Will underground fence keep in a LGD?

[Duker17]

I've been trying to convince DH that we need an lgd, but I am concerned about keeping the dog on our property. We have 13 acres, but live on a highway and have one neighbor that lives behind us. I already have an underground fence system, but will it be enough to prevent the dog from roaming?

 

[michelle43]

Hi Duker....I was just wondering the very same thing. I hope someone here can answer that for you, (and me).

 

[chikkaboomboom]

Depends on the dog and the time you spend training it, I know some people that have had great success with under ground fencing, and also horrible tragedy's from it, a young pup that you train on the fencing for a while will probably be fine, that said I show train and have 3 Bouviers, have had them for years ,great ,protective , smart,high drive dogs, a few of mine have learned that it only shocks you for a little bit then once over the under ground fence it stops ...they have a high pain threshold, I will never trust a under ground fence, main reason is that anything can get IN, stray dogs mostly...
good luck hope you figure out what will work for yours.

 

[Duker17]

Hi Michell, and thanks chik for your response! I currently have 3 dogs-

Chase, a German Shorthair that I do NOT trust on the underground fence because he's not exactly the sharpest tool in the shed (at 2 1/2 years he has barely mastered "sit" and I am using the word mastered VERY loosely.) He also has some...ummm...mental issues.

Max is a lab/rottie mix that doesn't wander anyways, so even if there were no underground fence, he would still be in the yard.

And finally, Cooper. My arch-nemesis. He kills my chickens and, therefore, remains in his kennel at all times except for a short period each morning and evening. (He stays in the yard also, so the fencing is kind of a mute point with him a well).

So, needless to say, I haven't had to do too much training to keep my dogs in so far, but also don't really have any idea how wel it would work on a dog that likes to wander. We are planing to put woven-wire fence along the property adjacent to the highway, but that will leave 2 sides that would only be enclosed with barbed wire. The underground fence I have is a top of the line model and also keeps shocking until the dog comes back inside the area, I just don't want to lose another dog to the highway. Right after we moved into this house, my collie, Duke, got loose and was hit. Definitely don't want to ever go through that experience again!

Thanks for the help and advice!

 

[Peck Johnson]

DON'T DO IT! It will not be enough to keep an LGD in.

An LGD is not a regular dog breed. While other dogs respond well to training, LGDs typically do not, relying instead on their own instincts. They cannot be easily compared to other dogs. They have thousands of years of breeding to think independently of humans, bred to defend the flock from whatever is a potential threat. We had a fox come around a few months ago and our Maremma was so determined to get at it that he scrambled over our 4 foot cattle fence at great risk of injury to himself to ward off the fox. Needless to say, that fox is now either dead or wary enough to stay far away because I have not seen it again anywhere. I know of another local farmer whose Maremma would also escape and kill coyotes until it was hit by a car as a result of getting free through a weak spot in the fence fencing. LGDs can be very determined and at a full speed run a shock from the collar is not going to stop the dog from its intent. LDGs are strong willed dogs that would probably get past the line but then know enough not to come back near it.

Most LGD owners and breeders would not ever recommend electric fence for an LGD. A repudable breeder will not even sell an LGD if they know that you intent to use a shock collar.

Good fencing is your only option. We have stretched wire cattle fence which works fine but even with that it has to be stretched tight without any gaps.

 

[CelticOaksFarm]

We have a pair of Pyrenees (male/female) and to get an under ground fence to even begin to think of working would require using the longest probes, and then most likely shaving neck hair away so they would keep contact. We had an in ground fence where we lived before, it worked great for our mini doxie and mix dog, the boxer figured out how to blast through it in 2 weeks time.

LSGD's are problem solvers, and driven to work. I would guess they would also figure it out quickly. Now fencing 13 acres would be costly, do you have live stock now (other than chickens) that have a pasture? If so that is where your dog would be as they guard the herd. If not can you create a fenced yard? I would suggest craigs list for people needing to get rid of fencing. Here you can find chain link and other fences available readily.

What is your motivation for wanting a giant breed dog? This has been covered in another thread, but not all LSGD's are good with chickens, but then not all dogs are of any breed are so. You would want a pup from a farm where they are exposed from early on to herd animals and chickens/ducks. LSGD's can be found in all price ranges too, some because of show bloodlines, some just because the breeder is crazy (if you ask me) and wants to make a ton of money on the litter.

I love our pair and wouldnt give them up for anything. We are adding a third to the mix, but keeping it as a house dog kid guardian when we have a little of pups from our two.

 

[Duker17]

We do have horses, they are fenced in with 4 strand electric fence (and the reason we are wanting to put woven wire across the front, in case of fence failure it would be a second barrier between them and the road). We do raise bottle calves for our neighbors, but they pasture them once they are off the bottle. I am wanting an lgd because we have problems with coyotes on occassion. I've never had any other predators get my chickens, but I do also see the occasional opossum. Because of the way our land is shaped- kind of a long skinny triangle, it is going to cost a fortune to fence it in, but I'd rather do that then lose an animal.

So, if the underground fence is a no-go, does anyone have any suggestions either on fencing or a breed that may work for me with limitations I have? I can't risk a dog getting on the highway- we would be liable for any damage. The only reason we weren't the last time was because the dog still had the chain attached to him, which proved we had him restrained.

 

[Peck Johnson]

I knew of someone with an Australian Shepherd that did well with the chickens and was a good guard. They are good trainable dogs that might work with an undergorund fence, too.

If you are reasonably fit, you can probably install 13 acres of woven wire fencing with little or no help, and for probably less than $1.25 per perimeter foot. But that all depends on a few factors: How accessible the corners are to get a machine to, what kind of machinery you will use, the shape of the property (is it narrow and long or are the sides equidistant), how level the land is, how many corners, and how many gates you will want. You are lucky if you are dealing with cleared flat land because it is so much easier to unroll the wire and stand it up.

I enclosed a perimeter of about 1700 feet for about only 88 cents per foot over rocky hill terain with lots of bends. Granted that is a smaller area than what you are dealing with but it is cheaper per foot the bigger you go. And I bought all new stuff so I didn't get any special deals. But it did take a several long weekends to finish.

 

[midget_farms]

I use the underground fence. It works great for my little dogs - but our boxer (God rest his soul) would run it when ever the kids went for a walk. he couldn't stand to see them out there alone.

So - once the dog realizes the pain will stop 3 ft on the other side of the wire - he's gone.

My little dogs (bostons) can't take the punch for 3ft on either side of the wire (6ft total) so they stay put.

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

will it be enough to prevent the dog from roaming?

Probably not

And why would you need a guardian dog if your place isn't even fenced?

LGD's should be contained with the animals they are there to protect​