dogs on lawn

Come Back, Fido: Why an Invisible Dog Fence Won’t Stop Your Dog’s Next Adventure

When your dog gets out of the yard, it can be a terrifying, frustrating experience. You don’t know where they are, when they might be back, if they’re hurt, or what they’re doing. You may also have to go run them down in the rain, snow, dark, or heat, and they often need a bath afterward.

One seemingly simple way to keep your four-legged friend from running off is an invisible dog fence. But these fences aren’t very good for your dog and don’t actually work that well. Read on to learn more about why you need a different method to keep your best friend in the yard.

What Is an Invisible Dog Fence?

An invisible dog fence is an underground containment system meant to keep your dog within its perimeter. A wire gets buried underground all along the border of your property, and your dog wears a special collar every time it goes outside. This collar has two electrical nodes that sit against your dog’s skin and administer shocks every time your dog gets near the line.

Some systems administer a warning beep before your dog hits the shock line, and then it shocks them when it crosses the line. You can adjust the power of the shock for the size of your dog, though some systems may increase the voltage the longer your dog remains outside boundaries. Other systems may continue shocking your dog continuously for a set amount of time until they come back in bounds.

When It Can Work

An invisible fence can work in some limited situations, but only in conjunction with a regular fence. As we’ll discuss more later, your dog is going to have a hard time “seeing” an invisible boundary line the same way you and I do. But if a regular fence is in place, that provides them a specific visual boundary.

If your dog keeps escaping from a fenced-in yard, an invisible fence can be a way to deter them from doing that. There are better methods for handling escape artists, but this is an option. If you need a physical fence to go with your invisible fence, visit this website for more information.

They Won’t Understand

One of the biggest issues with invisible fences is your dog won’t understand why they’re being shocked when it happens. Dogs operate on a pretty black-and-white basis. When they’re hungry, they eat; when they’re tired, they sleep; when they see something they want to chase, they chase it; and when something scares or hurts them, they avoid it.

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The trouble is your dog won’t have any idea that the reason they’re being hurt is that they’re crossing some invisible boundary line. They’ll be focused on something else when it happens, so they won’t have a clue why they’re being punished.

They May Become Aggressive

This kind of random punishment can lead dogs to become paranoid, fearful, and aggressive. Imagine if, several times at random throughout your day, someone came up and zapped you with a cattle prod, with no explanation as to why. You’d probably get to be pretty paranoid, too.

Dogs may also start to associate the shocks with things that are pleasant or okay. If someone comes to visit and your dog tries to run out of the yard to go see them and gets zapped, they may think that person is causing the shock. They may become aggressive towards certain people or reluctant to interact with anyone out of fear of being shocked.

It’s a Poor Training Approach

Dogs really only want a few things in life: enough food to eat, some stimulation in their environment, and to make you happy. Dogs are genetically engineered to want to please humans, and that’s all your dog is trying to do. So the best way to train your dog is not to punish them and teach them to fear you if he does something that you’ve decided is wrong.

A better way to keep your dog in the yard is to make staying in the yard something that they want to do. If you praise them whenever they stay in bounds and give them enough to do in the yard, they’ll be more likely to stay. The same goes for the rest of dog training – praise your dog when they do something good and they’ll be more likely to do it again because they want to make you happy.

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They Can Still Go Through It

If a dog is determined enough to get at something on the other side of the invisible fence, that line won’t stop them. Invisible fences are specifically designed to administer only mild shocks. They’re meant to get a dog’s attention, not torture them, so that shock can be ignored if your dog is determined enough.

Invisible fences also rely on you remembering to put the shock collar on your dog every time they go outside. The collar can’t stay on the all the time because the electrodes will wear sores on their skin. So if you let your dog out at 3 am and forget to put on their collar, there’s nothing keeping them from running off.

They Don’t Stop Other Animals

One of the advantages of having a fence is that it keeps other animals out of your yard. Coyotes, mountain lions, and even bears can pose a serious threat to your dog, depending on the area you live in. And that’s saying nothing of deer, opossums, raccoons, feral cats, and other animals that may make their way onto your property and wreak havoc.

Invisible fences may or may not be able to keep your dog in the yard, but they aren’t going to keep other animals out. These predators don’t have shock collars on, and if your dog is afraid to leave the yard, it can leave them trapped if a larger animal comes through.

Keep Your Best Friend in the Yard

An invisible dog fence may seem like a quick and easy solution to keep your dog in the yard, but they aren’t a great approach. Your dog won’t understand why they’re being hurt, and they can still run through the fence if they’re determined enough. The best solution is to get a physical fence and make the yard someplace your best friend always wants to be.

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