[Floridaangel]

Hi,

My GSD saw another dog and bolted through my pool enclosure screen and was gone. We got him back but now I am thinking about an invisible fence? Would it actually stop a GSD or is this something where he has to be trained by walking the perimeter of our yard?

Anyone have any experience with invisible fences? Does it hurt the dog? Any recommendations or insight would be appreciated! Thanks!

 

[LeoRose]

If your dog has high prey drive, it's possible he will blow right through the invisible fence. Also, even if it does keep him IN, it won't keep other animals OUT.

 

[Courtney]

We have the Invisible Fence brand...had it since my boy was 6 months. Our property backs protected wetlands, he's use to seeing wild life. It works fine. But it will NOT work if you do not train the boundry....period. We started training the boundry before even getting the fence installed.

As mentioned it does not keep other animals out of the yard. We live in the sticks...roaming dogs are rare. We did have a loose dog try to come into the yard last summer, he saw my boy running towards him & backed off...it could have been a nasty dog fight. He never left the yard.

It's not perfect, but works for the house we are living in now. I do not leave him outside unattended....family rule.

Again, you must train.

 

[doggiedad]

not leaving a dog outside unattended and a fenced yard
are the two best fence.

We have the Invisible Fence brand...had it since my boy was 6 months. Our property backs protected wetlands, he's use to seeing wild life. It works fine. But it will NOT work if you do not train the boundry....period. We started training the boundry before even getting the fence installed.

As mentioned it does not keep other animals out of the yard. We live in the sticks...roaming dogs are rare. We did have a loose dog try to come into the yard last summer, he saw my boy running towards him & backed off...it could have been a nasty dog fight. He never left the yard.

It's not perfect, but works for the house we are living in now.

>>>> I do not leave him outside unattended....family rule.<<<<

Again, you must train.

 

[Littlelady4]

The invisible fence works great for us. It's a very low shock to the dog, and mine learned quickly what was expected. We live in a remote area, so it's nice that she can be out during the day, but she does have a dog house and pen where she can go inside during the day as well.


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[zyppi]

Good results with Invisible Fence (but wouldn't go with unknown brand). Three GSDs so far contained.

 

[Runamuk]

Our neighbors Golden busts through their invisible fence a few times a week, I can hear the dog yelp every time I’m outside and she charges though it. I know they have tried about everything to contain her, even bringing in professional help to teach her the boundaries, nothing has worked yet. The good news is she’s a very sweet dog and really just looking to run around and play, bad news is she WILL NOT go back through after she’s free for fear of getting shocked again trying to get back home. I have to remove her collar and carry her across the boundary kicking and screaming when her parents leave her out for the day unattended.
I would never trust one to contain my GSD even if he was trained, there is just way to many things more important for him to chase than to worry about a shock. I’ve felt the shock that the golden gets from that collar (yes I’m dumb like that) and I’m here to tell you it’s no joke. But once a dog figures it out their tough to retrain, so I’m told.

 

[Diesel and Lace]

The house I am in the process of purchasing also have a GSD. They have a regular fence + invisible fence + a run for their GSD and it still gets out when it wants to. Each dog is different and I dont think there is one coverall answer here. I know with my new boy there is NO WAY I would even Consider an invisible fence. He goes into overdrive with another dog and I honestly dont know that he would care about the pain.

 

[Ares God Of War]

Long time ago had one and my cocker spaniel would run through it.. Dunno maybe they have changed since then


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[jourdan]

When I was a kid (1995 ish) we had a lab who dug under our chain link fence. My dad put the invisible fence (not sure what brand) down and she still dug under and could care less about the shock. I would say it depends on the dog but with or without I'd teach good boundaries and work on training a good recall.


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[JackandMattie]

Hi,

My GSD saw another dog and bolted through my pool enclosure screen and was gone. We got him back but now I am thinking about an invisible fence? Would it actually stop a GSD or is this something where he has to be trained by walking the perimeter of our yard?

Anyone have any experience with invisible fences? Does it hurt the dog? Any recommendations or insight would be appreciated! Thanks!

Absolutely requires training.

Does not keep other animals out of your yard.

