Any experience with wireless dog fences?

[Appytaz]

I had to get the larger "stubborn dog" collar for my boxer. They also suggested shaving the hair in the area of the prongs in the beginning if you are not getting results. The boxer would endure the shock occasionally to get out to run. Our cocker is more sensative (and not very bright) and he refused to touch the grass in the front yard for fear of the shock. We now have 2 acres fenced for the dogs and they will still test the fence line so we ran it around the chain link and it has been a blessing! The stay off the fence line and no one is trying to climb or jump out. If you decide to get one - check Craigslist - I have seen them used on there.

Good Luck!

 

[mekasmom]

I have one. It works great. The only bad thing about it is that it isn't as large as the one you dig into the ground would be. And it covers a circular area rather than a specific area that you did. Plus if the dog goes into a metal building the collar starts beeping then shocks. Unlike the wire fences, if the signal is blocked it shocks rather than a blocked signal stopping the collar from shocking on a wired one. So the dogs can more easily get corrected in a wireless version.

Over all, I would highly recommend one. With a large dog you have to set it a bit higher at a three or even a four for stubborn dogs. I change batteries about four times a year when they flash, but once the dogs know where the boundaries are, they don't cross them any more. It just takes one or two corrections for them to no longer challenge the border.

 

[Solsken Farm]

Mekasmom, what kind of dog (s) do you have?

I found a used 10 x 20 chain link kennel and he just hangs out. He is not attempting to dig, chew, climb or otherwise try to escape, so this is a good sign.

But while we are home, I would really like him to be in the yard with us.

 

[reallemons1]

We have one of the wireless fences- just plug it in and adjust how large you want their range types. I trained them as recommended and it works great. It makes life so much easier. We are careful though, never leave them in it when we are not here. I did have to trim the rough Collie's neck hair for the collar. It is better than a real fence for the Jack Russell because he digs and would get out and boy can that little sucker run.

 

[mistylady]

We kennel our Norwegian Elkhounds at night and they are on 30 foot cables during the day along with us taking them for walks on leashes. They fear no fence and can jump just about anything. We are planning to fence them a nice area this spring (about two acres) with goat wire and hot wire on the top - probably two rows of it. Also with the kennel ... check the bottom of it at least once a week to be sure no one has nosed their way into making an escape route! Good luck hon!

 

[amamaofmany]

We have one of the Petsafe wireless units and we love it.

Our three dogs are all rescues. One of them is a foxhound mix (Sammy), one a basenji mix (Kandy) and one a Jack Russel terrier (

Jack) mix. We adopted Sammy & Kandy together as adult dogs, and Jack 9 months later as a pup.

I had no idea at the time we adopted the adult dogs that 1) Kandy was a Basenji mix, or 2) Basenjis are notorious for running and running and running and running and....that and making bizarre yodeling noises, but that's another story.

It was insane for the first few months. We started calling them Thelma and Louise. They'd burst out of the door like lightening, disappear for days at a time. We put up a fence and they learned to jump it in in weeks. NOTHING worked and chasing them only had them running further away like a game. Finally Kandy disappeared for a week & we eventually located her at a shelter many many miles from home. She had also lost her collar tag, so no one called us about her. (It was in bailing her out of the slammer that afternoon that I saw an adorable teeny weeny puppy Jack who I HAD to hold and when he licked my nose, I adopted him. NO it is NOT how my husband proposed!)

That afternoon, after I got Kandy and the new pup home, I stopped at Tracter Supply for the Wireless. I read the directions, plugged it in, adjusted it, tested the 'circle' and put the collars on the dogs. I tried doing the training work, but Kandy was just too eager to run away. It took her running headfirst into pain 6 or 7 times in one afternoon before she understood her footloose and fancyfree days were over (we had to reset her collar each time). Now she looks longingly at the woods and stays put in her own yard. Her collar is set on Incinerate and she Respects the Beep.

