Invisible Fencing & Prey Drive

[nhaitz]

Hopefully this question has not been asked and answered already.

I am about to go off to buy kibble, toys, etc for my new little girl, who is arriving shortly.

This is my sixth dog, but first GSD. The pup I am getting is from working vs sporting lines. I have been trying to educate myself about Schutzhund. No way of knowing, at this point, if the dog and handler (me!) are suitable for SchH.

The question I have has to do with invisible fence and shock collars. I don't want to dampen the pups prey drive, curiosity or independence, making it positively unsuitable for Schutzhund. I plan to take the dog to work with me every day, right from day one. That makes it really easy to housebreak a pup and we can have 3 or 4 short training sessions throughout the day as well as the ones at home. We also walk to and from work. I own a retail business, so yes, I can train my dog at work too.

The first week or two, I will keep the dog confined behind the sales counter, where it has its own office. The dog office is a cubby hole under the sales counter, and serves the same purpose as a crate, as well as a place to get away from obnoxious children.

After the dog feels comfortable with me, home and the shop, I will let it have the run of the store. That is where I need the invisible fencing. My business is in an older neighborhood, where the shops line the public sidewalk, which is about 8 feet wide. There is a row of cars parked along the sidewalk. Then a really busy street. I have seen people dis-mount cyclist from their bikes by opening their car door, and any number of other accidents, so I know a dog darting out between those parked cars don’t stand a chance.

Without the invisible fencing I can't let the pup have the run of the shop, and the range socializing experiences it offers. I don't like aversion training but find this one necessary for a young dog's safety. I know how to introduce a pup to the shock, and it has worked perfectly on two other dogs.

Anybody have any thoughts or experiences on what invisible fencing does to drive.

Nancy

[doggiedad]

you can teach your dog boundaries. a dog
having free run of a business is a bad idea.

[RogueRed26]

Honestly, most shepherds I have known, including my family's old German shepherd, would take the shock and quickly dart out. Like my trainer has told me, most shepherds have high pain thresholds and persistance. If they want to do something, they will. I recommend crating and having your puppy lead to you. This will allow you two to form a bond and allow you to keep an eye on your puppy as well.

[nhaitz]

Apparently I was not very clear in my description of the fencing. We did not "wire" the entire retail store, just the front door. The dog and I come and go through a rear door, but the shoppers use the main/front door.

A dog has to be properly introduced to the device. And, it is not a replacement for teaching boundaries. For us it is a safety back-up so a young pup does not bolt out into traffic. It is impossible to conduct business in a retail environment and keep a pup under constant supervision. The invisible fencing worked nicely with my previous two dogs who went to work with me.

In 50+ years of owning a dog, I have never owned a crate or had a need for one. That is just me and my way of doing things. I see nothing wrong with other people using a crate, if that works for them. I do think far to many people use them as a punishment box.

Letting a dog have free run of a business IS a good idea. It would take up too much space here to go into details, but trust me they are great in retail environments. Lots of free publicity. If you google my business name and dog's name (cookware sorcerer, sam) you will get an idea of what I mean. This print and web piece ran just before Sam had to be put down. I can give you the name of twenty or so other businesses in our neighborhood who will tell you the same thing.

Meanwhile... back at the ranch: Has anyone used invisible fencing on a dog they trained for Schutzhund?

[nhaitz]

Bad link typing in my previous post, and too slow in catching it.

This one works