Electronic fencing | Gail Fisher, All Dogs Gym & Inn

Electronic fencing

N.H. Sunday News - Dog Tracks Column - 8/26/07
By: Gail T. Fisher

I got an email from Julie Williams, President of New England Doglift Rescue Organization who wrote: “I just got through going through three years of your articles looking for something on electric fences... have you written anything? It seems like every dog that gets returned to us that is shy/or timid has been exposed to an electric fence. Have you had any experience with these? Seems like everyone and their brother wants this cheap way to keep their dogs in their yards and I am worried about the repercussions to the dogs... Any advice or insight would be appreciated.”

First, don’t I love someone who’ll wade through three years of my articles! Unfortunately for Julie, the last time I wrote about electronic fencing was five years ago – so this seems like a good time to write about it again.

Electronic fencing consists of a perimeter wire buried underground along the “fence line.” The wire transmits to a receiver collar the dog wears. When the dog approaches the boundary, he hears a warning sound. If he doesn't heed the warning and move away, he gets a shock from the collar.

I’m a big fan of fences – physical fences. Fencing keeps a dog out of the neighbors' trash and off someone else’s lawn. Fences prevent dogs chasing cats, bikes and people walking dogs. A fenced dog can’t get hit by a car.

A physical fence does more than keep a dog in, it keeps intruders out – even well-meaning ones. Most often a child that is bitten by a dog has entered the dog's property. If the dog is behind a fence the child can’t get to him, there’s no bite.

While I’m a fan of fencing, I’m not a fan of electronic fencing. I know many dog owners that are happy with it. Sadly, some communities zoning ordinances prohibit physical fencing, so electronic fencing is the only option – some form of confinement being better than none. But there are drawbacks and caveats a dog owner with invisible fencing needs to be aware of.

Starting at the top my first objection is the advantage to some: It’s invisible. While the dog wearing the collar knows it’s there, the bully dog coming onto your property that attacks your dog doesn’t know that. It won’t stop a dog thief, a child who wants to tease your dog, or a skunk. Nor does it stop a bear, coyote or rabid raccoon. In other words, it doesn’t keep your dog safe from dangers coming onto your property.

Next, it is not uncommon for a dog to run through the warning and the shock. If a dog is chasing a squirrel or dog, for instance, his adrenaline may be so high that he literally does not hear the warning, or feel the shock until it’s too late. Then what? There he is on the outside of the perimeter – and he can’t get back.

And then there’s the fact that any electronic device can malfunction – and this one has the capacity to hurt, and even harm your dog. I've heard of collars activated by appliances such as a vacuum cleaner. One of our instructor’s dogs got zapped when he got too close to their home computer.

We’ve dealt with many behavior problems because of these collars. A client’s dog refused to go into the house – they could not even drag the dog over the threshold. It turned out that a short in the doorbell shocked the dog every time he passed it, so he refused to do so.

Another client’s dog spent the day in the house wearing his collar, and the system had malfunctioned so that the electronics in the basement shocked him continually. This poor dog was so neurotic after a day of continually being shocked that he was never the same.

Another dog was zapped by airplanes flying overhead, and I’ve read about dogs getting severely burned from malfunctioning collars.

These are just a few of the physical issues connected to electronic fencing. Next week I’ll write about the psychological aspect, and the potential for changing your dog’s temperament, personality and behavior forever.

Copyright © Gail T. Fisher, 2007. All rights reserved. http://www.alldogsgym.com
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Comments (1)

1 Written by Cheryl Mousseau, on 01-17-2010 07:13
Looking at past articles that Gail had written on electric fencing, I came across one she had written back in August 2007,that I thought was really worth noting.
\"I’m a big fan of fences – physical fences. Fencing keeps a dog out of the neighbors\' trash and off someone else’s lawn. Fences prevent dogs chasing cats, bikes and people walking dogs. A fenced dog can’t get hit by a car.

A physical fence does more than keep a dog in, it keeps intruders out – even well-meaning ones. Most often a child that is bitten by a dog has entered the dog\'s property. If the dog is behind a fence the child can’t get to him, there’s no bite.

While I’m a fan of fencing, I’m not a fan of electronic fencing. I know many dog owners that are happy with it. Sadly, some communities zoning ordinances prohibit physical fencing, so electronic fencing is the only option – some form of confinement being better than none. But there are drawbacks and caveats a dog owner with invisible fencing needs to be aware of.\"

Although there are multiple articles on this topic, none rang as true as this one and certainly worth repeating.
Looking back over my years with multiple dogs in multiple areas, it reinforced two things I have always believed.
Physical fencing is the best choice to keep your dog safe. Over the years, growing up in MA, then living in NH in several communities we always had fencing.
In all those years, only once when we lived in PA, did we live in a neighborhood,where we were not allowed to have a physical fence. We did not install an electric fence. I managed for 8 years without the physical fence and although it was not easy, not once did my dogs stray.
There is no substitute for being with your dog when he is outdoors.
Dogs are social beings, they are curious and get bored easily.
Our current property, fenced (2 acres) and double fenced in some areas that we do not want the dogs to go, serves my now pack of 7 very well. Often, friends will comment, \"It must be great having your yard fenced so you can open the door and let them out without going out.\" or even more surprising, \"That\'s so nice to have a fence so you can let them out while you are at work!\"
I am always out with my dogs when they are out. I pick up the yard while they meander around and play with each other. I engage them in play with me, throwing toys to retrieve. I use the opportunity to review or teach a new behavior. My pet sitters do the same. It only takes a minute for a dog, even one who has a physical fence to find alternate activities. They spot a walker in the distance and bark. I don\'t think my neighbors want to listen to barking dogs. Well meaning delivery people often stop and attempt to bring a package through my gate. Not really a good choice but because I am always out with my dogs, I can alert them to wait, so 7 excited Labs are not greeting the person.
Dogs need supervision, whatever kind of fence you choose. I still choose physical fencing and will not sell my puppies to anyone who does not have a fenced yard. But more importantly, dogs need their owners to be engaging them in activites to keep them happy. I think it sends them an important message, that you, not the fence, are in charge.