Escaping Dog

[Anna Morgan]

Can someone give me advice? I have 3 dogs, but i am discussing Charlie, my 3 year old sheepdog mix. He has been getting out of the fence lately, chewing holes in it. Thing is, he NEVER did this before, ever! He every now and then ran out of the open gate. He will NOT go anywhere far at all unless he has our other dog with him. She won't go normally. Will a shock collar help? He is 90lbs

 

[lcwmt]

we use the in ground invisible fence for our dogs. Lots of acreage here. We fenced the 3.5 acres closest to the house, and included their preferred paths.
Folks in town and subdivisions use invisible fencing also. We do not use the "shock" option, just the alert.
This sort of fence keeps the dogs in, does not keep anything else out.

A shock collar only works when you catch the dog just before it acts: it is impractical, a voice command would be just as helpful then.

 

[Anna Morgan]

i thought a shock collar would like, shock the dog if it tried to go out the barrier. like, and invisible forcefield?

 

[lcwmt]

i thought a shock collar would like, shock the dog if it tried to go out the barrier. like, and invisible forcefield?

no, the shock collars only work when human activated. They are often used for field training working dogs, or in punitive ways...

The electric fence operates with a "shock/signal receiver on a collar", activated by the transmitter when the dog approaches the boundary. Collar can be set to different degrees of shock or sound signal.
Maybe you combined the two in your thought process?

 

[Anna Morgan]

maybe. Thanks, we will try the fence thing. I hope it works! I want to keep my dog!!! I had to get rid of my dog once, and now I will not let that happen again

 

[lcwmt]

google invisible fence. You can get a starter kit at pet stores but may find it less expensive to order through Amazon. The kit comes with training info. It's easy, humane and a great giver of peace of mind.

 

[Anna Morgan]

does it actually work? like, keeping a dog from getting out? a BIG dog?

 

[lcwmt]

yes, it works to keep the dogs inside their area. We have a 75 pound retriever mix who loves to run, jump fences and is, in general, very active/athletic.
Other dog is a Catahoula, smaller but equally active.

I've seen large Labs contained this way and once knew a family that used the invisible fence in the house to keep their two very big dogs out of the kitchen. IMO they should have trained their teens instead but oh well. <G>.

FWIW, we used landscape staples to put the fence down, instead of trenching. good luck. Your dog is worth the effort.

 

[dainerra]

it depends on the individual dog. some think that the reprimand is worth the reward of being able to roam while others won't consider running out.

Another thing to keep in mind, the dog will also receive the punishment (shock) for trying to return home.

 

[dainerra]

however, invisible fence systems do work well in conjunction with a conventional fence. The chain link keeps the dog from running through the correction of the collar while the invisible system stops the dog from taking time to dig or chew through the existing fence.

depending on the size of your yard you either run the wire right outside the existing fence with the "correction zone" a foot inside or adjust the area as needed for your individual yard.