Invisible Dog Fences
What are Invisible Dog Fences?
Invisible dog fences or electric dog fences aren’t too common, largely because the good old fence pretty much does the same job and for cheaper. Of course, for people who don’t have the space or the permits to erect a wall or fence can make great use of an electric dog fence. As with anything, it has its own pros and cons.
Generally, there are two parts to most invisible dog fences. The first part is a pet-collar that has a receiver, which is tuned to the second part: a wire that is buried in the ground, forming the perimeter and makes up the invisible fence. It’s actually a very simple invention. If little Rover goes sniffing near the perimeter, his collar will start beeping, warning him away from the perimeter. If Rover tries to romp past it anyway, a mild electric shock will hopefully convince Rover that romping past a certain point is a terrible and painful idea.
There are some very obvious flaws and advantages to invisible dog fences. As mentioned above, they allow you to attempt to rein in your animals without having to mess with permits or inspections that might cost you more money that you’re willing to commit. Aesthetics is another advantage that careful landscapers will appreciate. You need fencing of a specific height to rein in cats and dogs and that kind of fencing might not be good for your backyard’s look. The electric dog fence can try to make sure you can control where your dogs wander while keeping the look that you want for your backyard or front yard as the case may be.
The flaws are also quite obvious, the most glaring being the potential for Fido to just keep trucking through the electric shock or to perhaps leap over it and escape that way. That just doesn’t end well for either the dog or the owner. The dog might become injured if it keeps sustaining a shock.
At worst, the dog might be inspired to leave the home. The perimeter does not distinguish between entering and leaving the circle. That means that if an escaped pooch tries to come home, the perimeter will still trigger and shock the doggy away.
Another possible flaw of the electric dog fence is that is provides no other security benefit. Fences and walls are also used to keep intruders, human and otherwise, out of your home. With the invisible dog fence, you keep nothing out.
The bottom line is, invisible dog fences largely depend on your neighborhood and your dog. Will your dog pay attention to the shock collar? Is it cheaper than simply building a fence or wall? If the answers to the questions are yes, then perhaps you need one set up.