If they leave the circle, the collar shocks them something like once every second or two for 30 seconds and after 30 seconds it shuts off in case the collar is malfunctioning (so as not to kill the dog). The shock collars beep to warn them that they are going to be in pain and there are flags you set up so they can learn the boundary. Sammy is extremely dumb and thinks it is the little white flags are responsible for her agony (she only needs to hear the beep and she is fear-shedding massive clouds of white fur. If I pick up a little flag and move near her, she goes into panic mode and fear-sheds, too. Her collar is on the lowest setting.) There are collars for this unit made, I think, for especially stubborn dogs and I think they shock longer than 30 seconds. We haven't needed it as the highest setting had Kandy's respect in one afternoon and the mere sound of the beep had Sammy running tail between her legs for the door.) Kandy's cries, the first time she tried to hightail, it was incredible. She tested it all afternoon with the same results and by day's end, she called it quits. The collar won.

If you use the collar for a long-haired dog, you can always shave the fur on the neck of the dog with electric dog clippers to get the prongs to have skin contact.

A few things: The boundary fluxuates. It is possible for it to expand or close by a few feet, because it is a radio signal. If you need them to avoid a certain area, you can't let the signal be too close to that area or they may find a day when that signal lets them pass. One of my sons was bitten by a dog with a collar on - he passed by it on a public throughway next to the dog's yard, but the dog's collar let it get to him (even though the owners swear he 'can't' - well my son's leg was bloody and it wasn't from brambles) On the trail, the dog was shocked, but it had already bitten my son by the time my son heard the beep and the dog yipped.

Two, the batteries are expensive and exclusive. You can't buy them everywhere, although a lot of pet stores and Tractor Supply do carry them. I can also buy the batteries on Amazon.com, but it isn't always convenient to get them when you see the red light flashing "Low Battery". They last longer if your dog isn't always challenging the boundaries. For us that means about every 4 months we have to replace them because Kandy and Jack love to get as close as they can to the no-go zone just to be sure they still can't get out of it. The warning beep is enough now, but they still try to test it.

Three, The collars will fall apart if the dogs drag each other around by them (Sammy loves to grab Jack by the collar and drag him all over the yard, and Kandy loves to grab Sammy's collar just to tug on it when they are playing) The metal shock-prongs can come out if you aren't checking them frequently (they screw in), the plastic gaskets that keep the black box on the collar are easily lost with rough dog-play and the plastic plug that protects the button that adjusts the severity of shock lasted about 2 days here. Replacements are available, but I hate to spend a couple of dollars on two tiny thin plastic rings. Jack's black box is tied to his collar with a long length of nylon string.

Four, you do have to check the skin around the area where the collar prongs sit to be sure that the skin isn't irritated, blistered or necrotic in that area. I move the box around their necks frequently and give the dogs a good rubdown daily where the box tends to hang and check for wounds, redness or darkening of the skin. So far, no problem but we are meticulous about that. We are afraid to take the collars off because the dogs have burst out of the door to chase cats on the street in front of our house, and I don't want them responsible for an automobile accident on the main street.

If you are careful, the unit can work very very well for you.

 

[mamabird]

I LOVE our underground fence! We have labs that stay in the yard even without their collars on.

The key is spend the time on training the dogs to respect the fence bounderies. Too many times I have heard people say that they don't like their fence, but they installed it - put the collar on the dog - and wondered why the dog didn't stay in the yard. You have to spend time on training and you shouldn't have any trouble.

Some breeds are easier to train than others, and some are impossible. Our bloodhound paid NO attention to the UGF, but once he had his nose on the ground, a semi couln't stop him!

If you have GPs, you may want to clip the hair on their necks, so you get a good contact with the collar. We have the stubborn dog collars, which you can adjust for a correction 1-5. Personally, I set it on 5 and get the point across quickly. It may sound harsh, but it only took one or two times getting too close to the bounderies, to get the point across.

Good luck!