A determined dog will suffer the sting to get what it wants...training will lessen, but not guarantee.

We used the Dogtra e-fence when we were in rural Ohio last year. Weimaraner wouldn't come within five feet of it...stopped short before she even got the warning vibrate. Jack really wanted to follow me to work, so he just ran right through after my pickup one morning. Not even a yelp. But he's always been harder to train Also, he didn't care much for staying home with my housemate, lol!

 

[rockhead]

Again, you must train.

Amen.

I've had two GSD's on my Dogwatch system. I trained them accordingly and had zero escapes, but I never leave them outside unattended.

The system is now 13-years old. I replaced one collar unit after I overtightened the battery door and cracked it. Otherwise, it's been flawless.

My neighbor had Invisible Fence. He had to replace the "brain" 3 times in 5 years before he called it quits. He has since installed a DIY Home Depot system and seems to be content.

 

[PhoenixGuardian]

My family has used Invisible fence for years.
My GSD will not run through it. Doesn't matter if he sees people, deer, squirrels, anything. We trained him on it since before he was big enough to fit the collar. Just keep working on the training. The only time that he ever went through it, I had tried to leave him home and he followed me (he goes everywhere with me).
You can ask the people at the Invisible fence centers to set the shock up higher, though I don't know how high they go. If your dog has high prey drive, very thick hair, or isn't trained for the fence properly, he will go through the fence.
If he has very thick fur, you may need to trim it so that the prongs touch his skin.
The shock collars give a warning sound before they give the actual shock. It won't hurt your dog, especially if they have no tolerance for pain (like my boy )

I don't know if this helped, or if you even needed/wanted it, but yeah... Thats my opinion on I.F.

 

[sparra]

We have one....works great.

 

[Jo Ellen]

I have a Dogwatch Invisible Fence. There have been times Spirit has broken the boundary but those were very early on. A week ago a duck landed just outside the boundary. I watched without breathing Spirit stayed in. Amazing, totally amazing. I watch him chase squirrels and stop on a dime at the boundary. He hasn't broken through in a very long time now, not even for BunnyFooFoo next door (he still goes bezerk though when he sees her).

Definitely requires training. Spirit is completely ball obsessed. Sometimes still I toss or kick the ball outside the boundary just to test him. I'm quite pleased with how much I trust him now.

 

[katdog5911]

The e fence we have works perfectly for containing my 2 dogs. TRAINING is essential! But as I have unfortunately discovered, it does not keep other animals out. That said, overall I am quite happy with it. Even in high prey drive, my dogs do not cross the boundary. One time the fence wasn't working, we didn't realize it at first, but the dogs stayed within the boundary....

Ideally I would like a "real" fence with an e fence back up.....

 

[Ambrola]

Save yourself a ton of money and just buy an e collar and teach him. I used the Dogtra, its supposed to be the best. I know it worked for me and I was having the same problem. They want 2100.00 for a fence. The e-collar was 230.00 and it does not hurt your dog! I put it around my neck and had my wife start shocking me. I got all the way without it hurting. Its the surprise that gets their attention, not the shock.

 

[sitstay]

I generally don't like them. As has already been mentioned, a determined dog will not hesitate to cross the boundary, regardless of how much training you have done. And the even bigger problem is the fact that even if your dog stays in, other animals can enter the yard and cause problems with your dog.

I can understand why they would be an attractive choice for many people. But for every person who has had good results with IF systems, there are others who have had horrible results.
Sheilah

 

[Magwart]

I've seen a lot of dogs of varying breeds in the local shelter wearing the collars that go along with those fences. All were picked up running stray. The fact that we see so many of them suggests to me a lot of dogs are getting through them.

 

[FlyAway]

I have heard two devastating stories about invisible fence. A friend sold a dog to the neighbor down the road with an invisible fence. That dog was eaten by a pack of coyotes. Another person I email frequently has a friend with an invisible fence. The smaller of their two dogs, a cocker spaniel was mutilated by a small pack of dogs passing by. Blood allover the driveway and garage. Their second dog watched the entire thing in fear. These are stories with 1 degree of separation. I don't want to know any more!