the potty breaks.. so i am looking at gettin either a wireless fence system or the wired kind but i dont want to do this twice i want the right stuff done once.. i have done some research and found this system that looks like it would be agood fit for my property.. i kinda want himn to have a little weed room for his duties he tries to go in the weeds part of the time.. LINK

so anyone with experience on a large dog that can run and jump let me know your thoughts, and charlie says thanks to those who offer any help in this he doesnt want to be tied up all the time:)
 
I've had mixed luck with the invisible fence stuff, really depend on the dog. Highly focused dogs like border collies tend to run through them when they see something they like on the other side (schnauzers have the same issue... "Rabbit!!!!!" And nothing else matters until they've lost sight) and can then get stuck on the outside. The one you limited to is a bit different than that as it doesn't have the 'exclusion zone' like the buried wire kind but some dogs can still charge it then get stuck in the owwey zone and get confused/stuck which is really sad looking (frozen getting shocked with a confused look). I know of at least one dog that would intentionally hang out in the warning beep zone until it drained the collar battery and then wander out. Having said that I have a friend who has 2 acres wirelessly fenced and his dog handles it perfectly and now won't cross it even when the collar is dead.

I don't have a specific product recommendation but it seems that the key to success is training and spending a good bit of time getting them used to the fence. They have to understand that the beep beep means go back. Some visual aids like white flags seem to help some dogs figure out where the border is and where to hear back. It sounds a little mean but I think one of the mistakes a lot of people make is setting the shock to low to start. It kind of has to be a little traumatic to set the idea that the border is BAD.

Good luck and hope it works. My back yard is a little doggie Alcatraz with buried chicken wire along the border to stop digging and a fairly tall cedar fence with strategically placed top wires to prevent jumping. My one dog really wants to come find me when I'm at work.

Add: if you go the wireless route make sure it has sufficient battery to last through a power outage if you aren't at the house. Otherwise you'll come back to a very traumatized and sad puppy. You can buy a decent UPS to plug it into it need be for not to much.
 
Last edited:
yeah i was thinking that charlie would be one of those that would take the lick to go ahead and go threw it if he wanted.. he seems to be like my better half a little bull headed:) once you tell them no its a challenge to see how far they can go before its to far:)
 
I can only attest to the wired variety so this will be of little help. I assume you have a large open area and no current fence or wall to mount to(?). LOML's lab mix was part jumping jack. A 6 foot block wall was of no consequence if she wanted to go for an unauthorized stroll. She did have to hit the top of the wall to get over so I ran a "1-acre" system around her little suburban back yard. Snickers (the dog) only got hit once, that was enough for her. After that I unplugged the unit and never had to use it again.

The reason for my story is to suggest that someone else in your area who has had their dog already "trained" to avoid the fence might lend you their unit or rent it cheap. If there is no fence or clear visible border, the dog will have a tough time learning where the "line" is. The wireless fences rely on repeated "reminders" to keep the dog in check. If there is a clearly defined border, the dog will learn quickly and the active unit becomes unnecessary in my experience.
 
I've not used the invisible fences, but based on what friends who've used them have told me, Ryan's right about the results can vary, and training seems to play a big part of success.

... LOML's lab mix was part jumping jack. A 6 foot block wall was of no consequence if she wanted to go for an unauthorized stroll. She did have to hit the top of the wall to get over so I ran a "1-acre" system around her little suburban back yard. Snickers (the dog) only got hit once, that was enough for her. After that I unplugged the unit and never had to use it again...

Years ago I had a large black wall-jumper who also thought nothing of a 6-foot cinder block wall. I ran a single strand of electrified wire about 6" above the top course of blocks to keep him in the yard. That worked until he discovered he could touch the wire as long as his feet weren't touching the ground at the same time. He'd jump on the wall and land on his belly, then kick off with his hind legs to land on the other side of the wall.
 
I've had mixed luck with the invisible fence stuff, really depend on the dog. Highly focused dogs like border collies tend to run through them when they see something they like on the other side (schnauzers have the same issue... "Rabbit!!!!!" And nothing else matters until they've lost sight)...

I've had the Invisible Fence® surrounding about an acre of my lot for about six years, and after subjecting the dog (a Standard Schnauzer) to their recommended training regimen, I've NEVER(!) has Shana go through it. Even chasing squirrels, turkeys, rabbits or deer, she'll pull up short of the 'beep' zone. I don't think she's been shocked by it in over five years.

It was an expensive proposition initially - something like $600.00, if I recall correctly - but it included installation, marking, and training the dog. It's definitely been worth it!
 
Years ago I had a large black wall-jumper who also thought nothing of a 6-foot cinder block wall. I ran a single strand of electrified wire about 6" above the top course of blocks to keep him in the yard. That worked until he discovered he could touch the wire as long as his feet weren't touching the ground at the same time. He'd jump on the wall and land on his belly, then kick off with his hind legs to land on the other side of the wall.

:rofl:

We had a horse that figured out his teeth weren't conductive and would peal his lips back and use his teeth to snip the hot wire on the top of the fence... and then happily go back to chewing on the top rail (he was a dedicated chewer having been barn raised so even once he was in a pasture .. well the behavior persisted).
 
I've NEVER(!) has Shana go through it. Even chasing squirrels, turkeys, rabbits or deer, she'll pull up short of the 'beep' zone. I don't think she's been shocked by it in over five years.

Its funny but our other dog who was real bad at roaming at the last house just won't leave the yard here. Even when the other dog digs a huge hole to crawl through or someone leaves the gate open he won't leave it (and seems pretty upset when the other dog has). Our theory is that he equates free rein of the yard via the doggy door with not running off; he didn't have a doggy door until we moved here and REALLY likes it (and now considers houses without one fundamentally broken). He was also past some of the teenager

I think a lot of the key to your success was taking sufficient time to do adequate training. Makes all the difference in the world to make sure they understand. Its also generally harder once they've gotten the idea that "its ok to go over there" so if you can get to the problem before that its a lot easier to not have a problem at all (not that that helps Larry at this point..).
 
Its funny but our other dog who was real bad at roaming at the last house just won't leave the yard here. Even when the other dog digs a huge hole to crawl through or someone leaves the gate open he won't leave it (and seems pretty upset when the other dog has). Our theory is that he equates free rein of the yard via the doggy door with not running off; he didn't have a doggy door until we moved here and REALLY likes it (and now considers houses without one fundamentally broken). He was also past some of the teenager

I think a lot of the key to your success was taking sufficient time to do adequate training. Makes all the difference in the world to make sure they understand. Its also generally harder once they've gotten the idea that "its ok to go over there" so if you can get to the problem before that its a lot easier to not have a problem at all (not that that helps Larry at this point..).

ryan he came broke and not in the good sense of the word he just keeps showing me new ideas that i dont like, so i have to keep working on the new one he just thought of:)
 
Top